Cure Ignorance
No reasonable person in today’s society would suggest that racial minorities ought to be cured of their skin color or their hair texture. And yet, when the genetic traits of a minority group include a neurological configuration that differs from the majority population to any noticeable extent, society’s tolerance for diversity goes out the window. The Internet and the mass media are filled with profoundly negative and inaccurate stereotypes about the Aspergian population.
To ensure that others will respect and value our diversity, instead of calling for our extermination by way of prenatal testing and eugenic abortion, we must refute these stereotypes. In other words, we must develop a cure for the majority’s ignorance. Aspergian Pride proposes to do this in two ways. The blog describes accomplishments and positive experiences within the Aspergian community. In addition, Aspergian Pride maintains an extensive directory of pride, advocacy, and resource links. (The referenced sites have no affiliation with Aspergian Pride; although some sites have indicated that they support the “Cure for Ignorance Campaign,” the inclusion of any particular site on the list does not imply an endorsement of Aspergian Pride by that site.) These links may be freely copied for the purpose of raising public awareness of the autistic civil rights movement.
To join the “Cure for Ignorance Campaign,” all you have to do is create your own website advocating social acceptance of neurodiversity. This doesn’t have to be a large or complex project; if you already have a personal interest website, just add an extra page with a few paragraphs explaining why you support the neurodiversity movement and Aspergian civil rights. Include a brief description of the “Cure for Ignorance Campaign” and a link to this page. Copy Aspergian Pride’s list of links (which can be accessed in html format through a link at the bottom of this article) and paste that list onto your site in its entirety. Then, send Aspergian Pride a link to your site, and your site will be added to the links list.
If you don’t currently have a website or a blog, it’s not hard to create one; there are many companies that offer free or low-cost web hosting. Please do what you can to help Aspergian Pride’s campaign. Ignorance is, after all, a tragic affliction, and those who suffer from ignorance need a cure now.
Click here for a plain text list of links that can be copied and pasted easily.