05-16-2007, 01:48 AM
We like to use comparisons to the gay rights movements in our discussions on AFF, since that movement seems to have used a proven formula that could be adapted to Aspie/Autistic rights. Here's a comparison that is not to be missed.
I was listening to NPR's radio program "This American Life" this past weekend. This episode discussed the push to remove the "disease" label from homosexuality, leading up to the 1973 APA conference when they had to cut homosexuality from the DSM. A few doctors resisted, insisting it was a disease and needed to be "cured", and ended up looking like idiots. (Now, compare that situation to Asperger's Syndrome.)
Here's the podcast address for anyone who wants to hear it, available for free download until the end of this week:
http://audio.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/204.mp3
It will only be available for the remainder of this week (May 15 - 19, 2007), after which you'd have to pay for a copy, so even if you don't have time to listen to it now, go ahead and save a copy to listen to later. (It's an hour-long episode, and about 28 MB in file size.)
I'm hoping that many of you will download and listen to the podcast, and then discuss it here in this thread, particularly in regard to any similarities, differences, and parallels you observe while listening to it.
I was listening to NPR's radio program "This American Life" this past weekend. This episode discussed the push to remove the "disease" label from homosexuality, leading up to the 1973 APA conference when they had to cut homosexuality from the DSM. A few doctors resisted, insisting it was a disease and needed to be "cured", and ended up looking like idiots. (Now, compare that situation to Asperger's Syndrome.)
Here's the podcast address for anyone who wants to hear it, available for free download until the end of this week:
http://audio.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/204.mp3
It will only be available for the remainder of this week (May 15 - 19, 2007), after which you'd have to pay for a copy, so even if you don't have time to listen to it now, go ahead and save a copy to listen to later. (It's an hour-long episode, and about 28 MB in file size.)
I'm hoping that many of you will download and listen to the podcast, and then discuss it here in this thread, particularly in regard to any similarities, differences, and parallels you observe while listening to it.