Aspies For Freedom

It doesn't make any more sense to me than being proud of being intelligent or having green eyes. It's not as if being autistic is an achievement.

I dont think it is about pride as in superiority /achievement over and above all others, its more an equality and cultural belonging thing. In a world where there isnt equality, pride is a useful tool, it may be the case that if there ever is true acceptance and equality of those wired up differently, there wont be any need to shout autistic is OK to the heavens.

Bother. Not signed in!!!! T'was me.

As far as I can see, the whole issue of autistic pride is nothing to do with pride about some specific type of trait or behavioural propensity... it is entirely connected with being proud of who one is.  Nothing more, and nothing less.

For so long, autistic people have been subjected to so much crap about what makes us who we are (and I speak both as a psychologist AND an autistic person) that it is no longer a bearable thing; we are not freaks, and we are not defective.  We are different.

But we are still human flesh and blood, and we still have emotions, and we still hurt when people go out of their way to ridicule us, and we still feel pain if someone electro-shocks us.

Too much of our history as an ethnic entity (dare I say?) has been scarred and blighted because the observer has failed to go outside his or her own subjective impression (even in the name of science!), and we have been the ones to feel the shame, because of other people's inability or unwillingness to deal respectfully and/or empathically with us.

So, I think that - given the effect of the above on the autistic person's self-esteem and self-confidence - a day set aside for autistic "pride" (as in pride about being who one is as an autistic person) is long overdue and only appropriate at this time.

Bad comparisons and/or other means of making autistic people feel bad about ourselves as we are are very much inappropriate.  We don't (and can't) ask for superiority.... but we do (and can) demand equality!

If only the lawmakers we as astute as me, eh?  When poor people are born without arseholes, shit will become a scare resource.

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 7:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Why is autism something to be proud of?  

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Paradox wrote:
It doesn't make any more sense to me than being proud of being intelligent or having green eyes. It's not as if being autistic is an achievement.


As far as I can see, the whole issue of autistic pride is nothing to do with pride about some specific type of trait or behavioural propensity... it is entirely connected with being proud of who one is. Nothing more, and nothing less.

For so long, autistic people have been subjected to so much crap about what makes us who we are (and I speak both as a psychologist AND an autistic person) that it is no longer a bearable thing; we are not freaks, and we are not defective. We are different.

But we are still human flesh and blood, and we still have emotions, and we still hurt when people go out of their way to ridicule us, and we still feel pain if someone electro-shocks us.

Too much of our history as an ethnic entity (dare I say?) has been scarred and blighted because the observer has failed to go outside his or her own subjective impression (even in the name of science!), and we have been the ones to feel the shame, because of other people's inability or unwillingness to deal respectfully and/or empathically with us.

So, I think that - given the effect of the above on the autistic person's self-esteem and self-confidence - a day set aside for autistic "pride" (as in pride about being who one is as an autistic person) is long overdue and only appropriate at this time.

Bad comparisons and/or other means of making autistic people feel bad about ourselves as we are are very much inappropriate. We don't (and can't) ask for superiority.... but we do (and can) demand equality!

If only the lawmakers we as astute as me, eh? When poor people are born without arseholes, shit will become a scare resource.

Please note:  Its Autistic Pride Day - no proud in it!

I think pride means that your not afraid to stand up and be counted.

Exactly!

Paradox wrote

Who says being intelligent isn't at least partly an achievement? If you know about the Flynn Effect you will suspect that IQ is not completely independent from one's own efforts or environment.

I'm a green eyed, fairly intelligent aspie and I take as much pride in myself as anyone does, and that makes perfect sense to me.

i support pride and will be in hyde park later with DANDA but we must also fight for the support phycologically/benefits and physical support that some but not all autisitcs require.

we dont wantr to start saying we all have no problems and its only society that has problems withn us,otherwise we will end up losing any support and social security benefits,in the UK we have a governemtn wanting to get rid of us onto the workplace,some are ok at work to a point others are not.

so pride in who you are yes,but recgonistion a dissabiltiy is still present for many.

regards,Paul

For me it isn't so much about having pride or being proud so much as not being ashamed of what and who I am. It mightn't make sense to everyone to have pride in something they have had no control over but I don't think you'd ever find any sane person that would argue that a person should be ashamed of the way they are born, that would just be ridiculous.

:grin:  Happy Autistic Pride Day everyone  :grin:

A lot of it has to do with be able to feel we have a valid place in this world and that we are happy that we are unique people with unique abilities and not just clones.

equally one assumes you would not wish or expect to be discriminated against for those blue eyes......

equally one assumes you would not wish or expect to be discriminated against for those GREEN eyes......

proma said "we dont wantr to start saying we all have no problems and its only society that has problems withn us,otherwise we will end up losing any support and social security benefits,in the UK we have a governemtn wanting to get rid of us onto the workplace,some are ok at work to a point others are not."

We actually are asking for our differences to be recognised, and part of that is for auties and aspies to receive the help they need. Whether it amounts to a disability, or someone just needs the help of being allowed to use a laptop in an exam, our wide range of unique variations does need to be taken into account from anyone providing services.
Likewise, people who don't need any help, should not be treated as if they are disabled and be held back from becoming independent.

Amy , I think you're right to state that there needs to be a recognition that we don't all have the same level of need for services, supports, concessions or legal protections.

I've read somewhere that in the US an AD/HD diagnosis automatically entitles a person to get extra time on exams. I have no idea whether everyone with AD/HD has a uniform level of need for such a concession, but I am sure that this kind of automatic entitlement to some priviledge makes ordinary people resentful and suspicious of the whole business of diagnosis.