Offensive blog entry about the term Autie (Ransom Notes)

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I read an offensive post on a blog i'm subscribed to where a father [edit: i wrote mother by mistake] takes offense at people with autism using the term autie.

here's my response:

Hmmm... I had to read it 2 times, but what I get is she is mad that I may call myself aspie/autie? I suppose she has the right to her own opinion and beleifs, but compairing my use of the word autie/aspie to a racist term is quite outa line. It is not meant as a derogatory word and I never heard of anybody being offended by that word.

I can see her point (trivialisation of what can be an extremely serious and heart-breaking condition by use of what appears to be a twee, cute little word), but she just needs to understand that when you're part of a group who collectively suffer years of social exclusion (generally speaking) as youngsters, and often into adulthood too, a little word like that for a collective identity can mean a huge deal to someone.

Sticks and stones and all that...

From his blog (It's a guy actually):

Alex, I see what you're saying, but I in fact DO find it offensive when people use cruel words to describe a group of people even when I am not in the group.

For example, I'm caucasian, but I find it revolting when people use the "N" word.

Besides having the context of those words incorrect, he is wrong before he ever gets to the complaint about "autie". His whole point is to accuse complainers of the Ransom Notes campaign of being disinterested in or opposed to truth and freedom of speech ("it seems that freedom of speech, and truth telling, must give way to the sensitivities of various persons and organizations").

He then uses "sensitive souls" as a condescending insult.

Moving on to his complaint (which reads more like sarcasm in the context of his post), Aspies don't hold the title, spokesperson, for all things "autism". This is often brought up by advocates and parents in the "autism community" that "truly autistic" people can't and don't speak for themselves. By their logic, only very high-functioning autistic or Asperger's people are able to speak or type and therefore are the only ones that speak out against cures, certain treatments and certain autism organizations. It follows that these people aren't "autistic enough" or in any capacity to understand the "profoundly disabling" aspects of autism.

That is the logic of autism parents that complain about neurodiversity.

So, he doesn't like the term "autie" because it's a label that identifies a person as autistic. He doesn't like "curebie" because it makes fun of people who are obsessed with curing or eradicating autism through medical means.

Alex,

Harold (the blog owner) is a good guy. He hates autism like John Best does, but he's open-minded, which I like.

When I resume blogging in January, I will make a post regarding this on my blog, and ask him to read it.

Alex, yes, they love to manipulate the numbers and skew information all the way around.

The figures I extracted from the UK National Autistic Society were LFA 5 per 10,000 and HFA/AS 63 per 10,000. Any thoughts?

Offensive blahhhhg topic

I think the Harold-like NTs of this world are just scared of Radical Auties. They like to invent the language and control it because it gives them power or at least helps them to feel power.
(So little power, so little time!)

I have a hunch that for some NTs-who have children living on the Autistic Spectrum-that dealing /living with this challenge is so overwhelming that they are taking out their anger and frustration at everything around them--like when I have a meltdown.

I wish they would go with the Desiderata thing and learn to help enhance their Autie children's abilities instead of going on power trips and trying to navigate the curebie route.

I may have insulted Harold here, but his rants are bordering on Emotism.

Yeah.. I don't get what's so offensive with a short version of the word Autistic. If they got a problem with other people useing it to describe themselves with a label, then the heck with them.

That's what the words 'autie', 'aspie" , and so on are; short words for "autism". I just love the part where they put "and can involve serious and dangerous intellectual, communication and behavior deficits" Dangerous!? Yes, I am, but I think alot of Autistic people certainly are not "dangerous".

I have seen the word "curebie" used in offensive ways before. example. While I don't go for changing a person for who they are, I don't need 'curebie' flammed my way for supporting edgucational intervention. I do call myself an Aspie to because I have Aspergers. *sarcasum* Gee, how dare I say that about myself.