Politics of Autism

The Politics of Autism by Margaret Romao Toigo
Very timely analysis for Autism Awareness Month - please read and vote.
Thanks!
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/04/23/100422.php

http://digg.com/political_opinion/The_Politics_of_Autism

http://politics.netscape.com/story/2007/04/23/the-politics-of-autism/

http://reddit.com/info/1k853/comments

Media Racism and black beauty

There are two times in the Bible where God and Jesus became incredibly incredibly angry.

The first is when Miriam, Moses sister was prejudiced against Moses' Ethiopian wife. God was so upset with this bit of prejudice that he figuratively spat in her face. And he made a point of saying he was figuratively spitting in his daughter's face.

The second time was when Jesus threw out the money lenders. He made a cord and shouted at the moneylenders, "God's house should be called a place of prayer for ALL nations, but you have made it a den of theives!" He did this because he saw how the moneylenders were treating the foreign converts and proslytes. God truly does not like racism.

When I was about seventeen, I had a wonderful dream in which an angel was telling me how wonderful my hair was and showing me some wonderful hair styles. I will always remember the lovingkindness of that angel.

Lately, many media celebrities have gotten in trouble because of anti-Semitic or racist rants, jokes, or slurs. Many whites think the days of racism are over and so they think they can joke and make racial jokes. They consider these jokes harmless, but many blacks still remember grandmothers blinded by lynchers and uncles and grandfather’s hanged by racist bigots. It’s still not over for us.

The sad fact is America is still racist and that includes many liberals in the media including disc jockeys, editors, actors, and tv hosts. They just don’t seem to “get” us and this often has to do with the darkness of our skin and the quality of our hair.

Racism often appears as a subtle cruelty toward black women's beauty. This cruelty often seems to focus on dark skin and kinky, nappy hair. Other times the racists imply there is something vaguely immoral about us. They seem to imply that we are out-of-control gluttons who aren’t moral enough to know when to stop eating. In addition to assuming we are morally dirty, they also imply we are physically dirty in some way.

Dark-skinned prejudices

Okay, okay, hip hop lyrics and certain black comedians have contributed to a media atmosphere where people feel free to joke about certain black traits. But we have to focus on the brainwashing about beauty out there. Because of the power of the American media, and because of historical and imperialistic causes, everyone in the world thinks true beauty must come close to some Nordic Ideal. I recently heard that Cosmetic Surgery is on the rise. Up 70%. Among Asians (changing their eyelids) and Hispanics (changing their noses.) Folks, ethnic heritages are not beauty flaws.

Hip-hop videos have contributed to making certain black women sexy (and making others unsexy.) Movies too. We know a white character in a movie is hip and “edgy” if he’s got a gorgeous black girlfriend on his arm. Now it’s neat to have a nice bit of junk in the trunk, but when I was younger, the white kids mocked my ample buttocks calling it my “mumba butt.” In the old days, black lips were considered too big. Now many white actresses are getting lip injections. However, dark-skinned women still haven’t arrived at full beauty equality yet. Even on black-owned television stations and black-produced movies, light-skinnedness reigns. For instance, many black rap artists and actors are often teamed with light-skinned black women or Hispanic love interests.

Black Hair issues


Ah nappiness! White folks still have problems with black folks’ hair. Recently a famous white DJ called some black women athletes “nappy-headed hos.” For those who don’t know, “Nappy” means kinky and tightly-curled hair. Whether this man is prejudice is not for me to decide. Much humor nowadays is cruel and he might simply have been trying to be cool. Saying nasty cruel racist “funny” things about other people is very popular nowadays, and Americans still seem to think afros and natural black hair that has not been straightened is somehow incredibly humorous. Ah, the funny clown in the afro!!! Indeed, I remember one talk show where the elderly white host kept asking to “touch the hair” of her black female guests.

Cleanliness.

Racism towards black women also shows up in the way we are often deemed physically dirty, as if black women do not wash) and morally corrupt (as if we do not know how to be moral like fine-upstanding skinny white women.) I even stopped watching a weekend television show because many of their jokes about black shows seemed downright racist. For instance, although there are a lot of reality shows with skanky white folks having skanky sex , whenever this particular program talked about skanky black folks having sex, they got downright clinical and seemed on the verge of calling the Center for Disease control. They never did this with the white shows, yet on one of their shows, they did a skit about industrial cleaners coming to clean up the black show’s set and to remove disease.

Morality

I recently saw a news show on television in which the reporter stated that obesity was rampant in America, especially among black women. He pretty much hinted that black women were gluttonous and would die sooner than “their white counterparts.” White counterparts? I won’t argue that many black women are overweight. But that doesn’t mean we are morally-corrupt people who have no sense of self-control. Personally, much of my overeating occurs when I feel overwhelmed with powerlessness, isolation, self-loathing, and a feeling that I am being silenced because I live in a world where the powers that be are racist. But there are also genetic issues. The American diet evolved from a European diet and I suspect black genetics are not compatible with much of the diet. In addition, because of evolutionary climactic reasons the African body may have been trained to hold onto fat as a way to protect our ancestors in time of starvation.

Benefit of the Doubt


Black folks are used to giving white racists the benefit of the doubt. We humor people a lot. We are an understanding lot. I remember a time when I visited a white doctor and he called me morbidly obese (I was two hundred pounds and had just had my son.) I was very hurt and I went to my three-hundred pound white friend who had recommended him. Amazingly, he had never called her morbidly-obese.

In another instance, an editor from Kansas deigned to lecture me on how to write a proper essay. She knew I was black. I had to decide if she was as rude and as patronizing to all her writers or only to the black ones.

Recently I read a blog written by a black person in which the statement was made that certain black contestants on American Idol are just plain ugly.

Frankly, that blogger should examine his definition of ugly. I know this generation has been trained to mix lustfulness with admiration but shouldn’t this black blogger be more knowledgeable about how standards of beauty have been created and recreated by society? In some countries, a rounder woman would be deemed quite pretty, thank you! In some countries, a round face does not necessarily connote an ugly face

We black folks are always making excuses for white people. We always tend to divide our racists into ignorant ones and malicious. But what are we to do with the hurt feelings caused by people in power, people we would expect to be somewhat more enlightened? I mean: shouldn’t black men be less prejudiced in the way they depict black women? Shouldn’t liberals be less prejudiced than conservatives? Shouldn’t those in the media such as editors and DJ’s be more aware of the hurtfulness of their comments?

Of course, if I get so upset at the racism I see and experience, if I drown my self-loathing in chocolate ice cream in order to comfort myself because some racist white editor or racist white doctor or racist black producer has upset me, I only contribute to the stereotype by fattening myself up for the kill. Life is complicated. But we have to be strong, and we have to speak up. Hopefully, even the small things we do will change society.

Let us remember:

God has created from one blood all people.
God is not a respecter of persons.
-c

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Could you not wait with me one hour?

Last night I woke up at around one in the morning..

I realized it was Good Friday. I realized that at that very moment – not just 2000 years ago, but in a timeless permanent eternity-- Jesus was being led from place to place in the three separate trials.

I felt so very sorry for him and all I could see was how lonely he felt. I said, “Jesus, I’ll wait with you one hour.”

If you’ve ever had a friend or family member in the hospital and had to wait, that’s what it felt like. I felt myself to be in a house knowing that my Lord had been taken away and was being interrogated and beaten and spat on, and mocked….how could I sleep? It would have meant leaving him to suffer alone and although I knew he would suffer in a way no man had ever suffered before – and I couldn’t really be with him in that kind of passionate suffering—yet I just didn’t want Him to think I was forsaking Him. I wanted Him to know I was thinking of Him, and waiting for Him.

Even so…it was tough because I’m such a day-dreamer. I kept trying to keep my mind on him but my mind would float over to my novel, to some television show, to my own problems.

Then in my imagination I saw Him entering Pilate’s palace. He was so bloodied and beaten up and humiliated and naked. And his head was pierced with all the marks from the crown of thorns. He smelled horrible and Pilate was so perfumed. He was sweaty and bloody and Pilate was so clean. He could hardly stand up and Pilate was Lord of all he surveyed. Then Pilate says, “Don’t you realize I could free you?” Then Pilate said, “Who do you think you are?” Then after Jesus answered him, Pilate said, “Are you a God then?”

And Jesus speaking with this terrible lower-class Galilean accent…and with mumbled words because he had been beaten across the mouth and his teeth had fallen out. And He said, “That’s your word for it. I am. And you will see me come with power!”

I was sooo proud of him. I can’t tell you how proud. Tears just rolled down my eyes as I lay on the bed. I love a strong soul, and yet…to be so beaten up, to be standing in front of so much earthly power and yet to be able to say in the face of all that mocking, “I am God.”

St Paul said, “Jesus Christ witnessed a good confession before Pilate.” Yes Jesus did.

The Bible tells us that “because of the joy that lay before him – the salvation of so many souls and the bringing of many sons to God—Jesus rejoiced at going to the cross.” The Bible tells us, “Let God be true, and every man a liar.”

I hope we all can have the power to stand in front of whatever earthly or demonic powers that seem to be more powerful than we are and to say the foolish, foolish, mocked, and denied truth that God has called us to declare.

I agree with Paul: “I am determined to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection power, the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us and perfects our human bodies even while we live.”

Transcript of The View's Show on Autism

Click here to download the transcript. http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/images/TheViewAutismTranscript.pdf
(Right-click on the link, choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As" and Save to your Desktop to open the pdf file)


Autism Organizations and Foundations


Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of the growing autism epidemic and to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for a cure. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, General Electric, and Chairman and CEO, NBC Universal. Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now (CAN) recently announced plans to combine operations, bringing together the two leading organizations dedicated to accelerating and funding biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism spectrum disorders; to increasing awareness of the nation's fastest growing developmental disorder; and to advocating for the needs of affected families. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org

The Autism Society of America was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. His book, Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior, was written in late 1964 and was one of the first of its kind. In 1968, Ruth Sullivan, Ph.D. became the organization's first elected president. Over the last 40 years, the Society has grown from a handful of parents, into the leading source of information, research, and reference on autism. ASA is the oldest and largest grassroots organization within the autism community. Today, more than 120,000 members and supporters are connected through a working network of nearly 200 chapters nationwide. ASA membership continues to grow as more and more parents and professionals unite to form a collective voice representing the autism community.

ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families and the professionals with whom they interact. The Society and its chapters share a common mission of providing information and education, and supporting research and advocating for programs and services for the autism community. For more information please visit: www.autism-society.org

Erin Is Hope Foundation, Inc. provides multi-disciplinary, INTENSIVE, SPECIALIZED medical therapies and educational services for children diagnosed with severe communicative disabilities including autism, apraxia and MORE. Our mission is not just to provide maximum outcomes for each child through multi-sensory, systematic and incremental teaching, but to provide these exceptional private special services at prices affordable to the average family budget. Amazingly, families travel across America to our clinic not because of price, but because of "Erin's" legendary success in teaching functional verbal grammatic speech and language to nonverbal children. Learn more at our website: www.erinishope.com

"Autism Every Day" is powerful new documentary produced by the organization Autism Speaks that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by filmmaker Lauren Thierry, the film is a a truthful, unvarnished portrayal of the 24-hour-a-day challenges faced by families as they confront the heartbreak of autism with uncompromising hope and unconditional love."

Click to watch video clips.


AUTISM GUESTS



Dr. ANSHU BATRA
Ourspecialkidz.com


KAREN SIFF EXHORN
Author, "The Autism Sourcebook"


TEMPLE GRANDIN, Ph.D.
College Professor who has authored six books and has Autism:
- Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships
- Thinking In Pictures: And Other Reports From My Life With Autism
- Emergence: Labeled Autistic
- Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism
- Animals In Translation: Using The Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
- Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism


ELLEN SABIN
Author "The Autism Acceptance Book"


Work Education and Resource Centers for people with Autism
www.edenservices.org


Online communtity for people who suffer from Asberger's and Autism
www.wrongplanet.net

Commanding versus praying

Hi there:

I really feel I have to share this. It really is dawning on me more and more how different Christendom is from what Jesus said. After all, Jesus said "Hypocrites love to pray to be seen" and so many times in churches I get the feeling the prayer is not praying to God but just showing how rhetorical he is. Jesus also said "People think they are heard by God because of their long prayers" And he also said "People shouldn't get into using vain repetitions" and yet sometimes we think saying a long prayer is better than a shorter heart-felt one. And, while it's good to pray certain wonderful prayers, we mustn't get caught up with praying the same thing over and over like a chant. Where's the relationship with God (or anyone, for that matter) if you keep saying the same thing over and over to him?

Anyways, Jesus said we must say boldly to the mountain, "Be lifted up by the roots and be cast into the sea" and it shall be done. Now, most of the time people "ask" God because Jesus also told us to ask and it shall be given. But we rarely command, which Jesus also said, "Speak to the mountain." Jesus said "pray for the sick" but he also said, "Lay on the sick and heal the sick by commanding the body to be healed." But we don't go around laying hands on the sick and simply commanding their body to be healed. JEsus said, "when you pray believe that you have received"..and yet we often pray as if God hasn't given it to us at all. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean we haven't gotten anything.

Well last night I was in horrendous pain. I got mad at the devil. Again. I screamed, "Jesus is Lord!" and you better accept it. I told the autism off! And I gave fibromyalgia a good talking to. Before I had been praying for that. Praying is interesting because even in praying there's a stressing part of me which says, "Is this rational, talking to a God? What if he isn't there?" I get that way sometimes.

But last night, going further and doing what Jesus said and ordering the illness to leave. Well, dare I say? After giving it this talking to...the pain subsided amazingly. !!!???!!! I was like: uh? Umhhhh, well this is proof that this is real.

Hubby and I were talking about what was tried and tested. Biblical Precepts we knew to be true so far because of external results we've seen. Sure, we should know these precepts are true simply because we believe in God but hey, we're not perfect yet.

We know that God protects us because he miraculously protected Logan. He also miraculously protected me, and GAbe.

We know he provides miraculously.

We know he guides.

We know that speaking negative things bring those negatives to us.

Now we know that shouting down a sickness and telling it off really works.

I want to trust all this by simply trusting God's word, and I feel I'm getting closer to this obedient trust in everything God says, even though my human understanding thinks it's all a bit flaky and irrational.

Anyway, I don't see --with my physical eyes-- the healing for Gabe and me yet. But I am thanking God because I know that JEsus healed me 2000 years ago on the cross. "By Jesus stripes we WERE healed." And I know that Paul said "everything we pray for is already answered as yes and amen through Jesus Christ." This life of faith is certainly interesting. It's not something I would have jumped into if life hadn't been so "interesting" but since I'm in this, I'll do what the Bible says.
-C

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