I find research difficult. There are two reasons for this.
The first is that is it involves a lot of reading. I've got no time for that. I look at those books and I see tedious prose jungles. To me academic journals are endlessly referential hyperlink mazes. Who needs that stuff! Citations? Footnotes? Newspaper articles and documentaries are as far can I go. No, I just lean back on my chair and research my eyelids. Pretend you know what it's like to be someone else. Corral all the stereotypes, all those myths pulled from a cinematic culture that values sentiment over sense and filter through your prejudices, and the result is a sensitive portrayal of a misunderstood minority. I can publish any drivel about autism that I want and if anyone calls me out, who will listen to them? Research takes effort and I know that I'll be rewarded far more if I regurgitate the clichés my audience will recognize.
The second is that I don't give a damn.
