Aspies For Freedom

I have posted abstracts of two chilling peer-reviewed research papers on correlates of violent offending and homicide with ASD on the "Philosophy and Psychology"  board lower down the index page.

Stella

I bet no one's going to make a TV drama based on the story of the Australian autistic boy who was murdered by his mother. That would be considered insensitive towards the mother.

Ryuujin, If your question was addressed to me, here is a broken link to the most comprehensive news story about the murder that I know of:
http:// sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2004_06_20/story_1145.asp
I never watched that edition of 60 Minutes. I think the case was reopened a while ago, but I've not noticed much media coverage.

In the UK is there some broadcasting authority that you can send an official complaint about the programme to? I know that in Australia there are various bodies that one can complain to about TV advertising or TV shows that might infringe the ratings system.

Can you complain about the trailer? I know that trailers for TV dramas on Australian TV often are deliberately controversial or sensationalistic, but still, if the trailer is defamatory to some group of people, then that is offensive.

Even if it is only the trailer that gives a negative sensationalist view of AS, then I think that could do a lot of harm.

Last weekend there was a feature article on autism in the national newspaper. The story itself, buried deep in the paper in the colour supplement, was reasonably balanced, and gave opinions challenging the notion of an autism epidemic, but do you know what was written at the top of the front page of the newspaper? "In a world of their own The autism epidemic". So people casually glancing at the newspaper who did not buy it and read the full story probably got the impression that there is something in the water causing autism, or it is contagious.

Noetic wrote

I think you're the one getting all "worked up", Noetic.

Noetic, I agree with you that it's good to see the media becoming aware of the prejudice and trying to show that the stereotypes are false, even if they may be addressing the issue clumsily.

Please post again after you watch the show, and let me know what you thought of it.

Drifter wrote

I beg to differ, Drifter. A few months ago I did watch an American police murder investigation TV show episode in which an aspie man was found to be the murderer, or heavily involved with a murder plot, I can't quite remember. His motive was money that he wanted to try to "buy back" his wife who was estranged because, according to the show, all aspies are incapable of being a part of a relationship and are seriously nuts. It was a ghastly portrayal of AS, lurching between an attitudes of pity and fear towards aspies. I'm not sure what the name of the show was, but it was the show that has the male detective with short black hair who is always wincing as though he has really bad piles.

Noetic is up to her old tricks again. FFS indeed!

well, we'll all have a chance to see the programme in just a few hours, and can see what we all think about it afterwards,

Stella

how dare anyone say my husband or children are potential murderers, (this is PT's wife).  I am angry.  Apart from the fact that both my husband and kids are very affectionate and loving and more than capable of showing it, under the right circumstances, eg. if not forced, stressed, or generally hassled, they are not in any way nor have ever been violent.
Programme writers are not allowed to use other differences in this way, please note  I do not use the word disability because I do not consider (Aspergers in particular) these differences to be disabilities, they are not allowed to portray people with spina bifida, cerebral palsy,muscular dystrophy as potential murderers, due in part to the outcry from the people with these differences.  Portrayal of people with AS is now on a par with people suffering schizophrenia,(also wrongly portrayed) this has got to stop and its got to stop now. And by the way, my n.t. son, (aged twenty) is also angry.[/img]

About 25 years ago, there was a lot of media interest in PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome).  Several TV dramas had stories about women who committed assault or murder because their PMS supposedly made them uncontrollably violent.

Feminist groups complained loud and long, and the TV producers quit making those shows.

It is possible to put a stop to this sort of nasty stereotyping with enough protests about it.

Drifter wrote

Keep it clean, Drifter!  :lol:

Does anyone know the name of the TV show and the episode name? I'm not sure if the show has been aired on Australian TV.

Would a letter to the UK press be an appropriate way of protesting about the negative imbalance in the media image of aspies on British TV and British media in general?

Drifter wrote

Keep it clean, Drifter!  :lol:

Does anyone know the name of the TV show and the episode name? I'm not sure if the show has been aired on Australian TV.

Would a letter to the UK press be an appropriate way of protesting about the negative imbalance in the media image of aspies on British TV and British media in general?

I'd like to say that I will concede that aspies can be bad tempered characters, but not any more violent than anyone else. A lot of violence is in the form of premeditated group activity (gang violence, schoolyard bullying), and obviously aspies are going to be less rather than more likely to be a part of that kind of misbehaviour. A lot of violence is also contributed to by alchohol and/or drug abuse. The aspies who I know personally IRL do not have drug or alcohol problems, and are thus also less likely to be involved with that kind of violence. I personally am not the kind of person who likes to invade the personal space of others. I am reluctant to touch others for no good reason.

A number of us have already resigtered complaints with ITV about the programme.

"If you had seen the programme [Holby City episode with the Aspie woman] in question (as far as I am aware, a former member of this forum, who has since passed away, was involved in ensuring the protrayal was accurate) you simply would not be making such claims."


Maybe ryuujin did watch it. Davixen was involved in advising for the show.