Article: I’m Autistic, And Believe Me, It’s A Lot Better Than Measles
https://medium.com/the-archipelago/im-autistic-and-believe-me-its-a-lot-better-than-measles-78cb039f4bea
The autistic brain is not particularly good at understanding irony, and yet most people Ive met on the autism spectrum have, over time, developed a pretty strong grasp of the concept. Many of us have even managed to teach ourselves how to wield it. Ive begun to suspect that this is due to our constant hands-on experience.
Having an autism spectrum disorder in an ableist world means that youre constantly exposed to cruel irony. Most frequently, this cones in the form of neurotypical (i.e. non-autistic) people who tell you, incorrectly, that you cant or dont feel empathy like them, and then stubbornly refuse to care about your feelings when they claim that youre lost, that youre a burden, and that your life is a constant source of misery for you and everyone who loves you. Theres also my current favorite: parents who are willing to put the lives of countless human beings at risk because theyre so afraid that the mercury fairy will gives their kids a tragic case of autism if they vaccinate. Gotta protect the kids from not being able to feel empathy who cares whether other children live or die?
No matter what other lofty ideas of toxins and vaccine-related injury anti-vaxxers try to float around in their defense, thats really what all of this is about: were facing a massive public health crisis because a disturbing number of people believe that autism is worse than illness or death. My neurology is the boogeyman behind a completely preventable plague in the making.
The anti-vaccination movement is a particularly bitter issue for me because it doesnt just dehumanize me as an autistic person; it also sets off two of my biggest triggers. Like many people on the spectrum, I dont handle it well when people are 1) wrong, and 2) unfair.
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I love the line : Gotta protect the kids from not being able to feel empathy who cares whether other children live or die?