Anyone Else Offended by Underdog Stories

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First, I want to say how much I have enjoyed reading "NeuroTribes" by Steve Silberman. The book allowed me to solidify some feelings I've had about ASD stories in popular culture.

1. I don't like "I" stories. Browsing through TED Talks, etc, there seems to be lots of stories on how to see the world the way that "I" see it. With such a wide-spectrum, I resist the notion that one story can tell the story of Autism. I received my diagnosis over 10 years ago, and until recently I have rarely shared my diagnosis with others. Mainly, I feel there are so many ASD stereotypes that sharing my diagnosis does very little to help people understand ASD and sharing my ASD actually does a lot more harm than good.

2. Why the heck are NT's so surprised by anything that we do? If we translated ASD to a race, most NT's would sound so unbelievably racist. "I did not realize that (your race) could work as hard as you do." "You don't seem like (your race) to me." "I never would have guessed (your race) if you hadn't told me, but now that I know I can see it." "It's amazing what (your race) has been able to accomplish." "I knew someone (of your race) in high school. I always thought she was very sweet."

3. Am I wrong, but why do we have to explain ourselves to the dominant culture in terms they can understand? I'm sick of being a second class citizen. Try to understand our culture on our terms. It seems to me that the dominant culture has only given the world fear, discrimination, and corruption.

John Trudell says, "Whether it’s democracy or fascism or socialism or any system designed to control the mass of people, every one of these governments, no matter what they call them, ask us to serve a master."

I don't want to be tolerated or accepted. I want us all to evolve.

The Death Machine Does Not Work

This is called Inspiration Porn

Thank you, Ezra. I certainly understand the disability part, and I don't mean to dismiss that. But, I think the inspirational Autism story sends NT's the wrong message - that the disabilities can be overcome if we will only try harder to fit in.

Surviving in this messed-up world is not an act of bravery. Our survival should be seen as an indictment of these artificial systems and their inability to provide real freedom and real equity for all people. We succeed in spite of them, not because of them.

The inspirational "single-story" of Autism is just another artificial construct that we must hurdle. And, that story doesn't help anyone understand how I can earn degrees in English Literature, but not know how to talk on a telephone, or reply to a text or an email with 24 hours, or say any of this to anyone I work with.

More and more, I understand Brenda Jo Brueggemann's short video "Why I Mind." I mind, a lot.

I'm not able to really follow this line of reasoning. It's too philosophical or whatever for me to grasp I suppose. I'm just not very good with that sort of thing.

I post them because with the high rate of people here who think they are worthless and will always be worthless. These stories might help a few people by showing that others on the spectrum were disabled sometimes quite disabled but found a way to achieve something. I try not to post stories where the accomplishment is modest at least by NT standards such as an autistic caught a touchdown or has a few friends. I am not discounting the enormous efforts that might have went into that but it will depending on the person set the bar to low for what autistics can accomplish. I will post "inspiration porn" if the autistic accomplished something like winning an award in his or her field.