will we get punished for Newtown?
auntblabby
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13 Mar 2014, 9:37 pm
I've been monitoring the news, and as far as I can tell, yes, a few NTs are blaming Newtown on Asperger's; but even more are maintaining that Asperger's doesn't have anything to do with it, and quoting statistics that show that people with AS have crime rates similar to the general public.
Yes, the occasional bigot is going to use Newtown as an excuse. It's easier for them to say, "This mass murderer must have been crazy," than to face the fact that an average, completely sane human being can become a mass murderer by choosing to give in to hate. That's a scary thing that many people don't want to face, but it's true.
We should also remember that, while Adam Lanza was probably autistic, so were two of his victims. The autism community lost Josephine Grey and Dylan Hockley, both young, innocent children whose teachers died trying to save their lives.
Autistic people are about as likely as neurotypicals to become murderers. But we are much more likely than NTs to become murder victims.
There are also many examples of pro-social behavior among autistic people. I remember, some time ago, a story about a young man with autism who died saving his family from a house fire. I have also read about several autistic people who are human-rights activists, often anti-bullying activists. Autistics who spend a lot of time trying to help others or improve the world usually have a very strong sense of fairness and social justice, and they refuse to see one human being as worth more than another. Because they're autistic, that comes naturally to them.
When an autistic person murders someone, that event is highly publicized. But one in a hundred people is autistic; just by chance, one in a hundred murderers will be autistic.
When an autistic person spends time and effort or even takes risks to help others, any news story tends to be a fluffy human-interest piece, and most of the time there's no news story at all--why bother to report on everyday things, like an autistic child who physically steps between a younger classmate and a bully, knowing very well that it'll get him beaten up? No reporter even learns about it, but it happens.
When an autistic person kills someone, it's headline news. When an autistic person quietly goes on his way, helping others, improving his little corner of the world, no one particularly notices. Not that we really care; such attention is something most introverts, shy folks, and socially awkward folks would rather avoid.
We're not defenseless against accusations of being potential mass murderers, though. I often see our NT friends, families, and spouses defending us against accusations like that, whether in newspaper editorials, scientific research that describes the (average and completely functional) moral reasoning of autistic people, or just in their everyday lives, speaking up for us. The people who know us personally know that we're not killers and are often pretty angry that we're getting accused of it.
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13 Mar 2014, 11:55 pm
Well, that's just great, as if people with schizophrenia didn't have enough trouble already.
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mr_bigmouth_502
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14 Mar 2014, 2:37 am
Yes, the occasional bigot is going to use Newtown as an excuse. It's easier for them to say, "This mass murderer must have been crazy," than to face the fact that an average, completely sane human being can become a mass murderer by choosing to give in to hate. That's a scary thing that many people don't want to face, but it's true.
We should also remember that, while Adam Lanza was probably autistic, so were two of his victims. The autism community lost Josephine Grey and Dylan Hockley, both young, innocent children whose teachers died trying to save their lives.
Autistic people are about as likely as neurotypicals to become murderers. But we are much more likely than NTs to become murder victims.
There are also many examples of pro-social behavior among autistic people. I remember, some time ago, a story about a young man with autism who died saving his family from a house fire. I have also read about several autistic people who are human-rights activists, often anti-bullying activists. Autistics who spend a lot of time trying to help others or improve the world usually have a very strong sense of fairness and social justice, and they refuse to see one human being as worth more than another. Because they're autistic, that comes naturally to them.
When an autistic person murders someone, that event is highly publicized. But one in a hundred people is autistic; just by chance, one in a hundred murderers will be autistic.
When an autistic person spends time and effort or even takes risks to help others, any news story tends to be a fluffy human-interest piece, and most of the time there's no news story at all--why bother to report on everyday things, like an autistic child who physically steps between a younger classmate and a bully, knowing very well that it'll get him beaten up? No reporter even learns about it, but it happens.
When an autistic person kills someone, it's headline news. When an autistic person quietly goes on his way, helping others, improving his little corner of the world, no one particularly notices. Not that we really care; such attention is something most introverts, shy folks, and socially awkward folks would rather avoid.
We're not defenseless against accusations of being potential mass murderers, though. I often see our NT friends, families, and spouses defending us against accusations like that, whether in newspaper editorials, scientific research that describes the (average and completely functional) moral reasoning of autistic people, or just in their everyday lives, speaking up for us. The people who know us personally know that we're not killers and are often pretty angry that we're getting accused of it.
Unfortunately, we live in a society obsessed with violence and death. Headlines almost never get made when people do good things for one another, yet when someone robs a bank, starts a riot, kills someone, bombs something, or whatever, they get instant media attention.
ASPartOfMe
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14 Mar 2014, 3:31 am
Yes, the occasional bigot is going to use Newtown as an excuse. It's easier for them to say, "This mass murderer must have been crazy," than to face the fact that an average, completely sane human being can become a mass murderer by choosing to give in to hate. That's a scary thing that many people don't want to face, but it's true.
We should also remember that, while Adam Lanza was probably autistic, so were two of his victims. The autism community lost Josephine Grey and Dylan Hockley, both young, innocent children whose teachers died trying to save their lives.
Autistic people are about as likely as neurotypicals to become murderers. But we are much more likely than NTs to become murder victims.
There are also many examples of pro-social behavior among autistic people. I remember, some time ago, a story about a young man with autism who died saving his family from a house fire. I have also read about several autistic people who are human-rights activists, often anti-bullying activists. Autistics who spend a lot of time trying to help others or improve the world usually have a very strong sense of fairness and social justice, and they refuse to see one human being as worth more than another. Because they're autistic, that comes naturally to them.
When an autistic person murders someone, that event is highly publicized. But one in a hundred people is autistic; just by chance, one in a hundred murderers will be autistic.
When an autistic person spends time and effort or even takes risks to help others, any news story tends to be a fluffy human-interest piece, and most of the time there's no news story at all--why bother to report on everyday things, like an autistic child who physically steps between a younger classmate and a bully, knowing very well that it'll get him beaten up? No reporter even learns about it, but it happens.
When an autistic person kills someone, it's headline news. When an autistic person quietly goes on his way, helping others, improving his little corner of the world, no one particularly notices. Not that we really care; such attention is something most introverts, shy folks, and socially awkward folks would rather avoid.
We're not defenseless against accusations of being potential mass murderers, though. I often see our NT friends, families, and spouses defending us against accusations like that, whether in newspaper editorials, scientific research that describes the (average and completely functional) moral reasoning of autistic people, or just in their everyday lives, speaking up for us. The people who know us personally know that we're not killers and are often pretty angry that we're getting accused of it.
I have tried to say the same things on occasion but I never did it as well. I will add I am much more concerned about the fearful obsession over Newtown by Autistic's then I am about the people using it to bully. If Newtown did not happen the bullies would have found something else to try and get at us. To the rest of the world the Peter Lanza interview if they care about it at all this is a one or two day story. Here the December 2012 massacre remains a topic that is discussed almost daily.
When the massacre was first linked to Aspergers I was worried about a backlash but saw what Callista saw and was relieved. I would be very fearful if there is a future spree of incidents of mass violence by committed by people who happen to be on the spectrum.
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14 Mar 2014, 5:28 am
You take my mind to Madeleine McCan.. It is deemed socially acceptable for doctors to leave their 4-year old home alone to look after you 2-year old twins if you and your husband are well-educated doctors.
I am pretty sure the story would have had a totally different ending for the parents had they been mere street cleaners.
Have to agree here. Not that I don't care but neither do I follow news. I tend to get news bulleting when listening to the radio IF it is on. My first reaction was 'who is Peter Lanza''? Come to think of it I might have heard it mentioned in the news.
But when I hear they has been another killing spree in the US or even here in Europe I sort of sigh.
For whatever made the person do it society is never to blame. We live in a blame culture. It's only gonna get worse.
14 Mar 2014, 6:28 am
Well, firstly we have no idea if he actually had autism. His brother said he thought he might have had it, but most NTs know next to nothing about autism so I don't think that's worth very much.
If there was going to be any backlash, it would have been immediate. The shooting was a long time ago, it isn't current any more and nobody really cares, unless they were directly affected. So no, stop worrying.
14 Mar 2014, 6:29 am
I think we are past that by now.
None of the kids in the regular school I started attending,
who all know I'm autistic has made any remarks along those
lines. And they would if it occurred to them.
I would think most people realize Lanza's autism had nothing to do with it.
Him being a homicidal psychopath is what caused that to happen.
Sweetleaf
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14 Mar 2014, 10:52 am
In highschool people thought I was someone who might bring a gun to school and shoot everyone, I was informed of this during a lockdown in which someone with a gun came in the school as if that wasn't bad enough. So people thinking weird people or people with varying disorders are to blame for these incidents is nothing new and we're sure to hear more when the next mass shooting makes it onto the news.
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14 Mar 2014, 11:47 am
The scary thing is that actual psychopaths who do take guns and shoot people, often seem very normal beforehand. They're often not the "weird" and "creepy" people at all. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that many mass murderers *are* normal. They've just made different choices.
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