Man Slammed for Throwing 'Tantrum' Over Brother-in-Law Eating Nachos

An autistic man who was accused of "throwing a little tantrum" after his brother-in-law began eating nachos in a restaurant has found little sympathy online.

In a Reddit post penned by the brother-in-law, writing as u/Consistent_Cat_1126, he acknowledges the man, named Brian, has "sensory issues," but believes he uses this as a means to be "controlling" around his family.

When the outburst occurred during a dinner out to celebrate Easter, the brother-in-law wasted little time in telling his relatives how he felt about the "ridiculous" rules surrounding what they can do around Brian.

Although it was poorly received by Brian's family, the man found plenty of support for his stance online, with the Reddit post detailing the incident racking up over 16,000 upvotes and counting.

The CDC estimates that 5,437,988, or 2.21 percent of adults in the U.S., have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD can manifest itself in very different ways and to varying degrees.

That's partly why the brother-in-law posting to Reddit appears unconvinced about the extent of Brian's ASD and instead believes he "exploits peoples' perception" to get what he wants.

That belief came to the fore during the family meal out together where the brother-in-law proceeded to order nachos.

"My wife begged me to order something else but she wasn't direct with me about the problem and I didn't get her hints," the man wrote. According to the post as soon as he took his first bite, Brian "started shrieking" and throwing a tantrum, telling the man the sound of the crunching taco was "killing him."

Brian's mom and dad lambasted their son-in-law for making their son feel "uncomfortable," but he refused to accept any wrongdoing, branding Brian's demands "ridiculous" and suggesting he was the one who ruined the meal.

Justin Jacques, a therapist with over 20 years experience working with autistic clients, told Newsweek that, in his experience, autism presents differently for almost everyone, meaning that "whether eating nachos hits the level of triggering someone with this autism because of sensory integration issues and dysregulating someone is difficult to define in the absolute."

On the one hand, he believes that the noise made by crunchy chips "could be enough to trigger dysregulated behavior" and it's important for others to be "sensitive to the needs" of anyone who might be suffering as a result of this.

However, in defense of the brother-in-law, he felt there were ample behavioral treatments and therapists available to help people like Brian with "emotional regulation."

Jacques said: "The reality for the family member with autism is that they will often be in triggering situations, and they can develop skills to self-regulate and self sooth depending on the severity of the autism so they are able to be around loud foods being consumed."

While he was "curious" to see if Brian had ever been given an official diagnosis or was engaging in treatment, on balance he felt the brother-in-law should have avoided conflict by not ordering nachos. "Those who have someone in their family who is going through a mental health struggle are already dealing with a lot," Jacques said. "Why not offer love and support by complying with their request."

Despite this, many on social media appeared less tolerant of this idea. "No one can let their problems move to other people," one Redditor wrote. "What would he have done if the people at the table right next to him ordered the nachos?"

Another commented: "It sounds like you are just trying to live your life and they are upset that it does not revolve around enabling [Brian]." A third, meanwhile, said: "My partner is an autistic woman and she has significant misophonia with food chewing sounds. So we put on music or YouTube videos while eating. There's usually some kind of strategy that can reasonably accommodate both."

Newsweek reached out to u/Consistent_Cat_1126 for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.

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