Considered acceptable to target those with Asperger's/Autism

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GiantHockeyFan
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10 Aug 2012, 5:33 pm

benr3600 wrote:
nrau wrote:
That's actually part of my issue. I don't think it's considered acceptable in any walk of life to even poke fun at somebody who is legitimately ret*d. Yet it's perfectly A-ok to have open season on ASD.


I'll never understand this one. We had a kid in elementary school who had severe mental retardation (I'm all for integration but this poor kid had no business in a regular class) and it was a BIG no-no for anyone to insult him in any way. However for me it was open season. They go after easy targets but the easiest of all is a HUGE faux pas. Don't get me wrong: I'd rather me than him but what's with the double standard? Furthermore, it was NOT okay to bully a kid with Down Syndrome to his face but perfectly fine to exclude him and ridicule him behind his back. Again, why?



Last edited by GiantHockeyFan on 10 Aug 2012, 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

GiantHockeyFan
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10 Aug 2012, 5:45 pm

Callista wrote:
Of course it isn't. But they do it anyway. Or, just as bad, they baby-talk to them and treat them like they're about three years old just because they have an intellectual disability. People don't seem to understand how much it hurts to be patronized like that. It's like they think, "Oh, I'm a wonderful person for talking to this ret*d guy at all!" And you can just smell the hypocrisy a mile away. If they'd just forget about the person's disability, talk to them like regular, and explain things if they needed it, there wouldn't be a problem.


There was a girl with pretty severe Down Syndrome working in my workplace for a contractor (she was only hired because she was subsidized of course). Once the funding was over, she was shown the door. I still remember how mad and betrayed she felt to this day and then it struck me: society is the one who's crazy, not her! I always enjoyed talking to her because she was such a caring person (she raised money for kids in wheelchairs on her own) and NEVER did I once talk down to her. Still makes me furious to see how she was tossed away like a piece of garbage because she's tagged as 'ret*d' when it reality, you could ask for a more dedicated worker. :x :x :x For %@#$ sake she might have difficulties in some areas but she had amazing talents that could have been leveraged if people weren't such closed minded you-know-what's.

It took just one hour for me to understand what Down Syndrome is, why they act the way they do and realize and accept why they might not seem friendly at times (because they are so focused on their goals like their current job NOT because they don't care). Why can't anyone else do that?



Rebel_Nowe
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10 Aug 2012, 5:59 pm

I wish South Park would do an episode more about aspergers. They may make a mockery of everything, but they also never do anything too offensive about anything or anyone that doesn't deserve it. They may cross a few lines in the eyes of overly sensitive people, but they make a point when they really address something as serious as aspergers.


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Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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11 Aug 2012, 2:17 am

League_Girl wrote:
I've noticed it's socially unacceptable to mock people who are obviously disabled but it's perfectly socially acceptable to mock people who have invisible disabilities and appear normal.


Exactly what I had in mind. It is almost as if we are legitimate targets.



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11 Aug 2012, 5:04 am

Personally, I think you crediting the general public with too much knowledge. The vast majority of people I know don't really understand what Aspergers is. Undoubtedly Aspies are prone to bullying because they are easy targets.


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