Autism and "The Savage Nation"
So, I'm a little late to the party on this one, but honestly, I haven't felt the need to address this until today, after receiving yet more emails from Autism organizations and other parents of kids with Autism.
In case you haven't heard about this yet, a quick summary is probably in order. On July 16th, conservative shock jock Michael Savage, on his talk radio program, "The Savage Nation", made the following comments:
"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."
Then, today, in defense of the above statement, he provided even more commentary:
"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."
Additionally, he has told the New York Times today that he stands by his remarks and has no intention of apologizing for, stating in a telephone interview, "My main point remains true. It is an overdiagnosed medical condition. In my readings, there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism.”
The Autism community, led by numerous Autism organizations has been able to talk of little else for the past week. Parents are protesting outside of the station that Savage is employed by, writing letters to the station and to sponsors, talking to various media outlets, and nearly all of them are calling for Savage to be fired. Being the parent of a child with Autism, I am on many mailing lists, both for parent groups and for non-profit organizations. I've been hearing all about what I can do about this horrific event.
Now, I want to clarify really quickly what I am relatively certain you all know already. I find Savage's remarks to be disgusting, hurtful, ignorant, and intentionally inflamatory. I am not in any way happy to hear that he described my son and hundreds of thousands of other children in the manner that he did, and I probably wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire in front of me.
But, that's a feeling that is not at all new for me when talking about Michael Savage.
This isn't Savage's first brush with controversy brought on by his hateful statements. In 2003, he lost his program on MSNBC after telling a caller who identified as gay that he should get AIDS and die. In 2006 on his radio show his target was immigrants, the Mexican flag, and the Catholic church. In 2007, again on his radio show, he targeted Islam and the Koran. source
He believes that feminism and homosexuality are destroying America, that gay marriage is child abuse, that Muslims should be barred from immigrating to the United States, that people who identify as transgender are psychopaths who should be institutionalized in strait jackets, and that whites treat non-whites more fairly than a non-white majority would treat whites. source
In short, Michael Savage is a hateful, bigoted, disgusting excuse for a human being. This latest flap is in no way surprising to me, and shouldn't have surprised anyone else who knows anything at all about him.
Which is why I'm kinda annoyed about how the autism community is rallying against him now. Where have these people been every time Savage chose a new target and went for it? And why, in every email I have received from the Autism community about Savage's comments, has the very beginning of his speech, when he talks about his belief that minority children faked asthma in order to get extra welfare money and assistance in schools, been completely left out? Everyone is so outraged that Savage called Autism a fraud, but no one is at all upset that he used racist remarks while doing it? WTF, people!? His comments about Autism are actually some of the least offensive and hurtful things that he's ever said. And this is what he is being taken to task for?
I don't understand people, and I doubt that I ever will. I've long taken issue with Michael Savage. This would be why I don't listen to or watch his shows, and why the only story I'd ever be interested in him covering would be his own funeral.
That being said, you won't hear me calling for his firing anytime soon. As offensive and abhorrent as I find the shit that spews every time he opens his mouth to be, I will still fight for his right to spew it. Just like I will fight for the right of the Autism community to rally against him, even as I refuse to rally with them. I am happy to live in a country where Michael Savage has every right to resemble a pissed off, hateful, bigoted, poo-flinging primate if he wants to. And I will continue to fight with my ears by not listening to him. Personally, I think that's the quickest and best way to cost him the platform he uses to spread his hate.
/rant
~Lisa
In case you haven't heard about this yet, a quick summary is probably in order. On July 16th, conservative shock jock Michael Savage, on his talk radio program, "The Savage Nation", made the following comments:
"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."
Then, today, in defense of the above statement, he provided even more commentary:
"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."
Additionally, he has told the New York Times today that he stands by his remarks and has no intention of apologizing for, stating in a telephone interview, "My main point remains true. It is an overdiagnosed medical condition. In my readings, there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism.”
The Autism community, led by numerous Autism organizations has been able to talk of little else for the past week. Parents are protesting outside of the station that Savage is employed by, writing letters to the station and to sponsors, talking to various media outlets, and nearly all of them are calling for Savage to be fired. Being the parent of a child with Autism, I am on many mailing lists, both for parent groups and for non-profit organizations. I've been hearing all about what I can do about this horrific event.
Now, I want to clarify really quickly what I am relatively certain you all know already. I find Savage's remarks to be disgusting, hurtful, ignorant, and intentionally inflamatory. I am not in any way happy to hear that he described my son and hundreds of thousands of other children in the manner that he did, and I probably wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire in front of me.
But, that's a feeling that is not at all new for me when talking about Michael Savage.
This isn't Savage's first brush with controversy brought on by his hateful statements. In 2003, he lost his program on MSNBC after telling a caller who identified as gay that he should get AIDS and die. In 2006 on his radio show his target was immigrants, the Mexican flag, and the Catholic church. In 2007, again on his radio show, he targeted Islam and the Koran. source
He believes that feminism and homosexuality are destroying America, that gay marriage is child abuse, that Muslims should be barred from immigrating to the United States, that people who identify as transgender are psychopaths who should be institutionalized in strait jackets, and that whites treat non-whites more fairly than a non-white majority would treat whites. source
In short, Michael Savage is a hateful, bigoted, disgusting excuse for a human being. This latest flap is in no way surprising to me, and shouldn't have surprised anyone else who knows anything at all about him.
Which is why I'm kinda annoyed about how the autism community is rallying against him now. Where have these people been every time Savage chose a new target and went for it? And why, in every email I have received from the Autism community about Savage's comments, has the very beginning of his speech, when he talks about his belief that minority children faked asthma in order to get extra welfare money and assistance in schools, been completely left out? Everyone is so outraged that Savage called Autism a fraud, but no one is at all upset that he used racist remarks while doing it? WTF, people!? His comments about Autism are actually some of the least offensive and hurtful things that he's ever said. And this is what he is being taken to task for?
I don't understand people, and I doubt that I ever will. I've long taken issue with Michael Savage. This would be why I don't listen to or watch his shows, and why the only story I'd ever be interested in him covering would be his own funeral.
That being said, you won't hear me calling for his firing anytime soon. As offensive and abhorrent as I find the shit that spews every time he opens his mouth to be, I will still fight for his right to spew it. Just like I will fight for the right of the Autism community to rally against him, even as I refuse to rally with them. I am happy to live in a country where Michael Savage has every right to resemble a pissed off, hateful, bigoted, poo-flinging primate if he wants to. And I will continue to fight with my ears by not listening to him. Personally, I think that's the quickest and best way to cost him the platform he uses to spread his hate.
/rant
~Lisa