ZanneMarie wrote:
Sedaka wrote:
i think this is just a chain mail thing and thus BS... ie- it's not generating money, but is serving as advertisement in a way...
i don't really like autism speaks (the whole "find a cure" deal) and can understand a lot of the resentment associated with it... but it should be understood that this campaign (supporting autism speaks) is a good thing because it does contribute to financing a lot of scientific research on autism...
i work in a neuro department and all the labs here that research autism seem to be associated with autism speaks (i mean that autism speaks seems to fund at least a portion of the lab's research)...
though via talking to the researchers in person, i get the feeling they don't really know about some of the commercials that i've seen directly put out by autism speaks... you know, the ones we all know and hate: mother admitting she'd like to drown her autistic daughter, blah blah blah...
so whatever you think of autism speaks... realize that some good comes out of it. and not all research is geared towards finding a cure... simply having knowledge of how something works is vital to helping those already with it...
so in this sense... i kinda support autism speaks... i just have issues with their methods of advertisements... think they go a little extreme in some of their views... but meh, how else to you get your point across to the masses (that for the most part, are idiots)?
For me, it worked the opposite. I lost all respect for research funded by them (in part or whole) and the Neurologists involved. That was the end of me even thinking of going to a Neurologist for a diagnosis. They are not going to fund anything that puts any positive light on Autism because they have an agenda. Instead, what will happen is that they will hold research ransom and look for a slant to further there goals. You work in the field (as does my brother) so you know that funding and grants are very political. They go in to prove their theories and they won't get money for theories that don't back Autism Speaks' agenda. Aftetr all, the idiot mother and her boss run that organization so they won't be giving money to researchers who don't say what they want to hear because they have control of approval. That doesn't get it for me, although I'm completely aware that all research works this way.
the people i'm refferring to, who are getting these Autism Speak grants for research, are not considered neurologists (you would NEVER go to these people for a DX; they have no waiting rooms, just incubators and freezers and shakers and molecular things)... i think you are just confusing the actual role of a neurologist (who is a pyschological researcher) versus a biological researcher... which is what i'm talking about.
the scientists im tlaking about research many things... their labs do not soley research autism
autism speaks is just one of many grants that funds their labs
they take governmnet money anywhere they can get it there's nothing personal attatched to it. like i said, "some" aren't even aware of the media perspective.... these biologists are much more removed from the media aspect than are neurologists.
it's more functional research not "cure research" or patient treatment... im talkin running rats through mazes and slicing brains... rats are the only patients these scientists see.
attatching your personal views is ok (and is certainly valid when choosing a pyschologist or w/e) but doing that won't be in the best interests of understanding the biological impact of autism on a molecular/physiological level....
edit: keep finding all sorts of errors!
12 Apr 2007, 3:05 pm
