Is AS un-American?

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I don't think the question makes a lot of sense. When I think of "un-American," I tend to think of political views, especially the view of un-American during the McCarthy era in the 50s, where there was a witch-hunt against Communists within American society. The fear of communists was at least partly grounded in reality, both because the Soviet Union was the opposing empire against America, and because the sort of collectivism and government control that communism advocates is in many ways the opposite of the constitutional protections Americans have against government interference (at least 'til Bush decided to steamroller over those protections and declare himself and his administration above the law). See if you can rent a copy of "Good Night, and Good Luck," and watch to get an idea of what I'm talking about here.
But having AS being against US culture and identity? I don't know what this means. Supporting, I guess you could mean that because of the individualism that many think of as being American, people should be able to make it on their own, and many with AS can't, but even then, American individualism is more about a lack of interference from government than having to get by like some sort of urban hermit.

Permit me to answer that question with another question: can a cat or a horse be an American?


My major depression is a mental disorder; my Aspergianism is not.

I don't usually associate such things with nationality. I don't tend to let my nationality affect the way that I think.

You'd only say it's un-american due to the fact that the discoverer of it was German.

Austrian. Hans Asperger was Austrian, not German.

Bollocks, sorry.

I got them mixed up, sorry.

Still, Hans Asperger being Austrian, would make him un-american, a not american citizen.

You see?

Thanks for the correction mmaestro

Since AS seems to have originated in the Jewish populations of Germany, Poland and Austria technically speaking it is un-American. If it hadn't been for the Nazis there would not have been quite as many AS people move to America and populate this country with Aspies.

Un-American? Like, some kind of pinko commie?
Or, not on the Wrong Planet, but just in the wrong country.
English, German, Iroquois American here.

My experience has been that it's un-american. The biggest opinion makers in this country have made it so. They view us as lazy and un-motivated people who look to blame our problems on an imaginary problem that was made up by well meaning, but hopelessly mislead people. Out side of support groups and other people with AS, I have not found a single person willing to turn a friendly ear to what I have to deal with.

Then you dont have much understanding of the emotional, cultural, political and financial divide that provoked the emmigrated europeans that colonized North America. Those that embraced the concept of the state providing security, that the group was more important than the individual... stayed in europe. The downtrodden, the religious minorities.. those that didnt fit, or chaffed at the restrictions of a autocratic state found new hope and freedom by jumping the pond.



This is the first I have ever heard of this. Care to even link to a dicy wikipedia article, or hopefully something more believable? It sounds like racial posturing.

My own ancestors fled europe not once but twice. The first time they went east. The colonies they founded there were based on religious faith and were Lutheran and Catholic.

http://www.lhm.org/LID/lidhist.htm

These are not the actions of people that flip flop their faith from Jewish to Christian. In fact, Jews are not known for acceding to the tenants of Christianity. Their immense strength of character and deep ties to their faith withstood the persecution of the death camps. But I admire their style.

If that event couldnt draw them to change their faith, and my ancestors walked across europe TWICE to escape persecution, then my ancestors must not be jewish. That sort of determination and bull headedness does sound like AS, doesnt it? I mean, come on. They simply could have mouthed whatever words NTs use to get people to piss off!

Fact is, AS and linked traits are HUGELY connected to the Volga Germans. I think you will find a large number of Volga Germanic decent here at WP.

Next to they went to Kansas and then to Canada. Kansas was already too full and crowded(there is that love of personal space again!), so they went to the Okanogan region of South West Canada, and later onto the praries.

To put it short: My blue eyed, fair skinned northern germanic ancestry casts asper-ations upon your claims of a jewish origin of AS. My ancestors absolute pig-headedness in the face of hardship, and the great lengths they went to to be left alone says "ttthhbbbpppttt" to your theory sir.

If you persist, I shall rebutt with the case of the people of Finland(mono-speakers with ZERO body language, little interest in eye contact... and NO history of intermarriage with The Jewish faith.

If that doesnt do the trick, I will then put forth the position of the aspie-like people of Japan. Noted for centuries for glorification of the militant loner(Ronin), the hermetic wiseman, and lately, for a subset of national youth that lock themselves in for years at a time. They to have no descenable genetic connection to Jewish blood.

If you continue to persist, I will find an ethnic group from every continent on EARTH that shows that AS/autism shows up everywhere, and that there is not link to mutation heritage from the European Jews.

I'm quite surprised at the replies. There are a lot of references to politics and I wasn't expecting this.

The reason I asked the question is because on this forum there is an atmosphere of grievances and gripes with issues of everyday life, such as schools, employment, friendships, and lack of understanding and awareness of AS. This prompted me to wonder if the US and its society en-masse really values people with AS and their contributions or potential contributions to society and the economy, or whether it feels that people with AS really go against the grain of US popular culture and identity and are nuisance people that quite frankly the US would be better off without. I don't think many Americans who have a disliking or a distrust of people with AS put them in the same category as say communists in the 1950s or Islamic terrorists today because they present a real danger to the nation. Instead they simply think people with AS are irritating nuisances to have to have in their school, business, locality, or social events because they have poor social skills and the potential to tarnish the image and reputation of whatever organisation they are in.

Different countries value different skills and traits differently. For example, the UK values pop musicians highly and if many of the British pop musicians were living in say El Salvador or Azerbaijan then they would probably be nonentities. The US was populated by immigrants, many of which were persecuted minorities in their original homelands, and claims to be a nation of tolerance, but has it spawned a culture and unwritten set of rules that it is a country which strongly favours people with neurotypical traits and disfavours people with AS traits? Hence the original question of is AS un-American.

Support and understanding of AS appears to be much lower in the US than in the UK. It is also seen in the US as more as a childhood condition to be cured as opposed to something that affects adults and is incurable.

Ah, I see what you mean, the question is "do those with Asperger's find it particularly difficult to function in the US as opposed to other countries," I'm not sure if the answer is "yes." I'm British (but live in the US), and I don't think that socially, there's a huge difference between British and American schooling, nor getting jobs or the like. There <i>is</i> more of a focus on sports within American schools, which may make a difference and probably makes the geeks even further marginalised (watch any American High-School in US popular culture, and see how the "jocks" treat everyone else), but protracted bullying and social exclusion of those different happens often enough in British schools that I don't believe it's much worse in America.
You question did, however, remind me of this article I read in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago. It's mostly on Autism rights in the UK, but there are a few choice quotes that address the point you're making:

IMO, a large part of the focus on a cure is because of the American medical establishment, which remember is still private, and most insurance won't cover therapy for autism, so parents of autistic or Asperger's children (or the individuals themselves) are left with choosing either not to get any treatment at all, or spending tens of thousands of dollars on treatment. In that sort of environment, where autism and Asperger's can be a devastating financial hardship, I think it's natural that people try to focus on a way to remove that difficulty, thus the focus on a cure in America. I don't know whether nationalised healthcare would change that or not, but it would at least be a start.

A local butcher from Southampton has the potential in being a figurehead of the UK. An aspie doesn’t stand a chance.

My father had the exact same profile of the Indian on the obverse of the Buffalo nickel! We used to hold it up as he turned his profile and we all commented on it. However my father was a staunch Pennsylvania Dutchman with family roots on both sides in Low Germany and from isolated religious communities. Even if some long ago settler had slipped the community, I am certain no child of such a union would have been accepted into the family, (since my child, born out of wedlock and deemed illegitimate most certainly was not!) I can state that the resemblance was merely coincidental.

That wouldn't surprise me - it took me years to find somebody willing to admit Asperger's even existed in adults, let alone be open to the idea that I might just have the condition.

I don't think there is quite so much of a curebie mentality in Australia, but it is disappointing to see nearly all the attention focused on small children and little on older children and adults with the condition who often need ongoing support within society.

Come on now. If you're going to say that you better back it up with an example. America is a BIG place full of lots and lots of people that subscribe to lots and lots of philosophies. But AS is a condition. How can a condition be un-American?