Editorial #235 Quote #15

Autism Politico has another quote to by A. Maclaren, D.D. for you: ”We cannot erase the sad records of our past.”

What is done is done. That is why we need to ask ourselves each day that we go forward “What legacy will I leave?” or “What example am I setting?” or “Am I doing something which is going to reflect poorly upon myself and people who depend on me.”

People who lead the autism community need to follow these dictums so that they can model appropriate behavior for those whom they serve. Yet many people who are now leading the autism community do not follow these dictums. That is something to think about. Who do you want leading you and those like you? Who do you want representing you to influential people? Who do you want negotiating policy for your autistic children?

Perhaps it would be a good idea to hold autism advocates and advocacy groups accountable to higher standards. If these advocates and advocacy groups are of good character, they won’t mind.

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #234: Quote #14

Autism Politico has another quote for you: ”Water run by will not turn a mill.” A. Maclaren, D.D.

What does this mean for us?

It means we should do today what we have the chance to do today, and not let today pass into tomorrow. It means if you are twiddling your thumbs and not accomplishing anything, you are wasting your energy.

If you are in dire circumstances and aren’t doing anything to get yourself out of them, then it means you are partly to blame for your problems.

Another way to look at this is to examine what the advocates in the autism community are doing for you. They may exist. They may have websites. Their members may participate in chats and groups. But what are they actually doing for you? Perhaps you should be demanding more of these people who ask for YOUR support, or YOUR money, or for YOUR assistance. After all, aren’t these people here to serve you?

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #198: Quote #13

Autism Politico wants you to know that there is a Spanish proverb that goes something like this: “He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses more; but he who loses his spirits, loses all.”

Have you put your money into an autism organization which has worked against you? Have you befriended people who have mistreated you, or your fellow autistics? If these autism organizations or friends have crushed your spirit, then drop these autism organizations and these friends before you lose everything that matters.

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #188: Quote #12

Autism Politico has another quote to post:

“He that loses his conscious has nothing left that is worth keeping.” -Coussin

This quote applies to us all and seems to be self explanatory. One might remember, though, that its application is a s necessary as understanding its meaning. If you see a fellow autistic or an advocate of an autistic doing something that causes your conscious to rise up and question itself, should you not then rise up and question your fellow autistic or the advocate in question?

Since Autism Politico’s inception, it has called attention to many different abuses that occurred both within the autism world and without. What have you done recently?

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #187: Quote #11

Autism Politico thought this quote might be of use to people”

“Ignorance shuts its eyes and swears what it sees.” – Thomas Fuller. 

What does this mean? It means people do not want to see the truth, and so they shut their eyes to it and trust in what they want to believe rather than the evidence they would see if they just kept their eyes open. People do this all the time and this is how they get themselves into trouble. They swear allegiance to organizations and leaders who lead them astray. But, refusing to believe that it was their refusal to look at the facts which got them into this problem in the first place, they wind up digging themselves into a deeper hole of ignorance. 

Organizations can be a good thing because they may be able to help you serve you in ways that you cannot help and serve yourself. But the key to avoiding following someone or some organization who will lead you astray is to become more self-sufficient. Then you will not need anyone else, and you will be less ignorant than you were to begin with.

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #186: Quote #10

Autism Politico wonders what people think about this one:

“A word once out flies everywhere.” -Ecclesiasticus

 This is why autism advocacy organizations such as AWN, ASAN, GRASP, AFF and those who work within those organizations ought to take more care to keep their mouths shut or at least think before they speak. Many times they seem to do more harm than good when they open their mouths or issue a press release.

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #185: Quote #9

Autism Politico has another quote to discuss.  As always, the thing to do with these quotes is try to apply them to our own lives or to the autism community.

“Denying a fault doubles it. He that confesses his fault shall be preserved from hurt.” -Ecclesiasticus

Leaders in the autism world could learn a lot from this one. So many of them make so many mistakes, but rather than admit them publicly, they try and hide these mistakes. But those that follow these leaders see the mistakes and know what they are, and they lose faith in those who are leading them as time goes on.

 Now is the time to admit first to yourself and then to others, what your faults are, especially if a you are a leader, and you have faulted those you lead.

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #66: Quote #8

Autism Politico wants to add to the last quote about how autistics are seen by addressing another quote that expands on the same concept: 

“We shall find that it is less difficult to hide a thousand guineas than one hole in your coat.” – Coulton. 

What does this mean for us? 

It means that people look at you closely, and the flaws they see first are the ones that are the most glaringly obvious. 

Just because we are autistic, we are held in poor esteem by others. If we look strange, act strange, look suspicious, act suspicious, look mean or behave mean, this is what they will see first, and this is what they will believe us to be. 

If we wish to be seen as nice, kind, polite, honest, trustworthy, clean cut people, then we must play the part. And because autistics are under increased scrutiny no matter how we behave, if we are to be seen as nice, kind, polite, honest, trustworthy, clean cut people, then we must BE the part.

More so that any other segment of the population, we must dress and act like respectable people and must not engage in activities or behaviors that will defame our population as a whole. 

It does not matter that our own personal preferences may be compromised as a result of this imposition. We must remember that it is not entirely society’s fault that their poor perception of us exists. Part of the responsibility for this lies with ourselves. 

Autism Politico believes it is possible to maintain our individuality even as we seek to integrate with society. It is possible to keep something of ourselves even as we give up so much to be accepted. It is possible to look and appear as others do without giving up any part of our souls.   

When will you begin to make that change in yourself? 

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #59: Quote #7

Autism Politico has found another quote to discuss: 

Dickens once wrote: 

“To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached , is not in my nature. I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart.” 

People who have done nothing wrong have nothing to conceal. 

But whether or not a person has something to hide, to not be open to others suggests a closed heart. 

As Aspies, we keep ourselves to ourselves. This sort of reserve is admirable, but from society’s perspective, we are secretive at best, concealing something at worse. 

Oftentimes, a lawyer of a perpetrator of a crime will say “Because my client had Asperger Syndrome, he did not know right from wrong.” 

People on the spectrum know right AND wrong and they know right FROM wrong.

People on the spectrum may claim not to understand why it is people believe people on the spectrum do not know right from wrong, but the reason people have this belief is  simple: 

Aspies conceal their hearts from people, because they keep their mouths shut. 

Autism Politico believes that a lot of the prejudices people have about Aspies are the direct result of Aspies making themselves inaccessible to other people. We are not only aloof, but we are so shy as to be perceived guilty of something by other people. 

By contrast, a smiling NT can pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. 

While it may be better to be honest and presumed guilty rather than guilty but presumed honest, it’s best to be honest and presumed honest, and that is something that people on the autism spectrum are perfectly capable of doing, if they only open up to others. 

Replies to this editorial are welcome.

Editorial #49: Quote #6

Ah! Here is a good one. 

It’s by Shakespeare: 

“Any man that can write, may answer a letter.”

 Autism Politico likes this one for lots of reasons.

One needs to keep in mind that when the quote was first written, not many men could write at all, so having the ability to write was a valued skill that men and women actually wished to acquire.

If you could write something, you could record it for everyone to see.

If you wrote something, people knew you wrote it, because very few people could write, and your own spelling, grammar, and style was like a fingerprint. 

And if you received something that someone wrote, it was important and revered, because for someone with such skill to deign to address you in such a respected mode of communication as writing was the equivalent of someone from a higher class deigning to address someone from a lower one.  

These days, everyone can write, and writing has been reduced to inane abbreviations. Look at any cell phone text message and you will see a rancid combination on letters, numbers, and symbols. We have degenerated from a society of words to a society of hieroglyphics. 

These days, if you receive a correspondence, to not answer the correspondence is not entirely rude. 

Thus the application of the quote in our time has a different meaning. 

As in Shakespeare’s time, on the most fundamental level, the quote means that if someone writes you, unless you are physically impaired in some way, if you are able to write, you are perfectly capable of writing them back. [So people, Autism Politico expects that if you receive an invitation, you will respond with a RSVP.]

But the quote is more than that. 

It implies that if you can write in response to a letter, you can write your own letters. 

Anyone who has ever received a gift can write a thank you note. 

 Anyone who has ever had a complaint about anything can write a letter of complaint. 

Anyone who has ever said “There oughtta be a law…” is perfectly capable of telling their lawmakers the very same thing. A simple e-mail will suffice. 

Even if the act of writing itself has been bastardized and largely hated, as it has been in our present generation, if you have any sense of etiquette, you will adhere to it if you hope to present yourself as a member of society. 

Going further… 

It also implies that if you can speak, you can respond when spoken to. 

In fact, it implies that if you have any ability at all, you can do SOMETHING rather than nothing, and if you aren’t willing to take the initiative, the least you can do is respond to some else and what they have done for you. 

Now as an autistic, what are YOU willing to do when any kind of missive floats your way? Are you going to stay within your bubble and ignore it? Or are you going to step out of yourself and respond to it?  The advantage to the former is that you stay safe. The advantage to the latter is that you gain esteem in the sights of everyone who knows you. 

Which do you want for yourself? 

Autism Politico wants to know. 

Replies to this editorial are welcome.