Not to flood the forum with threads, or anything, but I had another idea.
Why don't we write to celebrities to ask for statements of support for our cause? We could also send them infinity-sign pins to wear. CAN and Autism Speaks have lots of celebrity supporters, and it makes them look good. Well, if we even got one famous person involved in our cause we'd get coverage quick. People who have been diagnosed might be a good place to start, like Gary Numan and the lead singer of the Vines (I don't know his name).
I heard that Gary Numan is pro-cure. maybe we can pursuade him to support us, though. He is a very creative man, and it's a shame that he doesn't realize that aspergers is the reason behind it. many aspies out there are pro-cure, because they receive too much discrimination from others, they are always depressed and having social dificulties. I beleive numan is worried that his wife Gemma is doing all the social work for him, and that's why he waqnts to be cured
Of course, if they are not diagnosed but only suspected, you have to respect the fact that they are not diagnosed and may not like speculation as to whether or not they are aspie. So do not insinuate or asume that they might be, if you do write to someone non-diagnosed.
Isn't Clay Aiken involved in the autism activist movement?
Tim
Isn't Weird Al Yankovic Aspergian?
I have pasted the letter into a word document, when I have the chance I will make some edits and repost it.
This is a good start, but we also will need a letter we can send to celebrities who DON'T wear puzzle pins. Anyone want to volunteer to write that?
The edited letter:
Dear (name of celebrity),
I noticed that recently you have decided to support Autism Speaks by wearing their puzzle pin logo.
Autistics are not all the helpless and broken tragic children as Autism Speaks likes to represent us. They portray us as bad and unwanted by society. This is a misrepresentation of autistics. They also promote the idea that autism should be hated and is a disease that is destroying America’s children, which is not true. Autism is just a difference in neurological wiring, and not necessarily a burden to society. We grow up and live happy and productive lives, still autistic- not despite being autistic. Autism Speaks has also warped the images of autistic families as if they all desire their children to become cured, which isn’t the norm for families of autistics, who have pride and joy in their children, and do not engage in trying to change them into non-autistics.
Autism Speaks raises all their money for research to cure autism, even though they say that support for autistics is underfunded. Autism Speaks does not support autistics living now, but instead just looks towards a tomorrow where autism, and by extension autistics, do not exist. Furthermore, many autistics themselves are not asking for a cure, but instead acceptance. A cure, according to the autistic community, would mean destroying the autistic person and replacing them with a non autistic one, because autism is a part of autistic people that cannot be removed without destroying who they are.
Autism Speaks commissioned a video called “Autism Every Day” that has been very controversial among autistics and parents of autistics, with its false portrayal of autistics as horrible monsters, a burden for everyone around them, and in a constant state of tantrum. A big problem was that the video subtly condoned murder of autistics, and praised parents who kill autistics, with a comment by one of the mothers in the video that the only reason she didn’t drive off a bridge with her autistic daughter in the car was because she had a non-autistic daughter at home. In the news this segment has been described as “brave and gutsy”, but there is nothing “gutsy” about contemplating murder. This is very disturbing seeing that autistics want to be seen as equal human beings that are neurologically different instead of as a ‘defective’ person, or less than a person.
(name of celebrity), I suspect you started your Autism Speaks sponsorship because you felt that you wanted to be a part of a worthy cause. I assure you, Autism Speaks is a disservice to autistics and many families of autistic persons, but now that you are enlightened, I hope you will support autistics in their search for acceptance. Thank you for your time.
Isn't Clay Aiken involved in the autism activist movement?
Tim
Yes Clay Aiken does support autism. His foundation, The Bubel Aiken Foundation, is based on inclusion for individuals with disabilities. I don't think he is about making them "act" normal but more about getting others to accept them as they are. Of course I am sure he supports helping them overcome roadblocks if needed but I don't think he is into "normalizing" everyone so to speak.
Getting to whether he would help raise awareness on how adults feel from different angles, etc is another question. I wanted to raise awareness of getting help for issues I have but not being cured. I do have some issues such as lack of focus and I cant organize or change routine its more than that, keeping it simple here so not to ramble, but I can not get any support at all because everything is all child based and all about curing, etc. I like being autistic - its why I am so creative but wanted help for some issues.
I sort of guess I am trying to say I am about supporting adults in ways they may need but letting them be autistic. Make sense?
I am not sure if Clay would support this or not but I think its a "maybe" he does care about acceptence of others that I know for sure. I guess its a shot if enough people where involved in sending a letter.
I'm pretty sure this is only a myth, but someone told me a story. In China once, there was a war, and people were dying not just because of the war but because there was also a famine. People began sending little bags of rice to the Emperor, saying that he should feed people, not kill more people in his war. At last, he was recieving so many bags of rice, he simply called off the war.
We should get as many people to send these letters as possible. You don't even have to make any changes, you can just send the form letter.
it doesn't say who we are or what our aims are.
I think something people here sometimes forget, is that compasionate people, like the dixie chicks, sometimes support curebies because they don't know any better. People are constantly exposed to this chatter about how autism is a terrible burden that must be cured, and they believe they are doing the best thing for the children by finding a cure. They never hear the positives, they never hear about us, and so they don't have a chance to learn that they have swallowed a mouthful of propaganda. That's why it's so important just to be out there, just to be seen, telling people what autism REALLY is and all the good parts and why we don't want a cure. When they learn, they have the chance to choose, whether they believe us or they beleive the lies. So don't make judgements like "I always thought they stood up for the underdog"; they don't know we're underdogs that need to be stood up for.
I call Wierd Al!!
(Maybe Fall Out Boy, too)
It would make me unbelievably happy if we had Wierd Al on our side. The Geek world would rise up and demand that the curebies repent!
Flardox, I don't know where you're getting this whole chelation thing from. I didn't see anything in Jon Robinson's writing- here or on his blog- that said anything about chelation or cures in general. If you're basing all this on his sentence "My book contains a strong message of hope and inspiration for young Aspergians" Then you are massively misreading him.
All he's saying is that we need hope- and I interpreted it as meaning hope that we will be accepted, hope that we can do well in society, hope that we can achieve what we want to. And I do think that's something young aspies need.
Please notice he follows that sentence with "and also the need for tolerance in society", so he clearly is NOT advocating normalization.
