Call this a crashout or call it just an unnecessary vent, but don't put in the paper that I'm mad. I don't want people to know I'm mad. I didn't get mad. That's what you write. "I did not get mad at an anonymous stranger on Twitter with a default avatar who only replies via ragebait to people rebutting right-wing circlejerkers." Write that. I'll do the Apple Paperback article when I get to it, man.
Of course, joking aside, I am disabled. I'd been diagnosed with autism at six years old. Besides the social impairment, it's gotten in the way of one or two job opportunities: I recall applying for a job at an autism care center where I would be helping out autistic kids. Having the disability myself, I thought I'd be a good addition to the team, to hear the kids out and understand their needs and what they want to do there, whether chill out or play on the jungle gym they had in the building. Unfortunately, they denied my application almost immediately, but never do they specify for what. I have all the makings for this job! I've done work with kids before, but is it simply the fact that I'm autistic myself the reason for me not being chosen, or were they looking for someone with a background in education, or maybe someone older? It's all sorts of speculation that I blame on my disability, but never anything concrete.
To follow this up, I had gone to interview for a swim school, helping out young elementary schoolers learn to swim. They had me shadow a class for the day, where we had an autistic boy not ready to jump in yet because he was overstimulated with the temperature change from the warm air to the cool water. It must have taken him about five minutes to get him in, with his dad watching through the window, prodding him and being visibly frustrated with his son's supposed resistance. After he had settled in and class was over, the instructor told me his situation, to which I responded with something like "Oh, yeah, I have autism too! He was just overstimulated and needed a bit more reassurance into the water...maybe by moving in slower than a cannonball." We did another class, the instructor talked to me a bit less that time, I showered, changed, and left.
I did not get the job.
It's incredibly strange that, especially in a learning or care environment, that people with autism are turned away from a job simply because of stigma regarding their disability. In some ways, you have to know what you're talking about before you practice what you preach. And damn, if I didn't know autism all too well by growing up with it and having been in a special needs class for much of elementary and some of secondary, I could have been a textbook definition for the person a job like this entails. It's the sort of stigma that fuels hatred and prejudice, not on the level of much more common sources of unsolicited commentary, but similarly arisen from historical events and situations that also come from a deliberate lack of understanding.
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| Yes? And what of it? |
Maybe it's because slt_crusher1 (@CrusherSlt26527) made a correct-ish observation, that I would have been considered "retarded" some 50~ years ago, but as someone actively working on my bachelor's at a Big Ten school, this comes across as incredibly rude when one acts blindly, as is shown. This sort of behavior has skyrocketed since Elon Musk's purchase, with an invitation to ridicule those seen as being progressive or even "different". I'd wanted to analyze the concept of "The Other" in film and its origins as both an evolutionary explanation for why we fear monsters both in mythology and in the movies, but additionally in a sociological sense as a way to move prejudice towards a stronger and deadlier version of itself.
Lynch's The Elephant Man explains it pretty well, talking about Joseph Merrick and "The Other" conflicting with his own beliefs and ways of life: his physical disability as well as his appearance contributed towards his own misunderstanding as a member of society, with deliberate lack of respect for him and others like him only being able to survive based on his appearance. Though, unlike Merrick's condition, commonly believed in modern times to be Proteus syndrome, autism is seen as an "invisible disability", where much of the changes are under the surface. By contrast, instead of being ridiculed for what you appear as, you are instead ridiculed for what you say or propose, both as a method to calm yourself and as a way to create conversation.
Additionally, the guy I was replying to also implied the negative aspect of disability, utilizing a screen of Eric Cartman from the South Park episode "Up The Down Steroid" captioned "CHAMPION!" Of course, it's interesting that this episode is being discussed, because it's made incredibly apparent through the show that Cartman is not a role model or someone that is to be seen as a good person. Cartman's actions to take part in the Special Olympics were out of greed, with his able (or as able as he could be) body to be an advantage to the actually disabled athletes competing, including Jimmy. The Special Olympics themselves have a parallel history to the Paralympics, with athletes of all stripes competing alongside being a recognized Olympic organization, though the SO beats out the Paralympics by about 20 or so years.
Conservatives using South Park as a gimmick to harass or discredit those they deem "The Other" is nothing new, but it goes against what the show stands for: satire is something that, and I really don't want to quote the meme of the guy in the tank top, requires a form of clarity and understanding of what is being discussed to understand its point. Media literacy is quite low right now, with many in the world misunderstanding the intent of satire: to seek to point out the flaws in society and raise awareness through usage of humor. If you are to blindly accuse everything that Cartman does as "right" or "morally correct", then I am afraid you and I are not watching the same program to come to that conclusion.
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| What a jerk! |
It should come as no surprise that I'm autistic. I yap about boomershit anime and some weird ass Marvel thing from the early 90s. If you give me some kinda podium to talk about what I want, on my own time, to nobody in particular, I'll grab that opportunity and domain name when I can. The word "retarded" doesn't offend me, but it belittles the struggle of many people like and unlike me in a variety of ways, implying that some sort of fire of life has been snuffed out. To use it as a catchy "offensive" insult like another term used towards LGBTQ+ individuals might paint me as the friend who's too woke, but I don't think we should assume one's disability or sexual/gender preference through a computer screen, especially towards someone who's deliberately trying to remain anonymous, even if you're deliberately anonymous yourself through opportunistic and fraudulent means.
And I don't care if you're doing this as a gotcha for your favorite neo-Nazi or similarly hateful golden calf! Tolerate your fellow man. Love thy neighbor. Love the world and one day it will love you back. Look beyond the forest where the cabin is and see what the city has in store. Some other analogy for this paragraph. I've given too much time and thought to someone who has never had a thought to stand by himself on his own profile. It's all gotcha's, working off someone else's observations. Instead of making blind "edgy" assumptions, have something interesting to say for yourself that makes you feel good about yourself. Loathing drives a man further than the grave.
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Editorial note 3/24/25: This particular phenomenon of word choice has been observed and described by @jaycaspiankang, @dieworkwear (best known as the Menswear Guy) and @Sturgeons_Law in a much simpler and contemporarily political manner, it reflects a broader shift of those in political power "vice signaling" towards followers to enlist continued "The Other"-ism. I've been in bad shape for the last few days for reasons unrelated to this post (I've heard much worse) but look forward to seeing a rather sentimental new article soon. I would appreciate the support.
