Rather, it is a phrase that has appeared in online forums, particularly among incels, to describe a person who perceives themselves as having an evolutionary or primitive nature ("atavistic") and a social or developmental disability ("autist"). The phrase emerged from an online discussion thread where one user, described as an "atavistic autist," made a post that was met with positive responses from others in a similar community. The term attempts to link the concept of atavism, the reappearance of an ancestral trait, with autism, though this is not a scientifically valid association
- Atavism: This is a biological concept that refers to the reappearance of a trait that had been lost during evolution, such as the development of hind limbs in some whales. In a broader, now largely discredited, sense, it was used to suggest that some individuals reverted to an earlier, more primitive type.
- Autist: This is a shortened, informal, and often derogatory way of referring to someone with autism spectrum disorder.
- Online context: The term was used in an online forum to describe a specific user, indicating the term's origin within a particular subculture to describe a perceived identity. The discussion around the post suggests that the user and others felt that they were not receiving genuine support from society and were instead being preyed upon or betrayed.
