<?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[New Blog: Autism&nbsp;Demonized]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m starting a new blog — that might turn into a group blogging effort — called <a href="http://autismdemonized.blogspot.com/">Autism Demonized</a>.</p>
<p>Some of my reasons for creating it are detailed in the <a href="http://autismdemonized.blogspot.com/2006/02/introduction.html">introduction post</a>. I&#8217;ve posted an example of a fairly ancient method of demonizing — in about the most literal sense possible — autistic people and other disabled people.</p>
<p>I hope to eventually catalogue and discuss all kinds of dehumanizing statements that we&#8217;re all depressingly used to by now.  The statements that kind of make most of us wonder how such tasteless things can be said, like the &#8220;Autism is worse than cancer, AIDS, and 9/11 combined&#8221; sort of mentality.  The main focus will be on autism, but it may sometimes discuss other people who&#8217;ve been dehumanized, including other disabled people.</p>
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