The Standard Review

The Functional Divide

The views of the mainstream autism movement are closely tied to those of the commercial providers of aid to autistic people. The attitudes of this movement about autistics are mostly the same as the attitudes of autism diagnosticians and therapists. As would be expected, these beliefs and attitudes are commercially advantageous for autism enterprises. Unfortunately, when the public accepts these views they are not considering how these views that they have adopted not only don't serve them but are unreasonable as well.

The predominate claim is that a so-called high functioning autistic person is gifted and should be proud of their gifts. How this serves the commercial interest is that it fits neatly within the societal view that severity of symptoms is an efficient method of determining who is eligible for aid. (it is not acknowledged that this label is closely tied to how society determines a persons worth)

Not only does such a system not work, but it creates a feeding frenzy among people that further dehumanizes them in the public's view as well as severely lowering their self esteem.Once the so-called high functioning autistic is convinced that they are gifted the societal constraints that projects how a gifted person is to be grateful for their attributes will then discourage them from seeking aid and associating their "gifts" with the lower functioning "truly" autistic person who is seen to have mainly deficits and be in need of support.

This attitude comes from and is supported by those who diagnose autistics for two reasons:

1) Attributing those they consider "high functioning" autistics with intellectual gifts promotes their diagnosing business by bringing in more business without insulting anyone who will then argue with them.

2) By adding so many to the statistics, they further promote the fear possessed cash cow known as the autism epidemic scare that helps to fund their diagnostic enterprise.

Basically, they would prefer to isolate those they diagnose as "high functioning" by sending them away to write "proud to be aspie" blogs on the internet with the reminder that they would appear ungrateful for their luxurious assets by not acknowledging the pitiful disadvantages of the "low functioning" autistics. Ensuring that the public holds such views supposedly provides these autistics in need with the necessary aid to have their behavior modified and/or the devastating "illness" cured. For those who can see how inappropriately geared for any autistics the supports that are made available truly are, you may want to further investigate how the inappropriate veiws of these agencies (along with those of the mainstream public) are contributing to the problem.

As always, those entrepreneurs who project this attitude have not expected disabled people to have a sense of self worth that leads them to fight against their oppression. Would they also go so far as to exploit and demonize the so-called "high functioning" population when given the commercial opportunity to do so? See this post by ABFH :A Brief History of Cassandra and know they will, and they certainly do.

Any autistic who shows pride in who they are, (which includes how they are autistic) is helping to dispel the ugly stereotypes of autistic people. Parents of autistic people who show their family life as the opposite of how the promoters of the "autism epidemic" would describe our lives, is providing this service as well.

If, however, you have instead claimed some type of neutrality in all this, you are probably invested in the mainstream view to such a degree that you don't see how you are promoting it. If you show pride of how you or your family member is functioning above those described as the "unfortunates" you are not supporting the efforts of the disabled culture. The population of disabled people is one that anyone at some point may be a part of.

The impractical and oppressive division of functioning labels are not new nor is it confined to autistic people. It appears on documents to better enable those who create arbitrary test. People having a better historic view of the plight of disabled people to overcome societal prejudices is a good first step to everyone's liberation.

Systematic Mistreatment

Much of what is said to be advantageous for society is at best said to be that way because alternatives are seen as too complicated and expensive.

For instance, of course it is best for a nation to have a strong military but the reason there is such a need for this strength stems from the inappropriate lust for power that has caused so much trouble since the beginning of time. The reason for the need of it is important to remember.

Nations who are competing to be the strongest academically and the most technologically advanced are only encouraging a very small part of the population to be competitive. The others are seen as excess surplus that require too much effort and expense to educate and train. This is clearly seen in the U.S. where the statistics show how very few people are actually being educated and trained. You will see how clearly the population who is excluded in this way are discouraged by how few actually vote or are a part of what is deceptively known as "the democratic process".

It is rarely reported in the mainstream media that there is actually this kind of exclusion happening within schools and jobs that discourage people from wanting to pursue a better position in life but such articles and news programs have an audience that would not support them if they did. Their advertisers would support them even less. Therefore, it's easier to dismiss the population that reports such things as radical extremists and conspiracy theorists.

When the U.S. originally "settled" in their new land, there were some who were eager to use their church as their governing purifier and the label of witch was an all-inclusive title that allowed those who were seen as undesirable members of the community to be expelled. Today in the U.S. religious groups don't have that kind of governing power, so they have adopted psychology as a means of behavioral reform. Psychological branding of learning disabilities and other "abnormal" thinking patterns is now the most efficient and widely used method of societal exclusion. Just as it was then prohibited in many ways to not attend your local church and be judged by that authority, there are many modern systematic methods for demanding unwanted community members  to be psychologically profiled.

If you have met one therapist or agency worker, you have met only one. Many may have the best of intentions, and they will make life better for some people. However, those who are seen by them as overly problematic won't be seen that way because of what is truly the severity of their symptoms. That will instead be based on how their "symptoms" differ from what society has decided (both subtly and overtly) are welcome.

The claim that the radical desires of the mainstream autism movement can easily support a movement that encourages inclusion for this diverse population doesn't account for the systematic exclusion that I've described.

Behavioral modifications for autistic people will be similar to how prisoners are treated if the public perception of them includes them being seen as violent, self-absorbed, and having no regard for others. Making treatments mandatory will be exposing autistic people to mistreatment that is justified by the public opinion that is now being promoted by the mainstream autism movement. Even how autistics on the internet are treated will impact the public perception of how this population is understood and respected.  How you promote or criticize this mainstream movement and their systems will have either a positive or negative impact on everyone's future.

Pretense be Damned

Society has always demanded a standard language and a degree of polite mannerisms that cover many inappropriate deeds and practices that are done against those we pretend are our members of "the" community but really aren't.

Whether it be an attribute or (as some claim) a deficit, the exchange of pleasantries for pleasantry sakes may not be a priority for autistics. Unfortunately, as individuals (and certainly not as a group), autistic people have traditionally not been taken seriously nor have they been given the benefit of the doubt when their message has disrupted the comfort levels of the more sophisticated and refined socialites.

Many injustices and much mistreatment is hidden and even encouraged by the demand for niceties at the expense of the more vulnerable and unprotected citizens. It is often said that "ideal" circumstances place too much of a burden on the sound structure that supposedly provides for the less fortunate for change to be practical or even beneficial for them.This often leads to the radical winds of change to become very strong and very loud before the discourse that has been caused by these luxurious attitudes is even recognized.

It's understandable that the first services that were offered to an oppressed and unrecognized minority would follow the already established course that keeps them in their "place". The societal structure is often seen as more important than the liberation of minorities.

The most recognized societal structure is determined by politics and too often minorities are taught that they must make so many sacrifices to "earn" their place among politicians that they lose sight of their goal and end up supporting the same exclusionary standards that they needed to stand against.

Autistic people are not without a history, but we are a part of the population whose expressions have been discounted and whose accomplishments have been tarnished with the belief that our abilities come with the price of our lacking empathy and having a disregard for others. Our willingness to accept how we are misunderstood is not a compromise that we can afford to make.

Look here for a bold view of part of our history and the courage to express what we actually *should* be cautious of. Look here for an example of the expressions that are too often described more radical than necessary.

Expressions of truth for the sake of liberation that have been suppressed are not only important but they are necessary for society to exist. It's important that we start recognising where those expressions are coming from and giving them more respect.

The Spoils of Victory

The term democracy is too often used with little regard of how far from anything democratic people actually are. While it is certainly the noblest ideal, the claim of being closer to the ideal than people actually are can give people a sense of liberty that hasn't been earned.

Liberties that have been stolen rather than earned are not only temporary, but they create a dangerous illusion that becomes more difficult to disguise over time. Those who actually provide liberties for others by the trade of slave labor or the domination achieved by abuse (which in turn actually makes them the slave of their victim) are never a part of any true democracy. Instead they are the ones who create the opportunity for the elite to delude themselves by falsely claiming that they somehow earned their freedom and the laws they enjoy were democratically achieved.

The good news is that sometimes when someone is politically, financially, and/or otherwise socially oppressed, they may have the opportunity to express their thoughts, which can in turn change minds. The opportunity to change minds is a powerful liberator. It should never be underestimated.

Unfortunately, the power to negatively label a person is a powerful tool of oppression. Some common oppressive labels are incompetence, insanity, or the deficit that causes people to not behave "properly". Of course an equal method of exclusion is to demand unreasonable standards of inclusion, which is often disguised as "the assumption of competence". Extreme labels of capable and incapable supports and maintains the already oppressive standards.

The identification of autistics can and should provide opportunities for liberation. Given the history of how this population has been treated, our liberation will of course be met with resistance. It is, however, very important to remember that this resistance is filled with very old and very impractical aspirations.

Autistics have not only been institutionalized, drugged, beaten, sexually molested, and unduly punished, but they have been killed for not meeting standard societal expectations. We are accused of being a burden on our families and a burden on society. This is not simply a historical account but this describes what is happening today.

Watch and listen here to how autistics are being described by "autism authorities" who claim to be "aiding us" with our relationships. Look here at the extreme and dangerous methods people are now using with the goal of teaching socially accepted behavior. Look here at the people who are creating the biggest political stir over the future of autistics and consider how afraid they are of having autistics involved with their organization.

Left to their own oppressive devices, these people will continue to become more indebted to those who are hurt by their actions (the autistics they claim to serve). I believe they should be relieved of this debt by ensuring a better and more liberated future for the autistic population.