“You’re not being bullied, it’s the way your brain perceives it. Not everyone is bullying you.” That’s what my family used to say to me all the time whenever I told them I was being bullied. And it was true that they bullied me. The teachers yelled at me and found every possible way to punish me, the kids called me names, avoided me, and called me a disgusting creep, spread rumors about me, and very few students liked me.
I’d say, though not everyone bullied me, a great deal of them did and it wasn’t just how my brain perceived it. That’s bullying to anyone, autistic or not.
This smacks of the same nonsense as when they used to tell us “You’re just being too sensitive”. It’s bullshit. You have a healthy understanding of right and wrong and they are responsible for their actions and how those actions make you feel.
Spreading rumors, calling people names etc isn’t just rude, it is bullying especially if they encourage others to bully you as well.