Discussing Politics, Political Correctness, and the 2016 Presidential Elections Among Other Members of NYC’s Autistic Community

The following correspondence originally took place upon the Facebook wall of my friend, Daniel Sv…

2016-11-09-discussing-politics-political-correctness-and-the-2016-presidential-elections-among-other-members-of-nycs-autistic-community

Daniel Sv.: In the aftermath of the election, there have been many aspies who are horrified that there were a segment of aspies who supported Trump. They offer the fact that many of us were bullied and ostracized, so why do we support a supposed up front bully?

To that I answer with one word: GRASP. If you are like me, we met as a community in this group where we exchanged ideas and felt free to interact. During the early years, we had a lot of fun.

Of course, by now you are aware of the change in leadership and the resulting dissensions that occurred. The priority seemed to be less on helping people and enforcing more a PC agenda. More and more, people were ostracized and shamed for not conforming with illogical standards.

Like me, some of you felt hopeless at the politicization of such groups and the inability to be up front and honest. To us, we saw in Trump our protest vote against the increasing PC creeping in.

Being an aspie does not mean having to be politically correct. It means to be free and interacting with like minded people without conforming to a straitjacket standard. It means no politicization of support groups. I am proud to announce that Trump’s election was a repudiation of this.

Brian K.: You can dislike PC without supporting the racist, sexist, moronic, *ableist* piece of shit who still believes the debunked vaccine theory.
Are these people a better alternative to PC?

Voices from Donald Trump Rallies, Uncensored:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/us/politics/donald-trump-supporters.html

Jesus G.: the system has been put there long before we were even born. its so difficult for us to comprehend and understand that so we can only control what we are able to control for ourselves. other than that, we will prepare for the unknown. if able

Rayn: I’m not pro-Trump, and chose to Vote Nobody 2016, just like I have for over a decade and a half, now, as a libertarian, and more specifically, a Voluntaryist. But, to add to your post, Daniel, I can say that even the ASAN group in NYC slowly became neo-liberalized, and once their numbers were up, members became very confident in their attempts to ostracize and shame those merely holding different viewpoints than them, even when the viewpoints were of the completely innocent and peaceful variety. Diversity, apparently, refers only to physical appearance, and sexual orientation, to these types, and has NOTHING to do with perspectives, thoughts, and ideas. I’ve never been lectured, condescended to, and had my intelligence questioned so much in my life, than I have among this small group. I refer to them as Aspie Elitists, and many of them were complete cry-bullies, too. I have many examples I could share. (Click Here to Continue Reading This Post)

The Surprising Advantages of Being Autistic

I originally posted the following information and commentary onto my Facebook wall…

2015-10-22 - The Surprising Advantages of Being Autistic

The Surprising Advantages of Being Autistic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/autism-hidden-advantages/406180/

(The AtlanticOlga Khazan) In The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, Oliver Sacks describes meeting a pair of 26-year-old twins, John and Michael, in a state hospital. The two men had been institutionalized since childhood and written off as mentally disabled.

One day when Sacks was with them, a box of matches fell off the table, spilling its contents onto the floor. Almost immediately, the twins cried out, “111!” and then, “37, 37, 37, 111.”

John and Michael couldn’t explain how they counted the matches so quickly or why they broke the figure into thirds spontaneously…

(Read entire article here…)

My Commentary: As an Autistic lyricist, I definitely agree with much of this article. My pattern-recognition abilities directly relate to the elaborate rhyme-schemes I create.

April is Autism Acceptance Month!

I originally posted the following information and commentary onto my Facebook wall…

“Autism Acceptance Month:
Acceptance is an Action.”

April is Autism Acceptance Month! Check out some resources on the topic, from The Autistic Self Advocacy Network!

Resources:
http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/resources/

Down With Eugenics!

The following correspondence originally took place upon the Facebook wall of my friend, and fellow Autistic Self-Advocate, Jason Ross, after he posted artwork being shared by the page, “ThAutcast: Aspergers and Autism Community“…

Jason R.:

“Hush!” “We’re trying to figure out how to prevent you.”

Rayn: Down with eugenics!

Autistics Speaking Day 2012!

"Autistic Speaking Day"

“Autistic Speaking Day”

In honor of Autistics Speaking Day, I would like to share with the public some of my thoughts on Autistic Self-Advocacy.

As an Autistic Self Advocate, I work to advance the rights, goals, concerns and self-determination of the Autistic community that I am a part of. I strive daily to promote Neurodiversity awareness and acceptance, knowing that my condition is a functional, natural and necessary difference, worthy of respect, and celebration. I push to uphold the Social Model of Disability in regard to the Autistic Spectrum, fully aware that “systemic barriers, negative attitudes and exclusion by society (purposely or inadvertently)” are the main obstacles I face as an individual on the Spectrum living in a Neurotypical world. I fight to dispel the popular belief that the Autistic Spectrum is a “disease” in need of a “cure,” understanding that there cannot be any real and honest dialogue about the Spectrum so long as the general public entertains such a prejudicial viewpoint. And, of course, this trend in thinking is not so easily reversible, since it is perpetuated by not only medical professionals, experts, and the mainstream media, but even some well-known organizations that purport to represent the Autistic community, as well. However, like many others on the Spectrum, I struggle against these factors to add my own voice, realizing how important it is for Autistic individuals to educate the public about the Autistic Spectrum for ourselves – especially when our Neurotypical counterparts fall short.

(Click Here to Continue Reading This Post)