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Thursday 22 October 2020
Volunteering on Boards: Empowerment or exploitation?
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Tuesday 8 September 2020
Explaining Neurodiversity
I am generally credited with being the originator of the term Neurodiversity while writing a sociology honours thesis,"Odd People In: a personal exploration of a new social movement based on neurological diversity" (UTS Sydney 1998).
I did not define the term, thinking its meaning self-evident. Since then there have been a proliferation of definitions, and as I expected, most people intuitively "get it". But inevitably, some definitions seem to me to miss the point, especially when they take neurodiversity to be a synonym for "neurological disability".
While I understand that language evolves and changes, I am determined to defend my intuitive understanding of the term vigourously, and have thus unpacked the complex meaning furled within it.
To read my definition, click on the "What is Neurodiversity" tab above, or here
Contents
- What Neurodiversity is
- What Neurodiversity is not
- What the Neurodiversity Movement is
- Fundamental Principles
- Neurodiversity and Conservation
- The Dark Side of Neurodiversity
- Neurodiversity and Eugenics
- Neurodiversity and "Difference vs Disability"
- The Future of Neurodiversity
Carry On Regardless!
I’ve had enough, I just can’t take it anymore,
I. AM. NOT. DOING. IT. ANY. MORE!
Life is too short!
One of my autistic traits is that I am ALWAYS sincere. (Well, almost always, unless I have been taught to fake it for the sake of self-preservation in a dog-eat-dog world business world, where duplicity is the norm, and actual sincerity is viewed with suspicion).
In this world, I understand the Regards Hierarchy thus:
- Kind regards
Opening gambit: we haven’t met yet, so let’s be civilized, and let me assure you that I don’t intend to rip you off, while keeping you at a polite distance - Warm regards
The next round: We still haven't met, but let’s pretend we are practically bosom buddies - Just plain unqualified Regards
Uh-oh! - [Regards omitted]
We have engaged the services of a Debt Collection Agency
I CAN’T DO THIS! I do not know you! It is literally painful
for me to protest emotions that I do not, cannot, have. All I want is a job/a
gig/a refund/more time to pay! Why else would I be writing? I don’t know which
adjective to use! This is taking me forever! Can we please just get on with it?
Although, I must admit, when someone sends me their “Highest
Regards”, I’m like “Wow, reeeeeeeeeeaally? Well OK, if you insist!”.
To avoid drowning in this quagmire, I have composed the following sign off:
Disclaimer: the absence of “Regards” and other
salutations and protestations of sincerity in this letter do not signal hostility
or unfriendliness on my part.They are merely a recognition that this is a
business transaction between people who do not know each other. Sincerity is
assumed, unless the matter needs to be taken to the courts.
Related Issue: Kisses
How many x’es in a sign off between friends?
I usually sign letters to female friends as “Jxx”, which
seems to me to be just right.
One “x“ would seem too perfunctory, too cold, almost a
matter of form, while xxx seems unnecesarily
effusive. After all, we should know each other well enough by now to know that
of course we have a warm friendship, while not denying that nobody is perfect,
and frankly, sometimes we do piss each other off.
This works for me, until someone ruins it and escalates with
an extra “x”.
What to do? Should I respond in kind, or will this signal
the beginning of an arms race of x’es?
And what if someone then trumps everything with a capital
X????
Armageddon!
And let’s not even talk about the delicate situation with male friends. So many worrying factors to consider. If I use an “x”, will they feel their manhood threatened? Will they worry that I consider them effeminate? What will their wives think? Will they think I’m offering them a sexual liason?
Best
not to even go there.
-------------------------------------
Yes, folks, my mind really does work this way. I’m serious!
Wednesday 12 August 2020
What is wrong with this Wikipedia definition of Neurodiversity?
This is a typical definition of Neurodiversity found at random on the web. There are innumberable such, all referring to "normal" variations.
First, it's important to be wary of the "passive voice" which confers authority by fudging who is speaking. If there is an omitted "by" in the sentence , it's worth asking "by whom". So...
Regarded by whom? I submit: by an echo chamber of Wiki editors rephrasing earlier Wiki editors. In true viral mode, these definitions were then adopted by myriad respectable institutions and replicated ad infinitum.
Who can blame them? Nobody owns the term. I never defined it either, thinking its meaning self-evident. Nevertheless I will put my oar in based on the intuitive Aha! moment I had while writing the work that contained it.
And for goodness sake, do NOT go to Wikipedia for a definition of Neurodiversity. It seems to be changed almost daily by heaven knows who, and it is clear that most of these people don't "get it", they just mash up earlier misconceptions.
Neurodiversity is not a judgment. It has nothing to say
about Normality or Morality.
Neurodiversity names a biological reality, the virtually infinite neuro-cognitive variability within Earth’s human population. It points to the fact that every human has a unique nervous system with a unique combination of abilities and needs. That is all.
Normality is a socially constructed term originating in the 19th century mostly for the use of the bogus science of Eugenics (see my thesis for more detail on the construction of normality).
I recognize that words evolve beyond their origins by way of a dialectical process. But for the record, I intended the word
- to function as an addition to the toolbox of intersectional analysis and
- to suggest a name for the emerging 1990s civil rights movement of NeuroMinorities
And it should never be used as a synonym for Neurological Disability, so that respect for Nature’s awe-inspiring variability and its challenge to our ethics and practices becomes the latest stigmatized term for “the Other”.
Tuesday 30 June 2020
We are not "The" Vulnerable: the dangers of the definite article
Summary
- I propose that the term "The Vulnerable" is a depoliticized euphemism for people who require social security support due to structural injustice as much as to inherent disability
- I further argue that applying the definite article "The" to minorities is a powerful method of othering them
- While some of us may be inherently vulnerable due to heredity, injury, or life stage, as soon as we require government supports and services, this linguistic sleight of hand subtly strips us of our strengths, our agency, our capacity for choice, and our status as citizens
- Thus reduced to the faceless"Other", we do indeed become vulnerable to stereotype, stigma, pity, and finally compassion fatigue
- And when compassion for minorities is exhausted, all of us become vulnerable to being divided and ruled by the worst of populist demagogues
"We" must do more to help "The Vulnerable".
"Hello", thought I, "I am, or have been, all of the above except homeless and indigenous. But I thought I was part of the concerned and enlightened 'We' attending this symposium, not one of 'Them'!
Suddenly I felt like my sense of competence and belonging was at risk of being ripped away, revealing the tragic mask of "The Vulnerable".
Can "we" avoid imagining ourselves in the Blue Mask when we consign others to "The Vulnerable" bin? Image by John Hain from Pixabay |
We are all vulnerable to the actions of unregulated enterprises, landlords and employers; predatory pedagogues and priests; inadequate social security entitlements, the policies of neo-liberal ideologues, the incitements of tabloids, and more.
Some alternatives to "The Vulnerable"
- Battlers
- Social Security Recepients (including those who should be but have been denied)
- People made vulnerable by social inequities and exclusions
- Structurally Disempowered People
- Socio-Economic Minorities
- Be specific: unemployed people, sole parents, people shut out from labour markets by age or disability prejudice, people who cannot work and cannot survive on an inadequate pension.
Is "The" the most dangerous word in the English language?
I have heard it described as such. Don't ask me where, but it certainly
resonates.
Obviously the definite article is hardly dangerous
when referring to places and things: the garden or the desk
in the study
But when it comes to humans and their collectives (by ethnicity, gender, class, ability etc) history has demonstrated that the danger is real.
Why? Because "the" presumes that the thing being defined is already known, that "we" share a common understanding of its referent, that the meaning attached to it is obvious, self-explanatory, and thus must be universally acknowledged by all sensible people. In short, indisputable common knowledge.
The question is, who defines what this "obvious" understanding is? Who "owns"the stereotype? Too often, the "obvious" is defined by the dominant culture and is used to stereotype and devalue minorities.
For a more indepth contemporary explanation, check out "Linguistics explains why Trump sounds racist when he talks about The African -Americans". (though I think the author is being a little too polite to Trump... )
Thought experiment 1
- The Blacks
- The Feminists
- The Gays
- The Jews
- The Neurodiverse
- The Neurotypical
- The Vulnerable
- The Whites
I can’t be racist because I admire ... [... the Blacks for their athletic prowess, the Jews for their cleverness, The Neurodiverse for their uncomplaining productivity, the Autistics for their genius with IT, the Aborginals for their wonderfully primitive art...]
In short, a great formula for the exploitation of minorities, lest they try to compete with the dominant culture and excel in any field that has not been alloted them.
An interesting note: we do not often hear “The Autistics”. Perhaps our culture is wising up somewhat. Certainly linguistic research suggests that this reductionist usage of the definite article is in decline.Thought experiment 2
Even worse, look what happens when we make the group name singular, so that a whole minority becomes telescoped into one single inndividual.
Without censoring yourself, what image was planted in your mind by racist cartoons depicting "The Aboriginal" “The Jew”, “The Negro”, "The Blonde". Were they old or young, male or female, dangerously clever or stupidly suited only to menial work, ugly or beautiful?
When referring to human collectives:
- simply leave out “the”
- turn the word into an adjective: the Gay Movement,
- qualify it: a few/some/many/most disability activists
Correction
Friday 19 June 2020
Are these common socio-political terms doing more harm than good?
|
- breathe life into outdated and pernicious concepts that are best forgotten,
- are frequently misunderstood,
- some
- trigger extreme emotional reactions and conflict or
- embody the language of dominance and submission
Memetics are analogous to genetics. Memes are ideas and thoughts that reproduce similarly to viral genes. You could consider them as thought viruses, transmitted from host to host by discourse, i.e. by communicating them by any medium. Once we “hear” a meme, our minds become its hosts, ready to transmit it to other minds. A meme's strength grows every time it is transmitted.
Whether you are for or against a meme, as long as you transmit it, its power grows. It doesn't matter whether your intent is Pro-social or Anti-social.
As long as you keep talking about the Neurodiversity Movement, you are the Neurodiversity Movement!
The Race Meme
One well-known thought virus is the idea of "Race"
While the term "Race" has a long history, its current usage as a tool of discrimination dates back to the pernicious "discoveries" of 19th century pseudoscientists. Their claims that there are vast genetic gulfs between different ethnic groups, have long been refuted "Race" is not a biological fact. It was socially constructed for anti-social ends, as an artefact of European colonialism which need to justify its enslavement, exploitation and robbery of the "Other" and ended up in the horror of the Nazi holocaust Nevertheless as long as the word exists, it continues to spark bigotry. We have a problem: while Race is not real, Racism is. Therefore in order to fight Racism we are inadvertently keeping the bogus concept of Race alive. |
|
Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is a pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism, racial inferiority, or racial superiority. Historically, scientific racism received credence throughout the scientific community, but it is no longer considered scientific.Wikipedia
|
To reiterate the Bad News:
whether you are a Racist or an Anti-Racist, as long as you keep
mentioning Race, the false idea that “Race” is a biological reality
persists and grows stronger
Possible Solutions:
- Use Prejudice, Bigotry or Hatred instead because they can be qualified by their objects. e.g. Prejudice against [Minority Group]
- Always put scare-quotes around "Race"
Assess / Assessment/ Assessor
What’s wrong with it?
The dictionary.com definition of the verb "Assess" |
To assess means to oversee a complete set of information and make an overall judgment.
It is dehumanizing to treat humans as objects to be assessed. Especially when it involves the reduction of individuals to fit to criteria or boxes to tick which in most cases, and especially in NeoLiberal, are chiefly concerned with minimizing taxes and welfare expense.
Thought experiment:
Visualize the scene of an Assessor assessing the Assessee: Who sits where? What is their spatial relationship, and what does it signify
This is NOT a criticism of individuals - often social workers and other helping professionals, mostly women, I imagine. In my experience, helping professionals do their best not to dehumanize their clients but to make the welfare system work for them.
My criticism is of neoliberal "welfare" systems and their language of “power over”
Replacement:
- Consultation
- Social Security Eligibility Interview
- Social Security Advice and Advocacy Service
Dementia
What’s wrong with it?
The reality: most often a gradual loss of memory and functionality and a part of Neurodiversity.
Replacement:
- Semnesia (loss of memory due to ageing or premature ageing)
-
Vascular Semnesia or
- The name of the specific syndrome. e.g Alzheimer's Syndrome
Poverty
What’s wrong with it?
Replacements:
- Impoverishment reminds us that social forces often cause poverty, and not necessarily the fault or choice of an individual
The categories of Intersectionality
Original |
How I see it |
|
Class |
Asset Heritage differentiated as
|
|
Disability |
Genetic Heritage Disambiguate into
|
|
Race and Ethnicity Racism Racist |
Combine into Ethnic Heritage Differentiate into
Bigotry Bigoted |
|
Gender |
Differentiate as
|
So-called "Race"
What’s wrong with it?
Replacements:
- Deep Heritage
- GeoHeritage
- Diaspora Minorities
To my mind, Deep Heritage resonates with deep respect for our ancient origins, our extraordinary adaptations to the diverse planetary regions our ancestors dispersed to, and the rich cultural styles they developed. It is a constant reminder of the genius of human creativity.
But what about the derivatives, Racism, Racist, Racists?
Since the noun ‘race’ is discredited, why use the derivatives?
“I’m not a racist, but...”
Do we need replacements?
- Bigotry, Bigoted, Bigots
Welfare
Thought experiment
What's wrong with it?
Replacements:
- Social Security
The word security reminds us that this is a form of insurance
Social Security is that portion of the tax that most of the currently “able” pay forward against future incapacity or misadventure whether to themselves or their families. It also comes out of general revenue, which is why it is important that business pay their taxes, and why corporate tax-dodging is so reprehensible.
Tuesday 24 March 2020
Covid Days: Minimizing friction in close quarters
- Remember that the other person is not a mind reader – if you aren’t sure what the other means, ask politely. If there is a misunderstanding, don’t apportion blame, just work it out between yourselves.
- If the other person appears irritable, take a moment to recognise that it may not be about you.
- Take a moment before responding – this is IMPORTANT!
- Remember, we are not multi-taskers!!! One instruction at a time, otherwise it is confusing and stressful.
- If someone is engaged in a task, realise they may need time to finish that task before moving on to the next thing.
- Words/phrases to avoid: “Well – “(said defensively).
- THINK before acting
- No SUDDEN moves
- No snatching!!!
- Knock before entering a room
- Put aside whatever you’re doing in that moment and give your full attention to the other person if they want it.
- Modulate tone of voice and facial expressions when conscious of it, but DON’T suppress feelings. We know that VENTING is important, and we can work it out. After every storm, there is a rainbow.
- If grievances arise, take a breath and air it calmly. Do NOT bottle it up. If you hold it in, it will only EXPLODE later.
- Respect the other’s need for space. If they say they need some down time, then respect their wishes. They will find you again when they are ready.
- Remember to use the magic word when requesting that something be done.
Wednesday 18 March 2020
Warpies and Wefties of the World, Unite!
Warpies and Wefties
Yes, it is one of those absurd, over-generalised binaries. But bear with me, because you will find that these are binary opposites that unite us rather than divide us. Thus I submit that they are a great metaphor for building harmony between different Neurotribes whilst avoiding medicalised jargon.
The Art of Weaving
(as Social Metaphor)
Weaving is arguably humanity's oldest technology, one that combines Art and Usefulness.
And one generally associated with the Feminine, which doubly appeals to me.
And thus Weaving might just be both an adaptable and enduring, metaphor for creating harmony in these fractured times
But before I extend the metaphor to humans, a brief ...
Weaving Basics
for novices
WARP
|
WEFT
|
WOVEN
|
Now take the quiz!
Are you a Warpie or a Weftie?
How to score:
- Rate each item 1 to 5 from "Not at all like me” to "Totally me"
- Subtract the Warpie total from the Weftie total
- Warpies will of course have a negative value but only for linguistic reasons - i.e. warp usually precedes weft in English usage. No negative aspersions intended. On the contrary, the point is to show we need each other.
WARPIES |
WEFTIES |
|
THEIR GIFT |
Provide the backbone of society: Create, maintain and perpetuate social structures |
Provide adaptability for society: Weave through established social structures, experimenting, creating change |
PRIDE |
Pride themselves on being orderly, predictable, responsible, reliable, prudent |
Pride themselves on being change agents, brainstormers, creatives, subverting ossified cultural mores |
CAREER STRUCTURE |
Vertical: prioritize staying in stable employment and rising through the ranks. Will build up an upwardly mobile CV as they progress |
Horizontal: In traditional jobs, may move in and out of work, with a patchy CV: From billionaire innovators, to social security recipients |
VALUES |
Security, stability, promotion. May be willing to sacrifice intellectual and moral freedom for career |
Flexibility, autonomy. Unwilling to compromise intellectual and moral freedom for career |
ACCUMULATION |
Accumulate money due to stable employment, prudence, build up retirement funds |
Boom and bust, may end up millionaires or penniless at retirement, and even homeless: |
RELATIONSHIPS |
Tend to stable upwardly mobile relationships and marriages |
Relationships tend to be less stable, often de facto |
OPINIONS OF EACH OTHER |
Consider Wefties to be erratic, untidy, unpredictable, unreliable, self-indulgent, lazy |
Consider Warpies to be authoritarian, controlling, boring, dictatorial |
DREAMS |
Dream of throwing it all away and becoming beach bums and artists. Rarely do it till retirement, when they splurge on travel |
Dream of getting through just one structured day perfecty:rising early, getting chores done, having regular mealtimes, sleeping by midnight. Rarely achieve it |
BIGGEST REGRET |
Not spending more time with family, being creative |
Not building a career, not paying attention to accumulation |
ENVY |
Weftie freedom and creativity |
Warpie wealth and status |
COGNITIVE PROFILE |
Cognitive profile fairly level across strengths and weaknesses |
Cognitive profile "spiky" across strengths and weaknesses |
SLEEP PATTERNS |
Morning people: regular sleep patterns |
Night owls:irregular sleep patterns, insomnia |
Why is this a good metaphor for society?
Warp and Weft, separated, are weak and uselessWarp and Weft, intersecting, are strong, and have infinite potential
Their strength as a metaphor is that unlike the ND/NT divide, they do not oppose each other nor diverge in a different direction, perhaps never to meet again. They separate off, but only to meet again in a constructive fashion.
We need each other!
Disclaimer
This is not intended to replace the Neurotypical/Neurodivergent binary which is a necessary advocacy tool. I intend it as an affectionate, plain English form of self-identification for the people it suits.
The description will obviously fit many who have been the object of prejudice in work and education. It is obviously not a "disability label" though there maybe obvious overlaps with neurodivergent conditions
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... or ... It's the name of a social justice movement, not a diagnosis You may have heard critics of the Neurodiversity paradigm dismis...
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You may have come across the blog piece below authored by Martijn "McDutchie" Dekker who seems to be dedicated to delegitimizing m...
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The word Neurodivergent begs the question, "Divergent from what, exactly?". Neurodivergent 1 describes the significant perc...