How do I push my agenda?
For awhile now I have been upset and angered over a great many things. From my experienced those with Autism have been dismissed, laughed at and condescended to by every meaning of the meaning of the word. This is not acceptable, and it is unfortunate that we live in a world where the top autism scientist dismisses Autistic people as lacking empathy and people accept it. For years now this has annoyed me and I want to change it, but where do I start?
Someone needs to start a movement. I had such hopes for Bill Gates before he drank the Trump Kool-Aid and jumped on board an agenda bent on destroying everyone who is not a white American billionaire. Between many other goals, I will do my best to look into what can be done. I did try contacting Tony Atwood (or Attwood) and he didn't seem to have many suggestions at the time. This was a few years ago. Anyhow I am active on this board again hoping someone will either know something or someone which will help or we can generate some interest and action before too many lives are lost.
Yes, but I would not wait for anyone in particular to start it, and I would stay clear of the industrial-autism complex and all the autism professionals who make a living out of pathologising autism and offering services to "fix/ameliorate" autistic behaviour.
Activism goals that I would recommend based on personal experience:
1. For business owners who identify as being on the spectrum to actively encourage neurodiversity within their organisation and at suitable opportunities (for example in non-commercial and not entirely public contexts) to openly identify as aspie/autistic. This is very much a local form of activism. This way at least the people involved in these (typically small) businesses have a chance to associate the autism spectrum with something positive (their source of employment, honest and direct communication, the level of intellectual freedom that aspies and autists tend to encourage etc.) In the business world at the moment it is still self-limiting to come out as autistic. Only in the last decade have some business owners dared to be open about their sexual orientation, and autism is still lagging behind significantly in terms of acceptance by society compared to the LGBT community.
2. Encouraging autistic children and adolescents who want go their own way, and assisting them to either join an autism friendly organisation or to create their own business / livelihood and support system outside traditional employment. This is something every parent of an autistic child can and should do. Raising children with the expectation that they must "fit in" and find a "job" in traditional employment in order to survive can be the perfect recipe for anxiety and depression.
3. Working towards better protection of autists and aspies who have found or would like to find employment – those who for whatever reason fail to create a livelihood and support system within the "market economy". This is activism that can be conducted nationally and globally. From my perspective classical employment is a form of wage slavery that over the next few decades must give way to new forms of organising economic activity. The old industrial metaphor of an organisation as a machine and of humans as expendable cogs in the machine is way past its best used by date. Organisations must provide spaces and ways of working that allow aspies and autists to minimise sensory overload.
4. Cultural transformation in society, such that current levels of economic inequality are no longer tolerated. Such a transformation will greatly benefit many minorities. This is again scope for global activism. Some interesting work has started (see for example https://evolution-institute.org/project ... evolution/), but much more needs to happen both locally and globally. Modern peer-to-peer communication technologies are essential tools in this context.
I am realistic. Significant changes are likely to take decades, but that's okay. Autistic perseverance and naivety have an upside – as long as individuals have access to essential supports and are not entirely neglected by those around them.
In seriousness:
Plus, taking the piss can be good fun.
And be thankful of it.
Alternatively, become an activist and get pissed off at almost everything.
In seriousness:
Plus, taking the piss can be good fun.
And be thankful of it.
Alternatively, become an activist and get pissed off at almost everything.
You want to know something.
The top Autism scientist in the world says Autistic people lack empathy, read what some of Simon Baron Cohen says. If these perceptions are their they will have to be eliminated.
I once knew a guy at a school he really struggled with communication, struggled immensely when it came to articulating himself to others etc but behind that he was a smart an unique individual not many people saw that. People as a result thought he was stupid and joked about it immensely. If people live through this for a long time whilst their at school than something needs to change.
I can name more examples but heck do I need to. I don't deny change but progress is not a reason for stopping in one's tracks.
I'm done here.