fuzzy wrote:
If there was one thing i'd like to see changed, it would be the removal of the lols, F words and slang. You would greatly strengthen your case by doing so.
someone in a yahoo group wrote:
Interesting, and with many valid points, but it seems to be written in too "angry" a fashion to make a real impact except in "preaching to the choir".
I wanted to react to the arguments about the fashion in which it was written. I had to choose between two options:
- 1. write a decent philosofical/neuro-psychological paper based on decent research, and so trying to make an end to the bs that people like uta frith write.
- 2. writing of my emotion, and first thoughts.
The main difference between the two is (aside from quality of course), the investment needed to publish such things. I am a perfectionist and layperson at both neurology and philosophy. Combination of those would have meant half a life of research in both fields to verify everything, and then publishing a nice quality philosofical work. Since I have other obsessions, that didn't want to be put aside very long, and since there is a lot moving about autism right now, i chose to intervene in the discussion. I also think it was important that this message got out because it stands without any neurological details. In fact, the article is not about autism, but about how NT society reacts on people that are different. A very phreaky subject if you ask me. I think this is also
evolving for the worse (since WWII at least), and therefor also needs to be discussed urgently (not necessarily in autist communities).
As for why it was written in slang, I think that there also is a danger in judging things upon form rather than content. All autists are
probably familiar with people saying you that it is the "tone by which you say something" that offends them. We have evolved to a society where nothing is anymore as it seems. The word democracy has dramatically changed meaning in the last 15 years, at least where im from. Or think of the meaning of "sustainable development". It has become an active approach of cloaking your evilness with polite words. In this atmosphere, i think things like etiquette are losing all meaning. I didn't want to make myself look nicer than i am by disguising in nice words. we can only see through this cheap mask by not using it anymore i think.
Secondly, I think taboes are not a good thing, that's why it freaks me out a bit that people get offended by 'f-words'. It is clear that
everybody uses them, that everybody knows exactly what is being said when the tv says beep. The point totally escapes me of forbidding part of our language but letting our kids watch rambo. Same goes for taboes on sexuality. They open a dangerous road to fascism. That's why i have not chosen to disguise my text as a scientific paper, because i don't like to play roles, because i don't care about people that stop reading because of form. Words have a meaning, so i use them.
On the other side, i must admit that on reading a philosophical work, I never felt like the slang was missing, so im yet not sure about this subject.
One thing is in my/our favour however when reaching the unconvicted. todays psychologists are a school example of the mealymouthed people that like to disguise their evilness with fake political correctness. After all, we idiot autists can't help it that we adress them in an unapropriate angry or impolite way. that's forgiven since we are autists. they are above this. so undoubtedly i will get a polite answer from ms frith and other psychologists.
Emettman wrote:
I'm not sure you acknowledge how handicapping the more extreme part or the spectrum is.
Yes there are problems over social acceptance, and the tyranny of the majority, but not all autistic difficultes can be laid at this door by any means.
I think this is answered by the same quotes from the text as i gave above, i don't try to say everything there is to be said about autism, because the disabling part will be described in all the colors and flavours for you by all the psychologists and
'voice of autism' websites (notice that this specific site fighting for our cause is also sponsored by Janssen pharmaceutica, thank you janssen for fighting our cause...). I try to give a counter weight for this. If nobody had ever mentioned that autism can work crippling, I would have undoubtedly written an article about that. I emphasise the positive aspects of autism delibirately...
If you are still unsure why, see
getting the truth out, in fact, anyone that has not yet seen this site should go and see it. Don't give up before you have read all of it. it is quite a lot of reading though...
lea, please be your own voice, don't hold back....
01 Jun 2006, 4:30 pm
Most excellent. I plan to re-read it when it is quieter here. Will you be writing more soon? We need a voice. Also thanks for the email in case I couldn't find it.
