What Should We Do With Autistic People?

Let's all laugh at the Aspie. Or not? You choose.

So, last night at a pub quiz, I was trying to find a name for my team. We usually try and be a bit edgy with our names in the hope of getting a little titter. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's the luck of draw.

I usually check a site called 'Sickipedia' in order to do that. Which is dangerous in itself because, if you've ever been on that site, you know that many of the jokes will be either racist or just plain insensitive. However, for the Cards Against Humanity enthusiasts out there, it's a bit of fun.

Last night, however, I tried something a little different. I looked up jokes about Autism. Just to see what would happen. Now, normally when someone makes a joke about Autism I can stand it. If it's funny and I haven't heard it before I will laugh. If it's just plain offensive, I'll probably just hit you.

Because, as with everything, there's a very fine line between being funny and just being a dick about things.

For example: This is a joke.

"Breaking News: Listening to Queen can cause Autism. Because of the high Mercury content".

This is not a joke:

"Vaccines cause Autism. It's basically a disease that causes you to become a brainless zombie in need of constant attention and a slap round the head".

See the difference?

Despite the fact they both kind of implicate the same thing, one is certainly a joke because of the wordplay. Given I'm Autistic and Queen is my favourite band, I couldn't help but clap this one. However, the second statement I put up is just ignorance. And there are people around the world who believe this too. Which is dangerous. Even America's dickhead supreme, Donald Trump, has referred to Autism as an 'epidemic' during a debate because of the use of vaccines.

So back to the question. Can we make jokes about Autism?

Here's my take.

Yes. I think you should be able to. As long as they're clever and sensitive.

The human race has this innate ability to laugh at itself and make jokes at others expense so why should that stop with Autism?

Now, as I say, you'll have to be careful with it because it is a very touchy subject for most people. Myself included. Now, my housemate often calls Autism a disease. But this is purely because he knows I hate that and I know he's saying it ironically. He knows it doesn't and I know he knows it doesn't so that's fine. However, if a random stranger came up to me in the street and said it to me, I may well end up in a police station...

The Big Bang Theory is quite obviously the closest thing to someone poking fun at Autism on television because of the character Sheldon Cooper. He is without doubt Autistic and it's so obvious that it hurts. However, they tackle his Autism in a very sensitive and delicate way. While he has many Autistic traits they put his behaviour down more to his own sense of self-importance rather than his Autism itself. Which I find very refreshing. Not only that, being ASD myself, I can relate to a lot of what he says and does. There are still social situations I find myself agreeing with Sheldon on and this is what makes it great for me to watch the show because, finally, we have a credible Autistic role model on TV. Jim Parsons, in my eyes, is a fantastic actor and plays the character with such sensitivity as well which makes it even better. And I think much the same of Mayim Bialik playing Amy Farrah-Fowler.

But the Big Bang Theory is only thing in a world of shows. Obviously, many people assume that Autistic people are like the main character from Rain Man because they've seen certain things that all point in that direction. While this is somewhat frustrating for me and, maybe, others, we should tolerate that and put it down to "well, at least they're trying to understand it".

What we shouldn't tolerate is when people try to suggest that Autism is a medical condition that can be contracted by a vaccine. Someone saying that angers me on a molecular level because it makes it seem that what I have is trivial and can easily be taken away.

It can't. Trust me. I spent 4 years between the ages of 10 and 14 trying to work out how and it can't be done.

Autism is not like Ebola or the Zika virus. It's not an epidemic or a pandemic that can treated with drugs and antivirals until it no longers exists.

AND IT CANNOT BE CURED BY SHOVING A CHLORINE DIOXIDE ENEMA UP YOUR CHILD'S BOTTOM. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS NEEDS TO BE SAID BUT IT'S APPARENTLY SPREAD TO THE UK SO I FEEL I HAVE TO.

I could go on and on about how I hate the anti-vaxxers rhetoric and how they're putting their children at risk but I shan't. I don't want to bore you. I will say this though.

If you're an anti-vaxxer and your main reasoning for not giving your child's vaccines is because you think it'll give them Autism, you are not a loving parent. You are not a loving parent and you're not a good one either because that's basically saying "I don't want to give my children potentially life saving treatment in the slight chance my child is diagnosed with Autism in the future. I would rather my child die than have Autism".

How is that loving? How is that being a loving parent if you'd rather put your own beliefs before your children's lives? Good luck trying to justify your decision was right when your child is on their deathbed dying from Measles or something.

If you're an anti-vaxxer because you have genuine concerns about the chemicals and the chemicals alone (which I'm sure are the majority), I have no issue with you. I can get along happily with you but it's when you put your child at risk for the sake of an Autism diagnosis that I think you're an arsehole.

The danger of this kind of rhetoric turns Autism and ASDs into an industrial problem which it most surely isn't. It's a personal problem for those who have it and for the immediate family of those who have it. To dangerously align something like vaccinations to Autism leads to a very dangerous downward spiral in creating stigma and prejudice against those with ASD.

I'm not proud of this but, one day at school, a boy who was in my friendship group at the time continually made very derogatory comments about children with Autism while I was around. He was giving them names such as "zombies", "braindead" and "freaky braindeads" and I saw red. I lost it. I grabbed his throat and threw him against a nearby wall shouting at him for saying such things. Like I say, I'm not proud of doing that, but he didn't do it again while I was around.

I'm not suggesting that's how we should deal with these people. I was 13 at the time, he didn't know I had ASD and I was full of raging hormones. What I am suggesting, however, it disprove these arseholes but using words rather than actions. While I still do get physically angry when I see or hear someone use similar rhetoric, self-control is key because, at the end of the day, it's what they believe.

In Western society; we love free speech. But here's the thing. You have the right to free speech and that's fine. But just because you have that right to free speech, it doesn't protect you from the right to be criticised. If you say something like that, you need to be challenged. Not only because there's tonnes of scientific research proving you wrong but because you need to be challenged to avoid perpetuating a very damaging rhetoric for those who have it. Words can be used to create hate. We've seen it all through history against the Jews and other disabled groups and we're seeing it now with Muslims in the light of the so-called Islamic State's prominence. With the right words and the right advocates at the right time, you can make a group sub-human.

Being Autistic, I feel a kinship with others who have it too. And, for me, it almost feels like we're a collective with a pathweb. If one of us is badly treated, it feels like a personal attack on the rest of us. I can't explain why that's the case where I'm concerned but it does. Which is why I'd rather dedicate my life trying to eradicate anti-vaccination rhetoric against Autism and stupid "treatments" like MMS rather than stay quiet. Not everyone with Autism has the ability to fight or speak for themselves so I'd rather help and defend them as someone who can.

One person with Autism I've met is also non-verbal. Most people would assume he's not very clever, social or even capable of many things. However, and I mean this, he is one of the cleverest, well-spoke and most erudite people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Another young man I know who has Aspergers is one of the maddest, craziest and happy people I know. However, his approach to his Aspergers puts me to shame. He takes it in his stride all the time and loves the fact he's unique and different. When I was much younger, I was the complete opposite. So it's refreshing to see someone have this attitude.

And, to balance things slightly, I've known a young lady with Autism since were both very young. And she's also mad, bonkers and strange. But she's still one of the most amazing people I have the pleasure to know.

If you see someone say that Autism is caused by vaccines, laugh at them and tell them they're dead wrong. If you see someone say Autism is a disease, laugh at them and call them dead wrong. Because they are. And, if you see a joke about Autism, laugh! So long as it's tasteful and not offensive. Because we have to make light of situations like these in order to cope. The human race is weird and wonderful and people with Autism and ASD are one corner in that weird and wonderful cacophony of stories.

So what should we do with Autistic people? Accept them. Help them. Not demonise them.

I can't believe we're in the 21st century and that needs to be said...