Aspies For Freedom

Found this is CAN's newsletter:

Here's the contact information if you'd like to send a polite protest letter. I think this really helps because companies think that they are helping a good cause; they really don't understand that they are not.

Amy Zemak
Business Development
Amy@HighwayImage.com

Owen Burns
President & CEO
Oburns@HighwayImage.com

Highway Image, Inc.
125 Half Mile Road, Suite 200
Red Bank, NJ 07701

I want to send an angry protest letter. I hate when companies blindly agree with a "good cause" without looking into it. It would be like if the american people went into a war under false pretenses while ignoring the international community. Wait a second...

From: Gareth Nelson <gareth@aspiesforfreedom.com>  (Aspies for Freedom)
  To: Oburns@HighwayImage.com
Message was signed by gareth@aspiesforfreedom.com (Key ID: 0x326081EAFBEAE2BD).
The signature is valid and the key is ultimately trusted.
  I was recently informed about your company sponsoring Cure Autism Now via
purchase of the product found here:

http://www.hig hwayi  mage.com/char_cure_autism.htm

I understand that you may think you are helping a good cause by producing this
product, however I feel it is my duty to inform you that the exact opposite
is true. Cure autism now have a history of lieing to the autistic community
about their exact intentions while sponsoring research into a prenatal test
for autism. This will result in a large section of the population being wiped
out.

The autistic community is NOT asking for a cure, organisations such as cure
autism now are an expression of prejudice against autistics. I ask if you
would sponsor an organisation named "cure blackness now". I understand that
you may not have been aware that autism is not a disease and considered
sponsorship of CAN a good cause. I now ask that you cease such sponsorship.

Thankyou
  End of signed message

Please try to remain polite, pointless anger does not help anyone

I think that you should write a letter. But I agree that polite, yet still firm and convincing, is the way to go.

I'll be writing too and I'll post if I receive a response.

But they are blindly giving money to a cause. It's ignorance, and I have had just about enough of it. I am tired of being kind to these bastards that want me cured, and their moronic henchmen who "don't know any better". That is not an excuse! Do your ****ing research before jumping headfirst into a cause that could result in the ultimate elimination of a sizable portion of brilliant, healthy, and happy people.

Consider what they are going to think upon receiving a polite, thought-out letter as opposed to one with an attacking, angry tone.

If it is polite, they might respond in a suitable manner. If it is just angry, they will likely just delete it.

Nothing, and then another nothing. This is treading water. People are going to believe what news tells them. Company men will do the same to pander to those people. Polite response won't do anything, but angry response will release stress and teach us to channel frustration into a well thought out tear on the state of things. Then just use a publicity stunt and we can have something going here.

Frankly, the folks who open these emails/letters are the ones who get bombarded with angry screaming letters day after day after day after day after day for various issues. One more similar letter won't make a difference. a polite and sensible letter on the other hand, which is a RARITY these days, is more likely to make people actually read it. Doesn't mean it can't be passionate. it can be full of conviction, passionate and convincing, with anger at the general state of things and yet not personally attacking them to bits.
If you villanise people off the way you seem to want to what makes you think they'll want to donate to your cause? It's only going to make them  help CAN or some crap thing even more. Or even if they don't they might just turn their attention to starving children in Africa instead, or the Indonesian Earthquake victims etc.

Nothing gets done in this world without anger. Why has war been around so long? Because people get pissed off and decide to fight each other. The winner thus gets something. CAN has a clear advantage on us because they're message is cuter. "Oh, look at the poor disabled kid. He has a miserable life. Drowning him seems the most humane thing to do!" We don't have that. We have to deal with a public that's against us, companies against us, everyone thinking that autism should be cured. And because of that, we need anger and passion. Criticism goes into that too. As far as I can tell, the methods that we're using now aren't working.

Re-read the above

It really depends on how you couch it. I'm not against writing a passionate letter that is angry about the whole curebie movement but  dont demonise them. Polite doesnt necc mean, in cotext, oh lets all sit down and have a ncie cup of tea. But I guess youre going to anyway.


To be honest... this whole anti-cure thing is a very new concept. People dont know these things, especially if they're NT. I wouldnt think it would occur to them until you actually told them about it.
So you're enlightened and smart enough to know. Bravi, bravi, good on you. Now enlighten others, stir up emotion, but don't go beating it over their heads.

Spelling errors abound in that, but I digress. I have attempted telling everyone to stop trying to fix me. It didn't work. Everyone insists that I need to learn social skills so I fit in, but keep the mental abilities that MSDD has given me. They won't listen. I was never even asked my opinion about what to do with myself until I finally got someone in 6th grade who actually adknowledged that I was more than a problem to be rectified.

Wel I was nver teh bestt typist arrounnd  :grin:

"We have to deal with a public that's against us, companies against us, everyone thinking that autism should be cured."

I wouldn't say that 'everyone' thinks autism should be cured. I rather suspect most people just don't think about issues like this very much. I think, incidentally, that writing letters to companies (either polite or otherwise) is unlikely to make much difference. Companies sponsor charities and 'good causes' for their own image, and will choose charities on whether they think it makes them look good - who they harm in the process will not be part of their thinking.

Demonstrating outside their offices might be more likely to have an impact!

The phrase "Let's not cure the disorder" is not attractive thing for a company to latch on to.