#juicervose

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This clip describes a visit to a school in District 75 of NYC where there are a number of severely autistic and other similarly identified children. The children struggle to communicate to their teachers and caregivers. This clip is difficult to listen to, I can hear the frustration in the child’s voice and the discomfort of the radio hosts. Today, children are identified as having deficits through the tradition laid down by Eugenics: “The linkage between visible defects and subnormal intelligence proved critical to the development of eugenics methodology. Without this pairing detection was much more difficult” (Snyder & Mitchell, 2006, p. 80). Listening to this child trying to make himself heard and understood could indicate a lack of intellectual ability or a wealth of it. It is easy to assume that there is none because of his outward appearance and the sounds that he makes. This child seems (ab)normal, he is uncomfortable to be around. It is my fear that I will become a part of this tradition both as my role as a teacher and as a result of my fears and discomfort with those that are different. 

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Abumrad, J. (Host). (2014, Sept. 18). Juicervose [audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org/story/juicervose/.

binge rewatching tv series crammed in via a metaphorical arm to mouth motion again and again and again series season episode the one more feeding another after an other mealing schedule eating brains through electric tubular consummation a fantasy kitchen of invisible air dishes that our imaginary friends help us pretend taste like snacks, sorta kinda perhaps a little bit enough anyway you don't have to get up off the couch very often

the latest hippest way to suck the thumb of one's thought process down to a shriveled raisin easy to gum, to swallow no teeth no chewing surely nothing so burly as mastication necesssary

just your voice juice or choice pureed into a soothing rhythm rocking perseveration better than a cool outfit inducing hypnotic new modes of consciousness

WATCH 

If there were ever a foil to the Cleavers, it's the Pfefferman family. Jeffery Tambor stars as a transgender woman who finally decides to come out to her family at 70. As she attempts with the complex process of coming out to her adult children, we get to know them intimately. Sarah, a housewife in a sexless hetero marriage whose lesbian college romance is reignited in the pilot episode. Josh, a successful artist manager who falls in love easily and seems to perpetually crash back out. And Ali, the youngest, who is unemployed, eager to experiment with sex and gender,  and "just can't seem to land." As the family tries to find the balance between disclosing their sexual and gender identities and keeping their secrets hidden, it becomes clear that the truest parts of themselves are transparent to the people closest to them. Everyone on the show has their own idiosyncratic shit to deal with, which is a huge breathe of validating air. Match that with beautiful indie-film video quality and an absolutely perfect soundtrack, and you get a show that makes you want to dig in to episode one and never let go. And you don't have to, because you can stream the entire first season on Amazon Prime. 

LISTEN 

"Juicervose" by Radiolab. You may have heard Ron Suskind's story when his New York Times article went viral a few months ago. His autistic son was able to overcome some of his symptoms by interacting with his family through the voices of Disney characters. Owen's story has a certain magic born straight from the Disney movies he loves - there's a hero who has to overcome a huge challenge, various villains or detractors who try to bring him down, his hopeful sidekicks who never give up on him, and, of course, a happy ending. Because of the importance audio plays in the story - from the references to repeated lines from Disney movies to Owen's speech development - it tells even better through podcast. If you feel so compelled, you can catch Suskind at Chicago Ideas Week on October 14. 

READ

Like fuck, when I heard a snippet in the car I was sure I was just being biased because there's no way they would make an episode that ignorant and provably wrong. BUT NO THAT'S COMPLETELY WHAT IT WAS.

And they asked these horrendously leading questions to the autistic man. And they interviewed Simon Baron Cohen, who is one of the worst autism researchers when it comes to dehumanizing people with autism.