Saturday, December 29, 2007

Offensive Language On Autism Street

The uproar over the NYU Ransom Notes campaign has given way to smug victory happy dances by many in the neurodiversity community. But few of that crowd are taking the time to examine their own offensive language particularly when exercising their obsessions with celebrities who do not share their views such as Jenny McCarthy and now ..... Donald Trump. In Where Is Trump’s Science Team? at the Autism Street blog site where he mocks Ms McCarthy and Mr Trump as "celebrity idiots":

I was really beginning to think that Jenny McCarthy would be an extremely popular candidate for being considered the “celebrity idiot of the year” by many scientific thinkers in the autism blogging community. I suppose I should have known better about claims to the singular, where the plural is not only possible, but likely.

Jenny apparently has company.

I know that I used the word "idiot" in the past. In the 12 years since my intellectually challenged son with Autism Disorder came into my life though I have refrained from using the term.

Apparently Do'C at Autism Street isn't familiar with the old expression "Idiot Savant" which has now largely been replaced with the expression "Autistic Savant". Perhaps there is no room on Autism Street for the many intellectually impaired persons with Autism Disorder.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

sir,
Perhaps in hindset Dennis of Dennis the
menace created by ?ketchup too must have been an ASPIE,as also the pink
floyd music troop.If the list goes on
expanding then the claim for a
neurodiversity phenomenon will
gather strength to address their
needs separately.To call this claim
as something special or royal
is incorrect.Using the same argument it can be defended by
saying that people vast majority
of them are more than adequately
being supported by the existing laws.The educational institutes,
work place ethics,work culture,
leisure,leave,benefits,entertainment
ethics and values are all tailor
made for the neurotypicals.It is
they who are living a royal and
a leisurely life.Silent miseries
go unrecognised.It does pose an
existential or a philosophical
dialogue as to who is more
miserable when accepted norms and
laws do not recognise the
neurodiversity theory.A right
cerebral dominant individual
will find it difficult to
negotiate with a person who is
using his left hemisphere.Amygdala
is the epitome of aggression
and very active in neurotypical
teenagers who end up breaking
traffic signals or other disruptive
behaviour which is considered
to be a normal part of development
and left alone.It will also be
interestig to note how in different
parts of the world ethnic groups
are asserting their right for
self determination and freedom
to self administer.Larger countries are breaking into smaller ones
under religious and community
definitions.Didnt the perestroika
break the huge USSR?So why cant
autism be seen as a similar
movement to break away from the
bullying of the neurotypicals?
Jews face the same historical
and monumental bullying when
they decided to form their own
group and nation and law.Autistics
will face it from the neurotypical
bullies by refusing to give them
a royal position in the world of
hoi polois and democracy which
exaggerates itself when presuming
that all are equal and are being
treated so.And will cut to size
any one to accomodate them with
others and thereby destroying them.
Ofcourse there are different level
of abilities and disabilities
amongst the ASPIES the neurotypicals as well.That certainly will question the issue of restructuring our perceptions
and the social bodies which cater
to our needs.Hasnt article 356 of
Indias kashmir given a special
status to it for the past 60 years.
The death of an autistic on a road
or in a pond is not a news at all.
Why?Hasnt it got to do with perception?Why is womens cancer
and brest cancer and other few
cancers topping the list for research funding and Autism
finds no place.Even so it will
figure in the dark labyrinths of
mental illnesses.ALL these cancers and other illness are only
reporting high incidence rate
despite the huge funding.Let
them consolidate their funding
but not at the cost of poor and substandard funding for the
autistic research and support
programmes.The one peculiar
and common problem for ASPIES
are communication and it is in the context of a world that is increasingly becoming a world driven and succeding by the
information and communication technology that the neuroatypical
and ASPIES find themselves isolated from themselves also and others
as well.I think the United Nations
and the UNESCO must spread
information on Autism just as they
do for HIV and immunisation.Thankyou.
of communication