Communication

[sepheri]

In my searching for the article on alturistic behaviour today I came across a link to this:

"In My Language" is a youtube video in which a non-verbal person with autism "speaks in her own language" -- a combination of sounds and visual cues and gestures -- and then explains what this all means by means of a text-to-speech program. It's a

Comments

[azekeil]

I think the problem is the world is too caught up in progress. In order to progress people need effective communication. Effective communication is simply not possible if people do not have a standard means of communication. In terms of 'progression' it's simply not worth learning how to interact and communicate with everyone if they have their own way of communicating.

Sad, but there it is.

[sepheri]

Progress to what?
I think it has more to do with Capitalism and what that means to being a 'useful' member of society.

[azekeil]

Yes, that's kind of what I mean. I don't necessarily think progress is good. It gives the human race something to aim for (generally), but there are compromises and trade-offs along the way, some more unpalatable than others.

[sepheri]

I don't really understand. What do you think it is giving us to aim for? What are the aims? I see little to no 'progress' in the human race really.

[azekeil]

The whole model of Capitalism is built on getting people to buy newer, bigger, faster, better. In order to get money to buy these things you have to work, presumably for others in order to create newer, bigger, faster, better items. This is progress, albeit trundling, bureaucratic, insidious progress. You may not recognise it on a day to day view, but on a decade to decade view, or even century to century view you can see 'progress'.

So that's the cynical (realist?) view.

Otherwise we might as well do nothing other than survive. A person with autism doesn't necessarily understand or subscribe to the capitalist world view that is so ingrained we sometimes forget consumes us; hence the different focus on life. They're not bothered about interaction, for example. If I wasn't bothered about progress, or needing to survive in this capitalist world, I might go and learn more about how she views the world, for example.

[sepheri]

Ok, with you now.
I actually didn't notice this until I became a full time housewife and many of the attitudes I met with showed me how prevalent this view is.