Why do you not like an Autistic political party?

Page 1 of 3 [ 33 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

naturalplastic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Age: 69
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,144
Location: temperate zone

10 Mar 2018, 6:37 am

In all fairness (if his profile is correct) he/she is only 14.

Can be forgiven for (a) thinking that his idea is a good idea, and (b)be forgiven for not taking up the burden of proof. I have been trying to get the OP to state why he thinks its a good idea, before he even starts to asks US why we are not enthused by the idea. But that was before I noticed that he was just a junior high kid.

To the OP:it just wouldnt work out the way that you imagine. All autistics band together and form a political party, and then suddenly that party is in the same weight class as the Dems. and the GOP (or Labour, and Conservative, in the UK, or whatever the parties are in whatever country you're in). And then that party does the bidding of autistics going toe to toe with the other two parties, and gives autistics power.

We are less than two percent of the population. So a party consisting of only autistics could (even in theory) only wield power on the scale of any other fringe party (like the Greens, or the Libertarians). And in reality it could never even have THAT tiny amount of power because you could never organize autistics into a united voting bloc like that.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 10 Mar 2018, 6:43 am, edited 2 times in total.

Tequila
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 25 Feb 2006
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 28,897
Location: Lancashire, UK

10 Mar 2018, 6:41 am

naturalplastic wrote:
To the OP:it just wouldnt work out the way that you imagine. All autistics band together and form a political party, and then suddenly that party is in the same weight class as the Dems. and the GOP (or Labour, and Conservative, in the UK, or whatever the parties are in whatever country you're in). And then party does the bidding of autistics.


More likely they become complacent. It depends how much they are minded to care.

Anyway, I detest this bloc voting idea. It's intellectually lazy and, furthermore, often breeds contempt. It's communal politics of the kind we would be best to do away with.



adifferentname
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,885

10 Mar 2018, 10:00 am

Tequila wrote:
adifferentname wrote:
Which party would a gay, black, Jewish person with an autism spectrum disorder join?


That depends on what their philosophy is.


Missing the point of the question, and its intended target.



Raptor
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Mar 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 12,997
Location: Southeast U.S.A.

10 Mar 2018, 1:53 pm

Dylanperr wrote:
Why do most users on this site think an Autistic political party is a bad idea?

It's a goofy idea. We're all over the map on politics here.


_________________
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
- Thomas Jefferson


DarthMetaKnight
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,105
Location: The Infodome

10 Mar 2018, 2:18 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
In all fairness (if his profile is correct) he/she is only 14.


Yeah.

When you grow older, you learn about many organizations which are concerned with universal human rights. An autistic political party is unnecessary.

Plus, banding autistics together under a common cause is like herding cats. It's hard to make autistic people agree on anything. For example, I spend a great deal of time reading about different species of shark. I have difficulty finding other people on the spectrum who are into that sort of thing.


_________________
Synthetic carbo-polymers got em through man. They got em through mouse. They got through, and we're gonna get out.
-Roostre

READ THIS -> https://represent.us/


smudgedhorizon
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 19 Dec 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 293

10 Mar 2018, 5:06 pm

Why not just make a Healthcare party for better health care and for better services for people with disabilities? There would be autistic members as well.

A fully autistic political party will not win in an election because autistic people are a minority, but healthcare applies to everyone.

Edit: that's a stupid idea, too.


_________________
Signature under construction.


sly279
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Dec 2013
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 16,181
Location: US

10 Mar 2018, 5:39 pm

Dylanperr wrote:
Why do most users on this site think an Autistic political party is a bad idea?

It’s probably be labele as a terrorist group and bared from office. Media tried to paint as as dangerous people. What would you call an organization of supposed dangerous people?

Besides that it wouldn’t work aspies are different as this section shows we don’t agree on stuff so a political party couldn’t form as there’s be infighting between its left and right elements



CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,554
Location: Stalag 13

12 Mar 2018, 4:58 pm

Because each person has their own political preferences an and beliefs, whether or not they're autistic.


_________________
Who wants to adopt a Sweet Pea?


shlaifu
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 May 2014
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,659

14 Mar 2018, 8:03 pm

Looking at the successes and failures of certain big movements, forming a single-issue party seems to be the way to failure.
Women's rights and equality have been fairly successfully fought for, comoared to the situation 2 generations ago, while it was not the success of a single women's rights party- no, you can find proponents in all major parties (albeit to differing extent).
Then look at environmentalism - there's green parties in a lot of countries, yet they barely get elected on national levels.
Or internet-rights and issues parties, like the pirate parties of europe. Their issues are essential for the way the internet develops, but they can't get any votes. Not that their issues aren't important, but for almost no voter, this importance outweighs all the other important things.
So, I conclude: if you want something done, don't form a party.
Infiltrate the existing structures, so it doesn't matter which party gets elected, because your issue is an issue for all of them.


_________________
I can read facial expressions. I did the test.


XFilesGeek
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Age: 40
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,031
Location: The Oort Cloud

15 Mar 2018, 5:13 pm

I don't base my politics on my disability.


_________________
"If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced."

-XFG (no longer a moderator)


Pepe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Jun 2013
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 26,635
Location: Australia

21 Mar 2018, 7:49 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:
I don't base my politics on my disability.


I don't either, though my lifestyle and philosophy have altered due to my being on the spectrum...



Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,795
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

22 Mar 2018, 1:26 am

Then there's the simple fact that we on the autistic spectrum are a distinct minority. That would be like trying to form an African American party, or a Muslim American party. There would never be enough votes for autistic spectrum candidates to win elected office, let alone to influence policy.


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


Tross
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jan 2012
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 867

22 Mar 2018, 1:52 am

Because our goal is to reduce marginalization, and to organize along the lines of our disability would be self-marginalization. If you want society to accept us, support a party that will acknowledge our needs. Creating a party of aspies and auties will simply create an us vs them scenario. We need other people on our side, and we won't get that if we exclude others. Also, I don't know what it's like for others with our affliction, but I personally only consider it a small part of my personal identity. I'm an aspie, but I'm plenty of other things too and I'd much rather be known for most of those other aspects of my identity first and foremost.



Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,795
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

22 Mar 2018, 2:01 am

Tross wrote:
Because our goal is to reduce marginalization, and to organize along the lines of our disability would be self-marginalization. If you want society to accept us, support a party that will acknowledge our needs. Creating a party of aspies and auties will simply create an us vs them scenario. We need other people on our side, and we won't get that if we exclude others. Also, I don't know what it's like for others with our affliction, but I personally only consider it a small part of my personal identity. I'm an aspie, but I'm plenty of other things too and I'd much rather be known for most of those other aspects of my identity first and foremost.


^^^
This. 8)


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


Esmerelda Weatherwax
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2017
Age: 69
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,749

22 Mar 2018, 8:26 am

I think the most compelling, and unanswerable, argument against such a party has been made, and is made on a daily basis, by this very subforum.

On the subject of politics or religion, we can't hold a measured, adult conversation here for any length of time before it's disrupted by trolls, and those trolls are members here. Whether they're genuinely ASD, or pestiferous disrupters, or just someone-or-other having a bad day and wanting to share the wealth, I don't know nor do I care; they succeed repeatedly, which means we - as a group - have neither the will nor the wit to identify and simply ignore their efforts. (Edit in: nor are we very good at controlling our urges to take gratuitous swipes at those with whom we disagree. Political orientation irrelevant, this flaw is universal AFAICS - I've succumbed too.)

If we as a group can't keep even a discussion thread civil and focused, how in the name of all that is holy would we manage a political movement?

I don't like what I just typed, not one bit; but I haven't liked observing it here for the past six months, either. :shrug: (And you *did* ask. And I'm Aspie as hell, so I answered. :? )


_________________
"I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people," said the man. "You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides."
-- Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!


The_Walrus
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,811
Location: London

22 Mar 2018, 10:48 am

In this country we have the Women's Equality Party. There are far more women than autistic people, and they're far better at distributing propaganda. Indeed, the WEP has more members than some of the mainstream parties.

They ended up standing in only a handful of seats, won fewer votes than they have members, and didn't get a single seat.

Under a PR system with a threshold, they still wouldn't have got a seat.

What chance does an autistic party have?

Much better to just try and shift the platform of other parties by taking part in their, raising motions at conference, discussing things with other members, etc.