\u201cHer Asperger\u2019s is a superpower.”<\/p>\n
\u201cHis chronic illness brings clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so it goes\u2026. The Shiny Aspie. The Dying Prophet. The Super Crips, here to save humanity.<\/p>\n
The last two weeks have featured a series of stories on these disabled advocates, who are not all disabilities advocates. And then we get the mixed messages about the disabled, the dark side of the superpowers.<\/p>\n
Greta Thunberg is the 16-year-old super-shiny amazing Aspie. Her climate change activism might be admirable, but I\u2019m tired of the autism angle. If you don\u2019t know Greta Thunberg, visit the following links:<\/p>\n
‘This Is All Wrong,’ Greta Thunberg Tells World Leaders At U.N. Climate Session<\/a><\/p>\n
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish Climate Activist<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I like the \u201cSwedish\u201d description better than the Aspie angle of some stories. I understand autistic self-advocates need role models, but I dislike the \u201csuperpower\u201d modifier. It\u2019s too much like a comic book caricature of being different.<\/p>\n
Matthew Rozsa\u2019s nuanced take on Thunberg, is what we need. And of course, there\u2019s a reason his take is more nuanced. I recommend his Salon essay:<\/p>\n
Greta Thunberg is right: Autism is her superpower. Those who mock her should learn from her<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Though not entirely comfortable with Rozsa\u2019s take, it\u2019s from within the autistic community. Unfortunately, he overlooks examples of left-leaning and progressive scholars using \u201cautism\u201d as an insult (see Nancy MacLean<\/a>).<\/p>\n
Autism is a difference. It is not a superpower nor a curse.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cHer Asperger\u2019s is a superpower.” \u201cHis chronic illness brings clarity.\u201d And so it goes\u2026. The Shiny Aspie. The Dying Prophet. The Super Crips, here to save humanity. The last two weeks have featured a series of stories on these disabled advocates, who are not all disabilities advocates. And then we…<\/p>\n