I'm sure I'm a total idiot but I've looked for this option in all the logical places (and quite a few illogical ones out of desperation) but I can't find it.

Google keep and Gmail are no longer auto syncing their application data.
So I go to android settings > accounts > google > and find my account

Under my account it says: sync turned off.
As expected. Now to solve...
I click on my account hoping to turn sync on, but instead I get a list of all the apps for which sync is turned off
So I click each app to turn auto sync on but all it does is perform a one time manual sync.
So I click menu but find out auto sync.
so I click my account and menu but find no auto sync
so I go back up one level to google and click menu but find no auto sync
So I go into settings > accounts > google > sign-in and security
but find no auto sync
So I go into settings > accounts > google > Personal info and then to account preferences
but find no auto sync
I repeat all the above while pressing the menu button
but find no auto sync

Are they trying to mess with me or is autosync nolonger allowed?

By now I'm considering installing a word perfect emulator to see if autosync has perhaps been moved to one of its sub menus.... seems the next logical place to look.

Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.