<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Ballastexistenz]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Mel Baggs]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/author/ameliabaggs/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Hierarchies in the autistic&nbsp;community]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>There are two articles I read today that touch on hierarchies in the autistic community.</p>
<p>One is a post by a mother, called <a href="http://autiemom.blogspot.com/2005/12/making-case-for-boring-autisticmany.html">Making the Case for the Boring Autistic</a>. She talks about how the special skills of autistics are highlighted in an attempt to make a case for our existence. And how this doesn&#8217;t need to happen. As far as I&#8217;m concerned, this has needed to be said for a long time.</p>
<p>The other is an article on Autism Speaks, called <a href="http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/departments/closerlook/000677.html">Autistics Speak</a>.  In the course of the article, the author inteviews the creator of <a href="http://www.gettingthetruthout.org/">Getting the Truth Out</a>, who at one point talks about the way certain autistics value themselves over other autistics.</p>
<p>While I&#8217;m at it, I&#8217;ll throw in my own <a href="http://www.autistics.org/library/theoakmanifesto.html">Oak Manifesto</a>, which I wrote in response to both hierarchies and false categories.  And <a href="http://www.autistics.org/library/autpride2005.html">Autistic Pride Day:  Do We Celebrate It Right?</a> by Joel Smith, who describes some false and damaging kinds of &#8220;autistic pride&#8221; that he&#8217;s seen floating around. (Contrary to their own belief, that article was not meant as a slam on the creators of Autistic Pride Day, whom Joel doesn&#8217;t even know.)</p>
<p>I want to write more about this, but the Neverending Migraine has been bad today and I need to go to bed again. I&#8217;ll just say that both ethically and personally the autistic superiority attitude turns my stomach.</p>
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