• Replies 37 replies
  • Subscribers 90 subscribers
  • Views 10588 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Should autistic people campaign for recognition as a distinct part of humanity rather than be labelled as disabled?

NAS71674

I have stories previously of other groups of people such as Irish gypsies successfully campaigning to be recognised as a distinct subgroup of humanity. Irish gypsies do have a distinct culture (they are wonderful people if you knew them) but they are quite a bit closer to most other people than autistic people are. So rather than be classified as a disability (excluding comorbidity like learning disability, depression etc) should autistic people, who generally have a unique way of approaching life (that is common across most autistic people) campaign for the same thing? In my opinion I don't consider us to have a disability, I think we are really just a very different type of human being with a common identity among all of us who share the so called disability. What are your thoughts?

Parents

  • Intersectionality is great great way to slice a population into infinitely smaller victim groups - it's promoted heavily these days as a fashionable method of divide and conquer.

    Once everyone is categorised and labelled, you set off the Hunger Games by dramatically reducing funding and get out the popcorn.     And people will not see it coming....: Smiley

  • in reply to Plastic

    I can't disagree more. Its not a victims group. I have to live life as an NT and do all the things they do, get sucked into games and politics they play that puts me at a severe disadvantage because I'm not built for that and its like asking a cat to fly or someone from a jungle tribe to work as an accountant in the city. It doesn't work but just because it doesn't, does not mean they are lesser or disabled. They are just a different kind of human being. We just aren't built for it. However just because we are not built like NT's doesn't mean we are disabled (because we aren't like them) (I am obviously excluding autistic s with learning disability tc. Autism seems not not exist in isolation) . I can live a perfectly functional normal life if I can live how I am built to live. So recognising that as meaning I am a different type of human being to NT's rather than saying im dysfunctional because I am not like them is a step in a direction of advance for humanity. 

Reply
  • in reply to Plastic

    I can't disagree more. Its not a victims group. I have to live life as an NT and do all the things they do, get sucked into games and politics they play that puts me at a severe disadvantage because I'm not built for that and its like asking a cat to fly or someone from a jungle tribe to work as an accountant in the city. It doesn't work but just because it doesn't, does not mean they are lesser or disabled. They are just a different kind of human being. We just aren't built for it. However just because we are not built like NT's doesn't mean we are disabled (because we aren't like them) (I am obviously excluding autistic s with learning disability tc. Autism seems not not exist in isolation) . I can live a perfectly functional normal life if I can live how I am built to live. So recognising that as meaning I am a different type of human being to NT's rather than saying im dysfunctional because I am not like them is a step in a direction of advance for humanity. 

Children
  • in reply to NAS71674

    You're talking from a reality point of view, I'm talking politically - and the way that finding ways to separate people is all about divide and conquer.

    You don't *have* to live like an NT-  you *choose* to.    You throw yourself into the frying pan.    There's perfectly nice and acceptable ways to live without playing their games.