>conditions such as anxiety, as well as an autism diagnosis, had gone from something “people should work on themselves as individuals” to “something that society, schools, and employers have to adapt around”
Yes, these kids with autism and anxiety have it too easy, we need to remove the little support schools give them and let them cope with it on their own! What a horrible woman.
ZakalweTheChairmaker on
>A spokesperson for Badenoch told the I that it was “wrong to infer any prejudice”…
The use of “infer” here essentially makes this analogous to “I’m sorry you feel that way…” without the apology part. This is despite Badenoch and the people responsible for this thing making the very fundamental error of mistaking autism for a mental health problem (which in the eyes of people like right-wing Tories would make it a personal failing rather than a genuine health issue).
But beyond that, I’m fascinated and vaguely depressed at this latest illustration that people like this see life as a zero sum game. I mean, we can’t have the plebs getting anything that “offers economic advantages and protections” (as if having significant mental health or neurodevelopmental disorders somehow means the sufferers have won in life) since that’s reserved for the monied elite, politicians and their friends, don’t you know dear boy?
RichmondOfTroy on
What a disgusting cunt. No doubt Reform voters agree with her though so it’ll play to them well.
ThouShallConform on
Honestly we need to have an open conversation about this stuff.
I grew up with a family member who has Asperger’s. Now included in the autism spectrum. I know what this condition can do to people and I know it’s real.
I also have two kids and see countless examples of children being called autistic who I would describe as naughty and being allowed to get away with it.
Only two days ago at my toddlers football training I was shouted at for telling a parent to stop his child running the wrong way along a balance beam. (This kid was supposed to be on a totally different piece of equipment at this point)
As he was scaring my son and could knock him off.
He shouted “HES EXTREMELY AUTISTIC ACTUALLY”
I told him I don’t care and he needs to watch his child because he is going to knock my son off this beam.
I’ve watched this kid for weeks. He misbehaves constantly and his dad and mum never say anything. He is a toddler. He was standing on the bench whilst the teacher was talking. Stamping his feet to make noise so no one could hear the teacher.
He kept looking back to his dad with a cheeky little face. He knew it was wrong to do. But his parents allow it. And he carries on.
There are countless examples of this I’ve seen throughout my time taking my kids to clubs and schools. Autism is real. But way too many shit parents are using it as an excuse to not parent their children.
They never set any boundaries for their kid. Give them coke and chips for dinner every night. Then turn around and say “well he will only eat chips and drink coke because he’s autistic”
No he isn’t. He has no boundaries and you are making him act that way.
Marcuse0 on
I love how Conservatives see a world absolutely stacked against autistic people and think that measures to not make them go absolutely insane with worry are “economic advantages”.
I’m a big believer in working through your deficits as much as possible, but there’s no point in refusing to adapt to how people think, feel, and are.
merryman1 on
As an autistic man who’s experience of trying to get a little bit of help in this country has been effectively just going round in circles for the last 5 years being told by every single service that they can’t offer any support at all, its a surprise to hear that I’m actually being advantaged somehow.
PabloMarmite on
My job for the last few years has basically been challenging schools and local authorities for not doing the bare minimum to support autistic pupils – it certainly doesn’t feel like anyone’s in an “advantageous” position, quite the opposite.
Random_Reddit_bloke on
It’s a tough one. I was a primary school teacher for twenty years and used to think that some children were simply the product of their parents not setting enough boundaries; after a time, it became glaringly obvious that some children’s neurodiversity simply presents in different ways.
One autistic child may enjoy the sensory response they get from stroking something soft, another might get it from the reactions he or she illicits when doing something you might view as “naughty”. I’m not sure how you know he has chips and coke for dinner every night, but this may be because his neurodivergence results in seeking the comfort and reassurance of familiarity- he could be having the same healthy salad every night- the point is the same. Some parents who have autistic children may have sought more advice and developed better strategies to support their children, others may find it incredibly difficult and need more support and education about their child’s condition from schools and mental health professionals. It sounds like the parents you describe fall into the latter, and perhaps this is a failing of those institutions.
Grayson81 on
> “We’re treating disabled people too well in this country”
They should stick that on the side of their bus.
Clbull on
As someone with Asperger’s myself, all I can really say to Badenoch in response is…
.!.. (-_-) ..!.
AssumptionClear2721 on
As someone who’s brother has autism, I find it unbelievable how they could get it so wrong about autism. Evidently nobody took a minute to fact check the pamphlet. Or more likely, they didn’t want to, as their opinion and feelings matter more than fact. They’d probably get hurt in knowing the truth.
Badenoch and her team can fuck off. I think a career as an irrelevant talking head on GBNews is far more suitable to her abilities, than becoming leader of a political party.
0Neverland0 on
For conservatism to work there need to be outgroups that conservatives can demonise against the ‘true volk’ of Britain.
In the time of Enoch Powell people like Kemi Badenoch’s parents were the outgroup who could be demonised.
In the time of Margaret Thatcher it was trade unionists.
In the time of David Cameron it was ‘skivers’ whatever that meant.
In the time of Kemi Badenoch it’s pregnant women and the mentally ill.
0Neverland0 on
It would only take about two dozen moderate one nation tories to defect to the liberal democrats for them to become the official opposition
limaconnect77 on
‘Enoch Powell’ for the modern age – hasn’t yet pulled a “Rivers of Blood”, but one can see the clear intent in all of this nonsense.
14 Comments
>conditions such as anxiety, as well as an autism diagnosis, had gone from something “people should work on themselves as individuals” to “something that society, schools, and employers have to adapt around”
Yes, these kids with autism and anxiety have it too easy, we need to remove the little support schools give them and let them cope with it on their own! What a horrible woman.
>A spokesperson for Badenoch told the I that it was “wrong to infer any prejudice”…
The use of “infer” here essentially makes this analogous to “I’m sorry you feel that way…” without the apology part. This is despite Badenoch and the people responsible for this thing making the very fundamental error of mistaking autism for a mental health problem (which in the eyes of people like right-wing Tories would make it a personal failing rather than a genuine health issue).
But beyond that, I’m fascinated and vaguely depressed at this latest illustration that people like this see life as a zero sum game. I mean, we can’t have the plebs getting anything that “offers economic advantages and protections” (as if having significant mental health or neurodevelopmental disorders somehow means the sufferers have won in life) since that’s reserved for the monied elite, politicians and their friends, don’t you know dear boy?
What a disgusting cunt. No doubt Reform voters agree with her though so it’ll play to them well.
Honestly we need to have an open conversation about this stuff.
I grew up with a family member who has Asperger’s. Now included in the autism spectrum. I know what this condition can do to people and I know it’s real.
I also have two kids and see countless examples of children being called autistic who I would describe as naughty and being allowed to get away with it.
Only two days ago at my toddlers football training I was shouted at for telling a parent to stop his child running the wrong way along a balance beam. (This kid was supposed to be on a totally different piece of equipment at this point)
As he was scaring my son and could knock him off.
He shouted “HES EXTREMELY AUTISTIC ACTUALLY”
I told him I don’t care and he needs to watch his child because he is going to knock my son off this beam.
I’ve watched this kid for weeks. He misbehaves constantly and his dad and mum never say anything. He is a toddler. He was standing on the bench whilst the teacher was talking. Stamping his feet to make noise so no one could hear the teacher.
He kept looking back to his dad with a cheeky little face. He knew it was wrong to do. But his parents allow it. And he carries on.
There are countless examples of this I’ve seen throughout my time taking my kids to clubs and schools. Autism is real. But way too many shit parents are using it as an excuse to not parent their children.
They never set any boundaries for their kid. Give them coke and chips for dinner every night. Then turn around and say “well he will only eat chips and drink coke because he’s autistic”
No he isn’t. He has no boundaries and you are making him act that way.
I love how Conservatives see a world absolutely stacked against autistic people and think that measures to not make them go absolutely insane with worry are “economic advantages”.
I’m a big believer in working through your deficits as much as possible, but there’s no point in refusing to adapt to how people think, feel, and are.
As an autistic man who’s experience of trying to get a little bit of help in this country has been effectively just going round in circles for the last 5 years being told by every single service that they can’t offer any support at all, its a surprise to hear that I’m actually being advantaged somehow.
My job for the last few years has basically been challenging schools and local authorities for not doing the bare minimum to support autistic pupils – it certainly doesn’t feel like anyone’s in an “advantageous” position, quite the opposite.
It’s a tough one. I was a primary school teacher for twenty years and used to think that some children were simply the product of their parents not setting enough boundaries; after a time, it became glaringly obvious that some children’s neurodiversity simply presents in different ways.
One autistic child may enjoy the sensory response they get from stroking something soft, another might get it from the reactions he or she illicits when doing something you might view as “naughty”. I’m not sure how you know he has chips and coke for dinner every night, but this may be because his neurodivergence results in seeking the comfort and reassurance of familiarity- he could be having the same healthy salad every night- the point is the same. Some parents who have autistic children may have sought more advice and developed better strategies to support their children, others may find it incredibly difficult and need more support and education about their child’s condition from schools and mental health professionals. It sounds like the parents you describe fall into the latter, and perhaps this is a failing of those institutions.
> “We’re treating disabled people too well in this country”
They should stick that on the side of their bus.
As someone with Asperger’s myself, all I can really say to Badenoch in response is…
.!.. (-_-) ..!.
As someone who’s brother has autism, I find it unbelievable how they could get it so wrong about autism. Evidently nobody took a minute to fact check the pamphlet. Or more likely, they didn’t want to, as their opinion and feelings matter more than fact. They’d probably get hurt in knowing the truth.
Badenoch and her team can fuck off. I think a career as an irrelevant talking head on GBNews is far more suitable to her abilities, than becoming leader of a political party.
For conservatism to work there need to be outgroups that conservatives can demonise against the ‘true volk’ of Britain.
In the time of Enoch Powell people like Kemi Badenoch’s parents were the outgroup who could be demonised.
In the time of Margaret Thatcher it was trade unionists.
In the time of David Cameron it was ‘skivers’ whatever that meant.
In the time of Kemi Badenoch it’s pregnant women and the mentally ill.
It would only take about two dozen moderate one nation tories to defect to the liberal democrats for them to become the official opposition
‘Enoch Powell’ for the modern age – hasn’t yet pulled a “Rivers of Blood”, but one can see the clear intent in all of this nonsense.