Published on 12, July, 2020
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/19/hans-asperger-aided-and-supported-nazi-programme-study-says
I have to say that since I first read Steve Silbermann's book 'Neurotribes' about a year plus ago, I have been wondering if it was entirely the case that Asperger tried to keep his subjects away from the Nazi euthanasia programme. This morning's headline is thus no great surprise. And as Sachs-Cohen and Silbermann have already indicated their belief in the emerging facts, I'm not about to get too emotive about it. Regardless of DSM-5, my diagnostician decided it was still a valid term for an older adult who had lived for some years with some knowledge of that label. And I'm not about to avoid that label, myself. I suppose I might as well be the first person on the forum to ask what happens next, because I would guess that not everyone will be quite so philosophical about it as me. I have to admit, I have never really taken very kindly to 'aspie'. I find it a bit patronising; but I'm now wondering if some of that discomfort is down to the fact that I have sort of half expected that the hero thing was not quite the full story. And Kanner, for all his input, wasn't beyond criticism either.
''Carol Povey, director at the National Autistic Society in the UK’s Centre for Autism, said: “We expect these findings to spark a big conversation among autistic people and their family members, particularly those who identify with the term ‘Asperger’. Obviously no one with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome should feel in any way tainted by this very troubling history.”
I agree with Carol Povey's comment. Completely.
The whole affair is troublesome to say the least. As someone with Jewish heritage I'd have had 2 reasons to worry. Looking at the whole picture though what would have happened if Asperger didn't do the research. I feel for the children that were euthanised. One problem I do have with this piece is that because of Czech's paper Asperger's work might be buried due to the moral dilemmas this may raise in academia.
I'm really not surprised by it though. The Nazi's performed hysterectomys and *** reductions routinely for cruelty and research. They use the techniques today that were born out of those horrors. They basically went wild with research because of the excuses the ideology gave them. I don't see any stigma being implied to people who have these procedures or any mention of the Nazi's that did them. Why should Asperger's be any different? The answer for me is controversy.
The Japanese were terrible too. Unit 731 was a Japanese unit that did medical experimentaton and biological weapons experimentation on large numbers of people in WW2. Their "inventions" killed half a million. The medical techniques they discovered are used today and the biological weapons were of great interest to the allies. The Americans granted many Unit 731 members immunity. Many went on to practice medicine and some carried on the research in allied nations. This bothers me greatly. Asperger gets highlighted (and rightfully so) but people who did experiments on live subjects (I won't detail them here because they are very, very, extreme) and created devastating biological weapons (which were continued to be developed) are never mentioned. The Soviets went after them as criminals but the Americans rolled out the red carpet for them. They also did this for Nazi's they deemed useful.
There have been eugenics issues for Autistic people far more recently. In nations that never get criticized or mentioned. Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark had programs up until the late 70's. The mentally ill, people with PDD's such as Autism, and lots of other "burden's to society". It's never mentioned. These countries should be dragged over the coals. We knew the Nazi's were pieces of *** but why should they get away with it.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/225135
Sweden started in 1906 and didn't stop until 1975.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilisation_in_Sweden?wprov=sfla1
Even more recently Belgium have been allowing people with Autism to "euthanise" themselves. Also people with depression, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses. They should be helping people deal with their problems. Maybe they are considered "a burden to society". That's a phrase from facist ideology.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/europes-morality-crisis-euthanizing-the-mentally-ill/2016/10/19/c75faaca-961c-11e6-bc79-af1cd3d2984b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b31509b04502
There are injustices going on right now that are just as bad as Nazi Germany. You won't find them being reported on. We need to stay vigilant.
Some people have already indicated that they no longer wish to use 'Asperger's' and aspie. It makes me wonder if DSM-5 was aware this issue might eventually arise and so sought to replace it with a position on the ASD spectrum. I'm still not feeling particularly condemnatory about this, but I support Cloudy Mountains. With big names signing an editorial in support of Czech, I don't think it will disappear any time soon. I have heard that some people who worked with Asperger in his later life formed the impression he was somewhat aspergic himself. One imagines that might not have been an entirely insignificant factor in such troubled times. One thing that caught my attention was that he seems to have deliberately played up labels indicating high-functioners with the idea that they would be more useful alive to the Third Reich. But he also must have known that those people he deemed less 'useful' were going to be sent to institutions where euthanasia was practiced. And sometimes he was stricter in his classifications than the Nazi administrators of those institutions - although being permitted to survive in such a harsh environment was of extremely dubious worth.
I'm not in disagreement with the term Asperger's being dropped for a place on the spectrum either. I agree with her comment that people that have been given the diagnosis as "Asperger's" or identify as such shouldn't worry.
One thing that did stand out for me was the part in the article where Czech was quoted as saying........
“Asperger refused to acknowledge the reality of anti-Jewish persecution by the Nazi regime; this indifference is visible both during and after the war,” said Czech.
The historian admitted that his findings might well be painful for autistic people and their families to digest, but said he was obliged to reveal them. (as a person with Jewish heritige and ASD I find it offensive that he is using both Jews and Autism as currency for his career, what does Asperger's opinion have to do with a diagnosis made on a person with nothing to do with Asperger's opinion and their families? It's not like they are Nazi!)
“It would have been wrong for me to have withheld this information, however difficult it might be to hear,” he said. “At the same time, there is no evidence to show his contributions to autism research were tainted by his problematic role during National Socialism. So purging the term Asperger from the medical lexicon would not be helpful. Rather, this should be an opportunity to look at the past and learn lessons from it.”
Earlier in the article it says........
In his 43-page paper, Czech is deeply critical of authors in the English-speaking world, who he accused, over decades, of perpetuating a “predominantly apologetic narrative” of Asperger, “based on the limited range of sources available to them”. He also criticised Uta Frith, considered one of the UK’s leading autism experts, saying she had barely mentioned Nazism in her 1991 book Asperger and His Syndrome, which he believed had been instrumental in establishing the common view that Asperger had “defended his patients against the Nazi regime at great personal risk”, when the opposite had been the case, Czech said. Frith declined to comment for this article.
So it seems Czech finds it OK to defend Asperger's research by his own standard but Frith cannot. He even admits it she was using a "limited range of sources". I'd rather have Frith using her time on research in Autism anyway.
Frith is an expert in Autism, Czech is a not particularly prominent historian from what I can make out. Czech seems like an attention seeker. He could have written the paper on Asperger and not used it as a hit piece on Frith.
Frith has done far more for Autistic people than Czech ever will. Frith has the potential to do more if she isn't dragged through the mud. My fears are already being confirmed! I just hope that this whole thing doesn't affect anything inside of current research!
Shalom aleichem David, I too have Jewish heritage. Some of my family were in Giado. If you know Giado you will know that it was a pretty bad place. The Italians ran Giado. I have read some of your posts concerning this. My Grandfather, his brothers, my grandmothers brothers and cousins all fought in WW2. My grandfather helped liberate Bergen-Belsen so I can understand the issues regarding quite a few things in relation to that dark period.
This really isn't about our Jewish roots or close relationships with people who served or suffered in WW2. It doesn't give us any more of a right to an opinion than anyone else here. I really don't care about the name that is used. The thing that concerns me more is the way that this has caused a lot of pressure on certain big names in Autism research. I'm less concerned about a paper that an obscure Austrian historian has published and bathed in the attention he has got and been an agent provocateur since he got the attention.
Czech really couldn't care less about AS people in my opinion or the name that is used, for all he cares they could call it Baked-Bean-Soda syndrome. He could have just written the paper on Asperger and took the credit for his findings, without naming other researchers.
Tishmor al atzmecha achi
I was born in March 1957 shortly after the war finished less than twelve years afterwards. Most of my teachers fought in World War 2. My Dad could not take part in air raids largely because he was short sighted. He did what he could he plotted air raids on a Map. Most of you were born a long time after the war so you do not understand the issues re Hans Asperger and that dark period in Austria and Germany.
We have a problem they agreed to use his name as Lorna Wing thought he was not a Nazi after one meeting with him. It is now up to the powers that be to decide what to do about it. May be they will replace it with Wing Syndrome.