Bullying, Stupidity, and Epistimes

Working in the disability field, bullying is a topic that comes up very often and the surprising aspect of it all is that despite this being the 2020s and bullying no longer being close to cartoon stereotypes, that is still where the discourse is. It is still football players giving wedgies to nerds and IContinue reading “Bullying, Stupidity, and Epistimes”

OnlyFans, Olivia Dunne, and the Dystopia of Contemporary Hottness

Recently, Olivia Dunne has made headlines after her fans got stalky and rabid. Now, the online discourse has surrounded the stupid debate between “boys will be boys” and she is selling her body online and she is a vulnerable woman and this shows how scary men can be. No girl, obviously, deserves to be rapedContinue reading “OnlyFans, Olivia Dunne, and the Dystopia of Contemporary Hottness”

The Autistic Movement: Do I Like it?

No, I don’t like the autistic movement for a lot of reasons. First, they take extreme and untennable positions. Especially, the rejection of any treatment for anything whatsoever. The regarding of every trait as a difference and not a disorder and that it should be afforded the same dignity. They’re not for reducing the scopeContinue reading “The Autistic Movement: Do I Like it?”

How to Run a Special Needs Ministry

My first piece of advice when running a group for people with special needs or any mental health condition is contrary to the typical rhetoric surrounding these things in contemporary culture. The first rule of safe spaces are to set boundaries and expect delicacy. That’s a problem for the obvious reasons that when handling mentalContinue reading “How to Run a Special Needs Ministry”

Clubtown: The Ridiculous Non-Innocence of Charleston, South Carolina

Watching Trevor Noah, I would often notice him saying things like “You know when you’re out in the club” as if it was normal to party like a frat boy for everyone. He, nor his ilk, or much of the pop culture, purveys the gentler culture. Poetry slams, improv shows, period dress-up parties, and moreContinue reading “Clubtown: The Ridiculous Non-Innocence of Charleston, South Carolina”

Honor, Liberalism, and Moral Stature

When nerdy good boys are delinquents and drunk cokehead playboys are model citizens. The end of virtue ethics and the rise of liberal consent. It was Martin Luther King’s dream that a pluralistic society would judge based on character and not superficial characterisitcs but liberalism decided that character meant a thick good and was incompatibleContinue reading “Honor, Liberalism, and Moral Stature”

Are Autism Experts Experts in Autism?

No, I recently had an email exchange with a psychology professor at the College of Charleston who specialized in autism and it didn’t go well. I was working with her on creating sensory-safe parties and other special needs support on campus. I’m not going to recount it all here but that would be tangential. TheContinue reading “Are Autism Experts Experts in Autism?”

How Autistic Am I?

Very. Yet, I am not of the most common subtype. I share plenty of traits with them with the most common subtypes. I make deep connections with people quickly and am much less censored in my topics of conversation. I memorize social rules much more than I read social cues. I tend to come acrossContinue reading “How Autistic Am I?”

Giving Toxic Relationships Happy Endings

It used to be a cliché that bad boys were faustian bargains and ultimately girls would be hurt by them. In the last few decades, they did a Taylor Swift and rewrote the ending so that Edward Cullen and Christian Grey, bad boys with so many red flags they may as well have been Soviet,Continue reading “Giving Toxic Relationships Happy Endings”

Applied Behavioral Analysis: An Autistic Perspective

ABA is not the most effective means of reducing problemaic behaviors in autistic people. It is not useless and it is a tool that should be used but, let’s be clear, it is not a great means to treat most autism. The most effective means is trial and error in the context of social immersionContinue reading “Applied Behavioral Analysis: An Autistic Perspective”