Will we ever change the status quo in the US?

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People give their power away, and it's one of things that so saddens me. I see it on WP everyday, and it is a wonder sometimes that I am not bald because of tearing my hair out.. if you believe you are powerless, you will be. It's the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you can make a difference, you will. Action or non-action is driven by the thoughts we tell ourselves, as if they were immutable facts. Still, I didn't know this as a young adult, and there are lots of young adults here. Now I am old and ugly, I know everything....

If I had received my diagnosis as a child, teen, or young adult, then I too might believe myself to be hopelessly "defective" somehow, and I might by now be homeless, in prison, hopelessly dependent on others, or simply dead.

But because I received my diagnosis after having achieved so much already, all that it did for me was to explain why some things that are easy for others had been difficult for me.

I sometimes think that a diagnosis of AS (especially a self-inflicted diagnosis) somehow imparts and re-enforces a sense of brokenness in some particularly vulnerable people.

I guess there are some people who are so convinced of their brokenness that they can not even conceive of the possibility that they can make a difference, even for themselves.

They are for the professionals to handle. I can barely manage to listen to the dozenth elderly shut-in in a day pour out her tale of woe ... But I know that it may be the last time in her life that she has anyone to listen, to hold her hand, and to promise to check on her the next day. Sometimes, that's all that I can do, but I do it.

OMG Fnord we now have agreed 100% twice - and in one day. Truly this must be a miracle of Christmas...

People with autism are NOT broken.

That status quo has changed greatly in the U.S since I was a youngster. I was born during FDR's second term and I have seen a lot of changes. I expect to see even more changes if I live long enough.

I was born before computers and t.v. Now look at how we do stuff!! !!

Excellent response.

In the 70's and into the early 80's when I lived in south and central Texas, I would frequently see poor, rural black families walking down the side of the highway. I assume that much of it was travel to and from a small country store in the area and to and from a rural church a little off of the highway.

After some point in the mid 80's, I never saw them out there again walking alongside the highway. My assumption has always been that their economic situation improved enough that they could afford to buy a car and drive back and forth.

If they take away the easy money and people have to pay in cash, then homes prices will free fall. It is self-evident that home prices as well as education, consumer goods, automobile prices are being artificially lifted due to the Federal Reserve making easy money available so consumers can get low interest loans.

However, that game will end eventually too. And your home value will plunge.

Agreed.

But some seem to believe so much in their alleged "brokenness" that they give up on success before even trying.

Or maybe they've just given up on themselves ... ?

Hey, if we cut wages to $0.35/hour I bet prices would fall ever moar!!1!



We've done stuff like this in the past. Cutting off credit does nothing but cripple the economy. And again, the idea that inflation is currently a problem in the US/word economy is completely asinine.

As a matter of fact, the reason money is so 'easy' right now is because inflation is too low...

click for source



By the way, it should be noted that most of the uncertainty about Europe and Japan comes from their economies which have been crippled by austerity policies. And the uncertainty in China comes from lack of consumer demand from places like... wait for it... EUROPE & JAPAN!



You know, talking economics with you and Eric, makes me feel like Barney Frank...


PS

I'm still waiting for an answer about your shift of globalization...

I'm sure you are not, and I no longer am, but it IS MUCH MORE complicated than either 'my' view of life or 'your' view of life, as the Autism Spectrum is extremely diverse with an almost unlimited variety of causal factors that makes each unique individual what they are.

Some people suffer much different challenges and yes disease, both physical and genetic that IS NOW specifically defined by science, as disease is part of the indirect and direct causal mix.

And yes, as studied in approximately 85% of cases of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Alexithymia, an extremely emotionally disabling condition ranging from problems connecting language to emotion to almost a complete lack of empathy are part of that mix as brain scans do show in research WITH FOLKS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.

Autism is described strictly as behavior deficits in the DSM5 that consist of difficulty in establishing and maintaining peer appropriate relationships, sharing interests and accomplishments reciprocally, AND expressing to others and understanding non-verbal communication in reciprocal social communication. Additionally, restricted and repetitive behaviors are the other part of this behavioral deficit described disorder, including behavioral symptoms that indicate deficits in sensory integration.

Chronic stress, including social stress alone can lead to almost all of these social reciprocal communication symptoms as science now shows, and chronic stress can also eventually directly lead to death as science now shows as well.

For some folks Autism is not suffering, and of course a list of behavioral deficits in itself is not suffering, but it is up to each individual to determine if they feel they are broken and need to be mended.

To suggest they are wrong about themselves is the height of callous selfishness, in my opinion, when they say they are in black and white on this website. And perhaps you do not understand why some folks literally are BROKEN AS THEY INDICATE THEIR SELF.

Part of cognitive empathy is understanding people INHERENTLY and ENVIRONMENTALLY HAVE IT, WHATEVER IT IS, A LOT BETTER AND A LOT WORSE THAN 'US'.

THAT'S JUST HUMAN 101.

AND PEOPLE who understand that express empathy on both sides of that human coin.

Fnord's suggestion by my metaphor here that everyone can pull up their bootstraps is simply B.S., AS I have been hopeless and totally determined by medical science as broken, acknowledged that reality, and eventually mended myself through great effort over 5 years, and the biggest part of that broken FOR ME WAS NOT physically or mentally being able to connect to other folks when my autism regressed to that of a severely autistic person, which is still on record in my medical file.

MOST Human beings AUTISTIC OR NOT have the innate need to connect to other human beings as social animals.

Some folks can do it obviously better than others, some folks cannot, some folks adapt, and some folks simply cannot due to innate reasons as well as environmental reasons.

Ford's a lucky dude, and WELL, I as evidence shows am a SUPER LUCKY DUDE NOW, but never the less that does NOT DIMINISH THE REALITY THAT SOME AUTISTIC FOLKS SAY THAT THEY ARE BROKEN AND LIVE THIS BROKEN EVERY DAY.

INFORMAL polls here show that about 33% of folks WISH FOR A CURE.

Yes, THOSE folks are in the minority here, BUT LET US NOT FORGET THEY EXIST, please.

AND for those science leaning folks among us, RESEARCH BACKS ME UP, and I have the facts that support what I say, right here at this link:

http://katiemiaaghogday.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-problem-of-determining-who-is.html

And yeah, I wrote that when I was brokeN and did not have a 'heart' and only had 'logic' to spin me around in circles never going anywhere but on this website.

I recognized I was broke as I had a 'heart' before; science suggests that is NOT ALWAYS the case with Autism no matter how NOT politically correct it is to NOT SWEEP THAT FACT UNDER THE CARPET.

I CHOOSE TRUTH, no matter how hard IT IS TO HEAR.

THE FIRST STEP, SOMETIMES, TO MENDING ONESELF IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ONE IS BROKEN.

IF NOT, the results can potentially be catastrophic as I almost waited too long to acknowledge that to GET HELP, AND IF I DID NOT FINALLY GIVE IN AND ADMIT I WAS BROKEN, I WOULD HAVE LITERALLY DIED AS YES STRESS IS DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY associated with many cases of AUTISM AND IT KILLS, again, AS SCIENCE NOW SHOWS.

SOME Autistic folks are at the point of literal human exhaustion AS A DIRECT RESULT OF CHRONIC SOCIAL STRESS and the PHYSIOLOGICAL DELETERIOUS EFFECTS AND AFFECT OF THAT do NOT allow one to PULL THEMSELVES UP BY THEIR BOOTSTRAPS in my metaphor here AS FNORD FALLACIOUSLY SUGGESTS THEY CAN IN ALL CASES.

THAT IS simply ludicrous for anyone who truly understands what the full SPECTRUM OF AUTISM ENTAILS FROM THE so-called lowest end of suffering to the so-called highest end of potential human suffering.

Supporting folks is NOT TELLING THEM TO WALK THE PLANK WHEN THEY ARE METAPHORICALLY CRIPPLED per whatever crippled means in their perceived Universe AND not 'ours'.

And to be clear I understand you FEEL YOUR INTENTIONS ARE NOBLE BY STATING THIS ABSOLUTE BUT it is just NOT TRUE IN ALL CASES OF AUTISM, AS SCIENCE and Autistic folks say it without DOUBT.

THE good news is as far as I know even without hope there is Hope for positive change, if one JUST NEVER GIVES UP AND TAKES LIFE THE BEST THEY CAN ONE STEP AT A TIME, IN WHATEVER BALANCE WORKS FOR THEM.

MILEAGE DOES VARY.

Nothing personal Ford, but you are just incorrect about this one, and your philosophy is a potentially dangerous one, if some people attempt to practice it, who are not ready for it yet.

Dr. Phil stuff does not USUALLY WORK with Autism.

BUT DR. Phil is obviously lacking SOMETHING, TOO, AND yes THAT TOO, which reminds me of someone else, and not you FNORD, is the cognitive part of empathy, as clear as the nose on his face, to me, at least. :)

The great thing about the U.S. is TRULY IT STILL SUPPORTS THE NOT STATUS QUO, OTHERWISE I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO DANCE WALK A MIX OF MARTIAL ARTS AND BALLET EVERYWHERE I GO IN PUBLIC FOR 2800 MILES in 16 months.

SO YEAH, this is still a great country as is, as it is designed with the FACT IN MIND THAT EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT AND NO TWO COOKIE CUTTER SOLUTIONS usually WORK FOR ANY ONE UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL.

THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE is still true for those who understand and exercise their rights as American Citizens as I proudly DANCE THAT EVERYWHERE I GO TO THE DISMAY AND APPLAUSE OF OTHERS.....

And I do it totally naked on the Internet cause my country allows it, as FREE AS IT GETS....

IN A LEGAL WAY OF COURSE..;)

Trust me, I'm no Dr. Phil fan myself.

I don't believe autistic people are "broken." I do believe they have varying challenges. I've known at least a few autistic people of varying functioning levels. I knew a boy who was nonverbal and had no ADL skills even as a teenager.

I "assess" based upon what is "given" to me. On the internet, what is "given" to me is inevitably limited. I'm not one to make assumptions. I'm one to speculate, though. One has to speculate in order to make progress; if there were no speculation, there would be no solutions.

I believe giving SOME advice is better than giving NO advice at all. When I get a rebuttal of my advice (inevitable), I run with it, I try to come up with solutions based upon the input given.

I'm not a sage, by any means. But I believe in trying to be helpful.

In truth ALL words are ONLY metaphor for the essence of what is personal subjective reality, including the word broken of course.

But trust me when SOME AUTISTIC people say they are broken they are not lying.

And trust me if you tell me I was never broken as an Autistic person, both I and my doctors will correct you, with ALL DUE RESPECT, online or off. :)

When it comes to human beings there are rarely any absolute metaphors of words THAT CAN be used universally as such.

But that is sage talk and with cognitive empathy full in TOW I know it is complete gibberish to some folks and deep wisdom to others as I do frequent poetry websites as well as so-called reasoned ones like this. ;)

It's amazing as it is like there are two species of human beings when one travels both routes, at least in metaphor and I say this in respect as I remember you said you DO POETRY TOO. ;)

If somebody says they're broken, I don't normally contradict them. If that's their personal impression, I'll respect it. I will offer evidence to the contrary, though, should I possess that evidence.

Of course, there are times when I feel "broken." I feel like smashing my head against a wall (And I've done that, though I lessened the intensity somewhat through some twinge of cognition).

Yes, obviously, there is much "subjective" reality--but it is, most of the time, based upon an "objective" reality. To generalize about "subjective" vs. "objective" reality is useless. We have to take one situation at a time.

Thanks for the clarification, and remember there are people in the background listening here to the tunes of hundreds too afraid to post but hoping for hope...any spark of hope.. to make it another now....

I do not hear them but I 'see' them. :)

And when I post here it is rarely the people who I am quoting who I am really talking to, in earnest. :)

But you are an exception, friend.

I was never a writer or a speaker for much, until I lost effective use of my eyesight and hearing, and was forced into that epigenetic and neuroplastic change where my life became words as that was the only symbol left for me to use to live life at all.

So in a way, what you see here now is a person, in more ways than one. :)

I hope I'm not getting too personal:

Are you legally blind, and deaf (yet with some residual hearing)?

Helen Keller was one whom I cannot conceive ever matching. She was able to transcend her "handicaps" to such an extent that I'm totally amazed.

Of course the status quo will change in the United States.

Even the most cursory examination of US history will demonstrate change, time and again. The United States has proved itself, over and over, to be capable of robust response to changing circumstance.

Sometimes that change is slow--paradigm shifts take decades, not months. Sometimes that change is violent--you had to fight a Civil War to effect some of the changes of the 19th century.

There is much to lament in the United States today--but in many ways they have been here before. This Gilded Age will end, just as the last one did. What we must fervently hope for is that it will not take a World War and a Great Depression to do so. But if that is what is required, then that is what will happen, because the only constant in the United States is adaptation.