AUTISM SPEAKS

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and f**k you for selling out wrong planet

in the future they will look back on this as the beginning of the end for autistic culture. thanks to genetic research soon there will be a prenatal test for autism, like the one they have for down-syndrome. 80% of children with down-syndrome are aborted, do you think it will be any different for us. that's not even the point, there are already thousands of autistic adults out there already who are being misrepresented, and whose real needs are being strait ignored.
autism speaks ignores the needs of the autistic/aspergers community while they stigmatize us with a campaign of negativity and fear.

SPEAK FOR YOUR SELF AND STAND UP TO AUTISM SPEAKS!

IBTL

Autism Speaks has been changing a little lately and now is the time to put gentle pressure. Screaming obscenities at them isn't going to help.

No. No, obscenities won't help. I would much prefer it if you had made a reasonable argument about what WP is doing and why they shouldn't be doing it. I suggest you edit your post to say something like "I hate autism speaks", because profanities do get edited out, and using them is just asking to get this topic deleted.

But fundamentally, I agree with you. Autism Speaks has no right to be on the front page of any organization made up of autistic people. It's like putting the KKK on the front page of a civil rights organization's web site; and taking "we no longer burn crosses on people's front yards" as an excuse that they were now on their side. Autism Speaks has a long history of portraying autistic people in the worst light possible, constantly talking about how much we drag our families down, bankrupt the economy, tear apart marriages. They've compared autism to cancer, AIDS, death in car accidents, and about a half-dozen other things that are way worse than autism. They've used so much hate, fear, and pity rhetoric that now the average everyday person has no idea of what autism is really like for everyday autistics. And I won't even mention (well, okay, that's a lie; I WILL mention it) the infamous "I want to kill myself and my child because my child is autistic, but won't do it because my other child isn't autistic" incident. How do you think the parent of a newly-diagnosed kid feels when they hear that kind of thing? Even cancer doesn't get such bad press, and cancer kills people.

Autism Speaks has done very little to help us. Even their research dollars go to genetics research, when they aren't going to their management's six-figure salaries or to hiring/inviting celebrities for expensive fundraisers. Until they can show that they've reformed and started doing useful things--like, for example, researching autism education, therapy, or communication; or helping autistic people get into the workplace--once they start actually helping autistic people, then I'll be happy to see them on WP's front page. But not until then.

As for the question of whether they've been changing, I present this video, which Autism Speaks showed to the United Nations almost exactly a year ago:
I Am Autism
Transcript

Last edited by Callista on 22 Sep 2010, 3:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

Please tell me you misspoke. Those things ARE worse than autism.

I remember this video and watching it again is hilarious. Autism is some evil/Satan thing LOL! and parents etc. combat it LOL!

Someone should get a forensic accountant to follow the money. Just follow the money trail of an organization such as Autism Speaks, and that will reveal everything about who controls them and what their agenda is.

Last edited by Dilbert on 21 Sep 2010, 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

agreed. also, please refer to the Wrong Planet rules regarding obscenities.

I looked at the front page and did not see anything about Autism Speaks besides one of alex's videos in which case it specifically states that they talk about the research aimed at helping autistics rather than curing them. I haven't watched the video though.

As long as I'm not seeing Autism Speaks banners here I'm okay. It's rather unfortunate that if this did happen I'm not sure what I'd do. I'm sure there are others here that would have difficulty dealing with the change of going to another website to talk about their autism (one that didn't endorse autism speaks.)

explain how Alex interviewing people from autism speaks is wrongplanet selling out.

You are not at all interested in hearing anything from them at all ever? I am not seeing any banners on this site, no contracts have been signed that I am aware of, the interview and discussion and autism talk internet tv show's relationship with autism speaks could end at any time.

Did anyone else notice that the only people concerned with combating it were not autistics? This could mean one of three things: 1. the autistics really don't care about having autism, 2. AS doesn't think we deserve to speak for ourselves, or the more obvious 3. both.

this is why I think it's good that they're supporting our videos.

So... they're giving you money for it?

Yep, my bad. Edited now.

Autism Speaks are horrible. It's proving bad PR for you to be associated with them, too, Alex. It's like a wildlife charity merging with BP.

Anyway, I'll just leave this here: http://notautismspeaks.tk

As I mentioned before, we are bringing about change by influencing where autism speaks is spending their money. Wouldn't you rather they change for the better?

I would, but that ain't gonna happen. The only reason they give a crap about your videos is because they want good PR, which they will use to keep the public supporting the same propaganda they're pushing now. They give the illusion of change, yeah, but look at their finances, do you see any change there? To me it looks like they still throw money at research to wipe us all out and, of course, the trademark massive salaries and other such luxuries.