Your insight on language and the commodification of autism is excellent. The distinction between person-first and identity-first language is so important for respecting self-identity and resisting exploitative narratives. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
Your insight on language and the commodification of autism is excellent. The distinction between person-first and identity-first language is so important for respecting self-identity and resisting exploitative narratives. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
Thanks for this. I was immediately struck by how most of what you wrote would stand up just as well if you substituted transgender for autistic (I’m both). I cringe every time I see “transgenderism” because it’s the same attempt at separating an integral part of the human experience into a thing that can be excised via “conversion therapy”, Sunday school, or oppressive legislation. The powers that be would happily “cure” us all out of existence.
Thanks so much for this post, LC! I really appreciate it. It makes sense that it's not ethical (in my opinion) to commodify a person's existence, or some attribute that cannot be changed. From my perspective, autism is a way of being not something that can be changed or "cured" (ugh). So I really like your description of thing vs not thing. Lots to think about, thank you!
Your insight on language and the commodification of autism is excellent. The distinction between person-first and identity-first language is so important for respecting self-identity and resisting exploitative narratives. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
Your insight on language and the commodification of autism is excellent. The distinction between person-first and identity-first language is so important for respecting self-identity and resisting exploitative narratives. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
Thanks for this. I was immediately struck by how most of what you wrote would stand up just as well if you substituted transgender for autistic (I’m both). I cringe every time I see “transgenderism” because it’s the same attempt at separating an integral part of the human experience into a thing that can be excised via “conversion therapy”, Sunday school, or oppressive legislation. The powers that be would happily “cure” us all out of existence.
Oh, yes, there are so many parallels between anti-trans and anti-autistic rhetoric, policies, and biases!
Thanks so much for this post, LC! I really appreciate it. It makes sense that it's not ethical (in my opinion) to commodify a person's existence, or some attribute that cannot be changed. From my perspective, autism is a way of being not something that can be changed or "cured" (ugh). So I really like your description of thing vs not thing. Lots to think about, thank you!
Cure Ignorance NOT Autism 🤘
Amen to that!