On Imagination and Propaganda

One of the ugliest slurs commonly used against autistic people is the claim that we lack the capacity for imagination. The scripted and repetitive play of many young autistic children is often cited as if it were proof of this claim, although in fact autistic children develop more spontaneous play as they grow older, and there are many autistic artists and creative writers.

Why do the pro-cure groups and their flock of tame psychologists continue to perpetuate such an obviously false claim? To answer that question, we have to look at it from the standpoint of propaganda, rather than science. Imagination goes to the root of society's concepts of humanity; it's often described as the central characteristic separating us from the animals. By claiming that autistics lack imagination, the curebies are effectively dehumanizing autistics in the public mind, making it more socially acceptable to treat the autistic population as something less than human.

That's why curebies vehemently deny the existence of the autistic culture, insisting, as one notorious hate site puts it, that autism is "a debilitating disease, not a culture." It's much easier to mobilize public opinion in support of eradicating a disease, as opposed to destroying a minority culture.

And while we're talking about lack of imagination, have you noticed that curebie propaganda all sounds the same? Sometimes I wonder if the curebies have had an original thought since the changeling stories began in the Middle Ages.

Here's a pop quiz for you. Where did the following quote come from?

(These) people, despite the intellectual powers with which they are apparently endowed, have not a culture – certainly not a culture of their own... (Such a person) essentially lacks those qualities which are characteristic of those creative races that are the founders of civilization.

Got a Number 2 pencil ready? Did the quote come from (A) an autism awareness press release from Cure Autism Now, (B) a description of autistic savants by Autism Speaks, or (C) a new website created by the Autism Society of America?

Well, actually, the correct answer is (D) none of the above. It's Adolf Hitler, ranting against Jews in Mein Kampf.

If you couldn't tell the difference, I'm not surprised. Looks like the curebies copied that page out of the Nazi playbook verbatim.