I've got something of a dilemma. I'm writing a book for Na No Wri Mo which features a suppressed latino lesbian as the protagonist, but the thing is, the more I write her, the more and more she comes off as a high-functioning aspie, so I'm tempted to just go all out and officially make her one in-story. The thing is though, she's already latino and a lesbian, so I'm worried that doing so might be seen as trying too hard to be diverse, if that makes any sense. I've also got a female Japanese bisexual and a female black bisexual, so it's not as though she's in slim company. (It just kind of happened to be honest.) But I'm worried that also making her an official high-functioning aspie might be a bridge too far. Should I just back away and cut my losses? Or should I maybe make her white so as to balance things out? (Again, if that makes any sense.) Or should I just throw caution to the wind and make her an honest-to-God high-functioning lesbian latino aspie? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
edited 7th Nov '16 7:42:06 PM by kkhohoho
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
Throw caution into the wind. Writing is about taking risks.
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Autistics who are also minorities are pretty ignored. Heck, much of the media, both news and fiction, tends to ignore people who are minorities in two ways, and certainly not more than two!
So yeah, remind people that multiple minorities exist. Someone has to.
New account is voidify
Twofer Token Minority is only a bad thing when the character is actually just a doubled Token Minority. That is, if the character is the only [minority group] in the entire regular cast, and they are basically written into being representative of all [minority group] (that second point is only there to excuse small-casted works), and this is true for multiple of their minority-nesses, then maybe you should reevaluate. Please quote me on that, I love feeling important
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Ask and ye shall receive.
But yeah, this something I'll have to think on. Her being a lesbian isn't something I have to worry about; 2 of the other 4 MC's are already bisexual. But she would also be both the only latino and aspie in the cast, and I'm not too keen on delving into Twofer Token Minority here. Then again...
So on the one hand, I risk making her a Twofer Token Minority, but on the other hand, I'd be disacknowledging the existence of people who count among more than two minority groups. And I'm sure they'd like some better representation.
If I'm going to drop anything, it would be her being a latino. That is completely incidental to her character, and I could drop it without it making much a difference. Then again, I could say the same about the female black bisexual, so I'm not sure that's a completely valid argument.
Either way, it's not something I have to worry too much about just yet. Her being latino isn't too prominent just yet, and I haven't add in any mentions of her being autistic. So I still need to decide on something at one point or another.
Grr... <3
I universally think it is a mistake to turn a character into white, simply because, other races are not minorities from a global perspective. This always rubs me the wrong way no matter the reason.
Studious Girl
You should totally drop by the Character Cafe on the Na No Wri Mo forums if you haven't already. There's a ton of info on writing diversity over there and a lot of people to answer your specific questions
Well, I watched The Accountant. The movie about the autistic assassin.
The man's autism is not the reason he is such an efficient killing machine. Rather, his dad put him through Training from Hell in an attempt to make it easier to control his aggression and emotions.
Christian's autism is still portrayed in the movie pretty well for the most part. There are a couple moments where I felt he gave too much eye contact, but other than that, he did look away a lot, be stiff and awkward, and accidentally offend people by making blunt observations or asking direct questions about things you don't normally ask questions about.
The movie is a mixture of character drama, action, suspense and mystery. I like the way it mixes all these elements together. I feel it keeps the movie going and keeps up interest, as there's a lot to Christian and the situation he inhabits.
There's major Critical Dissonance here. The critics were really harsh on the movie, calling Christian a "stiff performance" (gee, you think emotional overload and/or self-consciousness leading to a stiff, "robotic" presentation might be common in autism?). They said the mixture of drama, action and other elements was a mess. Because movies must be in a single genre, right?
Whatever. The movie made $104 million so far from a $44 million budget. It's a sleeper hit, doing well in the theaters and showing staying power despite not being heavily hyped. Word of mouth is helping it.
I think it's another example of how modern audiences want to see new types of stories told and new types of characters. Right now, we have a super popular movie/book franchise with a teenage girl action protagonist (The Hunger Games), and a video game that sold 4.5 million copies and stars a black protagonist (Mafia III). So why wouldn't audiences want to watch an autistic assassin, if it's done well? I feel that it's done well enough, even if some critics are calling it "preposterous" or even "irresponsible" (because... telling autistics they might be able to achieve things, or telling society that autistics are capable of more than they're given credit for, is a bad thing?!).
Indeed, I think we need movies like this. Some time back I imagined in my head a possible cartoon series about a woman with Aspergers/autism who knows how to fight, and gets into dangerous situations and survives them, but is also affected by her autism in ways that wouldn't affect other people. Well, now we have a movie that's more or less about that premise, just done in a different way, and with a dude.
It shows society that autistics are indeed disabled but can also be skilled, and if given support and/or coping mechanisms, and accepted for who they are, can potentially thrive and even add value to a company that's willing to hire (and understand) them. Which is what autistic self advocates have been saying forever. I'm glad to see that we have more and more allies on our side, now including Hollywood.
edited 8th Nov '16 3:34:30 PM by BonsaiForest
Any fellow Aspies up for watching a cheesy movie about a group of elementary school kids who act like spies and rescue Hulk Hogan from a terrorist organization?
I do think Aspies would be the type of people most likely to enjoy the movie-viewing group linked to in my sig.
But anyway, we just started watching
if anyone's in the mood for some good fun suburban kid adventure cheese.
edited 9th Nov '16 5:15:32 PM by BonsaiForest
I'm gonna ask, since it's common for autistics to have eccentric or very different tastes, what are some of the things you like that are considered obscure, unusual, or strange for your age/gender group?
Studious Girl
I have a very odd fashion sense, for sure. I don't base my style off of anything, I just go into the thrift store and pick out what I think looks good together, and it ends up being very deviant from the norm. I wear a lot of vintage stuff, and mix eras. Like I'll wear a turn-of-the-century blouse with a 1960's skirt with 2010's ballet flats and a 1940's pillbox hat. And I guess I'm doing a good job since I get almost daily compliments on my "unique" style.
I also have things I've come to call "knowledge pockets" that are a result of my hobby of researching random stuff for fun. I won't even realize I have them until I'm in class and someone mentions something random like Gothic churches or ragtime music or statistics pertaining to how race and income reflect mental health and suddenly my hand shoots up because I realize that I know a ton about the topic. It surprises me sometimes what I apparently know. I just got out of an English class where I provided an infodump about American vaudeville, which apparently I knew a lot about.
edited 10th Nov '16 6:52:21 AM by Cailleach
my current job
Well, in addition to corny movies and a very eclectic taste in music, I have a fascination with voice acting. As in, if you name a cartoon or dubbed anime, I will tell you who does what voice, and other characters from other series that they also voice. This fascination only really extends to English-language series, though.
The possum is a potential perpetrator; he did place possum poo in the plum pot.
Grr... <3
Beyond pony, by some measure my interest in algorithms is extreme.
But I study science and philosophy with a broad brush.
My other interest, writing, is very common.
Oh, the whole Tulpa thing is a very niche interest.
Studious Girl
I have to go to the laundromat today since no one else in my apartment is free to do it. That place gives me such bad sensory overload. Wish me luck...
edited 11th Nov '16 9:39:59 AM by Cailleach
Currently inactive
Beautiful. I would want to watch such a movie.
Anyway, how's your experiences with love and romance? Do you find it too abstract (like I do)?
↳ Redirecting to Mvfl G.
Studious Girl
I find the concept of "true love" to make little sense. You always here people say that in order to find true love you have to find "that one special person." People seem to be convinced that there's only one person on Earth who's your soulmate. Then how are so many people falling in love with people from their hometowns and their work places? What are the odds of that? What's the say your one true soulmate isn't waiting for you on another continent while you're falling for someone from your high school?
It seems more logical that there are many people you have the potential to fall in love with. But I never tell that to in love or married people because they get offended, which I guess is understandable.
I have been in a few relationships, and a few of those have been decent, so I'm not counting out the option entirely. Even though recognizing that you have many "soulmates" does cheapen the concept a bit.
edited 12th Nov '16 11:31:09 AM by Cailleach
Grr... <3
Being a romantic virgin, I have to say I have never found someone to experiment with, and, also, no one has ever found me.
As always with this situation, I get the feeling I must be gross and unattractive. Of course, since I care so little to force the situation, I also care little about this feeling.
The Link Between Autism and Trans Identity
I've always been one of those "sex = gender" people, who didn't understand why a "masculine" girl didn't simply see herself as a girl who happened to act more like most boys, or a "feminine" boy didn't simply see himself as a boy who happened to act like most girls. I also thought rigid gender roles were bullshit.
But,
7.8%
That's huge. Of course, that doesn't mean 7.8% of autistics are trans, but that 7.8% of transpeople are autistic.
Other researchers have offered a biological connection, speculating that both gender development and autism are influenced by differences in the levels of the hormone androgen that a fetal brain is exposed to. And some have pointed to the fact that children with autism are often considered less inhibited by social maxims, including ways different genders are supposed to stereotypically behave. People on the spectrum who express a gender identity that doesn’t conform to their assigned biological sex can be seen as doing so because they’re refusing expectations society has placed on them.
Oh yeah, I do agree that we (and we're not just children) say "fuck that shit" in reference to how we're "supposed" to act merely because of what parts we're born with.
And I can definitely see how recognzing that can result in autistics who genuinely do feel that they are the opposite gender not being taken seriously:
"Normalization". Because that worked so well for autistics. And it worked so well for gays. At this point, it feels like nothing more than a punishment for being different, than a genuine attempt to help someone.
Sure can attest to that. In my circle of transgender friends, a good percentage is also out as on the spectrum.
Fear the cinnamon sugar swirl. By the Gods, fear it, Laurence.
Grr... <3
Normalisation. I don't think sane people look at that and think it is a service to the patient. I think it is a service to the system.
What's next? This is a repeating pattern. Group A emerges, is discriminated massively, then the discrimination fades after the issue spends many years in the news.
Miyamoto Musashi
Um... *shyly pokes head out* I've finished my Spyro 3 playthrough if anyone wants to watch... I just need to put together the bonus video where I get the skill points.
A Let's Play! I thought of doing something with my own voice as well, but I hate how my voice comes out on video, and I'd be afraid of not knowing what kinds of things to talk about. So I just recorded myself playing some games without commentary. Nowadays, videos of people playing through games are a dime a dozen, so I no longer saw a need to make more. Even one of the more obscure games I played through, that got lots of views and comments, now has other people playing it, including with commentary.
Why This Autism Mom Must Vote For Hillary
I'd already posted one thing about autism and voting - here is another, just one day before Election Day.
Like everyone else, I’m concerned about the economy, climate change, ISIS and national security. But what keeps me up nights most is family security. Specifically, the security of my autistic young adult son.
Which candidate will best protect his interests and help him achieve a meaningful place in society?
Not Donald Trump. Whether it’s dismissing vets with PTSD, mocking a deaf actress or a New York Times reporter with arthrogryposis, vengefully withholding health care coverage for his nephew’s disabled infant, or making fun of Senator Harry Reid’s blinding eye injury, Trump treats people with disabilities as a punch line.
My son’s future is nothing to joke about.
It’s clear who will advocate for him. Hillary Clinton’s concern for the rights of the disabled has bracketed her entire career. Her first job out of law school was to go door to door for the Children’s Defense Fund to find out why so many children were missing school. She discovered that schools weren’t accommodating kids with disabilities. The documentation she compiled was pivotal in pushing forward the special education law that eventually became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.), the most important piece of civil rights legislation for children with disabilities ever passed in this country.
The special needs community desperately needs a champion. Services for disabled adults are abysmal. Children like mine exit the school system into a woefully ill-prepared, bureaucratized and difficult-to-navigate adult social service system charged with meeting their needs. My son graduated three years ago. He now attends a Medicaid-funded day program. He is not employed. I’m terrified for his future. I.D.E.A. guaranteed him an education, but after the age of 21, all the mandated educational supports and services vanish. Once that little yellow school bus stops coming to the front door, it’s like falling off a cliff. The system spent 16 years educating him, only to let him languish the next 60 years stuck at home in front of the TV.
He’s not alone. More than 3.5 million Americans are now believed to have an autism spectrum disorder; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s estimates ASD affects one in 68 American children. The disability community isn’t a special interest group. A recent Rutgers study found that one sixth of the electorate is disabled, and the U.S. Census estimates that nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability. Americans with disabilities continue to be left out of the workforce. For those who are employed, too many are in under-stimulating jobs that don’t fully allow them to use their talents.
Clinton has framed this issue not just as one of health care benefits or social services, but as an economic one as well, focusing on full inclusion of disabled people in the economy. She has not only acknowledged the needs of people with disabilities and mental health concerns. She has specific, comprehensive plans and policies to address them. She is committed to fulfilling the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Her Plan to Support Children, Youth, and Adults Living with Autism and their Families highlights the need for increased research funding, universal screening, diagnosis, treatment services, bullying prevention, improved housing and employment opportunities, and safety and legal protections across the lifespan. Her initiatives seek to integrate people with disabilities into the nation’s economy. This issue, she says, “really goes to the heart of who we are as Americans.”
Her plan includes provisions to provide tax relief to assist families caring for aging relatives, as well as members with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Disability advocates and scientists hail her comprehensive initiative as the most detailed policy document on autism in U.S. presidential election history.
Disability issues were front and center throughout the Democratic National Convention, which — symbolically — took place the same week we commemorated the 26th year anniversary of the passage of the I.D.E.A. Disability rights advocate Anastasia Samoza offered a ringing endorsement of Clinton: “In a country where 56 million Americans with disabilities so often feel invisible, Hillary Clinton sees me.”
I know she sees my son too. She has pledged to fully support “a group of Americans who are, too often, invisible, overlooked and undervalued, who have so much to offer but are given too few chances to prove it.”
Clinton is pragmatic. She has a record of reaching across the aisle and getting things done. Her plan fully takes into account the needs of our disabled adult population. It has the potential to be as far reaching and life-altering as I.D.E.A. My son deserves that most basic of human rights: a life without fear of abuse, one filled with meaning and purpose.
"She has a record of reaching across the aisle and getting things done," but good luck with that, considering what our Republicans have turned into.