zer0netgain wrote:
I don't get the whole "pride" movement in general.
Certainly, if something is 100% natural and normal (like being African, Asian, etc.) there is no reason to be ashamed of it, but "pride" generally goes up people's noses. If you're so proud to be African, move back to Africa.
It'd be the same if an American expatrioted to another nation and went on about how proud he was to be American. It's one thing to not be ashamed about where you came from, but people get uppity if you shove it in their face (which is how a lot of people interpret pride movements.
AS is a neurological difference that is classified as a disability. If you want to see it as a gift to brag about, fine, but a lot of people won't see it that way, and I find pride movements create more division than unity. Nobody with AS should be ashamed of their lot in life, but a pride movement over it seems dubious at best.
AS is 100% natural and normal. Autistic pride isn't necessarily about calling it a gift to brag about.
Your example is bad. If African-Americans have black pride, they're... still Americans. Having an emotional attachment to your heritage doesn't mean you lose your citizenship. It's not a - pardon the expression - black and white, either/or consideration.
Also, I am not sure your example makes sense. I have heard many many expatriates talk about where they come from with pride and affection. Emigrating doesn't mean you have to hate your first home.
To explain what "pride" in this context is, since people seem to take it rather literally:
Quote:
Black pride is a slogan used to raise awareness of black racial identity, and to express solidarity. Related movements include black nationalism and Afrocentrism.
The slogan has been used in the United States by African Americans to celebrate heritage and personal pride. The black pride movement is closely linked with the developments of the American civil rights movement, during which figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael spoke out against the conditions of the United States' segregated society, and lobbied for better treatment for people of all races.
The black pride movement permeated into the work of African American popular musicians. The Impressions's song "We're a Winner", written by their lead singer, Curtis Mayfield, became a virtual anthem of the black pride movement, as did James Brown's "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud", and Martha & the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street"
Gay Pride wrote:
The word pride is used in this case as an antonym for shame, which has been used to control and oppress LGBT persons throughout history. Pride in this sense is an affirmation of one's self and the community as a whole.
Autistic pride is intended to be in a similar context: It's about countering and negating shame, not presenting autistic people as superior to neurotypicals. Some apparently do use it that way, but that's not the intention. A blanket condemnation because of specific misuses makes no sense.
And I have to disagree with the accomplishment thing: Pride in being autistic, or black, or gay, or whatever isn't just about how you were born, but what you've done because of or despite your personal challenges and the crap society tends to dump on you just for being who you are.
I am not specifically interested in autistic pride, but it seems appropriate to criticize what something is rather than criticize incorrect definitions and assumptions.
Well said. The term "autistic pride" is meant to be used in the opposite sense of shame. Leave it to us aspies to misinterpret the word "pride."
Personally, being on the BAP is definitely something that identifies me. Am I proud of that? Yes, but not in an in-your-face arrogant way.
26 May 2011, 7:02 pm
