About this autism card

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Do you mean a video? I think that would be cool! Too bad we can't all get together and have parties for milestones! It could be like the Golden Globe Awards, we could all get dressed up and wear slinky dresses (ha, I haven't worn a dress in years and I'd fall of high heels, but it would be fun for one night)!

Maybe any one who is interested could upload something to YouTube, like sing a song or recite a poem, or write a letter or whatever.

You said that many times.

As far as "the autism card" goes, if it does exist, then it is likely the two of clubs. Which is to say, it's pretty weak as cards go.

People in general are in love with this notion that if you deal with disability or institutionalized disadvantages (such as sexism or racism being directed at you) that any attempt to explain difficulties in that context is making excuses or "playing a card." It's not really a sincere engagement, but a means to control people and convince them that they should not be speaking, at least not about those things.

littlebee is wrong about this forum's appropriateness for teenagers. It is quite appropriate for autistic teens. Imagine, though, being restricted from seeking out other people that have certain things in common - like, preventing autistic teens from interacting with other autistic people, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans teens from interacting with other teens who fit those criteria. It is a way to keep these teens from having access to community that may help them in ways that family and friends cannot.

I certainly wouldn't trust that a parent who is so restrictive has their children's best interests at heart. It would seem to me that they're more invested in controlling those children and forcing them to fit into particular molds, This is harmful and abusive to children, denying them access to perspectives other than their own on what they live with.

The entire "autism card" thing is itself reflective of a particular attitude that's been becoming more entrenched and obvious here, which is rather negative about disability in general, and dismissive of what life is really like for many of us. Some of the people promoting such a view like to characterize everyone who uses this forum, or perhaps everyone who disagrees with them, as so mild as to be barely affected by autism. That people here on this forum have no right to speak on the topics they choose to speak about because they're supposedly too "high-functioning" to really know what it means to be autistic.

This forum would be much better off if such attitudes were not promoted here. As it is, it makes this forum rather difficult to use for its intended purpose, because a few posters set out to dominate any discussion they dislike until it stops. So this ceases to be the "General Autism Discussion" forum and becomes the "Why a few posters think you should shut up and stop criticizing Autism Speaks" forum or "Why a few posters assume that your autism is too mild for you to be allowed to have an opinion on autism" forum. Or my personal favorite, "Even though you're too mildly autistic to be allowed to have an opinion on autism speaks, you also do not have enough theory of mind or cognitive empathy to be allowed to have an opinion on autism speaks. In fact, I'll just keep shifting the goalposts to define you out of allowable discussion until you shut up and go away, at which point I'll declare victory."

People should talk about anything that is interesting to them, and there is plenty of room on this system for people to talk about anything they want.

To the person, RedEnigma, who just defined playing the autism card. Thanks. Yes, that is the generally accepted definition, and I agree with Verdandi, actually, that accusing people of playing the autism or race card in order to gain social benefits can be used to suppress people and actually too much emphasis is placed on accusing people of playing the race card, etc. Good point.

However when I speak of playing the autism card, I am speaking from a psychological angle, from the angle of autistic encapsulation and not from the angle of doing it to gain much needed help. It is kind of hard for people to sort things out in this respect, as both of these tend to get mixed up together, which is surely understandable. However this does not mean it is psychologically helpful, good for autistic people or society in general. I do not intend to get into a too elaborate discussion of the psychological dynamics of playing the autistic card here, but more to answer Jeni's question.about what I mean by this.

Okay it's time to be honest Littlebee

I have a hard time reading your posts they oftentimes make me confused and half of the time I have to look up the word you're using I'm going could to figure out what they mean and then even looking them up I can't figure out what they mean. This is why I automatically answered you and apologized for something I didn't understand because I assumed that you knew what you were talking about and that I was missing out on something.

And I didn't say anything about it because of what you had said in an earlier thread

THe phrase "using a card" can be used to describe a dishonest excuse for bad behavior as RedEnigma stated. It can also be used to describe a dishonest attempt to profit, such as somebody pretending they can't work and going on disability because of Autism, when they really can work.

When I said the Autism Card does not exist, I meant the way it is being used in this forum to negatively label people who speak up about their experiences with Autism. In this case no such card exists. When people use the expression, "playing a card," they are accusing somebody of being dishonest, of malingering or worse, as the examples above demonstrate.

OP: I hope that you're aware that the "autism card" is not a literal card that you keep in your wallet. lol!

It helps to be an American old enough to remember the Nineties to 'get it'.

Its a figure of speech meaning using autism as an excuse for things. Its meant to suggest a playing card.


Its actually a reference to the O.J. Simpson murder trial of the Nineties. When the Black defendant (OJ Simpson) was defended by a Black lawyer (Johnny Cochran)and aquitted by a largely Black jury. when Cochrane was widely accused of 'playing the race card"( ie appealling to memories of past descrimination against blacks) in OJ's defense (like sneaking an extra ace up your sleave in a poker game).

So recently someone on WP, using race as an analogy to autism, launched a thread about "playing the autism card". And the expression seems to have caught on on WP.

I think it will help you feel better about not understanding her if you take into account that her motives for being here seem to be:

1. Informing us in a series of very long incoherent lectures that if we discuss our experiences with Autism in any fashion that she does not approve of (and apparently it's not hard at all to displease her), that we are harming humanity; and

2. To jump on people who have just shared their own life story or philosophy, telling them they are playing a card.

I think sometimes people's desire for reaction can sometimes waaaaay exceed their desire to communicate anything of value.