Nuuk, by: Oliver Schauf, 2007
Nuuk Centrum, by: Algkalv, 2010
Town Centre of Nuuk, by:Vincent van Zeijst, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Arctic life and style...
Greenland always tends to look big on our stretched-out maps. Everyone sees it on the top of the globe... but there is also life on this island. Nuuk, formally Godthaab when Denmark was in charge, looks like a pretty progressive small city. I've never been near there and can't find any photos that show the whole place. I suspect it may be rather spread out. I'm impressed at the aesthetics, the color, and the architecture of the buildings. It appears there are a few modern mid rises, but I can't find it all on one photo. It looks so clean too:
Nuuk, by: Oliver Schauf, 2007
Nuuk Centrum, by: Algkalv, 2010
Town Centre of Nuuk, by:Vincent van Zeijst, 2011
Nuuk, by: Oliver Schauf, 2007
Nuuk Centrum, by: Algkalv, 2010
Town Centre of Nuuk, by:Vincent van Zeijst, 2011
Remember Bombay?
We now have to remember to call it "Mumbai", India- not as hard to pronounce as it looks. Mumbai, depending on how it is measured, is the 5th largest metropolitan area in the world for 2011 and India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world with is great because I love Indian food. Thanks to the Internet we can watch it grow like a garden:
Mumbai Skyline at Night- Cididity Hat 2011
Mumbai Skyline- by: Myidistaken 2009
Mumbai Skyline at Night- Cididity Hat 2011
Mumbai Skyline- by: Myidistaken 2009
Autism and Religion
There are efforts to educate teachers, law enforcement, health care professionals and others on the issues of Autism and how it affects their professions. What about clergy. Autistic people can be just as spiritual and religious as anyone else.
I do see efforts of religious groups to be more inclusive in their services. I'm more familiar with the Catholic Church because I have belonged to it all my life. I know that some parishes are having special inclusive family masses and there have always been outreach to people with all types of disabilities to receive the sacraments. All this tends to deal with issues of those with severe Autism. This is all great, though what I want to discuss is issues of people with milder, less visible forms of Autism relating to their religions as well as my own experiences with Roman Catholicism.
Autistics can be rather literal, concrete thinkers. Many of us have no problem sitting still through a service, receiving sacraments reverently, or even reading Sacred Scripture or learning theologies. Many (though not all) of us are rather rules oriented and can be very orthodox in our approach to our Faith. That's not to say that all people who are religious are fundamentalist. A problem I sometimes see is that many with ASD have a problem with group dynamics, also a lot of religious education is theoretical and a lot is left to the individual to put things in perspective and apply our faith to our daily lives. On the other hand the detached tendencies of many Autistics along with intellect and introspective can give some a unique approach to spirituality which can be useful to others, especially in Religions that have a mystical tradition. It may seem like a paradox that Autistic people can be very intuitive and able to see a bigger picture.
I can't say I've ever read the Torah or the Koran, but I know the Bible speaks in a lot of parables. It was originally written in non-Germanic languages and then translated into almost every other major language. There is constant debate over how literally one should take the Bible. Liturgical Christians such as Catholics and Eastern Orthodox also have Sacred Tradition which is a part of the Faith in addition to the Bible. Most denominations have well trained theologians including moral theologians to help us understand and apply our faith. I wouldn't even be surprised if some of then are on the spectrum themselves.
St. Thomas Aquinas mentions how the will of God is written into the hearts of every man. I believe this. While our natural instincts are not going to tell us what mountain Moses received the Ten Commandments on or that Catholics can't eat Beef Wellington on Good Friday, I believe everyone has some innate sense of right or wrong. Some use it some don't. Many Religions have a legalistic way of interpreting their rules, other are more nuanced. When I say "legalistic" it has nothing to do with how conservative or liberal a denomination is on contemporary issues BTW. Most would agree that there is more to learning and living any faith through rote knowledge alone.
In Catholicism and other Sacramental Christian denominations, there is the Sacrament of Confession and it is sometimes mandatory. Some Churches explicitly require a complete enumeration of all sin (in Latin Rite Catholicism only mortal sins need to be enumerated). Many Autistic people have a hard time expressing their feelings and sin can be elusive to communicate in proper context. Most of my experience with the Sacrament growing up is a lot of people standing in line, when it's your turn people tend to give a quick laundry list of sins to an exhausted priest. An example: "I told a lie 3 times, I was angry 6 times, I was jealous of my neighbor 4 times, I hated someone 1 time, I missed mass 2 times..." and one better not forget the sexual sins... Then you get a penance and many times everyone gets the same one anyway. While I love and respect all the Sacraments, this common approach to the sacraments seems more like legalistic, Obsessive-Compulsive, neurotic, bureaucratic silliness. Especially with the fear that if we miss a mortal sin and die without achieving "perfect contrition" which is very rare, one is likely to spend eternity in unspeakable physical and mental torture. That would include all the nice people we know and love who may die with un
Where at least the Church has made great progress is in acknowledging "scrupulosity". It is now accepted that this is a manifestation of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder and there is help available. I think it is also just as important to note that many with ASD may have similar issues. Another strange thing is many people with obsessive scrupulosity can give up and go from one extreme to another (such as moral laxity). Scrupulosity can occur in any religion or moral system. It tends to miss the forest from the trees. In a way scrupulosity is like being a hypochondriac toward your spiritual health.)
I think it is important also to not confuse our faith with fellowship or faith with the worldly institution. Both are important, but one shouldn't let experiences with rejection from fellow members, witnessing hypocrisy, or anything else affect our beliefs (I don't just mean religion either). Also one should never confuse a religion with the forever squabbling ideological cliques withing them. This is partly why we have so many denominations splitting, merging, feuding. People are frequently looking for a perfect institution where everyone agrees with them on contemporary social issues like gender roles, contraception, gay rights and even climate change. Sometimes an institution or group identity can become a "false God". I'm not implying that I think people with any diagnosis are exempt from morality and or their own set of rules. I just have an issue with the "mindless bureaucracies" that many large institutions can borderline on becoming. I do think it's important that Autistic people understand their faith and have help putting things in realistic perspective.
I do see efforts of religious groups to be more inclusive in their services. I'm more familiar with the Catholic Church because I have belonged to it all my life. I know that some parishes are having special inclusive family masses and there have always been outreach to people with all types of disabilities to receive the sacraments. All this tends to deal with issues of those with severe Autism. This is all great, though what I want to discuss is issues of people with milder, less visible forms of Autism relating to their religions as well as my own experiences with Roman Catholicism.
Autistics can be rather literal, concrete thinkers. Many of us have no problem sitting still through a service, receiving sacraments reverently, or even reading Sacred Scripture or learning theologies. Many (though not all) of us are rather rules oriented and can be very orthodox in our approach to our Faith. That's not to say that all people who are religious are fundamentalist. A problem I sometimes see is that many with ASD have a problem with group dynamics, also a lot of religious education is theoretical and a lot is left to the individual to put things in perspective and apply our faith to our daily lives. On the other hand the detached tendencies of many Autistics along with intellect and introspective can give some a unique approach to spirituality which can be useful to others, especially in Religions that have a mystical tradition. It may seem like a paradox that Autistic people can be very intuitive and able to see a bigger picture.
I can't say I've ever read the Torah or the Koran, but I know the Bible speaks in a lot of parables. It was originally written in non-Germanic languages and then translated into almost every other major language. There is constant debate over how literally one should take the Bible. Liturgical Christians such as Catholics and Eastern Orthodox also have Sacred Tradition which is a part of the Faith in addition to the Bible. Most denominations have well trained theologians including moral theologians to help us understand and apply our faith. I wouldn't even be surprised if some of then are on the spectrum themselves.
St. Thomas Aquinas mentions how the will of God is written into the hearts of every man. I believe this. While our natural instincts are not going to tell us what mountain Moses received the Ten Commandments on or that Catholics can't eat Beef Wellington on Good Friday, I believe everyone has some innate sense of right or wrong. Some use it some don't. Many Religions have a legalistic way of interpreting their rules, other are more nuanced. When I say "legalistic" it has nothing to do with how conservative or liberal a denomination is on contemporary issues BTW. Most would agree that there is more to learning and living any faith through rote knowledge alone.
In Catholicism and other Sacramental Christian denominations, there is the Sacrament of Confession and it is sometimes mandatory. Some Churches explicitly require a complete enumeration of all sin (in Latin Rite Catholicism only mortal sins need to be enumerated). Many Autistic people have a hard time expressing their feelings and sin can be elusive to communicate in proper context. Most of my experience with the Sacrament growing up is a lot of people standing in line, when it's your turn people tend to give a quick laundry list of sins to an exhausted priest. An example: "I told a lie 3 times, I was angry 6 times, I was jealous of my neighbor 4 times, I hated someone 1 time, I missed mass 2 times..." and one better not forget the sexual sins... Then you get a penance and many times everyone gets the same one anyway. While I love and respect all the Sacraments, this common approach to the sacraments seems more like legalistic, Obsessive-Compulsive, neurotic, bureaucratic silliness. Especially with the fear that if we miss a mortal sin and die without achieving "perfect contrition" which is very rare, one is likely to spend eternity in unspeakable physical and mental torture. That would include all the nice people we know and love who may die with un
Where at least the Church has made great progress is in acknowledging "scrupulosity". It is now accepted that this is a manifestation of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder and there is help available. I think it is also just as important to note that many with ASD may have similar issues. Another strange thing is many people with obsessive scrupulosity can give up and go from one extreme to another (such as moral laxity). Scrupulosity can occur in any religion or moral system. It tends to miss the forest from the trees. In a way scrupulosity is like being a hypochondriac toward your spiritual health.)
I think it is important also to not confuse our faith with fellowship or faith with the worldly institution. Both are important, but one shouldn't let experiences with rejection from fellow members, witnessing hypocrisy, or anything else affect our beliefs (I don't just mean religion either). Also one should never confuse a religion with the forever squabbling ideological cliques withing them. This is partly why we have so many denominations splitting, merging, feuding. People are frequently looking for a perfect institution where everyone agrees with them on contemporary social issues like gender roles, contraception, gay rights and even climate change. Sometimes an institution or group identity can become a "false God". I'm not implying that I think people with any diagnosis are exempt from morality and or their own set of rules. I just have an issue with the "mindless bureaucracies" that many large institutions can borderline on becoming. I do think it's important that Autistic people understand their faith and have help putting things in realistic perspective.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
"Presuming Intellect"
I have mentioned the concept of confirmation bias many times and will probably mention it more times in the future as needed. A related concept as mentioned by Author: William Stillman in the following link is to "presume intellect". To understand this better just click on the link. I would also like to note that this concept is not just valuable in dealing with Autistic people. We should learn to do this in general. Have you ever had the experience of obnoxious back-seat-driver? Or worse if we allow ourselves to become flustered and we end up confirming their assumptions no matter how clean our driving record is. On the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond" for those familiar thing how Raymond's wife feels when her good-hearted Mother-in-Law, Marie hovers over her when doing her domestic duties and assumes that she can't do anything. Growing up in an Italian-American family myself I can relate to some of the personalities in this sit-com so I chose this as an example. There's more to it than this but I will let the author explain it. I don't want to oversimplify anything: http://www.williamstillman.com/archive/presuming_intellect.html
In many ways I'm trying to practice this concept to anyone reading this, many times instead of explaining the obvious I presume some knowledge on the part of the reader. If my presumption is wrong I presume that the reader knows enough to highlight something and do a quick Internet search for more information. This also helps me not too get too "wordy" as I have been accused by some past English teachers of doing.
In many ways I'm trying to practice this concept to anyone reading this, many times instead of explaining the obvious I presume some knowledge on the part of the reader. If my presumption is wrong I presume that the reader knows enough to highlight something and do a quick Internet search for more information. This also helps me not too get too "wordy" as I have been accused by some past English teachers of doing.
"Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands"
The following set of books is an example of ways we can learn some of the unspoken rules for dealing with other cultures. I have only read one of the books, the one for the whole world. I found it a good and fair resource for understanding the cultural nuances that we may be afraid to ask others about- out of fear of a a smug, defensive reaction such as "People are the same everywhere!". I mean deep down people are the same anywhere as human nature is human nature but there are still things we need to know. A friendly gesture in one setting may be offensive in another. Personal space also differs from one place to another. These books are mainly written for traveling business professionals in more formal settings. I don't get that these were written with Autistic people in mind, however I felt they were somewhat helpful. Many times Autistic people have to figure out scientifically what other people just know instinctively. These books are just a sample of what's put there if you look. Learning the ropes of another place is not the same as making vague stereotypes such as "The people in Country X are rude." or anything like that. If anything learning about cultural differences and acknowledging that they exist can give us insight on why we may misperceive others as "rude" and vice-versa. The definition of rude can vastly differ from one environment to another. To many people being direct is rude, to others beating around the bush is rude. Some people feel that the vast personal space and emotional reservedness in others as rude while they see a so called "warm, outgoing" culture as intrusive. Many times literal translations may not get our points across effectively without learning to "think" in another language. Some languages might not have a direct transition for please, thank-you, or excuse me, but they may be higher-context cultures where out manners and graciousness are to be implied in our tone and our actions.
There is also a note at the beginning of one of these books about being open-minded. I don't remember exactly what it said but here's my two cents on the topic: Being open-minded is a good thing and it has nothing to do with how "conservative" or "liberal" or "progressive" or "traditional" we wish to label ourselves. Many progressives for example are passionate about womens' rights, animal welfare and economic equality which is cool. They also may be passionate about tolerance and cultural diversity which is also cool. When they observe things in another culture such as Sharia Law, consumption of dogs and cats as food, or a caste or class system, they may be the first to raise their eyebrows. Being open-minded doesn't mean we have to be total relativists or that any of these things need to be our cup of tea, it has more to do with placing our own biases aside first. I'm sure there other places on the web that explain this better than I can and I'm sure many reading this already know what I'm getting at.
Here is the link to what I am talking about. I don't intend to tell anyone to buy or not buy any of these books or to "promote" anything. I just want to encourage people to explore the information that's out there:
http://www.getcustoms.com/2004GTC/about.html
To be honest this is my first real blog and in some ways it is like learning a new culture. I do have some experience with Internet forums and to a lesser extent with Facebook, but still- there are many rules for blogging both written and unwritten that I have to learn as I go along.
There is also a note at the beginning of one of these books about being open-minded. I don't remember exactly what it said but here's my two cents on the topic: Being open-minded is a good thing and it has nothing to do with how "conservative" or "liberal" or "progressive" or "traditional" we wish to label ourselves. Many progressives for example are passionate about womens' rights, animal welfare and economic equality which is cool. They also may be passionate about tolerance and cultural diversity which is also cool. When they observe things in another culture such as Sharia Law, consumption of dogs and cats as food, or a caste or class system, they may be the first to raise their eyebrows. Being open-minded doesn't mean we have to be total relativists or that any of these things need to be our cup of tea, it has more to do with placing our own biases aside first. I'm sure there other places on the web that explain this better than I can and I'm sure many reading this already know what I'm getting at.
Here is the link to what I am talking about. I don't intend to tell anyone to buy or not buy any of these books or to "promote" anything. I just want to encourage people to explore the information that's out there:
http://www.getcustoms.com/2004GTC/about.html
To be honest this is my first real blog and in some ways it is like learning a new culture. I do have some experience with Internet forums and to a lesser extent with Facebook, but still- there are many rules for blogging both written and unwritten that I have to learn as I go along.
One of my favorite Autism resources on the web:
I haven't seen this one in a long time. This is a website or perhaps an e-book from a guy on the Autistic spectrum in the UK writing a "Survival Guide" for others on the spectrum. While no two people have the same experience I can still relate to a few things on here. The site seems geared to teenagers on the spectrum I feel this can be useful in helping others understand the condition. This is one of the first sites on the topic I found. After a while I didn't see it but thought I'd give it a Google search and suddenly the guys name came to me. The guy tragically passed away in a car accident in late 1997, but this site is still here to help people: http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~alistair/survival/
Recommended Reading
Author William Stillman is another Autism self-advocate and writer of several books on Autism. Among his books is a trilogy on Autistic spirituality. On the third book of that trilogy "The Autism Prophesies" I contributed a few paragraphs. He has a unique and sometimes controversial view on Autism. I have had the pleasure of meeting him several times. Here is a link to his website and the books he wrote: http://www.williamstillman.com/books.html
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
December 7 Remembered...
As this is the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombings it is important to remember the over 2,000 people who died for freedom. There is also another tragedy that happened on this day. On December 7, 1988 there was a strong earthquake in the Soviet Union or what is now the the country of Armenia (town of Spitak). I remember it making headlines at the time it happened though I seldom heard much about it after. The death toll was over 25,000, much of that was school children. 25,000 people is enough people to form a small city at least in the USA. Another way to put the number into perspective, the deadliest natural disaster in US history was a Texas hurricane in 1900 which killed 8,000, Hurricane Katrina killed about 1,833, and 9-11 killed just under 3,000. In no way do I intend to belittle any other tragedy and I can understand that a story in a far away country is not going to make headlines to the point a domestic story would. I can't help though to notice how the media coverage of a large death toll in less affluent countries tends to be rather skimpy. Armenia was actually a relatively large country at one time. It has some of the world's oldest buildings, it is one of the first countries to adopt Christianity, and it is the area where Noah's ark was found (on Mt. Ararat).
Mt. Ararat, 2006 Самый древний
Mt. Ararat, 2006 Самый древний
"Animals in Translation"
"Animals in Translation" is an excellent book and audiobook I read by the Autistic author Dr. Temple Grandin. Although her take on Autism is slightly different than mine her works are respectable. This book I'm referring to describes a special connection between Autism and animal communication. This is why I feel that exposure and interaction with animals can be therapeutic. It also gives insight on understanding animals. I believe this dog's body language may be saying that he is not thrilled to wear this Santa hat but he will tolerate it due to all the attention it gets him. 
Are we ready for Autistic humor?
A little self-deprecating humor can be therapeutic for both society and the individual. Instead of responding to stigmas and stereotypes with blind defensiveness it's a way to desensitize people and can do a lot to promote tolerance in a round-about way. So far I haven't heard that much in the way of Autism/Aspergers jokes as they may be walking a thin line at this point. I did find a excellent article today analyzing this issue and if you read it the rest of this post will make sense. http://theautismnews.com/2011/11/09/finding-humor-in-autism/
As I am also Italian-American I am familiar with Italian jokes and I usually tend to enjoy them whether I relate to them or not. Some of them are a little tired and cliche, but I can't say I have ever been refused a job or put on the back of a bus for my ancestry. A century ago things were not as pretty, and Hollywood has done it's share to portray the dark side of Italian culture, but at the same time Hollywood has been a mixed blessing for Italians. It has also showed the good side to the culture and even in the "Mafia" type movies, the "dark" side of the culture has been romanticized. I noticed how many times the "bad" guys are represented by heart throbs and carried a strange mystique. By later in the century Italians no longer had to Anglicize their names and it became trendy and exotic to be Italian. I can't even say I'm offended by the word "guido" as it only refers to a specific East-Coast USA rooted subculture and not really a racial slur. The immensely popular Mtv reality series "Jersey Shore" stirred up a huge uproar about Italian-American stereotypes in the media. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but the Social Science major in me took it as an opportunity to try to find some meaning in all the chaos. The show is about a working-class rooted subculture among Italians that I might not necessarily relate to, but I grew up in the Northeast and am somewhat familiar with it. The exaggerated, raunchy, melodramatic and eccentric behavior on the show cause people to have a love/hate relationship with it. After a while it got so over-the-top that people were treating the show like an addictive train wreck. From what I've seen the characters don't seem like bad people at all, but some of the behavior was pretty low-brow and everything most respectable Italian parents would not want their children to be like. What made it somewhat more tolerable is that they didn't take themselves too seriously and there was a decent self-deprecating sense of humor. Italians can be self-deprecating in their humor but perhaps not as much as other ethnic groups. Overall I don't feel that the show made it any more difficult to be Italian as America is more familiar at this point, but 50 years ago it may have been a different story. Before anyone rolls their eyes I have a reason I am using this as a parallel. People are not as familiar with Autism and the wrong joke taken the wrong way can not only offend people, but it can promote misunderstandings and be taken out of context.
The article in the link about addressed a show called "Glee" which I am not familiar with. I don't even watch that much TV. According to the article this show had a girl on it with self-diagnosed Aspergers and was rude and difficult to deal with. I can't read the intentions of the shows writers, however I wonder if such a show is using humor to hint a scepticism about the reality of Aspergers and to make it look like it's something people use as a "get out of jail for free card". I'm not saying that never happens as people have used ADHD and Bipolar in the same way- although those conditions are indeed real. I don't imply that Autistics are never culpable for their actions, that has more to do with the individual and only God knows for sure. I also don't imply that Autistic people should be getting away with murder because they're Autistic however, I think more often than not the opposite is true. This is where I'm going to refer back to "Jersey Shore" and reality stars in general. If an Autistic person in real life displayed half the behavior that is glamorized on these shows, it would be a huge issue and people's reactions would be quite negative. While I know plenty of people also get appalled by the behavior on reality shows. They still come out with a level of respect from the public that a decently behaved Autistic person would never get away with. The same goes for the mentally challenged or other labeled people, If they were to throw temper tantrums and fist fight it would be dealt with as a "behavior" or at least immature, while in other people it is portrayed as hyper-masculinity, glamorous, and a part of their aesthetic. It's a double standard. Generally Autistic people follow the rules, and that includes the unwritten ruled if they have learned and understand them. Other people can do all the opposite get far more respect in the long run. I understand TV is just TV and I question how much of reality TV is scripted, however I see this in real life. We all know a few "I tell it like it is" people. Many times they can dish out the truth but cannot take it but that's beside the point. A lot of people pride themselves on their directness and can get away with saying all sorts of crude, rude, irreverent, and politically incorrect things. They take pride in thinking that they don't care who they offend and oddly enough they usually don't offend people. Sometimes people find everything they say cute, witty or funny. Many times they do offend people when they cross a certain line but no one loses respect for them in the long run. People cool off and say "He's a character- he/she tells it like it is". I don't necessarily mind direct people, sometimes their transparency makes them simpler to get along with then polite people. I just find myself thinking "If I said something even half that blunt I'd be burned at the steak". Autistic people have faults just like anyone else, but sometimes we just lack the charisma, the aesthetics, the timing, the quick wit, or the charm to make our vices "cute" and forgivable. On top of this people tend to be most harsh in judging their own vices when they see it in others. Also Hollywood tends to romanticize "bad guys" but not "geeks". Perhaps people need bad guys since they make us feel a little better about ourselves and good people feel they need a foil to their character.
As for Autistic jokes it's only a matter of time until we see "You know you have Autism, when..." lists. Hopefully they will be respectful and if they are I may even laugh.
As I am also Italian-American I am familiar with Italian jokes and I usually tend to enjoy them whether I relate to them or not. Some of them are a little tired and cliche, but I can't say I have ever been refused a job or put on the back of a bus for my ancestry. A century ago things were not as pretty, and Hollywood has done it's share to portray the dark side of Italian culture, but at the same time Hollywood has been a mixed blessing for Italians. It has also showed the good side to the culture and even in the "Mafia" type movies, the "dark" side of the culture has been romanticized. I noticed how many times the "bad" guys are represented by heart throbs and carried a strange mystique. By later in the century Italians no longer had to Anglicize their names and it became trendy and exotic to be Italian. I can't even say I'm offended by the word "guido" as it only refers to a specific East-Coast USA rooted subculture and not really a racial slur. The immensely popular Mtv reality series "Jersey Shore" stirred up a huge uproar about Italian-American stereotypes in the media. I wasn't sure what to think at first, but the Social Science major in me took it as an opportunity to try to find some meaning in all the chaos. The show is about a working-class rooted subculture among Italians that I might not necessarily relate to, but I grew up in the Northeast and am somewhat familiar with it. The exaggerated, raunchy, melodramatic and eccentric behavior on the show cause people to have a love/hate relationship with it. After a while it got so over-the-top that people were treating the show like an addictive train wreck. From what I've seen the characters don't seem like bad people at all, but some of the behavior was pretty low-brow and everything most respectable Italian parents would not want their children to be like. What made it somewhat more tolerable is that they didn't take themselves too seriously and there was a decent self-deprecating sense of humor. Italians can be self-deprecating in their humor but perhaps not as much as other ethnic groups. Overall I don't feel that the show made it any more difficult to be Italian as America is more familiar at this point, but 50 years ago it may have been a different story. Before anyone rolls their eyes I have a reason I am using this as a parallel. People are not as familiar with Autism and the wrong joke taken the wrong way can not only offend people, but it can promote misunderstandings and be taken out of context.
The article in the link about addressed a show called "Glee" which I am not familiar with. I don't even watch that much TV. According to the article this show had a girl on it with self-diagnosed Aspergers and was rude and difficult to deal with. I can't read the intentions of the shows writers, however I wonder if such a show is using humor to hint a scepticism about the reality of Aspergers and to make it look like it's something people use as a "get out of jail for free card". I'm not saying that never happens as people have used ADHD and Bipolar in the same way- although those conditions are indeed real. I don't imply that Autistics are never culpable for their actions, that has more to do with the individual and only God knows for sure. I also don't imply that Autistic people should be getting away with murder because they're Autistic however, I think more often than not the opposite is true. This is where I'm going to refer back to "Jersey Shore" and reality stars in general. If an Autistic person in real life displayed half the behavior that is glamorized on these shows, it would be a huge issue and people's reactions would be quite negative. While I know plenty of people also get appalled by the behavior on reality shows. They still come out with a level of respect from the public that a decently behaved Autistic person would never get away with. The same goes for the mentally challenged or other labeled people, If they were to throw temper tantrums and fist fight it would be dealt with as a "behavior" or at least immature, while in other people it is portrayed as hyper-masculinity, glamorous, and a part of their aesthetic. It's a double standard. Generally Autistic people follow the rules, and that includes the unwritten ruled if they have learned and understand them. Other people can do all the opposite get far more respect in the long run. I understand TV is just TV and I question how much of reality TV is scripted, however I see this in real life. We all know a few "I tell it like it is" people. Many times they can dish out the truth but cannot take it but that's beside the point. A lot of people pride themselves on their directness and can get away with saying all sorts of crude, rude, irreverent, and politically incorrect things. They take pride in thinking that they don't care who they offend and oddly enough they usually don't offend people. Sometimes people find everything they say cute, witty or funny. Many times they do offend people when they cross a certain line but no one loses respect for them in the long run. People cool off and say "He's a character- he/she tells it like it is". I don't necessarily mind direct people, sometimes their transparency makes them simpler to get along with then polite people. I just find myself thinking "If I said something even half that blunt I'd be burned at the steak". Autistic people have faults just like anyone else, but sometimes we just lack the charisma, the aesthetics, the timing, the quick wit, or the charm to make our vices "cute" and forgivable. On top of this people tend to be most harsh in judging their own vices when they see it in others. Also Hollywood tends to romanticize "bad guys" but not "geeks". Perhaps people need bad guys since they make us feel a little better about ourselves and good people feel they need a foil to their character.
As for Autistic jokes it's only a matter of time until we see "You know you have Autism, when..." lists. Hopefully they will be respectful and if they are I may even laugh.
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