Published on 12, July, 2020
I've always been a bit of a rebel, I don't think it's just about being autistic, but it helps, I was brought up in quite a political family, not party political, but just interested, social injustice infuriates me. I've been involved with so many causes over the years, the womens movement, anti-nukes, animal rights, anti apartied. Now I find that every cause is on social media which I can't do, nor can I go out on the streets protesting like I used too.
I still have the urge to be involved there are so many things worth fighting for, the planet being the biggest one, is anyone else involved in activism?
I would love to at some point get involved in advocacy for our autistic community, but maybe it’s just me who thinks that activism is different in that it is political?
AA, I think it's hard to be an activist for anything without it being political and advocating for people who are unable to advocate for themselves will become political. By political I mean political with a small P, not big P parties and demonstrations etc. As an advocate you will be banging your head against entrenched institutional biases, many oif which will need to be challenged through the courts and/or legislation.
I'm not just a political rebel though, I seem to be a rebel in so many area's, rebellion comes naturally to me even when I'm not trying. When I was at school I led my class and then it spread to several others on strike, it was interesting as the teachers had recently been on strike themselves and didn't have a moral leg to stand on and they knew it.
Being a person who asks questions seem to make me be seen as rebellious, like asking why if someones in an army prison and about to be dishonourable discharged they follow all the rules nad the punnishing regime? My response would to being told to get up at 5:30 for a run would be a No with a few more Ffs in it. When I asked some of my friends about this they said 'because they make you', I asked how, what could they do to me?
TheCatWoman said:AA, I think it's hard to be an activist for anything without it being political and advocating for people who are unable to advocate for themselves will become political. By political I mean political with a small P, not big P parties and demonstrations etc. As an advocate you will be banging your head against entrenched institutional biases, many oif which will need to be challenged through the courts and/or legislation.
Yes I understand that as the main focus of advocacy is speaking up about the rights and experiences of (in this case) our community, this is partly what attracts to the advocacy field and also at the same time why I am hesitant to get more involved in such work. I would feel huge responsibility for my fellow neurokin and also at times it could feel quite hopeless and distressing when trying to educate institutions such as the education system who won’t listen or change practices.
At least initially I think I want to support my fellow neurokin understand their autistic profile, learn to self advocate and develop pride in their autistic identity, so more like lived experience peer support.
TheCatWoman said:I'm not just a political rebel though, I seem to be a rebel in so many area's, rebellion comes naturally to me even when I'm not trying. When I was at school I led my class and then it spread to several others on strike, it was interesting as the teachers had recently been on strike themselves and didn't have a moral leg to stand on and they knew it.
That’s great that’s a huge achievement! I know that going against expectations and standing up for what you believe in is not usually encouraged by neuro normative society, but us autistics are very good at it and that’s what eventually leads to change. It’s so important to question everything! After all, many advances in evolution and human life generally are a result of thinking differently.
TheCatWoman said:Being a person who asks questions seem to make me be seen as rebellious, like asking why if someones in an army prison and about to be dishonourable discharged they follow all the rules nad the punnishing regime? My response would to being told to get up at 5:30 for a run would be a No with a few more Ffs in it. When I asked some of my friends about this they said 'because they make you', I asked how, what could they do to me?
Yes I get how people might see you as rebellious but I think just asking questions often provides more clarity for conversation and often a much deeper exploration of topics that wouldn’t have otherwise been achieved. In regards to your army example, we are not likely to accept or make sense of hierarchy for the sake of it!
I've just had a look at the NHS website about digital inclusion, theres a lot of information about what it means, but they admit that 11% of people are digitally excluded and that for some it's lack of affordability and access and that the most excluded groups are the elderly and those with poor mental health. One of the things they failed to mention is that there are quite large pockets where there's little or no reception at all. If there is, you get 'ping, welcome to Ireland', how's that going to help anyone?