#cop-out

Kargo's revival is old news in Home, but I still wanted to write about how much I see it as a writing cop-out. Also, the more you think about the revival, the less sense it actually makes.

After a bit of an intended hiatus, I’ve returned to posting. I’m still trying to figure out a posting schedule that works best for me. My time is currently split between writing for my gaming blog, streaming on Twitch, and a very tiring full-time job. That said, I’m thinking about updates here on Saturdays or Sundays with a minimum post being once a month. In the meantime, I am a bit more active…

Thanks, gocomics.org

Trigger Warning: This blog post contains mentions of, descriptions of, and analysis of sex scandals, sexual abuse, pedophilia, sexual assault, and abuse of individuals based on, incited by, or involved with their autism.

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Blog from my main blog here

I've seen so many articles lately that have boiled my blood as an autistic adult. I avoid at all costs using my autism as an excuse. Now and then there's been a moment where I've explained my behavior by referencing my autism, but there's a difference.

Saying "I'm sorry I upset you, my autism makes understanding certain things hard. How can I fix it?" is different from "I downloaded illegal images because I'm autistic."

That's where I'm going with this. I'm referencing two articles, one where an autism advocate was arrested for downloading child p*rn and another where a Harvard professor lost so much in his life because of gullibility and bad decisions.

First we'll talk about Nick Dubin. This article is the one I'm referencing (TW for child p*rn, homophobia): External Article from Slate.com

In the article, journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer (science and science-based parenting columnist) discusses Nick Dubin's arrest following his (allegedly accidental) downloading of multiple p*rnographic images of minors. Moyer claims that the holder of a doctorate in psychology had no idea that his downloading of sexual images of children was illegal.

She claims that a "social age" test places Dubin at understanding social cues at an age of approximately 7-10 years old (I'll be talking about this concept in another post), and so he doesn't see looking at erotic images of children as any different from erotic images of adults. If that is so, though, how can he claim to have "never had sexual feelings about children" if he sees them just the same as adults?

The second article is actually a series of articles about a single situation. THIS is The First Article I Read About the Situation (CW: Transphobia, Misogyny, Gaslighting and Emotional Abuse) To make a long story short, Bruce Hays, described in the article as "The Most Gullible Man in Cambridge" ended up embroiled in a ridiculously complex controversy and cites the possibility of being "on the spectrum" as contributing to his current woes. And why is it that being "on the spectrum" and being "an absolutely gullible fool" are seen as the same in this situation?

While these two separate articles are not indicative of the autistic adult experience, they are indicative of how we talk about autism and adults with it.

For a moment, think about any parents of children with autism you know, know of, or have briefly seen the posts of on the internet. How many times has the sentiment of "my child will never function as an adult" come up? We're setting autistic youth up for absolute failure. The same parents who say "my child is nonverbal and will never speak" forget their child is still human and knows what they're saying.

Setting autistic kids up with the assumption that they'll never be able to function, know right from wrong, or hold a sense of empathy is first most absolutely wrong and secondly creates an image that autistic adults are not capable of being considered adults. It assumes that people with autism can commit crimes or hurt people willingly without being held accountable.

I mention how we look at autism because these people are using a disorder that directly affects me and millions of others across the world as an excuse. That first article? It's titled, "Autistic Sex Offenders Often Don't Realize They've Broken the Law. Should That Matter?" This autistic adult says, "absolutely not." Breaking the law, especially with such volatile crimes as sex crimes, should be taken just as seriously in autistic adults as neurotypical adults.

The infantilization of autistic adults does nothing to help us. It harms us. I’m not saying Nick Dubin should be locked up for his natural born life for downloading child p*rn, but I’m saying he should face the same consequences a neurotypical sex offender would. I’m not saying Bruce Hays should have no help in fixing his own mistakes, I’m saying Bruce Hays’ actions, including how they affected his family and his job, should be treated just the same way as if a neurotypical adult cheated on their spouse and otherwise got wrapped up in antics.

New Post has been published on https://www.crownofcompassion.org/2020/02/07/an-internal-reality-the-blessing-of-god/

An internal reality - the blessing of God

“The blessing of God . . .[is] an internal reality — a state of mind, a state of soul.  It’s joy unspeakable . . . . peace that passes understanding.  It’s things you can’t possible put a price tag on.  Are you good with God?  Then you are blessed beyond measure.”- Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson continues Chapter 11 of Double Blessing as he talks about the word generosity.  We tend to think of generosity in terms of dollars and cents.  But, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  In addition to treasures, generosity involves time and talent.  Also, Mark admits, it’s much harder to be generous with time and talent than treasure.  In fact, the author contends, sometimes writing a check represents a cop-out — a false substitute for personal involvement.

For example, we think we’ve done our duty when we hand a homeless person a few dollars.  However, Pastor Batterson stresses, we need to match those dollars with dignity.  Therefore, we need to look that person in the eye and see into their soul.  Yet, many people aren’t willing to give of their time to do this.

Above all, Pastor Batterson emphasizes, he doesn’t just flip the blessing in response to someone’s generosity.  He also tries to flip the blessing, he quips, when he feels like flipping the bird.  Mark explains:

“Not only does flipping the blessing on someone who ticks you off defuse your negative emotions, but it can also interrupt the pattern and have a profound impact on the other person.  If you don’t believe it, try it.  When you return rudeness with kindness, it leaves people dumbfounded. . . .  it’s more effective than fighting fire with fire — and far more fun.”

In conclusion, Pastor Batterson notes, people won’t even know what to do with such a response from you.  Although this method isn’t foolproof, especially if your specific situation involves a fool.

Today’s question: How do you see the blessing of God as an internal reality?  Please share.

Stranger in the House (AKA Cop-Out) | Pierre Rouve | 1967

Stranger in the House (AKA Cop-Out) | Pierre Rouve | 1967

Stranger in the House (AKA Cop-Out) | Pierre Rouve | 1967