There has been disagreement among researchers and diagnosticians about whether the two diagnostic labels really represent distinct conditions since Asperger syndrome first became its own recognized and "official" diagnostic category. There are multiple sets of diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome, but recently the criteria put forth in the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual have been thrust into the spotlight. A proposed change to the upcoming DSM V would consolidate all of the diagnoses on the autism spectrum under a single diagnostic label, "autism spectrum disorder." In popular discourse and mainstream media outlets, the other conditions on the spectrum—childhood disintegrative disorder and PDD-NOS [pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified]—are completely erased. The focus is solely on "classic" autism and Asperger syndrome, and the proposed consolidation of the two labels has given rise to fierce controversy and even panic.
The problem, though, is that the filmmakers seem to misdirect the anger. As upsetting as it is to see corporations (some of which were bailed out with federal funds) avoid their taxes, the problem is that what they’re doing is legal. Most corporations aren’t breaking any laws by using these tax havens—in fact, they have an obligation to their stockholders to protect their investments, and using tax havens is a highly effective way of doing that. Corporations are not going to voluntarily pay more taxes, and a high corporate tax rate that’s unavoidable will likely just cause them to do business elsewhere. The problem isn’t with them; the problem is in the tax code.
In popular fiction, savant skills and autism are almost synonymous. Portraying a character as a savant has become a way of driving home the fact that the character is autistic. The savant archetype is glaringly problematic because of the cultural baggage associated with idea of the "savant," because of the roles that autistic savants are relegated to in fiction, and because the stereotype of the autistic savant is enormously misleading. While "autism" and "savant" may go hand-in-hand in popular consciousness, the vast majority of autists are not savants and not all people who have savant skills are autistic.
Of course one doesn't have to go finding autism in popular fiction—it's the subject of intense cultural fascination right now, so it's just there, everywhere. In novels like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Jodi Picoult's House Rules; in films like Mercury Rising, Mozart and the Whale, Adam, and of course Rain Man; and in television shows like Parenthood and Alphas. But I do believe that, in my latest post, I exhausted my personal list of autistic characters whom I—as an autistic consumer of fiction—enjoy and whose stories I find compelling. Someone in my position might just have to go looking for autism to find more autistic characters with whom to relate.
I do not mean nor wish to suggest that, for a person to relate to a character, said character must be like the reader or viewer in every way. Of course one could identify with characters who are very unlike oneself. But fiction is a very powerful force. It influences the way we see the world and ourselves. When there is a glaring lack of characters with certain traits, or existing representations fall into harmful tropes, it hurts.
Autism Speaks is an easy, easy target. And a literally huge one—it's the largest and best-funded autism "awareness" and "advocacy" (I kind of want to just call it "autism-themed") organization in the world. Autistic self-advocates rip into Autism Speaks every day because of the organization's silencing and dehumanizing rhetoric, and its focus on "curing" autism rather than dedicating its resources to practical support for autistic people. I thought I'd comb through the resources on their website to see information they might offer regarding sex, gender, and sexuality.
This blog series is rapidly closing in on its second week and I have only just gotten started. I have a lot in mind to cover—autistic gender and sexuality in parents' guides, autism and sex ed, the pathologization of gender non-normative behavior—and I have barely scratched the surface of portrayals of autists in film, television, and news media. As I did with my previous post on Erasure and Asexuality, however, I want to take a moment to step back and pause before charging on ahead.
Remember what a douchebag Johnny Depp was last year when he compared his many celebrity photoshoots to instances of rape? You'd think his fellow actors would have learned from his mistake that "rape" is not a word that can be thrown about to describe any mildly uncomfortable situation, but some actors obviously did not get the message. Earlier this week actress Kim Novak, star of the 1958 Hitchcock Classic Vertigo, took out a full-page ad in Variety magazine to blast new film The Artist for ripping off Bernard Hermann's famous love score from Vertigo. While Novak could have expressed her disdain for the film's creative choices with any manner of unoffensive language, she instead used the full-page rant to accuse the film of "raping" her.
You may have seen these ads last week from Atlanta's Strong4Life Campaign, which attempt to let kids (and their parents) know that they are fat and shame/scare/bully them into just stopping being fat already.
The super stylish folks at Marimacho—the masculine clothing line for cis women and transmasculine bodies—are launching a new Tumblr! To kick things off, they're hosting a Hunky Heartbreakers photo contest and they want YOU to submit your hunkiest pics!
The result of prevailing cultural attitudes is that autistic people are perceived as inherently non-sexual. Not as asexual—the mainstream paradigm erases the experiences of asexual autists right along with those of other queer people on the spectrum.
Staff writer for HowStuffWorks.com where I also co-host the gender-focused podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You. I have an insatiable appetite for learning about gender, gender constructs and how society, culture and biology influence how we think about it.
What I'm watching:
Reliving the adolescence I wish I had with Degrassi Junior High and Square Pegs.
What I'm reading:
Digging into male beauty and body image with Susan Bordo's "The Male Body" and Ken Corbett's "Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities".
What I'm listening to:
Cults, Dum Dum Girls, Madeline and whatever Pandora serves up to me.
I'm a fitful novelist, former New Orleanian, lady-lovin' PWD, and twentysomething feminist bookworm interested in creative writing, queer rights, literary analysis, disability issues, teen issues, theater, film, sex education, and much more. I've completed two fictional books and one book of poetry, and I'm currently looking for a literary agent.
Prior to opening this account, I wrote for and commented on this site under the handle TheBadassMuppet.
What I'm watching:
Veronica Mars (as a constant), Party Down, Community, Glee
What I'm reading:
I consistently read a lot. My favorite authors are Douglas Coupland, Jaclyn Moriarty, Dorothy Allison, Joanna Russ, Woody Allen, Jessica Valenti, Jennifer Baumgardner, Augusten Burroughs, Lisa Tucker, Nancy Garden, Christopher Moore, Julie Anne Peters, Lori Aurelia Williams, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Christina Hopkinson, Ariel Schrag, Marc Acito, Curtis Sittenfeld, Tom Perrotta, Megan McCafferty, Judy Blume, Thea Hillman, Steve Martin, Sasha Cagen, Jaclyn Friedman, Eve Ensler, Wendy McClure, Jennifer McMahon, Bennett Madison, Mark Haddon, Kate Bornstein, Kate Harding, Colin McAdam, Kelley Eskridge, Pablo Neruda, Cristina Henriquez, Frank Portman, Jeff Lindsay, and Heather Corinna.
What I'm listening to:
my usual collection of musicals and '90s rock, pop, and R&B. I also have a minor obsession with uber-trashy Europop.
I consistently read a lot. My favorite authors are Douglas Coupland, Jaclyn Moriarty, Dorothy Allison, Joanna Russ, Woody Allen, Jessica Valenti, Jennifer Baumgardner, Augusten Burroughs, Lisa Tucker, Nancy Garden, Christopher Moore, Julie Anne Peters, Lori Aurelia Williams, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Christina Hopkinson, Ariel Schrag, Marc Acito, Curtis Sittenfeld, Tom Perrotta, Megan McCafferty, Judy Blume, Thea Hillman, Steve Martin, Sasha Cagen, Jaclyn Friedman, Eve Ensler, Wendy McClure, Jennifer McMahon, Bennett Madison, Mark Haddon, Kate Bornstein, Kate Harding, Colin McAdam, Kelley Eskridge, Pablo Neruda, Cristina Henriquez, Frank Portman, Jeff Lindsay, and Heather Corinna.
What I'm listening to:
my usual collection of musicals and '90s rock, pop, and R&B. I also have a minor obsession with uber-trashy Europop.
What I'm watching:
Veronica Mars (as a constant), Party Down, Community, Glee
For both work and play: Revenge, The Daily Show, Top Chef, Once Upon a Time, Downton Abbey, 2 Broke Girls, Teen Mom 2, America's Next Top Model, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
As a young feminist growing up on the mean streets of Portland, Kelsey dreamed that one day a kickass, independent, feminist media organization would move its headquarters to her beloved home city. Well kids, Gabrielle was right: "Dreams can come true"! Bitch moved to Portland, and one MA in Media Studies from the University of Oregon later, Kelsey moved in as web editor. She hasn't looked back since.
When not editing the interwebs at the Bitch office, Kelsey can be found lecturing reluctant students, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her French Bulldog, Edith. She also enjoys making things out of fabric and watching pretty much anything on television (preferably at the same time, and preferably with Edith). If you're looking for a new pal who loves both LOLcats and Linda Ronstadt records, she's your gal.
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
What I'm reading:
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
Kristin Rawls is a freelance writer and blogger who regularly blogs for Halogen TV. Her work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Religion Dispatches, Global Comment and elsewhere online.
What I'm reading:
Humiliation; Wayne Koestenbaum
Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the Country in Between; Jeff Sharlet
Social Commentary
Double Rainbow: Autism vs. Asperger Syndrome
There has been disagreement among researchers and diagnosticians about whether the two diagnostic labels really represent distinct conditions since Asperger syndrome first became its own recognized and "official" diagnostic category. There are multiple sets of diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome, but recently the criteria put forth in the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual have been thrust into the spotlight. A proposed change to the upcoming DSM V would consolidate all of the diagnoses on the autism spectrum under a single diagnostic label, "autism spectrum disorder." In popular discourse and mainstream media outlets, the other conditions on the spectrum—childhood disintegrative disorder and PDD-NOS [pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified]—are completely erased. The focus is solely on "classic" autism and Asperger syndrome, and the proposed consolidation of the two labels has given rise to fierce controversy and even panic.
The 99%: "We're Not Broke"
Double Rainbow: A Quick Look at the Savant
In popular fiction, savant skills and autism are almost synonymous. Portraying a character as a savant has become a way of driving home the fact that the character is autistic. The savant archetype is glaringly problematic because of the cultural baggage associated with idea of the "savant," because of the roles that autistic savants are relegated to in fiction, and because the stereotype of the autistic savant is enormously misleading. While "autism" and "savant" may go hand-in-hand in popular consciousness, the vast majority of autists are not savants and not all people who have savant skills are autistic.
Double Rainbow: Finding Autism in Popular Fiction
Of course one doesn't have to go finding autism in popular fiction—it's the subject of intense cultural fascination right now, so it's just there, everywhere. In novels like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Jodi Picoult's House Rules; in films like Mercury Rising, Mozart and the Whale, Adam, and of course Rain Man; and in television shows like Parenthood and Alphas. But I do believe that, in my latest post, I exhausted my personal list of autistic characters whom I—as an autistic consumer of fiction—enjoy and whose stories I find compelling. Someone in my position might just have to go looking for autism to find more autistic characters with whom to relate.
I do not mean nor wish to suggest that, for a person to relate to a character, said character must be like the reader or viewer in every way. Of course one could identify with characters who are very unlike oneself. But fiction is a very powerful force. It influences the way we see the world and ourselves. When there is a glaring lack of characters with certain traits, or existing representations fall into harmful tropes, it hurts.
Double Rainbow: A Peek at Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is an easy, easy target. And a literally huge one—it's the largest and best-funded autism "awareness" and "advocacy" (I kind of want to just call it "autism-themed") organization in the world. Autistic self-advocates rip into Autism Speaks every day because of the organization's silencing and dehumanizing rhetoric, and its focus on "curing" autism rather than dedicating its resources to practical support for autistic people. I thought I'd comb through the resources on their website to see information they might offer regarding sex, gender, and sexuality.
Double Rainbow: Stepping Back
This blog series is rapidly closing in on its second week and I have only just gotten started. I have a lot in mind to cover—autistic gender and sexuality in parents' guides, autism and sex ed, the pathologization of gender non-normative behavior—and I have barely scratched the surface of portrayals of autists in film, television, and news media. As I did with my previous post on Erasure and Asexuality, however, I want to take a moment to step back and pause before charging on ahead.
Douchebag Decree: '60s Movie Star Kim Novak Dislikes a Movie, is a Complete Douche About It
Remember what a douchebag Johnny Depp was last year when he compared his many celebrity photoshoots to instances of rape? You'd think his fellow actors would have learned from his mistake that "rape" is not a word that can be thrown about to describe any mildly uncomfortable situation, but some actors obviously did not get the message. Earlier this week actress Kim Novak, star of the 1958 Hitchcock Classic Vertigo, took out a full-page ad in Variety magazine to blast new film The Artist for ripping off Bernard Hermann's famous love score from Vertigo. While Novak could have expressed her disdain for the film's creative choices with any manner of unoffensive language, she instead used the full-page rant to accuse the film of "raping" her.
Childhood Obesity Campaign Still Bullying Fat Kids
Marimacho Seeks Hunky Heartbreakers!
Double Rainbow: Erasure and Asexuality
The result of prevailing cultural attitudes is that autistic people are perceived as inherently non-sexual. Not as asexual—the mainstream paradigm erases the experiences of asexual autists right along with those of other queer people on the spectrum.
CristenConger
Podcast co-host, Stuff Mom Never Told You
Staff writer for HowStuffWorks.com where I also co-host the gender-focused podcast, Stuff Mom Never Told You. I have an insatiable appetite for learning about gender, gender constructs and how society, culture and biology influence how we think about it.
Reliving the adolescence I wish I had with Degrassi Junior High and Square Pegs.
Digging into male beauty and body image with Susan Bordo's "The Male Body" and Ken Corbett's "Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities".
Cults, Dum Dum Girls, Madeline and whatever Pandora serves up to me.
Digging into male beauty and body image with Susan Bordo's "The Male Body" and Ken Corbett's "Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities".
Cults, Dum Dum Girls, Madeline and whatever Pandora serves up to me.
Reliving the adolescence I wish I had with Degrassi Junior High and Square Pegs.
Gender Focus
Deb Jannerson
Bitch Media
I'm a fitful novelist, former New Orleanian, lady-lovin' PWD, and twentysomething feminist bookworm interested in creative writing, queer rights, literary analysis, disability issues, teen issues, theater, film, sex education, and much more. I've completed two fictional books and one book of poetry, and I'm currently looking for a literary agent.
Prior to opening this account, I wrote for and commented on this site under the handle TheBadassMuppet.
Veronica Mars (as a constant), Party Down, Community, Glee
I consistently read a lot. My favorite authors are Douglas Coupland, Jaclyn Moriarty, Dorothy Allison, Joanna Russ, Woody Allen, Jessica Valenti, Jennifer Baumgardner, Augusten Burroughs, Lisa Tucker, Nancy Garden, Christopher Moore, Julie Anne Peters, Lori Aurelia Williams, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Christina Hopkinson, Ariel Schrag, Marc Acito, Curtis Sittenfeld, Tom Perrotta, Megan McCafferty, Judy Blume, Thea Hillman, Steve Martin, Sasha Cagen, Jaclyn Friedman, Eve Ensler, Wendy McClure, Jennifer McMahon, Bennett Madison, Mark Haddon, Kate Bornstein, Kate Harding, Colin McAdam, Kelley Eskridge, Pablo Neruda, Cristina Henriquez, Frank Portman, Jeff Lindsay, and Heather Corinna.
my usual collection of musicals and '90s rock, pop, and R&B. I also have a minor obsession with uber-trashy Europop.
I consistently read a lot. My favorite authors are Douglas Coupland, Jaclyn Moriarty, Dorothy Allison, Joanna Russ, Woody Allen, Jessica Valenti, Jennifer Baumgardner, Augusten Burroughs, Lisa Tucker, Nancy Garden, Christopher Moore, Julie Anne Peters, Lori Aurelia Williams, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Christina Hopkinson, Ariel Schrag, Marc Acito, Curtis Sittenfeld, Tom Perrotta, Megan McCafferty, Judy Blume, Thea Hillman, Steve Martin, Sasha Cagen, Jaclyn Friedman, Eve Ensler, Wendy McClure, Jennifer McMahon, Bennett Madison, Mark Haddon, Kate Bornstein, Kate Harding, Colin McAdam, Kelley Eskridge, Pablo Neruda, Cristina Henriquez, Frank Portman, Jeff Lindsay, and Heather Corinna.
my usual collection of musicals and '90s rock, pop, and R&B. I also have a minor obsession with uber-trashy Europop.
Veronica Mars (as a constant), Party Down, Community, Glee
Tiger Beatdown
GretchenSisson
Sociologist and Freelance Writer
Sociologist writing on gender, class, and race, hopefully all at once.
No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn Brodie, The Tin Ticket: The Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women by Deborah Swiss, and back issues of Brain, Child magazine.
For both work and play: Revenge, The Daily Show, Top Chef, Once Upon a Time, Downton Abbey, 2 Broke Girls, Teen Mom 2, America's Next Top Model, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Sociological Images
Kelsey Wallace
web editor
As a young feminist growing up on the mean streets of Portland, Kelsey dreamed that one day a kickass, independent, feminist media organization would move its headquarters to her beloved home city. Well kids, Gabrielle was right: "Dreams can come true"! Bitch moved to Portland, and one MA in Media Studies from the University of Oregon later, Kelsey moved in as web editor. She hasn't looked back since.
When not editing the interwebs at the Bitch office, Kelsey can be found lecturing reluctant students, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her French Bulldog, Edith. She also enjoys making things out of fabric and watching pretty much anything on television (preferably at the same time, and preferably with Edith). If you're looking for a new pal who loves both LOLcats and Linda Ronstadt records, she's your gal.
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
The Pursuit of Harpyness
Kristin Rawls
Preacher's Daughter
Kristin Rawls is a freelance writer and blogger who regularly blogs for Halogen TV. Her work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Religion Dispatches, Global Comment and elsewhere online.
Halogen TV
Melissa Petro
The H-Word
Melissa Petro is a freelance writer living in New York City.
Sara Reihani
Contributor, Bitch Media
MLP:FIM, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Sherlock
Reality is Broken (Jane McGonigal), Bumped (Megan McCafferty), Witch Craze (Lyndal Roper)
Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Das Racist, Anamanaguchi, Sleater-Kinney, Joanna Newsom
Reality is Broken (Jane McGonigal), Bumped (Megan McCafferty), Witch Craze (Lyndal Roper)
Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Das Racist, Anamanaguchi, Sleater-Kinney, Joanna Newsom
MLP:FIM, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Sherlock