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This is interesting, because I have the same things happen with different reasons behind them. Responding to a joke as though I didn't understand it was one is something I find internally amusing, and my own sense of humor is pretty dry/deadpan so people do miss sometimes when I'm "joking back" as it were

I think the dividing line is the intensity/frequency, unless one knows one is diagnosed. My coworkers for example pick up on the differences in the way I talk when I'm joking vs sincere pretty quick, and likewise learn that I find some small amusing in being irritating now and again

And it's always awkward to explain I'm also joking. Most times I just pretend I'm being serious just to save myself the hassle of explaining I was actually continuing the joke

Same for me LOL (also not autistic)

OP what makes you think you're not? This post is autistic AF, as someone autistic.

I'm very high masking when I choose to be (sometimes when I'm not.. it's sort of automatic by nature at times) and in a lot of cases people never know. I was in my 30s before I figured it out, and I used to use the saying "I'm not autistic but" a lot.

There are free tests available. AMA (not a pro but I have over 30yrs experience!)

I think part of it for me is in hearing the joke, I hear the subject reduced to simplicity, in some cases with ugly stereotypes, so I feel compelled to explain the nuance.

A recent example came up when someone made a 72 virgins joke recently (the promised heavenly reward for a muslim man who lives rightly features seventy-two concubines)

And as a result, I broke into an explanation of Houri (but spared them the complexities of jihad ).

I’ve done this my whole life. I think it’s a form of masking. You cover both sides. If it was a joke you are like yeah I was continuing it. If it wasn’t you just say you thought they were being sarcastic and misunderstood.

Sometimes I know it's a joke or sarcasm but I pretend to take it seriously because it don't know how to react to it otherwise.

I've taken to deadpan saying, "I can't tell if you're joking or not."

Doesn't work well with strangers, but it works with people who know me and have some level of understanding of the whole thing.

"I can't be autistic, I understand sarcasm." Until I realised that I'm heavily context dependent and no I don't understand sarcasm unless I know for certain that it is sarcasm.

Oh cool, a meme can make my cheek twitch

"Notes"? Is this from Bluesky? Threads?