The Little Things
Yesterday, I sat next to a really cool person on the plane ride back to Chicago. She was witty, sarcastic, and had a really fun hairstyle. We discussed how, had we been guys, we would not find Jennifer Aniston attractive (Marley and Me was the featured film we didn’t watch). It’s so nice to sit next to someone who can make your trip a more pleasant one. I’ve been on too many flights with the kind of individual who makes you wish you had booked the flight just before or after instead.
Today, while taking a break from cleaning the apartment, I read this tweet:
printedblogNY: @219Lisa @abrayeh @ewalker9 @ashleymarie6 @karayigitkizi @lilyspeak are featured Twitterers in Issue 9!
Fantastic! I remember picking up the first issue of TPB here in Chicago and thinking, “What the heck?! This is so cool!” Now I’m IN one! Currently, The Printed Blog is distributed in Chicago, NY, LA, and SF, but can de downloaded from their website if copies run out or if you don’t live in those cities.
Some sad day, after books go out of style, publishers are going to come up with something like The Printed Kindle and think it’s so brilliant. I happen to like my reading material on actual material. Paper, cloth, papyrus – whatever – I like it better this way.
Yes, We Can
Also from today’s PostSecret:
My secret – I’ve got a playlist with the theme from Remember the Titans, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and Battle Cry that I put on when I need that little boost. It reminds me of Grant Park and DC. I had it on repeat the entire time I drove to and from Visit Day at the University of Chicago back in November. It worked.
Hang On, Sloopy
This morning’s PostSecret cards included this one:
pleasehangonforme.jpg (image).
What a sweet face. Dogs always do their best to hang in there – mine did. This August marks the 5th year he’s been gone, and I still miss him just as much as the day after.
The Triumph of Bullshit
I just found this blog and it totally made my day.
It’s Not Me, It’s You
This doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but today I deleted my RSS subscription feed to Perez Hilton’s website.
I fully acknowledge that my secret indulgence in celebrity gossip can be compared the US’s insatiable appetite for illegal drugs – both behaviors encourage increasingly destructive consequences. However, my decision to quit Perez had little to do with being conscious of my own contribution to the invasive intrusion on celebrities’ lives.
What made me click the little trash can icon was this post, ironically one of Perez’s Worthwhile Causes. For the most part, I am glad that he is using his own celebrity and visibility to raise awareness for so many issues, ranging from gay rights to global poverty. However, this particular post features a masthead from Jenny McCarthy’s website, with a single like that reads “autism is reversible.” Given the controversial nature of the dialog surrounding Autism, its causes, and its treatments, I know that it is impossible for all families impacted by Autism to agree on why their children have it, why some are more affected by others, and all the different tools families use to address the impact of Autism on their lives. The debate is, overall, constructive. But according to my experience in the field of family support, special education, and special needs advocacy, there is one thing I have extreme difficulty tolerating, and this one thing is what lead me to stop visiting Perez’s website.
I cannot speak for Perez, and I do not intend to. I have no idea whether or not he endorses Jenny McCarthy’s views. I don’t know if he selected that masthead image only because of the association with her (and Jim Carey’s) names and faces, or if he selected that masthead because be believes what Jenny McCarthy believes. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t really matter.
Someone with Perez’s visibility and voice needs to be extremely cautious about the messages they communicate, and how they communicate those messages. Perez needs to be aware that he is perpetuating a very particular point of view. I hope he is. If he is unaware of the potential impact of advocating for the idea of the “reversibility” of Autism or the efficacy of biomedical treatments, I encourage him to do some more research on the available data regarding both.
I have done a vast amount of research and worked with too many families who want so much to believe that their child’s Autism is “just a phase”, that their son or daughter will “grow out of it”, or that it’s just a matter of time before they stumble across the Holy Grail combination of treatments that will “cure” their child of Autism, as if Autism could be placed in the same category as food poisoning or kidney failure.
Without a doubt, more and better research needs to be done. I wholeheartedly support the ongoing effort to investigate and identify more substantive leads regarding how Autism works and what Autism does. I believe that the more we know about its manifestation the better we can prevent and treat Autism when it presents. I cannot stress enough, however, that statements like “autism is reversible” are not only misleading (Although symptoms of Autism may be greatly mitigated and alleviated to the point where they are hardly noticeable, they are never completely eliminated. We also know that the elimination of symptoms does not necessarily point to elimination of the cause of those symptoms), the empty claim attracts a strong following, falsely hoping for an outcome in a way that serves as a destructive force against the movement to investigate and apply evidence-based best practices.
It’s been fun, Perez, but I think it’s time for me to move on.
Is False Hope Just As Good?
I can’t count the number of parents I’ve met who believe their children can be “cured.” Understandably, parents want their children to live happier, fuller lives, but at what expense?
Especially in families affected by extraordinary needs, it’s common to see parents cling to hope based on – well, anything, really. It’s hard to say this without sounding like a total pessimist, so maybe I’ll put it this way: the placebo effect is still an effect.
Ultimately, after interacting with so many families and their individual circumstances, I’ve come to the conclusion that, regardless of what their child’s strengths and weaknesses are, it’s better for the both the parents and the child to make the best out of what life gives without trying to “fix” or “cure” something atypical. After all, different isn’t always bad.
Why parents swear by ineffective treatments for autism. – By Sydney Spiesel – Slate Magazine.
Lessons Learned
Pieces like this stir me to write more about my own story – one of those you-are-not-alone accounts that may (or may not) help fellow “non-admits” cope with the blows to their pride and self-esteem in order to move on.
To hopeful applicants wherever you may be: the bottomless pit is bottomless because it flips a bitch and comes back up to the top. Recycle, shred, and/or burn your rejection letters and tell those schools to take their non-apologies and shove it where the sun don’t shine. You’re worth more than they realize.
Deee-Troit!
Had this conversation with Grandpa Richard last summer:
Everybody’s Doing It
I don’t usually place much faith in tabloids, but the Enquirer earned a gold star when they started digging up true dirt on the Palins last fall. They’re reporting that the Chels is getting married:
CHELSEA’S SECRET WEDDING – Celebrity News | Gossip – National Enquirer.
Which means this is going to be a major summer if other recent reports claiming Prince William is also planning to tie the knot turn out to be true.
Marriage: The Next Epidemic. Side effects may include children.
“You Had Had Me At…”
One of my favorite blogs posted this bit today:
Which instantly reminded me of a trucker hat that has made several appearances at a friend’s parties that erroneously reads: “You Had Had Me At Anal.”
