Excellent Aspergers Web Page Gutted

Post Reply New Topic

There used to be an excellent web page about Aspergers out there on wikihow (link below) titled "How to Relate to Someone who Has Asperger's Syndrome". This article was so invaluable to me in learning to understand myself as an Aspie that it was always at the top of the list of links that I gave out to people who were either struggling with their own awakening or else trying to understand others who had autism. This article has now been destroyed by one presumptuously authoritative individual who seems to want to send us back to the dark ages by isolating us even further than we already are. I have already voiced my own protest in the discussion forum for that article. I encourage other WP users to take a look at this article as it was and as it has now become and to add your own views in that discussion forum. Perhaps somebody here might even wish to undo those changes as I do not feel inclined to do (why bother when some clown will just come along and destroy it again).

Here is the link to the primary current version of the article as people find it when searching for info:

http://www.wikihow.com/Relate-to-Someon ... s-Syndrome

This article originated on 2 Aug 2006. Over the next four years it was edited and updated, reaching a stable version of about 10000 bytes by 14 Nov 2010. This version had one persistent but obvious typo in it (that was later corrected) in saying that Aspies DO like people who express opinions as opposed to DO NOT like. Otherwise this was a very good, concise and quite readable version. The following link is to the 29 Dec 2010 version of this article (arbitrarily chosen… last version of 2010).

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title= ... id=5425285

Starting on 8 May 2011, a number of contributors began to expand this article adding even more information. I had mixed feelings about this myself. Much of the information added was good, but it became so detailed that it was actually much less concise and readable than the older 10000 byte versions. These small changes continued and eventually as of 9 Mar 2012 the article reached its largest size of about 15000 bytes. A link to that version follows:

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title= ... id=7403667

Then on 2 Apr 2012 one user (and wikihow admin) named Davjohn posted a comment regarding Aspies claiming that "approaching, attempting conversation, sitting next to, introducing to others, etc. is not only ignorant bad advice, but is grossly disrespectful, and expresses a careless and reckless disregard for the other person". When I found this, I could not help but to notice that this took place on Autism Awareness Day. The next day, 3 Apr 2012, this same user gutted that article turning it onto a bare shell of the original (with a better introductory paragraph though) that removed all mention of the traits that are so characteristic of us Aspies. The following link is to the latest 7 Apr 2012 version of the article with most of the good stuff removed.

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title= ... id=7557143

The full history and archived versions of this article can be found at the following link:

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title= ... on=history

This is a link to the discussion forum for this article. If you scroll down to the bottom you will find my own two comments which I added yesterday and today (also under username TTRSage as here on WP):

http://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Relat ... s-Syndrome

I personally believe that this article is too important as a true characterization of Aspie nature, things to typically expect in dealing with us and ways to better relate to us for it to be lost in such a hasty manner. To me the user Davjohn is the one who has been "disrespectful" and "reckless" in his actions, but that is just my own personal opinion. I encourage all WP users who have a bit of spare time to take a look at this article, its history and what it has become and to see for yourselves what you think of what has been done.

Such is the nature of the wiki. There is just too many people who think they're right (about 7 billion of them).

If the article is invaluable to you, you can save it to your computer/print it, or post it on your own website for other people to read.

Much as it might pain you to read this, I think it is important that you keep in mind the rule that "what happens on other web sites stays on other web sites". It is one of the rules of wrong planet and it is there for a good reason.

It is not a good idea for you to try to use WP to organise a bunch of people (maybe the aspie lynch mob with pickforks) to go and right wrongs on another web site, It could lead to people on other websites coming en mass here and raising trouble.

I may be a little odd, but to tell the truth, I like the current version best. (The only thing I greatly dislike is the description under no.5.)

It's short and simple.

More importantly, it points out that autistic people out there at school, college, at work or in one's neighbourhood are normal people and do not require some sort of lengthy behavioural guide to get along with as if they're some extremely complicated high-maintenance pet.

Even I (and I have autism so I guess I should find this to be easy) struggle to read through the Tips section and the Warnings and Considerations section because it's so long and boring.

If a stranger happens to have a syndrome that requires lengthy reading before I could even try to get to know him (and then figure out whether they're boring, mean or if they could turn out to be a great friend) I'd be sure to walk away and go talk to someone else who I can just get to know a little first (with some minor help) and then ask them about what they are like and observe them to make sure I respect and pay attention to their individuality as well as their impairments.

I really dislike how some people read a lot about AS and then treat me as if I am like what they read (because these people will usually continue to treat me like the combination of several articles and book(s) they read instead of treating me like any other unique, interesting person), instead of forgetting anything but the basics (that I have autism and it means I have some sort of individual issues with language, social interaction and the unexpected) and trying to get to know me.

That is why out of the versions you posted, I would share the first version/first link if I had to.

Unfortunately you are right. I thought the older versions were lost forever until I found that wikihow maintains that full history of past versions online. Still, any wiki site gets a lot more attention in search engines than anybody's personal web site, which is part of what makes that particular link so visible to those who are searching for info... and how I found it when I was looking for info nearly two years ago. I may contact the upper admins of wikihow about it sometime if somebody else does not undo those changes first. There were several dozen contributors to that article and certainly one of them would be upset that all their work got flushed down the toilet so quickly.

After I did the post above, I took a look at the website of the guy who trashed it and see that he is apparently a proponent for disabled vets (and perhaps disabled himself), but saw nothing to show that he had any kind of expertise in psychology and nothing at all to show any interest in or knowledge of autism. Maybe he is just a troll who had some kind of grudge to pick with Aspies.

Does planet earth have 7 billion people now??? I thought the number was still around 6 billion. I could add another humorous quip here but will restrain my sarcasm.

Do you know about the Wayback Machine? You can find older versions of webpages there.

http://archive.org/web/web.php

Not my intent at all. It is simply something that affects us all and such a good source of information that people here should know about its demise. If you look back at my article history you will see that this is one link that I have referenced perhaps more than any other. It is indeed very good as it one was.

Now that I know about that full history, I plan to save representative samples of all the various versions so I will never lose it as I thought had happened... when I get around to it.

According to the USBC, it's about 7.08 billion.
A little less according to world bank:
http://www.google.com/publicdata/explor ... population

No I didn't know about that one. That is totally mind boggling for even me to think of. Just imagine the storage requirements needed to archive multiple versions of entire web sites which may themselves contain multiple version archives or large items such as multiple pics or videos. I gotta tell my sister about that one.

This is getting out of hand! We need more wars!

No, not wars. More bad chicken and bad fish...

Yes, yes. I remember, I had lasagna.

Hey, OP, why not re-organize that article yourself? That's what wikis are for. Use that nice opening paragraph. Categorize things better. Where there's disagreement, present both viewpoints. Go to the Talk page and ask for opinions and additions.

I might be tempted to do that, but if the good contributions of others over a period of 6 years can so easily be wiped out with a single mouse click by one individual who apparently has no knowledge of or interest in AS, then it tends to serve as a major deterrent to such a reorganization. I think what I am probably most likely to do is to sit back and watch that article over a period of time to see if those other contributors protest and/or undo the changes themselves. If they do not do so, then I will probably message them to call their attention to what has been done and/or email the upper admins to do the same.

I really prefer to devote my time to something more constructive such as attempts (as difficult as it may be) to meet people in hope of finding a friend so that I can find some solace from the only part of AS that I find to be detrimental... that maddening social isolation and the intense loneliness that goes with it. So many people use my isolation as an excuse to turn me into a pariah thus isolating me even further. It becomes a vicious circle. Just one trusted friend might very well change that both in terms of my own outlook on life as well as the way that too many people react to me.