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Jason,

This is both heart-crushing and absolutely beautiful.

It’s not often I’ll post a serious comment, but this certainly deserves one.

Thanks for posting the link.

-The Colonel

People who are in an other state of mind often are called deranged. Deranged means that they have no place in the “normal” society. But what is normal. And how could we judge the state of mind of a person we can not understand.

But let’s say one thing. The internet is really, really great. So many options of self expression for everyone. It will (or already did) change our world radically.

I’ve ben reading her blog for a while – as the parent of an autistic boy, she’s been a real inspiration. She’s written some of the most amazing things, but most people would think that she didn’t have a thought in her head. Amanda rocks!

Wow Jason, That just made my day!

INTERNET – The place where silenced voices sing.

Am I the only one who feels sick and dizzy watching that video?

I want to make clear I mean no offense to anyone, I just felt really motion-sick watching it.

It was certainly a very compelling film.

And how could we judge the state of mind of a person we can not understand.

By the same token, how can she then judge our state of mind? We make the assumption - and so does she, actually - that she somehow has access to what “typicals” (as someone in the MeFi thread called people without cognitive disabilities) experience. She mentioned in the thread that she is capable, if only briefly and in a limited way, using the same kinds of “filters” that we use, but a) how does she know, and b) why is it assumed that the conscious effort to use such filters is in any way analogous to their unconscious use?

I have a little experience with activist documentaries (and this qualifies, although it’s certainly a far cry from the most extreme examples), and generally speaking the assumption is that the group on whose behalf the film is made always has access to both their unique viewpoint and the viewpoint of the mainstream, but that the reverse is not true. If nothing else, it automatically puts any negative responders in the position of not only explaining the intellectual reasons for their response, but also having to defend that response in a moral capacity. I greatly dislike being manipulated in that way, by any film. For this reason (and a few other reasons) I am generally hostile to this form of documentary. However: despite my issues with certain assumptions inherent in this film, it did definitely make me think about the issue in a new way, and so I will call it a success in that regard and say that it is definitely worth viewing.

I passed this on to my School Psychology professor. We plan to discuss autism sometime soon. YouTube’s been a great resource in the classroom.

Thanks for sharing this! It makes the topic feel more real when learning about it.

I read Amanda’s blog also (http://ballastexistenz.autistics.org/) and was delighted to see her work getting broader publicity.

August – I think I understand where you’re coming from, but I interpret Amanda’s POV differently. Of course I can’t speak for her, but what I’ve taken away from her writing and from these videos is that there’s a difference between not understanding someone else (due to lack of knowledge or lack of effort), and not being able to understand someone else.

In addition, as a member of both majority and minority groups myself, I find that it’s usually a lot harder for the majority to understand the minority than the other way around. This may account for some of the bias in activist works—though I do agree that many activist works fall over into self-aggrandizement and “only we understand,” a phenomenon which Amanda has actually discussed on her blog several times. The majority is less likely to put effort into understanding the minority, and has fewer tools to do so; whereas minorities are by definition surrounded by the status quo and must find some way to comprehend and navigate the world of the majority.

In any event, I agree that Amanda presents a compelling piece of work that offers a new point of view. Thanks to SvN for the link!

Wow, very thought provoking. Great find!

Coincidently I am raising money for Autism research, particularly in children, and am participating in a walk here in Miami on February 11th. If you are interested in donating, or would like to walk with us, go here:

http://www.autismwalk.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1182&px=1789935

@Signals – Sorry about the plug, but I figured since it is for a good cause and I’m an daily reader (not a random spammer), it would be acceptable.

Mike