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Autism and Cinema An exploration of neurodiversity

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ASPartOfMe
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15 Sep 2021, 9:50 am

At the Barbican Theater, London, UK Thu 16—Tue 28 Sep 2021

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2021/series/autism-and-cinema-an-exploration-of-neurodiversity

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This season debates new ideas arising from the relationship between autism and cinema.


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Fnord
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15 Sep 2021, 9:52 am

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Typically, cinema has depicted characters with autism from the outside, looking in with fascination at a high-functioning or magical character who throws out of joint the 'neurotypical' lives of those around them.
In other words, "Inspiration Porn" -- The objectification of disabled people for the entertainment and inspiration of nondisabled people.


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AnomalousAspergian
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26 Sep 2021, 6:38 am

As much as I hate the term 'inspiration porn' I would have to agree. Although I always see there sorts of cultural advertisements of autism as part of a wider web that is postmodernism.

The postmodern understanding of autism as part of an acceptance of phenomenological and ontological variation which is actually not something I oppose. However, I oppose postmodernism as a whole, which is so prevalent in the arts and culture, due to it's assertion that every single perspective is equal to another (even the whacky ones like witchcraft and homeopathy). As a result, it is allergic to facts, demonises science as part of the evil rationality which is to the postmodernist irredeemable. It's basically part of the reason why the far-right and conspiracy theories are resurging because postmodernists see everything as a narrative of which identity is a part of. While the last point is basically true, postmodernists think it gives them a license to relativism and a very dispiriting view of human nature and society.

Sorry if that's going off on a tangent but this is what I see everytime I see things like this 'inspiration porn', particularly in regards to autism, but also in regards to other minority groups. I find it patronising.