Why Autistic Self-Advocacy is NOT About Being a Model Minority

A while ago, Bob Wright was axed from NBC. Now here is another thing to celebrate. Don Imus, the sponsor of terrorism against autistics who featured that horrible "shockumentary" Autism Everyday, was FIRED! CBS terminated Imus for his comment about the women's basketball team at Rutgers, mostly consistent of African-Americans, for calling them "nappy-headed hos". The impact of his statement caused advertisers to leave his program in droves, and the previously popular host is now damaged goods.

Now wait a minute, you say. What does this have to do with the title? Let me get you to think about something. No other ethnic group has been afforded the special treatement that the African-American population gets. Anytime they raise protest over some racial slight, real or perceived, everyone listens. Entire political careers are ruined if a person utters that certain six-lettered racial slur. Just last year at Johns Hopkins University, a student faced suspension for over a year before the decision was overturned. The student, who made a crude, tasteless Facebook invitation for a party called "Halloween in the Hood", was accused by the university Black Student Union for racial harrassment and intimidation even though there was no actual threatening of physical harm to the African-American community.

I felt especially bad for the Draconian punishment over the accused person, as he was an Asian-American just like myself. Unlike me, he was an Asian American who didn't grow up in the peaceful suburbs expecting to sail through life. He grew up in a tough environment because his family moved around a lot since his father was in the military. He didn't have a lot of money, but he was a bright guy and skipped several grades. Now his life was about to be stigmatized permenantly because of a tasteless joke made over the Internet. Now I ask you this.... if the Black Student Union made the same kind of remark about the Asian American community at Johns Hopkins, do you think the University would have cared? It would not have batted an eye because Asians are considered members of the "Model Minority" and have enough self-esteem to withstand anything.

The accused student and I grew up in different environments, but we are both expected to live according to the "Model Minority" stereotype of Asians. We're expected to get good grades and overachieve. Even if we do have problems, nobody will actively listen if we do not speak about them directly because they assume everything is fine. As long as everything looks fine on the surface, people won't give two craps about us.

Asians are known to suffer from poverty, domestic abuse, and unemployment, problems that any other ethnic group faces. However, because of our "Model Minority" status, no one cares if people in the population get hurt from these problems because the overall population seems to be doing fine. Just look at the film "Better Luck Tomorrow". It's about a group of Asian teenagers who fence stolen goods and deal drugs. However, as long as they kept their grades up, everyone including their teachers and their parents thought they were fine. I'm not saying people on the autism spectrum will do similarly, but I am merely pointing out that with certain cases of autism that are not as pronounced appearances can be deceiving, drawing attention away from any genuine problems a person may have.

I have experienced the "Model Minority" stereotype and I do not like it. You are expected to do well automatically, and everyone discounts your problems to be solely your fault in terms of personality and not that of the environment you're born into. When we autistic self-advocates ask to be respected for who we are, we're not asking for you to place us on a pedestal as a "Model Minority". Rather, we are asking to be included as a diverse facet of society. We are asking for a two-way road of communication rather than simply "reverence". We're no better, no worse than anyone else. We're asking for people to recognize the unique needs of every person on the autism spectrum and to learn to listen before making any assumptions about abilities and challenges. Therefore, when Internet trolls make distortions about Neurodiversity being about neglect, I get mad. THAT is why I think any stereotype, even a positive one, can be harmful.

Easter, Jesus, and Autism Awareness Month: Bridging the Gap to Understand Neurodiversity

I am sorry I have not blogged for so long. Life has been very hectic for me, and I've thought a lot about issues that have come up. Nonetheless, I read a very interesting story that I think may be valid in how we convey the message of Neurodiversity to people. It is the story of Don Richardson and the Sawi tribe.

Don Richardson was a Christian missionary who was sent to New Guinea to preach Christianity to the Sawi tribe. However, the basic messages of Christianity consisting of love and forgiveness had no appeal to the Sawi, who held deceit to be of the highest value. In fact, the only story the Sawi found interesting was the story of Judas, who was considered by the tribe to be a hero! Judas successfully used deceit to gain Jesus' trust and betray him.

Richardson had no idea how to get through to the Sawi people, who were violent, cruel, and cannibalistic. After witnessing repeated incidents of war between the Sawi and their enemy the Haenam, Richardson was ready to give up. But one incident convinced him to stay.

The Sawi and the Haenam staged a traditional peace ceremony where both tribes gathered. Everyone was silent except for the Sawi chief's wife. She was sobbing uncontrollably as the chief siezed his own 6-month-old son from her arms and handed the infant to the enemy chief. One of the tribesmembers explained to Richardson the enemy tribe members will rename the baby and raise it as though it were their own. As long as the child lived, no wars can be fought between the tribes.

Suddenly, Richardson had a flash of insight. He had finally found a parallel story in the Sawi culture that he could use as an analogy to teach the tribe about Christianity. He gathered all of the people in the tribe and told them just as their chief handed his own son to enemy tribe to make peace, God sent his son Jesus to die for humanity and be resurrected in order to make peace. God too had sent his son to live amongst the enemy.

Now what does this have to do with autism? It has to do with finding a way to connect with the autism establishment and create positive change in leadership and direction. Most of the parents I've spoken to have indicated a greater desire for a sense of direction in guiding their children rather than a cure for autism per se. All we have to do is steer that flexibility of thinking to our side by creating public awareness campaigns that realistically emphasize the challenges of autism while giving the people on the spectrum dignity.

Of course, not all people can be convinced so easily, including the Wrights, Allison Tepper-Singer, and John Best Jr. However, I believe that most parents and caregivers involved in autism are simply scared and confused. It is because of this lack of direction that they fall prey to the rhetoric of organizations like Autism Speaks, which offers them a place to whine and the potential for a quick solution to their problems. Most of these followers otherwise probably just want their kids to reach their full potentialn and do well in life.

On the other hand, the establishment does raise a valid point in the overall public apathy regarding autism. It is this concern that both groups have in common. However, neurodiversity is a highly nuanced position, and not something that can be explained in a 30 second TV spot. Nonetheless, a commercial I would make about autism would include Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" playing in the background that lists a series of things autistic kids can do followed by a challenge they face (i.e. "In my mind, I can build anything with my imagination. But I need your help with language to express it" This sentence can be used to express language challenges with autism). I would use a finishing message of "Autistic children have many challenges in life. They need your help to reach their potential. But more importantly, they need your respect." Then perhaps the end will show a website people can go to read more about neurodiversity.

This kind of message can realistically emphasize the needs of us and our families and at the same give our population dignity to show we are people who although struggle in many ways are proud of our identity. Please this autism awareness month share the message of neurodiversity in appealing to a parent's desire to help their kid reach the highest potential. This will rouse people's sense of egalitarianism rather than pity. I think it is a much better way of advocating for the autistic population, as it puts autistics on the level of equals rather than simply marginalized people.

I write this entry because I realize that we can't do it alone on blogs. The people in the establishment have most of the attention, money, and media control, which means someday, someone is going to have to confront them head-on about positive changes in autism awareness. Using a transitional message may help us ease our way to the more open-minded members of the autism establishment. Maybe then we can inspire positive change in them so subtly that they may not even notice it.