01-24-2008, 12:22 AM
B"H
Hello. Thank you for reading my post. I wish to discuss what I believe is a close relationship between my experience as an "Aspie" (wherever on the spectrum I might be found) and a Native American. Of all groups in society, Native Americans live a life similar to the one I am living. In essence, I believe that many of us live a Reservation life. This description may not fit all of you. I do feel that it fits a large number of us.
Honestly, I believe that many of us live a "Reservation" existence. I include so-called "LFA," "HFA" and a good many people along the spectrum. If you do not feel that the Reservation designation applies to you, I apologize. However, I believe that, much like the Navajo code breakers, I am called in to do a skill, honored in the moment, and then sent home without credit or ado. I am thinking of my teaching experience in particular. I have taught mathematics to children on all levels, including the Special Day classes. Yet, at the end of the day, there is not only a lack of acknowledgment, but I have been set up to look bad by a cabal that has decided to discriminate against me.
You may have difficulty believing my testimony. That is alright. It happens to be true. What is more important, however, is that I speak for many others with similar experiences. We live the life of a tribal reservation. We live the lives of oppression. And, my friends, we must recognize another group that lives a similar life and link with them if at all possible. That group would be the Native Americans of our country, whose existence has been categorized by regimentation. Even the rise of casino gambling has benefited certain people within the tribes, and not others.
Just as we have seen divisions between and among Native tribes, often deliberately fomented to divide and conquer, there is a movement afoot to follow in the footsteps of Hans Asperger and to deny that "Aspies" are Autistic. Now, whether I would call myself "Autistic" or not, I cannot say. What I can say is that there is a spectrum. Therefore, it does not matter whether I am autistic or not. What matters is that I exist on the same spectrum that Autistic people live on. Asperger could not call his patients "autistic" because it would have been a death sentence in the evil, wicked, Satanic regime that was N*zi Germany. His own ideology was shaped by the reality around him. He could not call his subjects "autistic" because he too was shaped by an ideology of supremacy.
Let us be clear that when an autistic person is mistreated, as is occurring at the Judge Rotenburg Center, we are all affected, all of us, regardless of where we are on the "spectrum." The honors I received in college, my high GPA, or anything else I have accomplished means nothing, just as the Navajo Code breakers were still "Injuns" in the end. They were only honored late in life, after decades of having been ignored and shunned.
It is vital that so-called "HFA" and "LFA" not divide, because any division between camps, based on the thought of Dr. Asperger, could only be shaped by the ideology of racial supremacy that Dr. Asperger held to. Yes, we can say that he acted honorably, even heroically, in saving the lives of his patients, recognizing that in the reality of his society he could not call them "autistic." In many respects, Asperger was a hero. However, he was also shaped by his society in a way that we colored his views. Aspies are not "superior" to our brethren in the Judge Rotenberg Center. I don't care if you can do 59 calculations in 10 seconds, or can land space craft on the moon in your minds. If they are oppressed, then you are next. What can you say if you refuse to take a stand?
I believe that neuro-diversity must be transcended just as Martin Luther King transcended civil rights. Martin Luther King was going beyond "civil rights" in the last years of his life. He was organizing a poor person's campaign that would join blacks and whites. So it is that I believe that an alliance of people who are discriminated against, including oppressed neuro-typicals like Native Americans, is what is now called for. Of course, there will be powerful forces in society that will oppose this movement, just as in the days of Martin Luther King. If King had been successful, crowds upon crowds would have poured in to Washington D.C. The movement would have been overwhelming. Sadly, he was assassinated before he could organize such a movement. Yet, the possibility is still out there for a broad populist alliance.
So, I now sign off from the Reservation. Let me leave you with one uplifting thought. If you are on the Reservation, or the "Rez" as our Native American friends say, then you are not alone. Let me repeat, you are not alone. I hope that this thought brings you comfort, and peace. You are not alone, and many of us are rooting for you. It is time to stop dividing. I see a lot of quarrels on this list. Some of us like math, others do not. Some of us hold one view, while others hold the contrary view. That is fine, but we should not be nasty or unkind to one another. This type of thing distracts from what must be done. And, it allows oppression to continue. Please consider what I am saying.
By the way, the Lakota nation has withdrawn from all treaties with the American government. I am not sure if this is the official tribal council or some group centered primarily around Russell Means. I will not comment on this one way or the other, except to say that it is an interesting news story. How odd that the mainstream news is not covering it! All the best,
Hello. Thank you for reading my post. I wish to discuss what I believe is a close relationship between my experience as an "Aspie" (wherever on the spectrum I might be found) and a Native American. Of all groups in society, Native Americans live a life similar to the one I am living. In essence, I believe that many of us live a Reservation life. This description may not fit all of you. I do feel that it fits a large number of us.
Honestly, I believe that many of us live a "Reservation" existence. I include so-called "LFA," "HFA" and a good many people along the spectrum. If you do not feel that the Reservation designation applies to you, I apologize. However, I believe that, much like the Navajo code breakers, I am called in to do a skill, honored in the moment, and then sent home without credit or ado. I am thinking of my teaching experience in particular. I have taught mathematics to children on all levels, including the Special Day classes. Yet, at the end of the day, there is not only a lack of acknowledgment, but I have been set up to look bad by a cabal that has decided to discriminate against me.
You may have difficulty believing my testimony. That is alright. It happens to be true. What is more important, however, is that I speak for many others with similar experiences. We live the life of a tribal reservation. We live the lives of oppression. And, my friends, we must recognize another group that lives a similar life and link with them if at all possible. That group would be the Native Americans of our country, whose existence has been categorized by regimentation. Even the rise of casino gambling has benefited certain people within the tribes, and not others.
Just as we have seen divisions between and among Native tribes, often deliberately fomented to divide and conquer, there is a movement afoot to follow in the footsteps of Hans Asperger and to deny that "Aspies" are Autistic. Now, whether I would call myself "Autistic" or not, I cannot say. What I can say is that there is a spectrum. Therefore, it does not matter whether I am autistic or not. What matters is that I exist on the same spectrum that Autistic people live on. Asperger could not call his patients "autistic" because it would have been a death sentence in the evil, wicked, Satanic regime that was N*zi Germany. His own ideology was shaped by the reality around him. He could not call his subjects "autistic" because he too was shaped by an ideology of supremacy.
Let us be clear that when an autistic person is mistreated, as is occurring at the Judge Rotenburg Center, we are all affected, all of us, regardless of where we are on the "spectrum." The honors I received in college, my high GPA, or anything else I have accomplished means nothing, just as the Navajo Code breakers were still "Injuns" in the end. They were only honored late in life, after decades of having been ignored and shunned.
It is vital that so-called "HFA" and "LFA" not divide, because any division between camps, based on the thought of Dr. Asperger, could only be shaped by the ideology of racial supremacy that Dr. Asperger held to. Yes, we can say that he acted honorably, even heroically, in saving the lives of his patients, recognizing that in the reality of his society he could not call them "autistic." In many respects, Asperger was a hero. However, he was also shaped by his society in a way that we colored his views. Aspies are not "superior" to our brethren in the Judge Rotenberg Center. I don't care if you can do 59 calculations in 10 seconds, or can land space craft on the moon in your minds. If they are oppressed, then you are next. What can you say if you refuse to take a stand?
I believe that neuro-diversity must be transcended just as Martin Luther King transcended civil rights. Martin Luther King was going beyond "civil rights" in the last years of his life. He was organizing a poor person's campaign that would join blacks and whites. So it is that I believe that an alliance of people who are discriminated against, including oppressed neuro-typicals like Native Americans, is what is now called for. Of course, there will be powerful forces in society that will oppose this movement, just as in the days of Martin Luther King. If King had been successful, crowds upon crowds would have poured in to Washington D.C. The movement would have been overwhelming. Sadly, he was assassinated before he could organize such a movement. Yet, the possibility is still out there for a broad populist alliance.
So, I now sign off from the Reservation. Let me leave you with one uplifting thought. If you are on the Reservation, or the "Rez" as our Native American friends say, then you are not alone. Let me repeat, you are not alone. I hope that this thought brings you comfort, and peace. You are not alone, and many of us are rooting for you. It is time to stop dividing. I see a lot of quarrels on this list. Some of us like math, others do not. Some of us hold one view, while others hold the contrary view. That is fine, but we should not be nasty or unkind to one another. This type of thing distracts from what must be done. And, it allows oppression to continue. Please consider what I am saying.
By the way, the Lakota nation has withdrawn from all treaties with the American government. I am not sure if this is the official tribal council or some group centered primarily around Russell Means. I will not comment on this one way or the other, except to say that it is an interesting news story. How odd that the mainstream news is not covering it! All the best,