I AM CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTISM SPEAKS

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I did my best to help them to be taken seriously. I'm done. The vicious bullying of my kid sister was the last straw.

I'm on to bigger and better things.

That was ugly. Just plain ugly. That thread was viewed by thousands of people. They made themselves look BAD. They didn't want a dialogue, they wanted a battle. Their pettiness, bitterness and bullying ultimately lost them the battle.

Credibility down the toilet.

But I've been contacted by a lot of cool people. I will be speaking alongside Steven Shore for ASPEN in April and I've received very cool writing offers.

I will continue to spread my message of progress through tasteful and polite engagement to bigger audiences.

AFF can be Malcom X. Maybe wrongplanet can be Martin Luther King JR.

Honestly, Autism Speaks has treated me far more kindly than 95 percent of the people on AFF and continue to do so.

Dana is an incredibly sweet lady. I can't speak for her interview responses, but her personal commentary let's me know that she truly has a good heart.

I may get banned from AFF for saying all this. If so, it will only make them look more fanatical.

It is sad, because there are some wonderful people over there, but their voices are drowned by a pack of bitter, militant shut-ins. Life has not treated these people kindly. They take out their rage and resentment on each other, squabbling endlessly and uselessly.

They don't want change, they simply want to bemoan their existence while simultaneously demanding respect. They are not self-advocating, they are self-indulging.

They make the autistic community look bad. I tried to open their minds a little. I think many responded. Those that did won't be there long. I can't tell you all how many private messages I received from individuals who felt compelled to apologize for the childish and hateful behavior of others.

A lot of people told me they were on the verge of leaving for good.

I hope, if they stay, that they can make a change. I doubt it.

Thousands of people were audience to a bunch of autistics acting like animals. That behavior is counterproductive. It brings shame to autistics and only reinforces all the negative stereotypes about them.

Anyone on the fence about autistic self-advocacy would would likely donate their last dollar to Autism Speaks after a gander at that thread.

I'm not bitter. I'm not sure why I'm even writing this. I just want people to know that there are some really good apples over there who tried to influence the rest of the spoiled lot to be a little civil.

The efforts over at AFF are useless because most can't even bring themselves to be polite. They seem to think AS is an excuse for repellant behavior.

I do not, however, believe that my efforts were in vain. Autism Speaks has been influenced by this more greatly than you might think and I have no doubt that they are genuinely seeking opinions and ideas from the autistic community.

They have been, and will continue to be, making changes.

Call me an idealist - I've been called a great deal worse in the last few days. I'd rather be an idealist than a bitter, self-righteous cynic with nothing to offer the world but his own displaced self-loathing.

Thanks eternally to everyone who supported me!

Last I saw you and your kid sister had started addressing people as if they were dirt between your toes to be instructed and ordered. People objected, that certainly is not bullying.

How on EARTH did you expect them to react?

With meek obedience to your natural superiority perhaps?

Forget it, you are not some special elite you know...there is not one rule for you and one rule for the rest of the world.

You kept going on as if you were some kind of Autism Kissinger, as if you had done us the great favour of "brokering a peace" with Autism Speaks, but you forgot a couple of things.

*You forgot to ask whether anyone wanted a peace with Autism Speaks - if you hadn't you would have found out that most of us want absolutely nothing to do with them.
*You forgot that we are pretty smart people in our own rights who do our own thinking and make our own choices just as well as you can.
*You forgot that most of us made sure we have good reasons to hold Autism Speaks in zero regard and already know that there is no reason to change.

I am glad the article was taken down, because it really is just PR bumpf and backhanded advertising for Autism Speaks, and gives a very wrong impression of the ethos of AFF by appearing on the front page.

This time yesterday I would also have been sorry for you that it was gone, but you morphed into such a condescending brat that I just cannot find a way to care today.

I hope you will grow up some day.

Do we have evidence of this? Can you provide a source?


Are you accusing tambourine of having a domineering personality? For which I have had no evidence so far?


And now it seems you're insinuating he feels he is above others, which is just a blind lie.


He didn't attempt to broker peace with autism speaks at all. In fact he was giving them sensible questions an forcing them to speak up about what they believed. There has at no time been any suggestion of him trying to make some sort of peace deal. In fact what he did was provide bountiful groups of statements from Autism Speaks which we could then hold against them at will. That you try and deflect this in to some diplomatic fantasy is very suspect indeed.


1: He doesn't need to ask your approval or anyone's to talk with autism speaks and then publish the results.
2: He isn't restricting you choices at all! He hasn't told you not to do anything!
3: Whether you are intelligent or not doesn't determine what he can do. Maybe you should back off.
4: You have no flexibility or inquiring mind whatsoever if you are not willing to re-evaluate your opinions at all. That Autism Speaks said people should be flexible, and given your complete inability to do so, is a brutal revelation. Hah, you have no monopoly on righteousness. Only an omniscient being (if one ever existed) shouldn't re-evaluate what they think of ANYONE once in a while. You aren't one of those so don't think you have a priviliedge not to evaluate that questionnaire.

You are attempting to make a propaganda argument against Tambourine on a forum where nearly everyone everyday is convinced Autism Speaks is bad and rarely actually hears what autism speaks says. If what Autism Speaks said really has no merit there should be no threat from it. But that people should take it down indicates that they see it as a threat. It's just censorship.


Yes, this coming from the person who said they would leave four times already and yet there hasn't even been a gap in their posts after they did it each time, the person who has referred condescendingly to me as a little child flailing his arms, the person who has threatened someone for using her name, the person who said that I am not allowed to talk about what she believes in (thus stifling conversation) even though she has told me herself what she believes in, the person who takes and cuts down any little quote and uses it to make some mocking, irrelevant jibe.

This is the person who insinuates that Tambourine-man is a condescending brat with no evidence whatsoever (and I can only imagine how twisted that is) and then not two lines later says 'I hope you grow up'. And don't worry anyone, these aren't accusations, insults or insinuations, because I can show you every single example of what I just said.

I once encountered someone who couldn't justify what they said and so resorted to demonizing anyone inconvenient to their interests. You said they needed to grow up Zeraeph.

These unjustified attacks on tambourine-man are an abomination against an innocent.

Seems it doesn't take a genius to know what is really going on

[quote=aspie_dad] Tough crowd. :/ I think that I may go back to lurking. I came around a while back and did not join then because of seeing some of this kind of stuff.

Now a new guy (tambourine-man) comes along and tries to bridge the gap and start things moving forward, and the torches and pitchforks come out. That's not a good way to encourage thinking out of the box or enthusiasm from new people. It is a great way to drive them off. Also think about how it makes this group look to people who are watching this type of in-fighting. It's not a good look.

I have had enough crap flung at me by NTs for not "fitting in" for my 50 + years on this planet. I hate to see Aspies doing the same thing to a fellow Aspie just for trying to make a difference. Please give the kid the benefit of the doubt. He seems to have good intentions...[/quote]

So very telling. Nothing more than demagogy...

Let's see if I have this straight...

Isn't this what you are REALLY trying to say to me?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0[/youtube]

Last edited by Zeraeph on 23 Sep 2011, 7:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

Because you have been a sockpuppet for them and got them a big free advert on AFFs front page

Your sister wasn't bullied. She made a very ill informed and offensive remark and was rightly rounded on for doing so.

cynara, it's disappointing that you've apparently come hot-foot from AFF and made this your first post. I would have hoped for something more useful.

There is another element here too...

There has obviously been a certain amount of elitism instilled into the whole family (not their fault, they are only young) Jeffi is a lot better off being told where to get off for being condescending to people, who know far more about the things she is trying to instruct them about than she does, in a safe, online forum, than she is being left to treat people that way until she walks into the wrong bar, in the wrong part of town and does the same thing but with far worse consequences to herself...

John Scotty immediately exaggerated the reaction (which was perfectly reasonable) to her behaviour for attention, dramatic effect and an excuse to be dictatorial.

...and the truth is...I may think he is a cute kid, but, no, I DO NOT accept John Scotty Holman (or anyone else) as my personal saviour...and I bet most other people feel the same way.

It gets to a point where it is far more cruel to indulge grandiosity than correct it, which, unless there were some deleted posts, is all anyone did.

PS Here is another thought...maybe John Scotty should reconsider asking his girlfriend and his sister to fight his battles for him in the first place if he doesn't want them to get hurt?

heh, I saw that thread and all I can say about that incident is, play with fire and you'll get burnt. Her post was definitely condescending and contrived. What the hell was she expecting?

PROTIP: If you're astroturfing, don't alienate the audience so quickly.

Last edited by Nexus on 23 Sep 2011, 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

There is a truth in what you say, that also applies equally to John Scotty's cheerleading team on AFF, but sauce for the goose *IS* sauce for the gander...

Still, as far as I can see, whatever the motive, what cynara said was the simple truth.

That's ridiculous, and I'm finding it increasingly difficult to believe all the stuff you're reading into a single interview.

It's not ridiculous you know...you should go and read the actual threads at AFF...particularly last night...but others...even though I thought he was way too pompous and self important I was prepared to stand up for him on the grounds of youth and enthusiasm until I saw last night's little performance.

He obviously believes he is wildly superior to the rest of us and that we should be made to recognise that...

Well sorry, but that is not only b*l*x, it is offensive b*l*x, and people have a perfect right to say so...

...and if you do not agree AT ONCE I will get my kid brothers in to SORT YOU OUT...

You see? This is just the sort of thing I mean.

The interview was tambourine-man's idea, and it was supported by a number of members on AFF who contributed questions which were then collated by tambourine-man and sent to the Autism Speaks representative.

This was never one man show, as some seem to be implying. It was a group effort.

Some people don't seem to know how to conduct themselves in a calm or civil manner, or how to engage with people with whom they disagree other than by insulting them.

It's very sad as not only has a chance for useful dialogue and input been squandered, but the petty and spiteful behaviour of a few has harmed the credibity of autistic people and their organisations, on and off-line.

It is not all about "The Interview"
I did not hotfoot it over from AFF, I've been a member here for a while, I tend to normally just read threads. But I had to comment after reading TM's hard done by post. Alot of people seem to be basing their opinions on just one AFF thread, The Aut Spks interview.
You need to go and read all his posts and threads from the beginning (and his sister's and girlfriend's) and you may realise why things turned on him the way they did.
Anyways, I shan't bother you good folks anymore and will the close the door on my way out.

Go and read the threads at AFF...because that is EXACTLY what he was doing...a totally different tone to the one he was using here. Really condescending "I am the big I am" stuff...

...I was HORRIFIED that I had stood up for him after I saw that.

I don't mind the article (though it was far too inappropriate to the ethos of AFF to stay in the front page for ever). It's boring, bog standard "Autism Speaks PR begs the question" stuff, vaunted as something it most definately is not...

But his whole condescending attitude to other Aspies is APPALLING...then bringing in first his girlfriend, then his kid sister, just to tell people he was right was...it was actually embarassing...