I'm Sorry but The "I'm Autistic" Biography Needs to Stop

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12 Mar 2017, 3:17 pm

C2V wrote:

Unless they have done something noteworthy in the field of contributing to the understanding and treatment of autism/autistics that might assist others, why write a whole book because you have a disorder?

How could they be expected to 'contribute to the understanding of autism' in a way that might assist others, without the platform to do so?

Kiprobalhato
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12 Mar 2017, 3:41 pm

a little preachy as of late, OP....

ZachGoodwin wrote:

Your life is not like Helen Keller's, unless you have endured some actual blindness or deafness, but anyway, it isn't. All it is from the way I see it, is a chemical imbalance with slightly slow moter functions, and social anxiety.

Nothing less, and nothing more. The publisher has had enough Helen Keller wannabes, and would much rather prefer a new Hunger Games sequel than any of these acceptance books.

Besides, its really self-centered and mean to peers and family. Sorry, but it is. Especially when they have fed you, and bought you things.

in other words: "i'm going to tell YOU what YOUR life is like".

just lol.

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12 Mar 2017, 8:55 pm

MagicMeerkat wrote:

I don't suffer from autism, I SUFFER from other people.

That's the same thing that I say about myself. My autism isn't the problem, it's other people that are the problem. It sucks when some of those people happen to be members of my own family.

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12 Mar 2017, 8:59 pm

Kiprobalhato wrote:

a little preachy as of late, OP....

ZachGoodwin wrote:

in other words: "i'm going to tell YOU what YOUR life is like".

just lol.

And shot me down as a child for talking about my special interests and disowning me for a few days last year, for wanting to pay homage to the late John Banner by wearing a blue German helmet.

Next------->

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12 Mar 2017, 9:01 pm

CockneyRebel wrote:

MagicMeerkat wrote:

I don't suffer from autism, I SUFFER from other people.

That's the same thing that I say about myself. My autism isn't the problem, it's other people that are the problem. It sucks when some of those people happen to be members of my own family.

It can be a little bit of both though...I have come to understand how some autistic traits can be a bit difficult to deal with, since most people in my life are neurotypical. For instance think about how you feel when someone is going on about something you really just don't care about. Well sometimes the autistic need to explain every detail does that to neurotypicals. Basically its a slightly different plane of thinknig and at least how I feel is I explain it more for me than for the other person, but knowing that I can try and analyze the more cumbersome details in my mind instead of subjecting the neurotypical to every single detail of my thoughts. That is only one example but yeah basically somehow they can infer more from less.

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13 Mar 2017, 8:52 am

Sweetleaf,

This is a good point. Too many people go into unnecessary detail when they're speaking, whether they are autistic or not. Attention tends to waver when there are too many details.

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14 Mar 2017, 7:05 am

Quote:

Earth to C2V!! !

The word"better" means "more humane" in the sentence you wrote. So you're making a distinction with out a difference.

Its not Temple Grandin's fault that most of us in the western world eat meat.

I understand that, but there is a fine line between accepting a bad situation and trying to minimally improve it, and just opposing that bad situation outright. Where does the former blur into actually supporting that bad situation? Helping it continue and thrive? In this case perhaps, by making these methods so "humane" that it assuages people of their guilt or horror over the slaughter? Whatever her intentions have been, she is making herself part of that industry, one that causes nothing but harm to animals. I don't see how an animal lover could act so.

Quote:

How could they be expected to 'contribute to the understanding of autism' in a way that might assist others, without the platform to do so?

There are plenty of platforms. They could be organizing autism support or social groups, or running fundraisers to contribute to research or perhaps respite for carers of severely autistic people, volunteering as teaching aids who may be more understanding with autistic children, or participating in studies to better understand autism, or in activism, awareness and advocacy.
There are plenty of other ways to contribute if that's what they were really after. Writing a whole book about their own life story just because they're autistic seems to be for the attention it gets them, from what I've read.

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14 Mar 2017, 9:01 am

C2V wrote:

You do have to remember that many people with autism have social difficulties that prevent them from contributing in the manner you suggest.

Writing a book can be a good way of understanding yourself. Perhaps more useful than seeing an therapist who can't seem to understand autism.

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14 Mar 2017, 11:33 am

ZachGoodwin wrote:

It's a cognitive disorder. Not a chemical imbalance. My motor functions are literally crippling. I am severely withdrawn beyond social anxiety.

ZachGoodwin wrote:

Nothing less, and nothing more.

Maybe you're not aware that autism is a spectrum and not everyone who has it is like you.

ZachGoodwin wrote:

The publisher has had enough Helen Keller wannabes, and would much rather prefer a new Hunger Games sequel than any of these acceptance books.

I'm not sure what that means.

ZachGoodwin wrote:

Besides, its really self-centered and mean to peers and family. Sorry, but it is. Especially when they have fed you, and bought you things.

I have even less of an idea what that means.

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14 Mar 2017, 11:43 am

To the OP:

I'm sorry you feel that way.

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15 Mar 2017, 2:33 pm

I'm really not sure what you're going on about. As someone who has written an autobiography about my life experiences on the spectrum, I don't see why I (or any other author) should only tell their story if it happens to be as dramatic as Helen Keller's. My story is nothing like hers, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be free to tell it. If you don't like someone's story, you don't have to listen to them or buy their book. It's really that simple.

Not everyone who writes a book is looking for pity or chemically imbalanced or whatever other negative state you're attributing to them.

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16 Mar 2017, 11:27 am

Keep on rockin' in the free world and let people say their peace. Who cares. :roll:

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16 Mar 2017, 11:48 am

lot's of people write biographys, youtubers, soccer players, criminals... why do they have to stop? some stories are intersting.

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16 Mar 2017, 12:00 pm

Publishing stuff worth reading for self help or entertainment is one thing we can do now that jobs are being eliminated by automation.

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10 Dec 2025, 11:31 am

btbnnyr wrote:

I'm not a fan of the autobiographies.
Reading about someone's life is boring.

I just found this thread. It's been a while since I have posted here. I stopped actively posting in early 2017. I am not certain why. I got busy, I guess.

As I described in a prior post, I used to include all of my WP posts in my journal. This journal is something I treasure.

About a year ago, my daughter (who is now in her late 20s) asked to read it. But, I wasn't certain how interested she would be in reading > 1000 typed pages of text (in 8pt font). Worse, it wasn't organized. It was just a random collection of thoughts for the day. And some of those thoughts perhaps would not be appropriate (for a daughter to read about her dad).

Anyhow, over the summer, while using ChatGPT for a home improvement project (specifying the design of my new HVAC system), I had an "aha" moment. ChatGPT could ingest my journal and help me organize a memoir.

Maybe someone else who is struggling with being on the spectrum (or who knows someone on the spectrum) will be able to better understand how it feels to grow up a bit different. That isn’t the main goal of the memoir, but it might be a useful side effect.

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10 Dec 2025, 12:46 pm

Rocket123 wrote:

btbnnyr wrote:

I'm not a fan of the autobiographies.
Reading about someone's life is boring.

Welcome back

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