![[Defeat Autism Now!
Relax! I’m not a boss monster in a JRPG!]
But if I was, I’d be load-bearing, and you’d have 30 seconds to escape the extremely large, labyrinthine building you found me at the center of.
Seriously, of all the autism groups that teamed up to form Autism $peaks, Defeat Autism Now! has always been the one with the name that creeps me out the most. Not cure, not treat, defeat, as if autism is some hulking boss monster in a JRPG (Japanese role-playing game, for those of you not in the know). It’s spine-shivering hyperbole of Orwellian proportions.
The implications terrify me. The idea that who I am, that something integral to my very personality, is a thing that needs defeating, is staggering. Autism is not a disease. Despite the ableist fucks who compare it to cancer, AIDS and cystic fibrosis, it’s not an illness; it’s simply a difference. The idea that differences need to be erased and defeated…that is the nightmarish rhetoric from which the most horrific dystopias are born. And right now, entire groups of people are out there pushing for one.
Much scarier than any boss monster I ever faced down.](http://40.media.tumblr.com/7fb5cfd5031c16cb1beb38f4c5dc1a31/tumblr_ml7g4kLKYX1rfhms3o1_400.jpg)
More on Angry Autistics April (also my inbox ahhhhh!)
So to clarify: I know there are people already doing things for April. That’s great! Want me to signal boost it? Just give me a heads up. Want me to reblog a post you’ve written or art you’ve done? Let me know, and I’ll do it. AH has over 500 followers now (I don’t like to talk about this, it makes me uncomfortable) and some of them may not follow some of (or any of) the autism tags. If you’ve started a tag for your project, I can also signal boost that here.
We are, after all, all in this together.
But here at AH is also where the barbs comes out. That’s why I created it, after all. Thus, got something that makes you angry and want to turn it into a hedgehog meme? Awesome! You can even send me the text if you want and I can make the meme itself for you.
Want to write something? Rant about anti-vaxxers, Autism $peaks, Simon Baron-Cohen, the inane things your mom says about your autism, etc. etc.? Cool! If you want, you can submit them here for April. Especially if you’d like to write something but don’t want to deal with people bugging you about it or friends or family finding out about it–just let me know and I can post it anonymously for you. (And if your anon article gets any anon hate, I can give them a verbal beatdown for you. Or just delete it. Your choice.)
Several years back, when I was still on Twitter, I encountered a woman who wanted to do something for Autism Awareness Month. Being autistic myself, I offered to be interviewed. She seemed to think this was a great idea and was very eager–and then I heard nothing from her again. Not a single word. Not even a “sorry, life happened, don’t have the time now” sort of message. Nada.
I’ve been frustrated ever since with how much “Autism Awareness Month” has nothing to do with actual autistics and I know I’m not the only one who feels that frustration. So I want to gather up our expressions of that frustration–from the “speak softly and carry a big stick” variety, to the mildly annoyed, to the pissed as all fucking hell–here, on AH. I’ve already seen quite a few different plans people have. My hope is not only to have my own content, but to keep track of what else is going on, and thus help others keep track.
Hopefully that makes my intentions clearer.
(And I know there is stuff in my inbox! What else is new? It’s sitting there mainly because it’s stuff I have to think carefully about, and sometimes that can take a long time. My apologies, I will get to it.)
