[ExI] are we not just one race, the human race?

[Anna Taylor]

>I don't consider autism to be a "flaw" any more than
>I consider, say, being female to be a "flaw". I most
>certainly do NOT "limit myself" or "determine
>myself" in totality by it. In fact, I find such a
>suggestion extremely smarmy and ignorant. 

My sincere apology Anne, after re-reading what I wrote
I realized it does sound rather rude and unjust.  It
comes off wrong sometimes when I write the translation
from french to english.  What I meant by flaw was not
you being autistic, it was that I find you limit
yourself by putting an emphasis on the fact that you
are autistic.  

>It is not up to anyone else to decide on my behalf
>whether or not I am "limiting myself". 

Absolutely right, my apology again.

>You have to understand that when I use "labels" I am
>not using them in a manner as a person might who
>*wanted* to "define herself" totally by them. All
>they are is useful short-hand for constellations of
>tendencies and/or traits. I have plenty of actual
>flaws (as all humans do) -- I just don't consider
>the low-level perceptual/cognitive attributes that
>have been identified as "autistic" to indicate
>intrinsic broken-ness.

I agree with you but the fact is that people do label.
 It's rather normal form of memorization.  For
example, I remember the name John K.Clark and
associate him with the label "Mr. Rude Man":) I am
always labelled as the red head with curly hair. All I
meant is that when people associate you, they
associate with the label autistic.  

>You have revealed a bias that I think many people
>should actually be more aware of, which is to say
>that you seem to assume right off that something is
>a "flaw" just because social norms currently
>identify it as such. 

I don't consider autism a flaw as much as I don't
consider me having red hair a flaw, it's just a label.
 The unfortunate truth is that many uneducated people
consider it a flaw. (At one point having red hair
could have gotten you killed).  My point which I
clearly did not get through is that I find your
writing and ideas great and find your postings
educational but I was just commenting that I wouldn't
want you just to be labelled simply Anne Corwin, the
autistic.  Many will read what you write and don't
know you, it would be a shame if they only recognized
you as such label.  Then again, I shouldn't even have
posted my reply as really it is none of my business
and am truly sorry if I offended you, it really isn't
my style.

>I would LOVE certain kinds of "modifications" >and/or
"upgrades". I am all for extending the >healthy
lifespan, for instance, and I think it would >be
pretty neat to, say, be able to see more >wavelengths
of the electromagnetic spectrum. I am >all for making
myself, if it were possible, >resistant to cancer and
other actual diseases. I am >all for allowing OTHER
people who might be autistic >or whatever to decide
that they want to change those >things. 

Me too.

>Additionally, I am ALWAYS working to improve skills
>and learn new things, to become adept with new
>tools, to work on picking up at least small bits of
>other languages, etc. If I wanted to limit myself,
>why would I be doing that? Please do not tell me I
>am limiting myself *merely* by saying I don't think
>I need to be nonautistic in order to be happy and/or
>successful. That is seriously one of my major pet
>peeves and it's also a generally destructive
>attitude I see coming from far too many people whom
>I'd think should know better.

No, I would never say such a thing, again this is my
fault because I really wasn't clear when I wrote the
first post.
My apology to the list.

Anna

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