a brief moment of sarcasm

[fitz_clementine]

"Crowley has created a finely honed secondary cast, but her stars, Marilee and Biswick, are problematic in that neither feels like an authentic representation of a child with a syndrome (Biswick has fetal alcohol syndrome; Marilee, Asperger's); both are bright, articulate, and clever."

- some book

Comments

[spacklegeek]

Oh, didn't you know that? You folks, you're not, you know, normal. Only normal kids are bright and articulate and clever. You're supposed to be ... eccentric, and odd, and maybe you're savants, if you're lucky, but mostly you're just terribly, uncomfortably weird.

...

I like that you occasionally point these assumptions out - like with your one-sentence reading of the Jodi Picoult book, because I would not notice them, otherwise.

[fitz_clementine]

Oh. Well, thank you. I'm glad it's helpful in some way.

[I am hoping that someday it'll be as easy to find interesting, nuanced, relatively non-stereotypical autistic (or otherwise disabled) people in fiction as it is to find, say, interesting, nuanced, relatively non-stereotypical women in fiction now.]

[spacklegeek]

Of course it's helpful! Although I'm not sure that's the word I'd choose. It's important, certainly. We as a society have decided that accepting people who've got darker shades of skin than we do is probably the way to go, and so we generally either don't make blatantly racist remarks about such people, or point them out to each other when we do. But we still don't see any issue in making disparaging remarks about folks with other, more subtle differences. We don't even know any better, most of the time. So, I'd say that by you seeing stuff like this, and calling it for what it is, you're helping to make a space where we can find interesting, nuanced, relatively non-stereotypical disabled people in fiction more prevalent. In fiction and in real life.

...Which is probably a much longer response than you were expecting. But I wanted you to know.

Also, I just just received your letter, as I wrote this (Duane picks up the mail on his way home from work), so: yay! Thanks! I'll respond hopefully more quickly than the last time. :)

[fitz_clementine]

Well, I'd hardly say that racism is dead, or needs to be addressed less than other forms of prejudice do. (But I'm also pretty sure that you weren't trying to say or imply either of those things; I just want to be clear.) You're right, though, it is important to point out casually prejudiced comments, and I wish it's something I felt able to do more often (especially in real life). Alas, I'm a coward (or, more kindly, non-confrontational and socialized to be passive).

...LETTER! Oh my god, I get so excited when I get mail and it isn't a bill, a promotional advertisement, or a generic notice about my job, classes, and/or living arrangements. I get excited even thinking about it.

[aslanscountry]

That pisses me off because my impression of that book is actually that the character with ASD has a lot of trouble communicating verbally. So this person didn't even pay attention to the book.

[fitz_clementine]

Yeah, it's told in the first person so what you (general you) are reading is her internal monologue, which is very smart and perceptive, but the way she actually talks to other characters is...not-normal sounding. And not necessarily articulate in any way.