Aspies For Freedom

I disagree. Animals have feelings; what distinguishes humans is their accomplishments and their capacity to satisfy the needs of another and to self sacrifice for another.

All distinctions between an animal are arbitrary and quantitative: dolphin's have 3% different DNA, who decided where the line was drawn between 3% different and 0.001% different? Why is one a whole different species and another just a different individual? Chimpanzees have more in common than me than paralysed deaf mutes, and I don't see why *** people should be treated so much better than animals.

Respecting something for what it is: monkeys are respected as monkeys and retards are respected as what they are, but I don't see why there is an issue with equating the two.

The view you find more respectable is simply down to which view is closer to your own. The person you find more respectable is down to the character traits displayed therein. My argument is solely an ideological one and it is based on logic. That doesn't mean that I never help people or satisfy human emotional needs, or help people get through the vicissitudes of life. I have spent hours holding someone trying to get them through panic attacks and listened to them tell me everything about their home circumstances and why they started to have them so that they could have a chance at showing 10% of what they can do in their first year exams at university. I have spent time comforting someone who didn't get into a medical degree despite enormous parental pressure, tried to talk someone out of cutting themselves. etc etc. I do have love and respect and compassion. I just tend to direct my limited resources at those who have more to contribute to the world.

Thats because it is. Non *** humans can do everything *** humand do and then some. On what basis are you making life equal?

I am not intolerant of those who differ. I am simply unwilling to give the same respect to a *** person as I would do a colleague or tutor.

Ideology is based on idealism and I regard it as a higher form of thought. Looking at we are is pointless without looking at where we are aiming.

No, I do not believe in God. *** people have every right to enjoy whatever life they have with whatever money they earn or which others freely give them. They do not have a right to my respect.

Why is that a mistaken attitude? (1) I am basing valuations on abilities not on race. (2) I am not suggesting mass extermination, it is simply that some people deserve more respect than others so it is in fact nothing at all like Hitler. Nationalism simply reduces the pool of competition, a bad thing. And Hitler paid women to sit around at home looking after hundreds of babies...certainly not something I would condone either.

I am 19 and in one of the two best universities in the UK reading for a law degree. There is nothing naive about my views.

Some skills are simply more important than others. I'm sorry but I think the capacity to come up with cancer treating drugs, perform heart surgery or write award-winning novels makes you better than someone with a long arm to stick down a dolphin's neck and no other skills.

Well said, anbuend.

Our personal view is just that - personal. Just as everyone watching a rainbow sees a different rainbow (especially those who are colour blind ) our views are coloured by who we are, who brought us up, what we were taught by others and how we have internalised our experiences.

To get back on topic - it is NEVER acceptable to treat another as inferior in any way and for someone on a position of trust and power over others to propogate such opinions is reprehensible and they should lose their position immediately.

Not in the least. But there comes a time when so many pearls have been trodden beneath the mud by the swine that even the most dedicated pearl-caster has to admit that to cast more would be a waste.