Checking out a conspiracy theory.

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Fnord
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17 Sep 2008, 3:50 pm

A friend of mine proposed a conspiracy theory that has to do with a correlation between a person's military service and the advent of Autistic-Spectrum Disorders in their offspring. The details of this particular conspiracy theory are too convoluted to post here, but in the interest of idle curiosity, I am posting a related survey.

While this is NOT a scientific survey, I am asking that you would take a moment to select one of the options and post a comment.

Thank you,

F.

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monty
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17 Sep 2008, 4:58 pm

Fnord wrote:

Adopted, no idea what my birth parents were like.

Tim_Tex
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17 Sep 2008, 4:58 pm

No one in the military, and I have AS.

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Orwell
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17 Sep 2008, 5:05 pm

Let me guess, something along the lines of autism being the result of secretive military experiments? :lol:

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greenblue
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17 Sep 2008, 5:06 pm

Orwell wrote:

Let me guess, something along the lines of autism being the result of secretive military experiments? :lol:

The goal of creating the perfect soldier

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Fnord
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17 Sep 2008, 5:32 pm

Well ... we were watching last night's episode of "Fringe"... :wink:

Macbeth
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17 Sep 2008, 5:38 pm

Without knowing why.. if it were "super-soldier" experimentation, then there are a few reasons that the theory is a load of cobblers.

Autism occurs world-wide. Not all militaries share details freely with other militaries. Even ostensible "allies" are guarded at best. So are they All engaged in parallel testing?

Military science evolves, very fast in some cases. Look how advanced tank armour got in the last twenty years. Why are autistics from recent times not "better soldiers"? And would there not be A MASSIVE increase in autism post ww1 and 2, when huge numbers of the world population were serving in the military?

How many autistic traits are really that helpful on the battlefield? At the very least we suck at following orders.

So its not "breeding super-soldiers" . So what is it then? Dont leave us hanging. What has military parentage got to do with autism?

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Fnord
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17 Sep 2008, 5:49 pm

Macbeth wrote:

Dont leave us hanging. What has military parentage got to do with autism?

I haven't the vaguest idea ... but there's a New Year's Eve steak dinner riding on the outcome of this poll!

DentArthurDent
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17 Sep 2008, 7:47 pm

Just out of interest is there an exponential rise in ASD. If so is it an increase in ASD prevalence or just an increase in diagnosis through better understanding of the problem.

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greenblue
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17 Sep 2008, 7:50 pm

Macbeth wrote:

So its not "breeding super-soldiers" . So what is it then? Dont leave us hanging. What has military parentage got to do with autism?

Perhaps, lack of empathy and obsessions

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claire-333
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17 Sep 2008, 8:01 pm

Both of my parents were in the military (I suspect they are both aspie). When I was in high school, the Army gave us our PSATs and some other sort of career aptitude test. They hounded me for months at school and home to enlist. I thought they were doing it to everyone but found out there were just a few in my class they were after. Neither of my parents thought it was a good idea for me, so I declined. I have an online friend with an aspie child and her child was also hounded by the military in high school. She wonders if it has something to do with choosing people who are succeptible to remove viewing...but that's her theory, not mine.

LKL
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17 Sep 2008, 9:56 pm

I suspect most of us have at least one or two grandparents who were soldiers, because they lived through WWII. Huge proportions of the population went to war at that time.

Fnord
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18 Sep 2008, 10:29 am

LKL wrote:

I suspect most of us have at least one or two grandparents who were soldiers, because they lived through WWII. Huge proportions of the population went to war at that time.

That's my POV too. Correlation does not equal causation.

Macbeth
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18 Sep 2008, 12:24 pm

greenblue wrote:

Macbeth wrote:

So its not "breeding super-soldiers" . So what is it then? Dont leave us hanging. What has military parentage got to do with autism?

Perhaps, lack of empathy and obsessions

Fair point, though its still hit and miss on whether the child develops a military obsession, or a useful one. Even then.. I'm a touch military obsessive, and have never harboured the desire to join up.

It certainly can't be for the physical aspect, as so many of us are dyspraxic no-hopers when it comes to sports and their ilk.

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LeKiwi
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18 Sep 2008, 12:45 pm

Fnord wrote:

LKL wrote:

I suspect most of us have at least one or two grandparents who were soldiers, because they lived through WWII. Huge proportions of the population went to war at that time.

That's my POV too. Correlation does not equal causation.

Exactly. My grandfather - aspie - was in WW2. Therefore I have to answer that he was in the military, even though it was only for a few years during the war that virtually every fit and healthy man went to anyway... for the majority of his life he wasn't.

Hope you get that steak.

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Psimulus
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18 Sep 2008, 1:40 pm

explanation = Father unknown. Mothers father, family, yes.

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