The very concept of punishment is primitive and stupid. When I was in my high school gay-straight alliance, there was a general push for anti-bullying policies and, despite my being the victim of worse bullying than most of them, I would never have wanted to press charges in the school conduct system, much less, legally.Continue reading “Nobody Deserves Anything: The Menu of Punishment or Atonement”
Tag Archives: autism
Rawls & Disability
John Rawls’ principal aim was to design a perfect liberalism. In doing so, he undermined liberalism in many ways, and in one particular area he failed to even protect interest groups directly with his philosophy. The prejudice experienced by people with disabilities is like high school prejudice well into adulthood. The average adult would neverContinue reading “Rawls & Disability”
The Dark Side of Autism
Ariana Grande, in her piece, Thirteen Reasons Why, said she was trying to be so “real”. The revenge fantasy followed too many stereotypes to be real. The plot was a Nancy Grace “True Crime” episode about a victimized suburban white girl. As a religious man, I can say that God weeps just as much forContinue reading “The Dark Side of Autism”
Trauma and Autism
For therapy to be effective it is usually required that the cuases of one’s trauma be sympathetic. If they refect upon one’s reputation unsympathetically then it is sometimes almost impossible to get effective treatment. Many of the earliest articles on this blog concerned themselves with the overreaction to minor social mistakes. A serious reason forContinue reading “Trauma and Autism”
Autism & Empathy
One commonly cited symptom of autism is our apparent lack of empathy. It conveys the idea that we’re hard, STEM-oriented, robots without the capacity for human connection. The fact is, while there are large portions of the autistic population who don’t compensate for their low oxytocin and other sympathetic neurochemical levels with other means ofContinue reading “Autism & Empathy”
The System To Handle Bullying
When I expound on my history of being bullied, my tactics regarding how I handled it are almost universally objected to. That of peer-to-peer diplomacy as opposed to beating them up or involving vice principals or the police. The idea that I forgave them is also either shocking to or opposed by them. Yet, ironically,Continue reading “The System To Handle Bullying”
The “Music” Movie: Another Autistic Evisceration of it
Many of my compatriots on the spectrum have lambasted the movie for many reasons. It seemed to be an attempt at adapting the horrendous 1970s-set 2003 movie “Radio” to low-functioning autism and using digital music instead of handheld radios. The movie posits that autistic people are childish, awe-filled, people with preschool imaginations filled with lollipopsContinue reading “The “Music” Movie: Another Autistic Evisceration of it”
Autism Advocacy: Was This My First Choice in Politics?
The answer to that question is no. My first major foray into politics was the Obama campaign in 2008 and my first major protest was Occupy Wall Street in 2011. Neither of those concerned themselves, in any significant capacity, with disability rights. My views on the anti-bullying movement back then were cynical because while IContinue reading “Autism Advocacy: Was This My First Choice in Politics?”
Do Neurotypicals Have Social Skills?
As someone with autism, it is always taken for granted that neurotypicals have excellent social skills and I should aspire to one day attain their level of acumen in that field. In earlier blogs, I have mentioned how society treats a lack of social skills, those resulting in offensive or otherwise abnormal behaviors, asContinue reading “Do Neurotypicals Have Social Skills?”
Advocacy and Self-Pity: How to Avoid the Latter While Doing the Former
As an extrovert with an expertise in communications and politics, it is a civic duty that I represent my people and my best utilities to do that include my own personal experiences and using them means telling sob stories from my personal history. In doing so, I feel less emotional about them than I’mContinue reading “Advocacy and Self-Pity: How to Avoid the Latter While Doing the Former”
The Autistic Resistance 