*The Medicalization of Society*

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You bring up an interesting point Ouinon.

People not being able to help the way they behave is almost always viewed in negative terms. You would never say that about someone whom you held in high regard or someone who was behaving appropriately. It seems to be a primarily unconscious assumption that people unable to regulate their behavior are inferior... drunk, on drugs, weak, deranged, etc. Which, of course, reinforces the label and the dysfunctional aspect of the label. If this is indeed an unconscious stereotyping, it would intensify the effect .....and is so ironic.....

The very people claiming to exercise choice and having good control over their behavior---are caught in a prejudice, a discrimination--in which they aren't aware of what they're doing. As such, they have no control over it.... they can't help the way they are discriminating against us [due to being unaware]. I find that amusing.

Well if we can't help the way we behave, then isn't society obliged to provide us accessibility? If we can't help ourselves, then isn't giving us accessibility--the sensible and socially responsible thing to do? Accessibility has been successfully provided for the other subgroups of our society with perceptual impairment...not that ours is an impairment, more of an enhancement...

Hahah....we can't help being perceptually enhanced, we can't help having a proclivity for deep analytical thinking and technical skills, we can't help having an inspirational and novel outlook, we can't help having extraordinary initiative and self-motivation [until it is conditioned out of us], we can't help being highly adept as independent thinkers [when all about us are choosing to act like sheep], we can't help our occasional savant abilities, and we can't help that our neurological differences are possibly superior in many ways that are only now being researched in earnest. Poor us.

Nice, alba. I love how aspies are born rebels. I think it's usually described as the lack of the human instinct to try and fit in. I think of it as us being born punks. Now that my social life is finally getting good I love having "PDD". Aspies rock!
P.S. There are many pluses to not caring for sports.

Well, it was whatamess who quoted Szasz on this subject but thank you anyway!

The funny thing is that those people being diagnosed as disordered/dysfunctional, whose behaviour, ( actions, perceptions, practically the personality ), is being described as arising from biochemical/genetic/metabolic factors, whose behaviour is being explained by these things, embody, in a way, the very thing which science has been uncovering/exposing this last century, the non-existence of free-will.

That any human's actions/behavour can be so minutely explained by their metabolism is in itself a challenge to society. At the moment this inconvenient truth is being "contained", by medecine, within the category of "disorder/dysfunction", but the very concept of an Autistic Spectrum, for instance, and the "spread" of labels like PTSD, PMS, SIDS, etc, etc, etc, suggest that the dike is close to being breached.

It probably won't be too long before society accepts that everybody is determined by their genes, metabolism, and environment, and that noone has free will, at which point the pressure on us, and other people of our ilk, may let up. We're like the spearhead for change. I wonder how many more disorders medecine will invent/discover before society gets it.

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Which is why it is so important, as certain Autism activists have pointed out, that people with Aspergers/Autism not be let off the hook for crimes that they commit. Noone is more or less responsible for their acts than anyone else.

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If anybody is interested just search google for books on the history of psychiatry. That can give you some good information.

Amen. To everything in this thread. It's all just a load of superstitious crap.

and all that.

My micro-cosm is pretty much what's happening all over: "Cassandra’s ugly sister" http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt94944.html

Powerful people make all the definitions, while weak or gentle people have to live with them.

No, actually, the difference is that the whole thing is so flexible and subjective that they can simply make it up as they go along. Whatever angle is most convenient for whoever is in charge is the "truth" of the moment. Five minute later, that "truth" can be tossed in favor of one that is more convenient. It doesn't have to make any sense at all. It's still about might makes right. (Does anyone remember Alexander in StarTrek, "Plato's Stepchildren"?)

We are all-- To the point where there's no where to go. They've rebuilt the Tower of Babel. You can't go and find a cave or an island or a shack in the woods any more.

And no one is really in charge. The "yardsticks" are created and maintained by lunatics.

One good thing that might come of all this -- in "scientifically" targeting us, they have allowed us to find each other. I can imagine ways that this might make a difference.

They would like to divide us by "high" or "low" functioning category, as though we should be so impressed by the implied social status/stigma that we won't want to be associated with each other. Personally, I'm not impressed by that sort of thing. I don't care how pretty you talk. If you value truth and compassion, you're ok by me.

I think WrongPlanet is the only place a sensible movement can come from.
Ok, here we are. What do we do now?

N..O..S..P..M............no spam....

Network...Organize...Self-Advocate...Protect and Empower Ourselves...Make Demands

DEMANDS:
-Demand Accessibility
-Demand To Be Heard
-Demand Validation
-Demand our CIVIL RIGHTS [take them back]


But we won't be able to do any of that until autism community wakes up to the fact that our civil rights have been stolen. We need to explore the why and who of that. Most importantly we will need to know the how of it--so that we can stop perpetuating our label enslavement--and subconsciously viewing ourselves as inferior or disordered or whatever.

Tahitiii, judging by your posts, you know perhaps better than anyone, that those negative self images are disempowering and disenfranchising. But very few of us have your clarity of inner vision. We desperately need to embrace our neurological difference and exit the nightmare from hell. There will be plenty of time for action in the coming months. Now is the time for persuading and convincing. Now is the time for awakening. Now is the time to start believing in ourselves. Clarity, belief and faith must preceed action in order for that action to be powerful and effective.

Quoting Alba:

Brilliant.

I second that Brillant.

Great posts all around - and great thread, Ouinon.

Anxious to send for all books mentioned. You know, even book reading, if considered over and above the norm by those who are authorities on what is and what is not normal, is seen as possibly obsessive and driven by a need to escape and deny the "real" world and the reality of one's own existence. I'm not sure what the medical/psychological term for this passion for books and reading is, aside from the old standby, 'flight from reality", but it's often viewed as a pathological symptom instead of an absorbing passion for, and pursuit of, Truth. Funny thing by comparison is, you could sit in front of a TV all day and be considered mentally stable or "perfectly normal.'

Last edited by cosmiccat on 28 Mar 2009, 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks guys ....

I agree, the posts have been exceptionally insightful and provocative.
Thanks ouinon! for starting another brilliant thread.

I wanted to start something a while ago. But I have no leadership qualities. I get depressed and distracted, lose momentum… It’s also that executive function thing. I don’t do whatever you have to do to keep things going.

I’ve tried starting projects in my life (unrelated to Aspergers). Everyone says “great idea,” and signs up, and then they look to me to lead. But I don’t do that alpha-person, authoritarian thing. I don’t rule with an iron fist, people don’t know what to make of it, and they get confused and drift away.

It’s like the anarchy websites I’ve seen. How can you organize a movement around the concept of anarchy? Well, the answer is that you can’t. They just sit around bickering and calling each other names.

I did try at one point, but I let it fizzle.

We actually created a site, but I can’t find it now. I think it died of neglect.

The links I have don't work. Does anyone remember?

Last edited by Tahitiii on 30 Mar 2009, 8:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Quoting Tahitiii:

That has a familiar ring. I'm real good at fizzling myself. No problem with lift off though.

I'm actually one of the lucky aspies who isn't on any medication. I was for a little while as a little kid but I haven't been in years and I doubt I ever will for anything "mental disorder" related.

Sorry, I don't mean to be piggy-backing my own posts as I seem to be doing, but I just came upon this thread (have been in hiding for several days with a new obsession) and have been reading it backwards after making my initial post here. So, I want to say that reading everything here has revitalized me - and I'm in. I'm beginning to feel that old surge of "power to the people" kind of indignation that leads to motivation, dedication and solidarity. I'm very hyped up and all El Che. One question, "Can we wear uniforms? Please?" What would an Aspie uniform be? Nope. I think I've answered my own question. Aspie and Uniform don't mix. Complete incongruities. Polar opposites. Oh well, maybe arm bands or something.

Quoting Tahitiii:

Truer words were never spoken.


This is very Star Treky and absolutely believable. Inadvertently "allowed" us to find each other, don't you think? And now there running damage control.



Yeah, I'm put off by all this HFA vs LFA malarky. Somethings got to be done about that. It's the old divide and conquer routine.