tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post3622968464234098261..comments2024-03-14T18:26:18.208-07:00Comments on autism's gadfly: Mercury Militia versus Neurodiversity, an ironic war between two adversariesjonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14972394536850151087noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-21295193394720770812008-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:002008-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:00Hi Jonathan, I'd actually prefer death by basebal...Hi Jonathan,<BR/> I'd actually prefer death by baseball bats so some paid executioner doesn't have all the fun. And, I was going to name the blog "Neurodiversity Sucks" but it was already taken.<BR/><BR/> Once you realize that neurodiversity is nothing but propaganda, and you accept that some kids have already been cured, then you can understand my anger at their lies.John Besthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133970669787632440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-17205721617104179642008-04-11T20:19:00.000-07:002008-04-11T20:19:00.000-07:00Hi Liz thanks for your response an albeit such an ...Hi Liz thanks for your response an albeit such an utterly cliched one. Also thanks for adding me to your blog though I realize you don't like my views on neurodiversity. <BR/><BR/>I won't comment any further on all of your tired cliches except to say that the comparison of the person with the 20/400 vision to someone who is autistic is so poor. The person who gets glasses and can have their vision corrected to 20/20 or at least closer to 20/20 than before has something that really helps them function better in society. I don't believe there is any such thing for autism and if people who are so stuck on neurodiversity have such a thing they have, to the best of my knowledge never suggested it and if they have it and are not telling anyone they are being truly selfish to all these people who need help with autism that would be equivalent to the help an optometrist or ophthalmologist could give to someone with a visual impairment.jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972394536850151087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-73060175437495762402008-04-11T19:41:00.000-07:002008-04-11T19:41:00.000-07:00Thanks for commenting on the Seidel subpoena.I am ...Thanks for commenting on the Seidel subpoena.<BR/><BR/>I am one of the 100+ bloggers mentioned in item 5 of the subpoena.<BR/><BR/>I am keeping a running list of responses to the Seidel subpoena at <A HREF="http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2008/04/kathleen-seidel.html" REL="nofollow">I Speak of Dreams</A>. I've added your blog.<BR/><BR/>As to your characterization of the neurodiversity movement--well, first of all, I'm a neurotypical person, and a mother of neurotypical kids--more or less. However...<BR/><BR/>I paraphrase the Mercury Militia view as follows: "I had a perfect child. I was robbed of that perfect child by [x; x=mercury or vaccines]. I deserve a perfect child. I do not want the child I have."<BR/><BR/>I paraphrase the neurodiversity view (upon reflection, it may be the autism acceptace view), as "My child, like every other has specific strengths and weaknesses. I need to have the best picture of my child's strengths and weakness, and given that: How do I marshal my parenting, and my child's education, to make the most of his strengths? How do I marshal my parenting, and my child's education, to remediate, to the extent possible, his weaknesses? How do I marshal my parenting, and my child's education, to accomodate his weaknesses?"<BR/><BR/>Another axis on which to place the Mercury Militia vs. neurotypical camps: the acceptance of reality and the scientific method. The Mercury Militia rejects the scientific method on any number of levels ("I don't care what the evidence says, my mother's instinct <I>knows!</I>; "All that data is just false, planted by Big Pharma", "Toxins are <I>you know, toxic</I> (unless they are in homeopathic preparations)"; "Anybody who disagrees with me is in the pay of Big Pharma" and so on....), while many in the neurodiversity/autism acceptance crowd...well, accept the scientific method, evidence from well-conducted experiments, and longitudinal/epidemiological evidence. <BR/><BR/>My daughter has (pick one, they are the same to me): dyslexia or specific learning disability--reading. While she is well-remediated and doing well in college, she has a residual disability, requiring accomodations to "level the playing field", just as a person with 20/400 vision has a disability, and requires accomdations (corrective lenses) to level the playing field.Liz Ditzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03455722013211350247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-66793059794218177852008-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:002008-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00I would disagree that neurodiversity says that, al...I would disagree that neurodiversity says that, although obviously there's no organization that dictates what neurodiversity is. Everyone has their own take.<BR/><BR/>But I would suggest that the opposite of neurodiversity is not the mercury militia, as you seem to argue. The opposite of neurodiversity is your view really.<BR/>Whereas to neurodiversity proponents, the social model is more important than the medical model, to you the medical model is more important than the social model. It's as simple as that. The mercury militia, as Larry would say, is nothing but a side-show, albeit a side-show in your camp really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-3928401204141379312008-04-10T14:49:00.000-07:002008-04-10T14:49:00.000-07:00No, Joseph, neurodiversity is much more than a pol...No, Joseph, neurodiversity is much more than a political position. It is offering, in my opinion, false hope and unrealistic expectations to it's adherents. I would state this for the social model of disability of the other conditions you named too. It is saying that they are not deficient or broken in any way, so there is no need for any autistic people or down's or cerebal palsy etc. to worry. They could be just like anyone else. Maybe i am rehasing the post but neurodiversity is just as unrealistic as the mercury militia and certainly the medical realities are these conditions are disorders or diseases and until medical technology is invented that can correct or mitigate these defects the medical model of these disabilities is certianly a reality and no societal change will really mitigate these conditions.jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972394536850151087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-59106567275931237122008-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:002008-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:00Well, it sounds like you have neurodiversity all f...Well, it sounds like you have neurodiversity all figured out too - as a strawman in my opinion, but that's neither here nor there.<BR/><BR/>I don't think there's equivalence in the positions, which I could elaborate on if I wanted to, and that of course could be seen as my bias. But consider simply that the ideas of the mercury militia are ideas about the nature of reality. Neurodiversity on the other hand is more of a position statement or a political view, i.e. the social model is more important than the medical model. The validity of this view doesn't depend that much on medical realities. There is a social model in Down's syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, blindness, deafness, etc., and the validity of said model does not depend on causation. Of course, some specific ideas of members of the neurodiversity movement may be proven incorrect and be undermined, but the position statement as a whole is still a perfectly valid political position to have in the end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-48806226897813598042008-04-10T07:40:00.000-07:002008-04-10T07:40:00.000-07:00You think we should suggest to him he change his b...You think we should suggest to him he change his blog name to this?? :)<BR/>Nah, he hates autism so i guess he will stick with the current name of his blog.jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14972394536850151087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-79766491330443711312008-04-10T05:15:00.000-07:002008-04-10T05:15:00.000-07:00"The vitriolically profane diatribes of John Best,..."The vitriolically profane diatribes of John Best, Jr."<BR/><BR/>You think we should suggest to him he change his blog name to this?? :)Axinarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02103117619726736178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8353442983052145851.post-13128689068069494922008-04-10T04:27:00.000-07:002008-04-10T04:27:00.000-07:00No easy answers for us either...No easy answers for us either...Judith U.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17447469967193703208noreply@blogger.com