Black Boxes Foucault and Autism peaks Sam Harvey
Black Boxes, Foucault, and Autism $peaks Sam Harvey Formerly: Saint Cloud State University Future-ly: Iowa State University
Am I Autistic? Part I 8 years ago, I was taking a special education class. One week, we read a bunch of articles on autism. As I was reading through it, I kept a checklist of the symptoms. Got to the end and realized I had checkmarked 25 out of the 30 symptoms I looked at Autism $peaks website and immediately decided that I wasn’t autistic.
Autism $peaks The self-proclaimed “world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. ” Founded in 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright
Foucault Genealogy as looking back and attempting to determine what ideologies lead to the current idea Only concerned with what went in and what came out, not the process in between However, genealogy "cannot say many things about the causes of the transition from one way of thinking to another” (371). Archaeology is concerned with looking at the discourse that shaped what went in. In other words: the process
Black Boxes “whenever a piece of machinery or a set of commands is too complex. In its place they draw a little box about which they need to know nothing but its input and output” (Latour 2 -3) I automatically saw a connection between this and Foucault’s genealogy. Rhetorically speaking, what is the black box?
Am I Autistic? Part II First week teaching “Are you autistic? ” Later that day, I overheard her say to my colleague, “Not everyone is cut out for this job. And I just don’t think he can handle this, I just hope he can figure that out on his own. ” I went online and read “Autism Speaks to Washington. ” Decided I didn’t want to be autistic, even though I probably was
What is the Black Boxes can be used “to lead the reader somewhere else downstream” (Latour 23). Black boxes are a reflection of reality because "No more has to be said about [them]. " “Even if any given terminology is a reflection of reality, by its very nature as a terminology it must be a selection of reality; and to this extent it must function also as a deflection of reality” (emphasis in original, Burke 1341).
Terministic Screens An author’s word choice influences how the reader/audience thinks about that topic. A set of terms, phrases, or analogies that ensure the audience sees a topic from the author’s perspective.
Breaking Open the Black Box A Black Box is a process that is incredibly complex. What is more complex than convincing someone of something? What is more complex than discourse? So, an input goes in, goes through a terministic screen and comes out as something else. This is the framework that I decided to use to look at Autism $peaks.
Am I Autistic? Part III Finally, I know why I felt so uncomfortable, why I didn’t want to be autistic after visiting Autism Speaks’ website. Villain, Victim, Hero (Codependency Triangle) Villain: Me and autistic people like me. Autism Speaks tells a story I am the villain because I destroy my family. My family, specifically, my parents, are the victims. They are constantly in despair, they are not living, but surviving. Who’s the hero?
9 th Doctor sort of confused 10 th Doctor angrily confused HOW 11 th Doctor straight up angry 12 th Doctor Death. Ray Glare
Different Way of Interacting with the world Ableism Capital-O Other It begins with a different way of interacting with the world (through language, empathy, social interactions, etc. ). Autistic people interact with the world in a different way. Capital-O Other oppresses and marginalizes those with a different way of interacting with the world
Different Way of Interacting with the world Ableism Capital-O Other This different way of interacting with the world is viewed by an ableist society that determines that the person is wrong, just wrong. Thus, this natural way of interacting with the world is turned into capital. O Other
Capital-O Other Ableist Science Autism This is the word autism, not the underlying conditions of autism. The underlying conditions of autism are the “different way of interacting with the world” that we started with. This is pathologized autism, the kind of autism that we MUST cure, the kind that is defined by non-autistic people
Capital-O Other Ableist Science Autism Science takes ableism’s output of capital-O Other unquestioned, retaining ableism from one layer down. This is seen in the use of the pathologizing, or medical, model regarding autism. It is ableist because medical professionals and scientists, not actually autistic people, are controlling the definition of autism.
Autism Ableist Science Theory of Mind is the ability to know what other people are thinking and feeling. It rhetorically implies that autistic people cannot have an identity—that autistic people are not human (Yergeau). How does it get away with this? Scientific theory has an extrinsic, ingrained ethos (credibility) that many in society automatically give it before it has even done anything
Autism Ableist Science Autism Epilepsy Schizophrenia ADHD Alcoholics People who have had a stroke Deaf people who have grown up in homes that don’t speak ASL Theory of Mind Frontal variant Frontotemporal dementia Alzheimers Economically Disadvantaged Linguistically Diverse Culturally Diverse
Autism Ableist Science Theory of Mind Frontier science is scientific research that is incredibly new, however, it is also full of flaws (i. e. biases, errors, dishonesty, etc. ) (Bauer 45). A neurotypical, linguistic, and socioeconomic bias is deeply seated within theory of mind literature.
Autism Ableist Science Theory of Mind Bauer says that there is a knowledge filter that is supposed to filter nonscientific stuff like biases, errors, dishonesty, mistakes out of scientific knowledge. This takes time and many studies done by many different people. However, Simon Baron-Cohen is an author in nearly every study on theory of mind that I found. This knowledge filter leads to textbook knowledge Knowledge that is no longer questioned
Theory of Mind Ableist Advocacy Autism $peaks They build opinions and practices on the “facts” and implications behind theory of mind. Because theory of mind dehumanizes autistic people, Autism $peaks can more easily put parents into the position of victim and autistic children in the place of persecutor while maintaining that they advocate for autistic people.
Theory of Mind Ableist Advocacy Autism $peaks It has layer upon layer of ableism underneath it This ableist advocacy can be seen in their messages, such as their PSA “I am Autism, ” which portrays autism as a horror icon in a similar vein as Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. This ableist advocacy can also be seen in what they are advocating for. They advocate for the cure to autism, to cure me of who I innately am, to make me act neurotypical. All of this stems back to the original black box turning autistic people’s
Different Way of Interacting with the world Ableism Capital-O Other Ableist Science Autism Science Theory of Mind Ableist Advocacy Autism $peaks
Exigency III: Autism Speaks to Washington “If three million children in America one day went missing - what would we as a country do? If three million children in America one morning fell gravely ill - what would we as a country do? ” (para. 2 -3) She is, by analogy, equating autism with kidnapping and grave illness Kidnapping implies there is no one there. The child is an empty vessel, unable to take care of themselves
Exigency III: Autism Speaks to Washington Maybe they [the parents] have been up all night caring for their teenage child who’s having a seizure. Maybe they are up yet again changing the sheets because there’s been another bed wetting accident. Maybe their child has been trying to bite them or themselves. This is autism. (para. 18 -21) Seizures are associated with autism, but are NOT caused by autism People sometimes wet the bed Some non-autistic people participate in self-injurious behaviors like cutting themselves.
Exigency III: Autism Speaks to Washington Maybe they [the parents] can’t afford the trip to a doctor specializing in autism. Maybe there is a waiting-list for ABA, speech and OT. Maybe their insurance won’t pay. Maybe they don’t have the money to pay a special lawyer to fight for school services. This is autism. (para. 21 -25) Is this autism or is this being under 18? Neither, this has to do with socioeconomic status, NOT autism or even parenting The following is the image that mainstream society has of autism if they just read the article uncritically.
Exigency III: Autism Speaks to Washington “Close your eyes and think about an America where three million Americans and counting largely cannot take care of themselves without help. Imagine three million of our own – unable to dress, or eat independently, unable to use the toilet, unable to cross the street, unable to judge danger or the temperature, unable to pick up the phone and call for help. ” (para. 40)
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