How about we honor two wonderful, autistic children who died by NOT speculating that Adam Lanza had autism (which has never been confirmed, so maybe we should wait and see whether it is actually true or not) and NOT assuming that people with autism are dangerous? The only people with KNOWN autism in that school were the victims.
Joey was autistic and severely apraxic. She could not speak, yet she touched the lives of so many around her: teachers, therapists, friends, neighbors, all loved and cherished her. Joey was social and affectionate; she smiled, she loved hugs, and she even had a wonderful sense of humor. Her spirit was indomitable. She participated in rigorous therapy and treatment on a daily basis without complaint. She loved to play with her Barbie dolls, iPad, and computer, swim, swing, and be anywhere her sisters were.
She was seven years old. Dylan Hockley, also autistic, was six. If you are one of the people throwing around the idea that autism makes you dangerous, remember, some of us have autistic kids. Eli wouldn't hurt a fly, but boy, could he be hurt by this attitude.
Sharon
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If you can stand back and look at all the "discussions" - what you will see is we have had a societal Rorschach event. Everyone with a pre-existing opinion is announcing that they, and only they, "understand" - and have "answers" to offer.
The amount of actual scientific analysis being applied is close to zip.
If anyone bothered to do real analysis, they would see that MY analysis is the correct one; of course. : - )
And no; autism has nothing whatever to do with it.
Actually; Sharon; I'd like your opinion on something related. I've seen multiple articles now purporting to dissect "Why Angry Young Men Turn Violent".
My first reaction is- what a great invitation for an angry young woman to prove she's equal- and should not be ignored. Do you get that feeling also?
I dont know if it will apply in the Sandy Hook case but one source of increased homicidal and suicidal behavior seems to be the psychiatric drugs - poisons - Big Pharma is vigorously pushing in this country.
I think - I havent researched it a lot, I admit - that a lot of our psychological and physical health problems stem from the fact that we are suffering from deficiencies in minerals and trace minerals due to our depleted soils. Sharon, you farm and write about farming, got any ideas on this subject?
Postscript to Greenpa
I imagine that there are a LOT of young men in this country who see no future for themselves in our corrupt, collapsing society, and this may well be one factor involve.
To refute the NRA -- the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to reach the young man while he's still thinking, feeling, knows his feelings are bad and feeling himself getting worse, and hasn't acted.
Most young men who go struggle with such feelings, I suspect, never do act out -- and, eventually, turn away from them somehow. And no one ever knows, because it's not safe to talk about the struggle, even after it's successful, to overcome strong bad impulses.
– "We all have feelings that would shame hell" -- Robert Louis Stevenson
Found today in a short story by Kathryn Kramer at Tor.com:
"Vernichtungswille: the desire to annihilate."
"remember, some of us have autistic kids"
Oh yes, those of course are entitled to say whatever. Pffft!
Here something to the point about autistic kid killers:
http://www.science20.com/alpha_meme/pathological_thinking_response_seas…
Hank- wow; what a fabulously frightening word. The translation is pretty good, but not quite total. It's really lousy English, but I think the meaning is closer to "drive to obliterate by totally un-creating". Kafka would have loved it- have to wonder if he used it somewhere.
Sascha: I read your article from beginning to end, twice, and you made a few good points about "normalcy." However, the article seems to lead readers to believe that all of the people pictured were on the Autism Spectrum, which has not been established as true. As the mother of a young man with Asperger's Syndrome, I was crushed when I heard the media report that Lanza may have had it-not because I am afraid of my son, but because I am afraid for him. He, and others like him, do not need people in the media speculating and lumping all people on the spectrum as sociopaths-he has enough trouble as it is.
Joseph: I agree that pharmaceuticals may be a big part of the problem-many of the recent shooters had been on or recently went off psychiatric drugs, especially SSRI's. Lanza was on Fanapt, which was only put through a 6 week trial prior to FDA approval (and he was alone for 3 days prior to the shooting, so he may or may not have been taking it properly).