I think the "wrong about autism" framing is kind of problematic broadly. He's not "wrong." He's a eugenicist who believes disabled people don't belong in our society. He doesn't believe in human rights. He believes you are only valuable to society if you can fight a war or contribute economically. - ThreadSky

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social • 5 days ago

I think the "wrong about autism" framing is kind of problematic broadly. He's not "wrong." He's a eugenicist who believes disabled people don't belong in our society. He doesn't believe in human rights. He believes you are only valuable to society if you can fight a war or contribute economically.

Reposted from Rick Wilson

Seeing a lot of "RFK IS Wrong About Autism" headlines. Well, duh.

Strike the word "austism" and replace it with "everything" and it saves time.

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gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•5 days ago

There's been a lot of coverage about what autistic people *can* do and while I get that, it ignores that even if you *can't* do those things you deserve to live your life and not be persecuted by this administration. Human rights are absolute.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•5 days ago

Coverage that treats RFK, Jr. as merely misinformed on autism or disability is missing that the motivating factor in his statements and policies is not lack of information, but eugenics.

marybinky.bsky.social•5 days ago

You are absolutely correct. RFK Jr is definitely framing this as a eugenics issue. The fact he proposed a "registry" for people on the spectrum sends shivers down my spine.

golgariglenross.bsky.social•5 days ago

In my professional life, I have carefully avoided using “Reducing need for care” and “May be more employable with less supervision” as a rationale for medical necessity of services, and I’ve called out colleagues who do so. We don’t go down that road because of where it leads.

whateverbikes.bsky.social•4 days ago

You are right of course, except that he is actually, factually wrong when he says people with autism can’t contribute.
It’s important to fight incorrect characterisations. That they are done intentionally doesn’t change that.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•4 days ago

Yes, and I didn't say you shouldn't do that. But if you only focus on correcting, you miss the larger issue.

nyisblue.nyc•4 days ago

We can focus on his lies while at the same time attacking the ideology behind them.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•4 days ago

Right, and I think it's important to note that he is not just misinformed; he actively wants to harm disabled people. But beyond that, the coverage should focus on the inherent rights of *all* disabled people, not just those who rebut RFK, Jr.'s narrative.

nyisblue.nyc•4 days ago

Absolutely. Part of our fight for everyone’s rights.

The lies RFK tells about neurodivergent people aren’t any different from the lies DonOld tells about immigrants. They’re all lies designed to fuel hatred and justify oppression.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•4 days ago

There are many autistic people who will need lifelong support and will never work, and they need to be advocated for just as vigorously.

whateverbikes.bsky.social•4 days ago

I think me problem was with your 'He is not "wrong"'.
I understand how you mean it, but I think the message would be clear if you had said something like 'What he said is incorrect, but it is not because he is ignorant or misinformed. It is deliberate misinformation'.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•4 days ago

I think if you had read my full thread that would be abundantly clear. I used "wrong" in scare quotes because I was playing off Rick's post and pointing out that it's the wrong framing.

If I post a thread I would appreciate it if people read the whole thing as nuance is hard in one post.

gravelinfluencer.bsky.social•4 days ago

Like, I explicitly made the point you are making in my thread.

whateverbikes.bsky.social•4 days ago

Fair enough.

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