Taking the Scenic Route

There are now reports that John Travolta acknowledged that Jett had autism. It still sort of bothers me that they chose to hide it, but I understand that they would likely have not been given the privacy they needed had they done so while he was alive. I imagine it was far more challenging to both protect him and incredibly isolating to the family when your religion doesn’t acknowledge that autism even exists.

I can’t imagine how this must compound the incredible grief they are going through. My heart goes out to their family.

I thought this was really interesting. It makes sense too. I am one of those weird people who purposely clicks on the links with big warnings of *GROSS* on them. Puss and such is sort of facinating to me. About the only thing that grosses me out is certain smells, but they didn’t bother me before pregnancy, but 9 months straight morning sickness left some lasting gag reflex psychosomatic effects.

My mom should be humored by this considering a small part of our conversation earlier today.

the link: http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/easily-grossed-out-you-might-be-conservative-21814.html

Easily grossed out? You might be a conservative!

ITHACA, N.Y. — Are you someone who squirms when confronted with slime, shudders at stickiness or gets grossed out by gore? Do crawly insects make you cringe or dead bodies make you blanch?

If so, chances are you’re more conservative — politically, and especially in your attitudes toward gays and lesbians — than your less-squeamish counterparts, according to two Cornell University studies.

The results, said study leader David Pizarro, Cornell assistant professor of psychology, raise questions about the role of disgust — an emotion that likely evolved in humans to keep them safe from potentially hazardous or disease-carrying environments — in contemporary judgments of morality and purity.

In the first study, published in the journal Cognition & Emotion (Vol.23: No.4), Pizarro and co-authors Yoel Inbar of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Paul Bloom of Yale University surveyed 181 U.S. adults from politically mixed “swing states.” They subjected these adults to two indexes: the Disgust Sensitivity Scale (DSS), which offers various scenarios to assess disgust sensitivity, and a political ideology scale. From this they found a correlation between being more easily disgusted and political conservatism.

To test whether disgust sensitivity is linked to specific conservative attitudes, the researchers then surveyed 91 Cornell undergraduates with the DSS, as well as with questions about their positions on issues including gay marriage, abortion, gun control, labor unions, tax cuts and affirmative action.

Participants who rated higher in disgust sensitivity were more likely to oppose gay marriage and abortion, issues that are related to notions of morality or purity. The researchers also found a weak correlation between disgust sensitivity and support for tax cuts, but no link between disgust sensitivity and the other issues.

And in a separate study in the current issue of the journal Emotion (Vol.9: No.3), Pizarro and colleagues found a link between higher disgust sensitivity and disapproval of gays and lesbians. For this study, the researchers used implicit measures (measures that have been shown to assess attitudes people may be unwilling to report explicitly; or that they may not even know they possess).

Liberals and conservatives disagree about whether disgust has a valid place in making moral judgments, Pizarro noted. Conservatives have argued that there is inherent wisdom in repugnance; that feeling disgusted about something — gay sex between consenting adults, for example — is cause enough to judge it wrong or immoral, even lacking a concrete reason. Liberals tend to disagree, and are more likely to base judgments on whether an action or a thing causes actual harm.

Studying the link between disgust and moral judgment could help explain the strong differences in people’s moral opinions, Pizarro said; and it could offer strategies for persuading some to change their views.

“People have pointed out for a long time that a lot of our moral values seem driven by emotion, and in particular, disgust appears to be one of those emotions that seems to be recruited for moral judgments,” said Pizarro.

That can have tragic effects — as in cases throughout history where minorities have been victims of discrimination by groups that perceived them as having disgusting characteristics.

The research speaks to a need for caution when forming moral judgments, Pizarro added. “Disgust really is about protecting yourself from disease; it didn’t really evolve for the purpose of human morality,” he said. “It clearly has become central to morality, but because of its origins in contamination and avoidance, we should be wary about its influences.”

The studies were funded by Cornell.

Texas lawmaker suggests Asians adopt easier names | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

A North Texas legislator during House testimony on voter identification legislation said Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.” [...]

Brown suggested that Asian-Americans should find a way to make their names more accessible.
“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

This is incredibly stupid I can hardly comprehend somebody actually thinking this way.  Especially ironic, the name of the person is ”Ko”.  Two letters.  Really?  Is the educational system so bad that we can’t figure out how to pronounce two letters?

It sounds like a simpler, more effective solution would to get poll workers who can read an ID and match the name to the ledger.  I spend most of my working life dealing with names foreign to me, as a hotel front desk/reservation manager and at the University Registrar’s office.  I totally get how challenging language barriers are, both as somebody who has been behind the desk trying to get information and help the person, and as a foreigner visiting a country where I don’t know the language.  People who are willing can always find a way to communicate.  The person coming to vote was obviously willing because it is not a mandatory process, so obviously, the problem lies behind the desk.  It sounds like it is pretty widespread attitude problem if a public figure is actually defending the workers instead of apologizing for the abysmal attitude.  And we aren’t necessarily talking about people who aren’t speaking English, they just have a name the poll worker isn’t familiar with.  It isn’t like they even have to pronounce it, they just have to match up the spelling.

This is a perfect example of how deeply seeded racism is, primarily because the racist is unable to recognize how damaging and exclusionary the attitudes of the poll workers are to the point that she actually supports them.

No wonder the world thinks we are idiots.  Sometimes I do too.

Because here are several interviews that he did over 2006-2007 where the other financial advisors laughed at him. In particular, they recommended a series of stocks that are “sure things” of a bunch of companies that no longer exist. It is frightening how right this guy was.

Oh, and I will never believe another word Ben Stein says.

The basic ground rules in the USA when companies want a bailout:

If it is during a Republican administration, a bailout is vital to support our captitalist society.
If it is during a Democratic administration, a bailout is SOCIALISM and destroying our society.

I don’t disagree with the concept of bailout, but I really think those CEOs should be fired fired fired. They need to put people in charge who aren’t so stupid and greedy that they take individual $20K jets to ask for money. I would have a real problem giving them money if they weren’t willing to sacrifice (can you really call “don’t take a jet” a sacrifice in any normal person’s life?) some of their own salary and benefits to help the people under them and the company survive.

I question their ability to lead a company and manage money and I question their intentions. I am angry that they aren’t requiring them to retool (that is what they are funding…retooling the factories) to make more gas efficient vehicles. They already make them in Europe and the technology already exists, why are we not allowed to have them here in the US? Doesn’t it seem backwards to anybody else that using tax money to retool the factories is going to push back making fuel efficient vehicles? ARG!

Zane’s camp ended today. It was a really good week for him. (except that he seemed to have a stomach bug or something this morning, but he perked up this afternoon) At the award ceremony he got a certificate for “Good Listening and Gentleness”.

At the ceremony I discovered there was a second news story about the camp. Zane is in this one too. He is in the green shirt througout, so it was taken on Monday. (the only day he wore a green shirt)

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A few pictures from the final awards ceremony and wrap up.

Don’t they look thrilled.

Suddenly, he seemed to perk up…wonder why. lol. (showing features of the website the older kids made)

And here is the little stinker that caused us to leave early. It was naptime and she was not handling things well. She also insisted on wearing the too small hat, despite the fact she had really cute hair today. (earlier in the week I wouldn’t have minded because her hair was a mess.)

Well, what do you know, some good is coming out of the Savage comments. Our local CBS station did a story on Autism and the camp Zane is at. Zane even got some air time. When they start talking about “1 in 150 kids have autism…”, right after the older kid with autism talks a bit, look for the dark haired kid in the front row in the white/tie dye shirt and bright green crocs who is stimming like crazy. lol. That would be Zane.

Local Autism Camp Reacts to Comments (click below or on “Featured Video” next to the article to see the news video)

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The sort of sad part about the whole comment uproar is that a big part of the reason they don’t bother me terribly much is because it is such a normal thing to hear. It isn’t even close to the most obnoxious thing I hear said. After all, it used to be the whole thing was blamed on “Refrigerator Mothers” and bad parenting. There has always been an attempt to blame the parents for it (especially moms), but anyone with an ounce of education knows that isn’t the case.

Essentially, after the initial anger, I sort of laughed because he was an “amateur” in making fun of us. I don’t think I could possibly count the times I overhear people nastily saying that I should spank Zane when he is having a meltdown, and feel like I live in dirty looks from passer-bys on many days. It is just a fact of life. Some days it does really get to me…I am human after all. Most of the time I have learned how not to care about it. Other’s opinions of the situation really don’t matter, because they can’t, because if I took it all in, I would never be able to cope.

Maybe I should write him. Apparently, according to him, we get all sorts of freebies with a diagnosis. Where are my freebies? lol Legally, yeah, we are supposed to get things like a free and appropriate education, but it is nowhere near free, and very rarely actually appropriate.

For those lucky enough to have missed this gem, here is a quote from his show July 16:

Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I’m not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. For a long while, we were hearing that every minority child had asthma. Why did they sudden — why was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I’ll tell you why: The children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket. Everyone went in and was told [fake cough], “When the nurse looks at you, you go [fake cough], ‘I don’t know, the dust got me.’ ” See, everyone had asthma from the minority community. That was number one.

Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is ? I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.
What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, “Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.”

Autism — everybody has an illness. If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, “Don’t behave like a fool.” The worst thing he said — “Don’t behave like a fool. Don’t be anybody’s dummy. Don’t sound like an idiot. Don’t act like a girl. Don’t cry.” That’s what I was raised with. That’s what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You’re turning your son into a girl, and you’re turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That’s why we have the politicians we have.

After an uproar, and him claiming that he would never apologize, Low and behold…here is a copy of his defense of his comments:

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community’s attempt to label too many children or adults as “autistic.”

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed “ADD” and “ADHD” to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing “autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an “illness” which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York “snake-pit” of a “mental hospital,” I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

 

When I first heard the initial quote I was incensed.  Very upset.  I went to look up his name and discovered that this is probably one of the least offensive things he has said.  The dude is a lunatic.  As much as I passionately hate Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, because they are also assholish idiots, this guy somehow manages to be even just a little bit worse.  I can’t take somebody this stupid seriously.  He is a shock jock who was obviously hit in the head a few too many times by his asshole father. 

There is a part of me that wishes there wasn’t such a response to this guy, even as I add to that response, because it is what feeds him.  I would never have heard of the guy if not for the uproar.  I do wonder if it was a smart thing for him to do though.  Autism crosses all socio-economic and political boundaries, and there are as many conservatives with autistic relatives as liberal, and it might be problematic for him if he ticks off his base audience.  The liberals already know he is a fruit.

http://www.kansas.com/news/story/454961.html

I don’t think we know them.  Nevertheless, I am heartbroken for them and scared that it could be us.