Known to his coworkers for his brusqueness, backstabbing, lack of sensitivity, and short temper, Kent Chadwick of New York City has claimed to colleagues that he is on “the spectrum,” as in autism, but they are not buying it.
“I’m not a psychologist, but I’m pretty clear on the diagnosis in this case,” said Mike Freeman, who has worked with Chadwick for over two years at a Manhattan-based logistics company. “The guy’s just a douchebag.”
Freeman explained that Chadwick has long had a habit of insulting people at work meetings, causally commenting on people’s weight gain, and talking dismissively about his wife of twelve years, on whom he has made no secret of cheating repeatedly.
“But lately he’s started talking about being discriminated against for being on the spectrum,” said Freeman. “The first time he said it, the rest of us all kind of looked at each other. Finally, I asked which spectrum he was referring to.”
According to Freeman, Chadwick responded with a violent-sounding grunt and then exploded with a tirade about people’s lack of emotional intelligence and the general lack of autism awareness.
“I wasn’t pretty flabbergasted," said Freeman. “But again, I’m not a psychologist, so I thought, maybe I'm missing something here. I asked when he’d gotten his diagnosis about being autistic, and he said I was violating his medical privacy by asking. I told him, “Sorry, dude.’”
Unplacated, Chadwick stormed out of the meeting. His rattled colleagues decided to take an informal vote on whether they thought Chacwick had legitimate autism issues. According to Freeman, seven of the eight coworkers felt that Chadwick was simply a douchebag, but one coworker, Karen Johson, abstained on the basis that everyone is on some sort of spectrum in some sense and that Chadwick’s explosion was clearly a cry for help.
“We told her we respected her opinion, and she was welcome to help him,” said Freeman. “But between you and me, I think he’s sleeping with her.” He chuckled and added, "I've got to hand it to him. The dude's got game."
Since Chadwick's disclosure about being on "the spectrum," the colleagues have managed to continue to work productively together, Chadwick’s colleagues regularly expressing support for the those with neurodivergence, autism, and/or other mental health challenges, which seems to appease Chadwick for the duration of most work meetings.
That said, Freeman’s own diagnosis of Chadwick’s condition has not changed. “Douchebag, severe. Prognosis: poor. Recommended treatment: just stop. Please.”
