Aspies For Freedom

*sigh*

Oh, ooop ooh here we go again.  ALWAYS blame the Autistic people!  Why they're at it, they can blame us for Columbine and Waco, too.  This makes me mad.

The headline of a Russian (!) newspapaer today: "The Virginia killer had autism". Hm, normally Russian press doesn't care about autistic issues, but today it's a headline. BTW can't it be that he had both schizophrenia and autism?

Damn on that Russian internet newspaper in the discussion forum section the discussers write clearly anti-autistic comments. A new anti-autistic "wave" is to expect. Example comment: "What is worse - autism or alcoholism? The first one, because uncurable). Grr they know nothing about autism.

FOX News are reporting that Cho's autistic on Google.

Third story down.

It could have been prevented if there was no bullying, abuse etc... (like what so many others are going through)...if he got love/kindness/frienship instead....

I honestly am skeptical that his diagnosis of autism is accurate-IF in fact he actually was diagnosed and this isnt some foul rumor run astray. What I've heard more than once is that he may have been a (paranoid)schizophrenic. I have never heard anyone try to link autism or aspergers to violent behaviour. AFAIK Ive never come across any stereotypes of aspies or autists as being violent.

This incident will do so much damage to the cause of autistic rights that it is runreal.  We need to do something to mitigate this as quickly as possible.

-Ted

I have to agree. I'm usually not a big fan of Breggin because of his staunch anti-medication *** stirring, but he's hit the nail on the head this time. Cho's mental health or lack thereof is in some sense a red herring. This guy was a really, really dangerous person.
For one thing, sticking him in a mental hospital isn't very good for the other patients. I know; I've had a few nervous breakdowns and spending time around people like this while trying to get better is no picnic. Treating them as criminals would be much fairer for the fragile spirits, anorexics, recovering alcoholics, and seniors abandoned by their families that populate our psychiatric hospitals.

Saved, please be more respectful of what others believe. I am also a Christian with Asperger's; and like you, I believe in absolute truth. However, thinking someone else is wrong is no excuse to make it personal. You're not just saying, "I think you are wrong" (which is a legitimate statement, especially since all posts are obviously our own opinions); you're going beyond that and saying "sick" and refusing to get help, "heathens" and "heretics"--all very perjorative terms--words which attack the individual directly instead of just his beliefs.

I understand you may not be quite aware of the implied meanings of what you are saying, but please do try to understand how you are coming across. Pride is a great problem for anyone who believes in absolute truth--especially Christians.

Review your thoughts. Weed out anything that says you are innately superior because you accepted Christ and others didn't. Then come back here and be prepared to talk about what you believe--without demeaning others. If they want to become Christians, they will. If not, being dogmatic and prideful will just make them angry at you.

Regarding Autism and Asperger's, and the Christian perspective:

First of all, Autism is a neurological condition, not a behavioral problem. (It can cause behavioral problems, but these aren't part of autism and occur in non-autistic people, too.) Autism is part of who you are--in the way your brain works, in the way the neurons are connected. That means it isn't your fault--you were made that way. How you react to being autistic is up to you, but being autistic isn't.

Autism gives both strengths and weaknesses. People with autism are different.
There are things that people with autism are good at. Like many Aspies, I tend to focus intensely on a single subject, and become an expert on it. That is a talent which can be put to good use: For example, during my teen years, I was fascinated with the abortion debate, and became a pro-life activist. (Generally this consisted of letter-writing, volunteer hours, and pamphlet distribution.)

So what's the Christian perspective?

Well, remember first of all that people are different, and they're different for a reason. If everyone had the same talents, neither the world nor the church could work well together. In my church, my housemate (who is an ultra-NT, about as far from autistic as you can get) works with kids in the youth group. I work with the books in the library. If we switched places, neither of us would have any idea what to do.

That's where autistic people come in. We're different for a reason. There are specialized things that need to be done, and specialized people to do them. God made me autistic; and God wants me to use my autism, just like any other trait I have.

In fact, I'm less vulnerable to some sins simply because I'm autistic. I don't follow the crowd; I don't stab people in the back; gossip and slander are foreign to me. But there are some sins I'm more vulnerable to--pride, especially; laziness; bad management of time and resources, and failure to consider what effect my words might have on others. Everyone has bad habits and tendencies, as well as the responsibility to fight them. That doesn't change, no matter how your brain is wired.

I may not be good with people; but that doesn't stop me from caring about them. When I help others, I do so behind the scenes. I'm better at cleaning somebody's house than sitting next to them and comforting them. I'm better at practical things than fuzzy social situations.

Being different, even disabled, is not bad. We all have weaknesses, and we all have the obligation to work on them. But to get caught up on being "sick" or "defective" is really stupid, because there's nothing about autism or AS that makes you any worse at being who God wants you to be. God made me autistic for a reason--different, with a weird mind to fit into an equally specialized niche in the world. Denying how I'm made doesn't make any sense.

Probably not any more than I have, or any other human being with or without Asperger's. People seem to think that "sin" is something horrible and rare and disgusting, but fact is, everybody sins, every day. Most of them are just little things, little choices... choosing not to help someone, choosing to play a game when you've got a homework assignment due, choosing to do something you know could hurt somebody. That's the problem with being human and imperfect. You really can't get away from it. Only thing you can do is try to fix it (which, being a human and imperfect, is something nobody can ever completely succeed at, either!).

First, if you're working towards your strengths, it'll fill in your deficiencies eventually. That's a perfectly valid method.

Second, having Aspie traits means having tendencies that make it easier for you do do certain things--both good and not so good. Everyone, NT or not, has those tendencies; they just tend to point in different ways for Aspies. So that means, no, you shouldn't feel bad for having them.

Where natural tendencies become sins is when you give in to them without a fight. Sometimes those tendencies are so strong that there's very little you can do; that's when you have to ask for help. There's a difference between sin (a willful choice to do something you know is wrong) and making a mistake (messing up when you didn't intend to). You can help the first, but not the second.

Accidentally saying something that hurts someone: Mistake.
Saying something you know could hurt someone, because you can't be bothered to figure out something that won't: Sin.

Repeatedly and accidentally hurting people when you speak: Mistake.
Refusing to try to learn not to hurt people when you speak: Sin.

Anyway, that's my take on it, and that's where Christianity comes in... when sin is so inescapable, you need intercession if you want to interact with an absolutely perfect and sinless God.

Pikajedi, I suggest you branch out into a community that accepts you. *looks around at AFF people* Yeah... like here. I know the Net isn't like face-to-face socialization, but it's better than nothing. And it helps when you're a real minority and you don't know a lot of people who are like you who live near you... same goes for having a rare special interest, like maybe train-spotting or the Klingon language. Sometimes I just love the Internet!

No use trying to socialize with people who are nasty to you. Sometimes you just have to find other places to "branch".

Also, you can look for people with similar interests (more likely to accept you) or work with animals (who aren't nearly as prejudiced) or affect the world in non-social ways, like volunteer work or donations to charities or helping people in material ways. (When you do volunteer work, find something you enjoy, so you'll keep doing it. Pragmatic, yeah, but it works. Also, I'm told it looks good on college applications and resumes.)

On the suddenly appearing religious stuff (not the best thread for it): Jesus himself never said he was literally the son of God. The Aramean word for "son" means also "similar". And "similar to God" are we all (according to Genesis, God created us similar to him). So, in the sense of Jesus, we are all "sons of God". BTW that's the reason why the main Christian prayer begins with "pater noster" - "OUR father". We are all what Jesus said - similar to God, i.e. God's sons.
The same with the word "Human's son". We are all human's sons. When Jesus refers to Son of God or Human Son, he means everyone of us.

This original article holds such creepy echoes.

They said the same thing about Martin Bryant in 1996...

(And as I recall, AS was definitely not "flavour of the month" back then, either.)

Port Arthur. On the Eastern Shore of the Derwent River, near Hobart. It is a major tourist attraction in Tas because of the convict ruins there.

I don't know if Bryant really has AS or not, but I remember the shrink that examined him said that he has. It was on the radio.

Bottom line. People love to connect AS to some kind of psychopathy, and to say that this makes people violent. Of course that's bullshit.