You're a brave and brilliant man. I don't know many people who can admit to a sea change in thought, and then not only admit to it, but do so much about it. I really admire you,
It might boost my self-confidence if I could take credit as an individual.
It is easier for me to do this than other people partly because of my specific manifestation of Autism. I don't intuitively see the (in my mind arbitrary) social hierarchies, and I also don't feel shame for lifelong learning that may cause changes in social perception (given I'm an outsider whether I express this externally or not).
It is a trait that some admire, and some loathe, but isn't really a choice I have made. I have gained and lost employment and friends because of this trait.
I'm curious, since you're so open about it. How do you feel/do you care/what do you think about the social notion that we can "cure" autism. I've been hearing it for years and it's always sort of bothered me....
I am very open to discussing anything that I learn -- in fact, it is sometimes hard for me to not share. 🎓
It is the same underlying eugenics thinking that you can "cure" homosexuality, or anything else relating to the full expression of humanity that doesn’t fit within the ideological/religious beliefs of some people.
For those of us who were allowed to be born at all, the same "conversion therapy" techniques are used to force people to deny their own reality in order to make other people feel more comfortable.
We already know, like many others of the wide variety of traits in humans, that Autism is hereditary. This isn't the case for every neurodivergence, but it is for Autism.
The conversation about whether Autism is a disability or not is more complex. I subscribe to the social model of disability, in that it is not the physical traits of the individual that make them disabled, but that society is designed to only enable a narrow subset of humanity.
Some reject this idea, suggesting that no matter how society is designed that they would still be disabled. Within a society that is narrowly focused on individualism, some Autistic individuals cannot operate as strict individuals and thus are considered (and consider themselves) disabled. I consider individualism to be a political ideology, and not something that is inherent in humanity. Western/Eurocentric societies are built around individualism, and those ideologies are a big part of what disable many people.
To get more personal: In my mind, Autism isn't something that I have, but a core part of who I am. If it were possible to “remove the Autism”, I wouldn’t want that as I would no longer be me. As a contrast, being declared as a citizen by the Dominion of Canada (as it was called at the time) at my birth is merely something I have.
I am not a Canadian with Autism, but an Autistic person with Canadian Citizenship.
I hope we get to meet in person someday, or at the very least at an online event...I would love to interview you for my podcast, Coffin Talk, if you're open to it? I admire you greatly and loved every word of that answer. Thank you!
You're a brave and brilliant man. I don't know many people who can admit to a sea change in thought, and then not only admit to it, but do so much about it. I really admire you,
Thank you for engaging.
It might boost my self-confidence if I could take credit as an individual.
It is easier for me to do this than other people partly because of my specific manifestation of Autism. I don't intuitively see the (in my mind arbitrary) social hierarchies, and I also don't feel shame for lifelong learning that may cause changes in social perception (given I'm an outsider whether I express this externally or not).
https://www.thearticulateautistic.com/we-have-no-intuitive-concept-of-social-hierarchy/
(Spectrum -- think https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum - Some people may mostly emit in the visible light spectrum, but I emit lots of "WiFi" 😊 )
It is a trait that some admire, and some loathe, but isn't really a choice I have made. I have gained and lost employment and friends because of this trait.
I'm curious, since you're so open about it. How do you feel/do you care/what do you think about the social notion that we can "cure" autism. I've been hearing it for years and it's always sort of bothered me....
I am very open to discussing anything that I learn -- in fact, it is sometimes hard for me to not share. 🎓
It is the same underlying eugenics thinking that you can "cure" homosexuality, or anything else relating to the full expression of humanity that doesn’t fit within the ideological/religious beliefs of some people.
For those of us who were allowed to be born at all, the same "conversion therapy" techniques are used to force people to deny their own reality in order to make other people feel more comfortable.
We already know, like many others of the wide variety of traits in humans, that Autism is hereditary. This isn't the case for every neurodivergence, but it is for Autism.
The conversation about whether Autism is a disability or not is more complex. I subscribe to the social model of disability, in that it is not the physical traits of the individual that make them disabled, but that society is designed to only enable a narrow subset of humanity.
Some reject this idea, suggesting that no matter how society is designed that they would still be disabled. Within a society that is narrowly focused on individualism, some Autistic individuals cannot operate as strict individuals and thus are considered (and consider themselves) disabled. I consider individualism to be a political ideology, and not something that is inherent in humanity. Western/Eurocentric societies are built around individualism, and those ideologies are a big part of what disable many people.
To get more personal: In my mind, Autism isn't something that I have, but a core part of who I am. If it were possible to “remove the Autism”, I wouldn’t want that as I would no longer be me. As a contrast, being declared as a citizen by the Dominion of Canada (as it was called at the time) at my birth is merely something I have.
I am not a Canadian with Autism, but an Autistic person with Canadian Citizenship.
I hope we get to meet in person someday, or at the very least at an online event...I would love to interview you for my podcast, Coffin Talk, if you're open to it? I admire you greatly and loved every word of that answer. Thank you!