This is Autism (Ed Ised)

Written by Ed Ised

Originally published at The Standard Review

This is to be included in a Flashblog effort to challenge the most-recent Autism Speaks Campaign. 

Autism Speaks insists on continuing to supplement the diagnosis of autism with their description, which influences public opinion in a harmful way. This helps raise money but even if that money were improving the lives of those with the diagnosis (which I don't believe it is); this doesn't justify the negative effect it has on cultural perceptions. 

A charitable effort, in order to support the intended, would need to make choices that challenge tradition. When people must first degrade someone's contribution and predictions for their future in order to experience the emotions which prompt support, what they provide isn't supportive at all. Traditional psychology has encouraged an emergency-room-mentality to providing support. This suggests the utilitarian view that humans are nothing more than raw materials, and those with significant impairments are disposable. 


People who have been unfairly judged shouldn't accept the responsibility of proving themselves worthy of a higher rank. Instead, we all need to challenge the ranking system. The Autism Speaks campaigns aren't raising awareness at all. They are doing nothing more than encouraging the traditions which provide people a convenient way of treating inconvenient people rather than attempting to understand them.