New, Improved Autism Speaks Slogan!

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You misunderstood.

I meant that I can and do already. If we evidentally can't do that, I just wanted you to explain how I don't fit that stereotype.

Selo, it sounds like you're trying to hold us to the same standard as the "average" NT. As you said before, everyone is different, and what works for one person or group of people may not and often does not work for others. We're hardly brain damaged or defective, and just because doctors are "trained" to recognize it doesn't mean it's anything more than a label for a subgroup of people that's different from the norm. Instead of trying to define us by NT standards, try defining AS from within the spectrum. It's not a disease, a defect, or anything to be cured. It's simply a different way of being.

AS is the exact same thing as high-functining autism, except without the language delay.

Oh, okay. If you can interact with big groups of NTs then that's good, but I'm saying that the majority of Aspies (50%+) don't seem to be able to. At least, if they can, they don't show it a lot.


But most autism isn't high-functioning, no? That's why AS is referred to as "high-functioning" autism; to differentiate it from classic autism.


In which case the whole spectrum is the defect, because a "different way of being" is voluntary but a disorder isn't. I doubt anyone here chose to act AS the moment they were born.


You're probably right, because I do think more like an NT... again, I respect the anti-cure views of people here, I just don't understand the reasoning behind them.

True, but that in itself doesn't mean they're better groups to belong to.



Many introverted NTs don't socialize with big groups of NTs either. They prefer small groups of close friends, whether NT or not. Same goes for many autistic people (although there are autistic people who do socialize with big groups of NTs, of course). Being an introverted NT isn't generally pathologized (unless the person is so introverted as to get diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, and there's a lot of controversy as to whether personality disorders are even real conditions or just ways of saying "I don't like you" in a more medical way).



You're defining the only real socializing aspect as involving nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is a good way to socialize, and among the more verbal-oriented autistic people, they'd often only be using verbal communication among themselves (or with NTs) offline, too.



I wasn't aware that autistic people were supposed to socialize as "social practice", whereas other people get to socialize just because they want to. I see a great amount of variation in the personality behind the "thousand keyboards". You can tell in all sorts of ways. Or at least, many of us can. I suppose I don't know whether non-autistic people can, but I'd imagine they can too.

Additionally, I have a lot of experience meeting other autistic people. While it does not always happen, there are often autistic people who can tell each other's body language, which non-autistic people can't read. This isn't all autistic people reading each other. It's some autistic people reading some autistic people who are familiar to us. Meanwhile, non-autistic people can't usually read our body language very well. My question is, if the inability to read each other (when it exists, which isn't as often as portrayed among autistic people), is mutual between autistic and non-autistic people, why are autistic people considered defective for it?

I once wrote a short poem about that. It went something like:

You can't understand me
So I am defective
I can't understand you
So I am defective.

At any rate, I view it as a two-way street. And I definitely know that when I have gotten together with some autistic people, we can read each other just fine in person. I live next door to an autistic person. She is the main person I socialize with. We can read each other pretty well. I don't know what's wrong with this. It's as much socializing as many introverted NTs do without being penalized or pathologized for it.



I don't personally think that doctors make things up to feel smug.

I do, however, know from historical studies of medicine that just because something is medicalized doesn't mean it's a medical condition. Homosexuality used to be medicalized, for instance. Epilepsy used to be considered psychiatric. And the desire to escape slavery had a medical term assigned to it in nineteenth century America. And those are only a few examples. Just because something has a medical term assigned to it doesn't make it a defect, it just means that a group of doctors have agreed that it is a medical condition, and doctors are subject to the same cultural pressures as anyone, they are not infallible or remotely objective.

There are also many other ways to see disability in general, and many disabled people have fought the medical model of disability as denying and distorting large aspects of our lives. Why shouldn't autistic people join other disabled people in viewing ourselves separately from a medicalistic viewpoint of us?



Since when has that been proven, or even seen as the main theory (aside from the usual "chemical imbalance" theory used for every single "mental illness" because it's how people extrapolate from how the drugs work, even though it's not proven that that's why the drugs work, when they even do)?

As far as I know, autism has been viewed as primarily a structural difference in the brain. A current big theory is the underconnectivity theory, although I've seen science that seems to contradict that, suggesting instead that autism results from a different prioritizing of perceptual vs. "higher cognitive" functions (resulting in particular consistent strengths which in turn can result in a whole variety of patterns of strengths and deficits).

It's been pretty conclusively shown not to be simply a "social disorder", either.



Tell a group of black people that being black has no consequences.



In which case, the best thing to do is not to cure someone, but show them that a person can have friends without making eye contact (or else what would blind people do for friends?). Given that it's been shown what eye contact does to many autistic people neurologically.



Some professionals are, in fact, telling that to the doctors, because research is showing it to be inaccurate (see Morton Gernsbacher's writings on the sloppiness of most autism research and attempts to correct it). Research is a constant process of figuring things out and correcting inaccurate or sloppy research from before it. It's not set in stone for eternity.



I can see that as not being useful if they were trying to be a doctor or a nurse, but not healthy? That doesn't even make sense. (Unless health has become a metaphor for all sorts of things it's actually not.) There are plenty of places for someone like that in various medical fields, just not as a hands-on doctor (which is only one part of medicine). They could be involved in the sort of research where they wouldn't have to see patients, for instance.

I like that. Describes not only the "superior" NT thinking, but human nature in general.

Yeah. I don't think it's that NTs are inclined to feel superior by virtue of being NT, either. I think it's part of the general cockiness of being a majority or a set of people with a fair bit of power. If most people were autistic people, or if autistic people were the group considered 'normal' that everyone else had to compare themselves to in order to be considered 'non-defective', then we would likely have the same cockiness.

Ok, I am a freak about threads being on topic. It is really easy to start a new thread. We were having a lot of fun making up clever new slogans for Autism Speaks.

Here's mine

Autism Speaks, it's time to donate to Wrong Planet instead!

Was that image visual aversive punishment for being off-topic?

That image is rather trippy...

Gotcha! I have more. That image is twisted isn't it. When my wife looks at images like that she can't see them moving, but that is off topic.

Autism Speaks it's time to get back to topic. Unless we have run out of catchy slogans. I have. Maybe this is a good one.
Autism Speaks it's time to let this thread die.

Sorry anubuend. I won't put up anymore images like that without a warning!

Problem is I haven't read all of the slogans in this list. Mr OnTopic... maybe you could compile them for ease of review?

This one might have already been done...

"When Autism Speaks, I stick my fingers in my ears and sing, "La-la-lah la-la-lah I can't HEAR you!! !! !"

1'Autism Speaks. They say **** off, Autism Speaks!'
How's that one?
2"It does the things I want it to do, or it gets the hose again..."
3"Autism Gags"
4I gotta get a dog and name him Autism. Then I'll have him bark and say "See? Autism speaks!"
5Autism speaks. It's time to follow our stupid assumptions and whine about your kid not being perfect.
6Autism speaks - "Because we hate diversity and persecuting other minorities is illegal."
7"Autism Speaks- But we refuse to listen".
8'Autism Speaks? We'll Kill 'Em All!'
9A pedant writes... It\'s \"Autism Speaks INC.\" Autism Speaks - It\'s Time To Medicate
10"autism speaks, doesnt speak for me"
11Autism speaks, if you beat him hard enough.
12Autism speaks: "Moo... you happy now"
13Austism Speaks: No, we're not Satanists... although we did try burning them like witches... but the government wouldn't give us a permit.
14Autism Speaks. It has echolalia.
Autism Speaks. It has echolalia.
15Autism Speaks, go to hell, and stay there!
16Autism Speaks: We were the ones who got rid of the Routemaster.
17Autism Speaks: Because we couldn't think of any other way to ass kiss politicians and celebrities.
18Autism Speaks: Yeah yeah, we'll find a cure, promise. Now give us all your money!
19Cure Neurotypicals, not us.
20Autism Speaks - now leave us alone and let us get on with it
21Autism speaks: it's time to listen; just not to them, but to our lies.
22Autism Speaks for itself, now let us get on with it.
23Autism speaks and it says that there is a cure for Autism. DEATH!
24Autism Speaks - quick, flame them!'
25Autism Speaks: Where we work, as Hitler's henchmen and women!
26Another slogan: "Autism speaks - UTTER NONSENSE".
27Too bad Autism Speaks isn't called "NTs Listen"
28"Autism Speaks: Sucking the mercury out of brains since 1931"
29Autism Speaks...We think that all children with autism are handicapped ret*ds, who should be abused.
30Neurotypical Mothers Against Austism Speak Out
31Autism Speaks...We think that all children with autism are handicapped ret*ds, who should be abused.
32"Autism Speaks: It's time to Goosestep!"
33Autism Speaks for parents who can not, or will not accept their child's diagnosis! from c.darwin
34Give me a giant axe and I'll deal with Autism Speaks.
35Autism Speaks. We think that we speak for everybody on the Spectrum.
36Autism Speaks. We're asking to get ran over by a Routemonster.
37"Autism Speaks, But we're talking over them...
38 Autism Speaks - for only 5% of the Autistic Spectrum.
39Autism Speaks, it's time to donate to Wrong Planet instead! cdarwin
40Autism Speaks it's time to get back to topic. Unless we have run out of catchy slogans. I have. Maybe this is a good one.
Autism Speaks it's time to let this thread die. cdarwin
41"When Autism Speaks, I stick my fingers in my ears and sing, "La-la-lah la-la-lah I can't HEAR you!! !! !"

whew. Autismdiva you sure know how to keep me busy. I am glad you asked to compile this list. I can't pick a favorite but Cockney Rebel definitely wins the most slogans award. Good work CR!

Hopefully I didn't miss anyones slogan. This should bring this thread back to topic.

Should we have a vote for the best slogan now that I have numbered them. It's no fair voting for yourself.

I thought you might actually compile the list, but just in case you didn't I went back and read the thread. I had no idea that John Best had appeared in the thread to the extent he did... he tried to derail everything...

But what's weird is that there's nothing in this thread that is as angry and vicious about Autism Speaks as what HE has written about them.... I think that's not only weird and ironic, but utterly bizarre.

I didn't know people disliked Autism Speaks so much