marjaerwin

I don’t think that Autism represents a Neanderthal neurotype in a Modern-dominated society.

(Which is what Leif Ekblad at rdos.net proposed.)

But I do think Autism could be some past population’s neurotype, and a lot of neurodiversity and gender diversity could represent some past populations’ social dynamics.

And I do think the Upper Paleolithic revolution, the emergence of abstract art, representational art, and possibly of language, could come from the back-and-forth of neurodiversity and gender diversity after distinct human populations contacted each other.

Autism is underdiagnosed, but there seems to be as much neurodiversity and gender diversity in all human populations, so if these come from different past human populations, then they were different human populations in Africa, among the main ancestors of Modern Homo sapiens sapiens.

Apparently neurotypical people get less sensitive to repeating and/or continuous noise. I get more sensitive to repeating and/or continuing noise.

Apparently neurotypical people don’t see pain when they see flashing lights. I see pain when I see flashing lights.

Apparently neurotypical people are less sensitive to noise on a narrower bandwidth. I may be more sensitive to noise on a narrower bandwidth. I can’t tell, but beeping noises, and certain singing styles, are especially painful.

Apparently neurotypical people tend to have loudness discomfort levels around 90-100 db. I have a loudness discomfort level between 52-62 decibels, depending on my migraines.

And everything’s built around neurotypical people’s needs, without even knowing about sensory-neurodiverse needs.

(I’m including non-religion within religious diversity here.)

First, neurological differences affect whether and what kinds of religious experiences people have. Epilepsy is an obvious example - Harriet Tubman had epilepsy, and there’s speculation that Paul had epilepsy.

Second, our language doesn’t really help describe either extraordinary religious experiences or everyday neurodivergent experiences, and our society uses the same ableist concepts to dismiss both. I have sensory differences, and chronic illness leading to extreme sensory hypersensitivity, and getting beaten up with sensory bombardment hurts worse than getting beaten up with fists and feet and clubs. I have tried to talk about this, but I often get dismissed as “ranting” or “exaggerating” or my descriptions get dismissed as “inappropriate” or “nonsensical.” I just want abled people to stop beating us up.

I believe that we must do more to treat autism and to investigate its causes. It is particularly tragic that the incidence of autism seems to be increasing dramatically while we do not have sufficient understanding of what causes the illness. We must pursue an aggressive research agenda to identify causes of autism while continuing to support better treatment for autism victims.

How on earth do you reach these people and make it clear that no, we do not want them to exterminate us, no, we do not regard ourselves as victims of our selfhood, no, no, NO!

(it's impossible to use our old logins, and it's impossible to register for new ones - perhaps some kind of software incompatability? - but it will not send the email to reset my password for my old account and will not send the email to set up my new account either.)

I thought I'd comment on these posts:

http://boingboing.net/2011/08/15/empirical-manners-towards-a-science-of-harmonious-norms.html

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/08/rewilding-etiquette.html

There are some nice ideas in there. But there are some nice-seeming ideas with vicious consequences too.

(on the primate level, how do eye contact, physical contact, and stance etc. contribute to establishing trust when meeting a stranger? You can study that)

They define neurotypicals as the norm, and everyone else as the other. A society which expects eye contact is a society which creates a neurodiverse underclass and defines that underclass as shifty and untrustworthy. A society which expects eye contact is likely to blind itself to the injustice, the apartheid, it creates in doing so.

This time, the Guardian is insisting that somethings wrong with us when we don't have superhuman abilities. Look, I have nothing against people who can read people's faces, tones, etc. but they often misread other people, they often assume other people have the same abilities, and - moving from vice to viciousness - they say we are less than human if they realize we lack the same abilities.

This is all in an article on botox. I am no apologist for the industry. I just don't like it when people demonize us in order to go after someone else.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/17/botox-empathise-tanya-l-chartrand

P.S. I really ought to recommend "Autism and Empathy" for those of you who missed it the first time. Obviously, autistic people aren't the only people marginalized by neurotypical supremacists and their dehumanization:

http://www.autismandempathy.com/

I don't know what happened.

I am not going to offer up another inevitably-embellished version of what happened.

I just want to say that not everyone can read minds. An awful lot of the commentary seems to assume that EG should have anticipated with RW was thinking, or should have inferred what RW was thinking from something she may have implied but not stated, from her tone of voice, or from her body language.

I hate to say this but some of you are establishing a standard that people without mind-reading skills are automatically creeps. We, people without mind-reading skills, deal with a world where we are judged as bad people, as morally inferior, as less worthwhile, as people who should be shunned and forced from society, as people who are less trustworthy, as something which should be wiped from existence. We are beaten for who we are.

Some of my best friends are Aspies. I know full well they have the same capacity for empathy as any other human being. When supposed experts like Baron-Cohen claim that autistic folks are incapable of empathy, the supposed experts reveal that they themselves are unwilling to extend empathy to those different from themselves.

Our society is run by neurotypicals for neurotypicals, and treats neurominorities as perpetual outsiders. It judges people by eye contact, facial expression, and tone of voice. It excludes those of us who find eye contact stressful or facial expressions unreadable, and it dehumanizes us to justify that exclusion.

Our society is run by people who regard neurodiversity as disease, and wish to find ways to prevent it. But it is the diversity of minds and the diversity of perspectives which makes society most creative, most dynamic, most driven to overcome its injustices and find greater justice. And makes society most free for the remainder. If you abolish autism, you are abolishing your own empathy for autistics, and you will make life hell for those on the edge of autism.

I am angry here. You should be angry too.

http://www.autismandempathy.com/?p=9

http://www.questioningtransphobia.com/?p=3833

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Entries tagged with neurodiversity

Remember the Neanderthal theory?

Some Sensory Processing Differences (from Personal Experience)

A Couple Thoughts on Religous Diversity and Neurodiversity

I wrote to my congresscritter to condemn the combating autism act, and got this in his reply:

Since Boing Boing hosed their comment system ...

Neurotypical supremacism is everywhere and it is dangerous

Obligatory "Elevator Guy" Post

No to dehumanization! No to hate! No to neurotypical supremacy!

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April 2025

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