MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'bigotry'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:20:00 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119080&cid=t_113997_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F28%2Fhow-does-that-make-you-feel-five-myths-about-psychology%2F Walk into any bookstore and you will find racks and racks of books claiming to cure any number of major psychological problems with easy solutions. Want to lose weight? Try hypnosis. Want to get rich? Just visualize your goals and eventually you will achieve whatever you want. The truth is that the mind is an incredibly powerful and complex instrument and we are only beginning to learn its the true potential. Although psychology may assist in explaining our rational decision-making and emotional makeup, there is still plenty of guesswork out there. Below are five commonly believed myths about psychology. 5 Psychology Myths Subliminal Advertisements Work. While advertisers everywhere would like to believe this is true, there is no scientific data to back up the theory that split-second m... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119080 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:54:17 +0100 4119080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013343&cid=t_113997_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2F7cRzmUZXYBQ%2F It Gets Better: Dan and Terry Renowned columnist Dan Savage launched the It Gets Better suicide prevention project for LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited, queer, intersex) youth bullied in high school and intolerant communities. It’s hard to feel isolated in a cliquish social setting with bigots and bullies, but once you leave you can find acceptance in new communities, meet friends and lovers, and live a great life. Dan and his partner Terry started the video series with their own stories of being bullied (“things got better the day I left high school”), and invite others to upload their own to YouTube. The It Gets Better Project now has dozens of inspiring videos about how people left behind the bigots, and are glad they didn’t give in to ... Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013343 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 02:19:12 +0100 4013343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3180374&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fgood-ol-boys.html This town's for normal folks, see. You know, the good folks that look and sound and act just like the rest of us. Them others what ain't normal, or got kids what ain't normal, well—they don't none of 'em belong in this town. Let 'em keep to their own kind. And one thing's for sure, they ain't got no business putting their brats in our schools, right next to proper-acting kids. Fact is, them what ain't normal just need a good beatin' to teach 'em their place.'Course, we know they ain't never gonna be normal, however much we beat tar outta 'em. See, they ain't really human like us. But we just like to whup on 'em anyway, 'cause it's fun, and maybe if we do it enough we'll finally beat some sense into their thick ree-tard skulls and run 'em outta town.Just now heard tell there's some agitat... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3180374 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:31:00 +0100 3180374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171949&cid=t_113997_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F14%2Fintroducing-a-new-blog-bipolar-advantage%2F Bipolar disorder can be devastating… but it doesn’t have to be. I’m pleased to announce the introduction of Bipolar Advantage, hosted by Tom Wootton and his colleagues. I’m pleased to present this alternative view of bipolar disorder and depression, focused on how it can be used to achieve rather than simply endure. Tom said it best: The mental health field is plagued with the bigotry of low expectations. Far too many people are talking about “changing the stigma,” while creating the worst stigma of all — the idea that we are not capable of achieving greatness. While their intentions are good, they are doing terrible harm to everyone with a mental condition and those who love and support them. This “can’t do” attitude is rampant in professionals, consum... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171949 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:11:15 +0100 3171949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758027&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Four-big-fat-intolerant-society.html An article in Newsweek addresses the issue of why there is so much prejudice against heavy people in the United States, even though most of the population is either overweight or obese. The authors observe that weight gain is generally seen as a consequence of personal failings such as gluttony and lack of willpower, even though a modern sedentary lifestyle makes weight management quite difficult and many people have a genetic predisposition toward obesity. Some of the hostility toward the obese, they suggest, could be misplaced anger arising from the frustration that many people feel as a result of struggling to lose weight. People tend to attribute their own failings to their circumstances, while blaming others for having made bad choices. And there's also a bit of general mob mentality ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758027 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:44:00 +0100 2758027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702467&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fend-of-week-stupid-roundup.html Sometimes the stupid runs so deep that instead of blogging about it, I just want to scrape up its stinking carcass with a shovel and chuck it into the woods to rot in peace. For instance, it ought to be obvious to everyone—except the most prejudiced jerks—that the fact that mass murderers are antisocial creeps does not mean they are autistic. However, looking at the comments on a recent post on Sarah's blog goes to show that there's no shortage of prejudiced jerks.And where might one expect to find an article that advocates killing off people with disabilities to save money for health care for everyone else? If you guessed a neo-Nazi newsletter or a Klan website, that would be a logical enough guess, but wrong. Actually, to the great disgust of many, it appeared in the New York Times M... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702467 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:09:00 +0100 2702467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660877&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Frex-reed-spouts-disgusting-bigotry.html For those who are fortunate enough never to have heard of the jerk, Rex Reed is a movie critic with a history of making ignorant and prejudiced remarks. His latest attack, in a review of the movie Adam in the New York Observer, is beyond the pale:Asperger’s is an incurable neurological disorder similar to autism that turns outwardly normal-looking people into high-class idiot savants. I know at least two people with Asperger’s. They are incapable of thinking of anyone or anything outside of themselves...…It is lethal to get involved romantically with any person with Asperger’s syndrome, since they care nothing about other people’s feelings, needs or priorities. Almost without exception, they leave you perplexed, riddled with doubt and totally depressed.observer.com/2009/movies/hu... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660877 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:09:00 +0100 2660877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452997&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Ffaaas-social-work-seminars-lessons-in.html Before I slog once again into the fetid swamp that is FAAAS, I'm first going to mention a recent advocacy success in Maryland, where new legislation has been passed to safeguard the rights of citizens with disabilities regarding child custody and adoption proceedings. The fact that a person has a disability, whether mental or physical, now cannot be a reason for finding that the person is unable to care for a child, in the absence of specific evidence relevant to the family's circumstances and the child's best interests.Meanwhile, in the less enlightened state of Massachusetts, which is ground zero for the hatred and destruction of families wrought by FAAAS, true believers in Maxine Aston's Cassandra cult are teaching continuing education seminars that indoctrinate social workers to treat ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452997 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:45:00 +0100 2452997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405866&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fmorningside-elementary-st-lucie-school.html In September 1957, after a federal court had ordered racial desegregation of the schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, an angry white mob surrounded Little Rock High School in an attempt to prevent nine African-American students from entering the building. When Arkansas officials failed to restore order, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect the students, who came to be known as the Little Rock Nine. While attending the school, the students faced vicious bullying not only from racist classmates, but also from some teachers and other school employees. One of the students, Melba Pattillo Beals, later wrote a harrowing memoir entitled Warriors Don't Cry.While this may seem like ancient history and something that could never happen again, even now in the 21st century some families... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405866 Tue, 12 May 2009 22:43:00 +0100 2405866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2227472&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fcassandra-cult-victim-speaks-out.html I wrote a post in September discussing the phony Cassandra disorder invented by Maxine Aston and perpetuated by various hate groups. According to the Cassandra cultists, being in a relationship with an autistic person causes a depressive disorder. It's a convenient excuse for vengeful ex-spouses to blame everything in their lives on their autistic former partner, and quite lucrative for Aston and other unethical counselors who profit from allegedly treating the nonexistent disorder.Recently, I received an e-mail from a woman who described in detail—from her own firsthand experience—the bigotry and hypocrisy of the Cassandra crowd, and the wreckage they cause to marriages and families. I have edited the letter slightly for clarity and to remove personally identifying details; otherwise,... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2227472 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:31:00 +0100 2227472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2173013&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fautistic-monster-ad-yanked.html After two and a half weeks of bluster and increasingly frantic and contradictory excuses for its disgusting "Dan's Story" advertisement depicting an autistic boy as a monster, Action for Children has finally (well, sort of) pulled its head out of its hindquarters and faced up to the reality that an ad campaign defaming autistic people wasn't a plus for its public image. The television ad has been withdrawn in response to the firestorm of protest from the British and international autistic community.As Mike Stanton observes, however, Action for Children still won't admit the obvious fact that this ignorant ad campaign was a colossal blunder. The charity is now trying to save face by pretending that yesterday was the ad's scheduled ending date, despite previous statements that it would run l... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2173013 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:24:00 +0100 2173013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2156540&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fdan-torpedoes-full-monster-ahead.html The British charity Action for Children is stubbornly continuing to run its Dan the Autistic Monster advertisements, despite widespread outrage in the autistic community and unequivocal condemnation from autism researchers and professionals including Simon Baron-Cohen, Tony Attwood, and Mitzi Waltz. Evidently, Action for Children has made a calculated decision to ignore the public fury about the ad, hoping that it will all be forgotten shortly. It's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen.Dora Raymaker has written a post on Change.org with links and information about action alerts to complain to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority and to other authorities (with directions for how to make the action alert work from non-US addresses) regarding the ad. If you haven't already responded ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2156540 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:05:00 +0100 2156540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2132545&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fdestroying-intolerance-monster.html A charity in the UK called Action for Children has created a truly appalling short film called Dan's Story, which is being shown on TV as an advertisement. It depicts a boy as having been eaten by a wicked autism monster and suggests that the monster must be destroyed. Several bloggers already have written about this horrid imagery, including Mike Stanton, Socrates, Bev, Sharon, and Shiva.Socrates posted contact information on his blog for Gary Day, Head of Supporter Care at Action for Children: gary.day@actionforchildren.org.ukUnfortunately, it appears that Mr. Day does not understand (or perhaps does not care) how grossly offensive this advertising campaign is to the autistic community. His mass-mailed response to our complaints, which is posted in Socrates' comments, asserts that the ad... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2132545 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:37:00 +0100 2132545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2094715&cid=t_113997_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2Fdeath-by-indifference-medically.html Regular SHSers will recall the horrific case of Martin Ryan, an adult with Down syndrome who, after a stroke left him unable to talk, was allowed to starve to death over 26 days in a UK hospital. I have done some Googling, and found some more on the story. Martin's and other deaths came to light because of a campaign by MENCAP, an NGO, to bring to light abuses in the medical context against people with developmental disabilities.There is apparently something of a pattern in this and other appalling deaths of people with developmental disabilities. From the Telegraph coverage: The six cases were raised by Mencap in a report entitled Death By Indifference. A spokesman for the charity said last night: "These people were completely and unacceptably failed by the treatment they received. " It w... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2094715 Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:10:00 +0100 2094715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2073791&cid=t_113997_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F12%2Fman-with-disabilities-not-worth-saving.html The next time you are tempted to scoff at folk with disabilities who worry that they many people think their lives are not worth living, remember this story. Two medical technicians from the UK have been arrested for allegedly deciding that the life of a man with disabilities wasn't "worth saving" from a heart attack. From the story:It is alleged that staff in the control centre heard the two medics making disparaging comments about the state of the house.A police source, who asked not to be named, said that the ambulancemen were then heard discussing Mr Baker and saying "words to the effect that he was not worth saving". The source said that the two men were allegedly first heard commenting on the untidy state of the house and then saying that it was not worth bothering to resuscitate Mr ... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2073791 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:42:00 +0100 2073791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696287&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Ftropic-thunder-boycott-begins.html Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver has announced that he, along with other disability rights advocates, plans to picket the premiere of Tropic Thunder today in Los Angeles because of its repeated use of the R-word and other offensive language. Mr. Shriver wrote an editorial explaining his reasons for advocating a boycott, in which he describes the movie as "an unchecked assault on the humanity of people with intellectual disabilities—an affront to dignity, hope and respect."Here's an excerpt from Mr. Shriver's article:People with intellectual disabilities are routinely abused, neglected, insulted, institutionalized and even killed around the world. Their parents are told to give up, that their children are worthless. Schools turn them away. Doctors refuse to treat them. Employers ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696287 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:18:00 +0100 1696287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652396&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fmichael-savage-in-deep-doo-doo.html A lot of people have been wondering what the heck Michael Savage was thinking last week when he said, among other offensive remarks, that autistic children were really just brats who needed more discipline. I'm inclined to believe that the potential consequences of his rant never even crossed his mind. If he thought about it at all, he probably figured that—given the extent of the ugly, dehumanizing language so often used to describe autistic children in recent years—there would be no consequences whatsoever.After all, "combating autism" is now an official policy of the United States government; some of our politicians and autism charities have given the impression that they're competing to see how many times in the same speech they can revile autistics as a devastating burden to socie... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652396 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:14:00 +0100 1652396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1649093&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fvancouver-sun-prints-bigoted-article-on.html Although a Sunday article in the Vancouver Sun entitled "Researchers pulling back the veil on adult autism" contained a large number of offensive stereotypes and generalizations, actual cites to research were conspicuously lacking.The author gave as an example of an autistic person an "office clerk who beat up a woman on his way to the bus stop one morning for the simple reason she was in his way." She further stated that "their social skills are disastrous" and suggested that autistic adults often receive a diagnosis after "they're reprimanded at work for making an inappropriate comment, or charged with harassing or stalking."canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=ea98c743-7305-439e-9ae8-3d32c3224f92Karen Rodman, founder of FAAAS, was quoted as an authoritative source for such pron... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1649093 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:46:00 +0100 1649093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1451881&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Frun-dream-out-of-town-on-rail.html The despicable anti-autistic bigotry in the "Run the Dream" fundraising campaign needs to get dunked in some virtual tar and feathers. For those who may not be familiar with the historical reference in my title, a common way of banishing a wrongdoer from an American colonial town was to tie him to a rail and carry him outside the town's boundaries. He might also be tarred and feathered to increase his public humiliation. This was known as being "run out of town on a rail."Here's a brief summary of what Run the Dream is about: A Canadian long-distance runner, Jonathan Howard, is running from Newfoundland to British Columbia to raise money for autism research and other purposes. He states on his website that the research he seeks to fund is "research into the treatment and, one day, cure, or... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1451881 Sun, 18 May 2008 19:30:00 +0100 1451881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1416565&cid=t_113997_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F02%2Fthe-interior-situation-of-infants%2F We presented them with pictures of faces, side by side, one white and one African, and we observed where they preferred to look. The white children in Israel preferred white faces. Babies in Ethiopia preferred to look at Ethiopian faces. The third group showed no preference.’ More fascinating still is that Spelke’s lab has revealed a deep-seated prejudice, present in infants, that trumps racial bias: language. Dr Katherine Kinzler, though based in Harvard, spends much time running parallel studies in France. ‘Five-month-old babies will look longer at somebody who spoke to them in their language. Older infants want to accept a toy from someone who has spoken their language,’ Dr Kinzler says. ‘They like toys more that are associated with some... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1416565 Fri, 02 May 2008 13:36:09 +0100 1416565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1179957&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fbigotry-on-parade.html If anyone still doubts that Autism Speaks' ultimate goal is eugenic extermination of the world's entire autistic population, more proof can be found in a Parade Magazine article written by Suzanne Wright, straight from the proverbial horse's mouth—or, perhaps, from another part of the horse's anatomy:parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_01-27-2008/Autism_Changes_EverythingIn a span of less than two years, Suzanne Wright's bigoted diatribes against autistic people have included promises to put us in the history books and exhortations to kick us to the curb. Oh, and she also claims that autistic children are "just not there" and can't be taken out to restaurants and movies. So I didn't find it at all surprising to see this unequivocal declaration of Autism Speaks' eugenic intentions i... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1179957 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 05:36:00 +0100 1179957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1106275&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fransom-notes-and-autism-speaks-partners.html The Ransom Notes advertising campaign has Autism Speaks' dirty little fingerprints all over it. It's a direct follow-up from those Ad Council PSA commercials for Autism Speaks, also produced pro bono by the ad agency BBDO. If you live in the United States, you've probably seen those awful commercials that compare the odds of your child being autistic to being hit by lightning, killed in a car crash, or otherwise ending up dead. Autism Speaks seems to have quite a fixation with autistic children ending up dead, to judge from Alison Tepper Singer's infamous line in the Autism Every Day video about wanting to drive off a bridge with her autistic daughter, which was soon followed by a magazine interview with two Autism Speaks board members who hoped their autistic son would drown in their back... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1106275 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:34:00 +0100 1106275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1100169&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fother-six-letter-n-word.html Some words are considered so offensive in today's society that just using such a word once is enough to brand a person instantly as a crude, ignorant bigot. Quite a few celebrities have wrecked their careers by using a certain six-letter N-word, which I won't mention here because someone probably would post an indignant comment telling me that I really didn't need to say it in order to make my point. And they would be right; we all know what that word is because there's such a strong social consensus about its extreme offensiveness.Of course, there is good reason for our society's strong condemnation of that word. It reflects a very ugly worldview that brands certain people as genetically inferior and undesirable, denies our common humanity, and arbitrarily divides our species into a privi... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1100169 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:45:00 +0100 1100169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1090503&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fnyu-ransom-notes-ads-public-outrage.html We have your ignorant and ill-conceived advertising campaign, which is a detriment to itself and society. We are making sure that when people search the Internet for information about it, they will find nothing but a deluge of furious condemnation on blogs and forums. We're also posting links everywhere to an online petition protesting the ads. If you fail to provide appropriate remediation and a prompt public apology, we will make sure you no longer have the respect of any decent people and will be driven into a life of complete isolation. Do nothing and see what happens.— Public OutrageOr, worded a bit more diplomatically in a joint letter from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network and thirteen other disability rights organizations:__________________________________________The following l... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1090503 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:09:00 +0100 1090503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1082929&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Flaurie-ben-haim-of-bbdo-doh.html In response to an earlier post about the NYU Child Study Center's ignorant "Ransom Notes" advertisements, Kate Gladstone wrote a comment that sheds some light on how this ad campaign went so far wrong:Ms. Ben-Haim has confirmed for me that her ad-agency tested out the ad-campaign on *parents* of disabled kids, but not—repeat, NOT—the disabled kids (or adults) themselves. When I asked her why the agency didn't also test out the ads on disabled people (the folks the ads actually talks about), she admitted she didn't have a good answer for that one.Quite apart from that egregious omission, I really have to wonder what rocks were turned over to find a significant number of parents who thought "Ransom Notes" would be a good idea. From what I've seen so far, every parent blogger who has writ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1082929 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:02:00 +0100 1082929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1081786&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fmission-accomplished.html "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." — GandhiAlthough some folks were upset by the insensitive tone of the mass e-mail sent by Dr. Harold Koplewicz to everyone who complained about the Ransom Notes ads, I view it as a positive sign that the NYU Child Study Center took less than a week to advance from the ignoring us stage to the laughing at us stage. (By way of contrast, it took Autism Speaks more than a year to realize that they couldn't just ignore us in the hope that we would all go away.)In his letter, Dr. Koplewicz has this to say:"Ransom Notes" may be shocking to some, but so are the statistics: suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24, and serious emotional problems affect one out of 10 young people... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1081786 Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:47:00 +0100 1081786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070276&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fheld-for-ransom.html The Child Study Center at New York University has a new advertising campaign entitled "Ransom Notes," which is, unfortunately, just what it sounds like. "Awareness" posters focusing on various psychological conditions and developmental differences, including autism and Asperger Syndrome, are written in the style of ransom notes from kidnappers. They begin with "We have your son," and go on to describe in absurdly melodramatic terms how he is being destroyed for life, etc. I'm not going to quote this repulsive dreck in any more detail or give it an active link, but this is where you can find it:aboutourkids.org/about_us/public_awarenessThanks to hollywoodjaded for bringing this appalling example of hate speech to my attention. I posted the following comments into the contact form on the web... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070276 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:35:00 +0100 1070276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=979233&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fnuts-to-you-readers-digest.html I'm probably showing my age here, but I can remember when, long ago and in a simpler world, Reader's Digest was a reputable magazine. It contained thought-provoking articles on current events and well-edited condensed versions of books with literary merit.After a while, it started showing up on the supermarket checkout racks, right next to the National Enquirer, with specially printed just-for-the-supermarket covers that blared "LOSE WEIGHT NOW!" The articles and condensed books degenerated into sensationalistic crime and disaster stories.The slow slide of Reader's Digest into tabloid trashdom hit new depths in April 2006 when the magazine started printing a regular column called "Normal or Nuts?" The column solicits and answers letters from readers who describe their quirky behaviors and ... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=979233 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:44:00 +0100 979233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=970120&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fautism-speaks-eugenic-agenda.html It's not really news that the ultimate goal of Autism Speaks is to wipe out the entire autistic population through prenatal testing and eugenic abortion. After all, one of their leading researchers, Dr. Joseph Buxbaum of the Autism Genome Project, frankly admitted as much in an interview almost three years ago, before NAAR merged into Autism Speaks.But for the most part, they've managed to put up a somewhat plausible pretense of being a mainstream charity that just wants to prevent suffering, and so forth. Most of the material on their website is carefully designed to keep the public unaware of their close ideological affinity with the white supremacist agenda of creating a master race through eugenics. A casual reader might not notice a page featuring the views of Dr. James Watson, with w... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=970120 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:56:00 +0100 970120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932699&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Ffoul-stench-of-echthroi-jerry-kartzinel.html In the classic series of books by Madeleine L'Engle beginning with A Wrinkle in Time, evil is depicted as a cold, dark shadow spreading across the galaxy and destroying whatever lies in its path. The second book, A Wind in the Door, describes in more detail the evil spirits called Echthroi, who seek to extinguish all joy and life and beauty in the universe. (Anne C. at Existence is Wonderful just wrote a great tribute to L'Engle and her books; I highly recommend it.)Although Echthroi have no physical bodies and do not speak, their presence manifests as a cold, clammy feeling in the air and a foul stench of decay. They destroy by blotting out the meaning of existence, causing a target to lose its identity and fade away and become part of the evil shadow. They cannot be fought with weapons o... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932699 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:24:00 +0100 932699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918035&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fmeaning-of-word.html I recently read an excellent blog entry about a school that preaches the virtues of diversity to its students, while not being at all amenable to making accommodations for a small boy's sensory integration issues. The conclusion: They have no idea what the word "diversity" means.Unfortunately, very few of the people who have advocated for equality and diversity, at any time in history, have understood it broadly enough to encompass the entire human species. When the wealthy slaveowner Thomas Jefferson wrote that it was self-evident that all men were created equal, he was referring to white males who owned property. Back in those days, it was dangerous radicalism just to suggest that kings were not divinely appointed to rule over the commoners.When the early feminists sought the vote, how d... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918035 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:42:00 +0100 918035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=811188&cid=t_113997_135_f&fid=35263&url=http%3A%2F%2Fronhudson.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbill-moyers-on-karl-rove.html Categories: politics Bill+Moyers PBS Karl+Rove corruption big+money religion separation+of+church+and+state bigotry homophobia (Source: 2sides2ron) 2sides2ron blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=811188 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:47:00 +0100 811188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=792983&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fjournalistic-bias-syndrome.html The Columbine Syndrome, a recent New York Times article by Judith Warner, addresses the prejudices shown by journalists and others in our society toward people with neurological differences. Not long ago, a news report on a particularly heinous rape-murder case gratuitously mentioned that the perpetrator had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and dysgraphia; Warner characterizes this reporting as "a sinister detail that piled on a broad insult to all the gruesome injuries, victimizing a whole new set of people."Indeed, when neurological differences and psychological diagnoses are mentioned frequently in the context of criminal offenses, such reporting skews the general public's perceptions and leads many people to assume that there must be a causal rela... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=792983 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:20:00 +0100 792983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=775429&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbends.html I was dreaming when I wrote this,Forgive me if it goes astray.But when I woke up this morning,Could have sworn it was Judgment Day.Prince, 1999I was having a rather jumbled dream, right before I woke up this morning, about divers getting the bends and people finding it difficult to change prejudiced attitudes. The two situations seemed to be logically connected, and while the similarity between them may not be easy to put into words, I'll give it a try.Decompression sickness or "the bends" is a painful and occasionally fatal condition that affects divers who return to the surface too rapidly after a deep dive. Because water exerts more pressure on the body than air, nitrogen dissolves into a diver's blood in larger amounts than would ordinarily be found in the human body. The additional ni... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=775429 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:29:00 +0100 775429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=740486&cid=t_113997_135_f&fid=35263&url=http%3A%2F%2Fronhudson.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Frevealing-look-at-american.html I was directed to this article authored by Johann Hari, Independent UK, by David Lineberger and Pan+ptic=n's blog, Acta Diurna. It is frightening to learn that your greatest fears are not far off-base. After reading this article, I suspect that there are those in this country who would have me and my "ilk" gassed because of their arbitrary belief system and the inherent conflicts with my genuine life.Have a look, read and tell me what you think. Categories: politics conservatives National+Review bigotry racism nationalism war+hawks intolerance (Source: 2sides2ron) 2sides2ron blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=740486 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:50:00 +0100 740486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=700719&cid=t_113997_135_f&fid=35263&url=http%3A%2F%2Fronhudson.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Felizabeth-edwards-is-hero.html She fights cancer, she takes a proactive stand for LGBTQ rights and she takes on Ann Coulter for her abrasive, sickening and mean-spirited comments in the media. Take a look at this video from ABC News in which Elizabeth Edwards called in to challenge Coulter for setting a bad example for the children who surround her in the interview.Bless you, Elizabeth Edwards. If I could vote for you, I would.Categories: ABC+News Elizabeth+Edwards Ann+Coulter politics intolerance bigotry hatred (Source: 2sides2ron) 2sides2ron blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=700719 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:08:00 +0100 700719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=571247&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fwhy-hasn-limbaugh-been-fired-yet.html Alternet wonders why Limbaugh hasn't been fired yet - apparently not understanding what "syndicated" means. But I do wonder how long it will take for people to realize he's about as funny and relevant as "Who's the Boss" re-runs.This is a head-shaker. Imus gets canned for calling some college women basketball players "nappy-headed hos" and yet Rush Limbaugh plays "Barack The Magic Negro" on his show and he is still on the air?And the story links to a video that is one long "coon joke" which makes me wonder another thing entirely: How stupid do you have to be to consider this either funny or informative? If the best ammunition you can come up with against the policies of flaming liberals like Barak Obama and Al Sharpton is that they are (gasp) black, you ain't much use. Because, well, I got... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=571247 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 571247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=556914&cid=t_113997_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fcho-seung-hui-symptom-of-ugly-social.html When Cho Seung-hui fired his last round into his own head, I am personally, morally certain that he did so feeling both a sense of relief and with a sense of having struck a blow for justice. He was wrong, of course.But after looking over such information as I've been able to find, I strongly suspect that there was a high barrier to him coming to a more "reasonable and rational" viewpoint - and a great deal that leads me to suspect that - within his own narrow, but probably quite sane perspective - his actions were completely rational and justified.It's pretty damn clear that within his lifetime, there were few, if any reality checks or positive, useful interventions, nothing to introduce a bit of reasonable doubt regarding the universal malevolence of "normal people."That would be the dis... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=556914 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 556914