Gothamist: Savage Calls Autism a "Fraud," Protest Ensues

starrygordon

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:52:41 -0500

Why are morons so popular? I would think even morons would get bored with them after awhile.

evidiot

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:36:19 -0500

It's amazing that it takes a group of angry parents of autistic kids to finally get people picketing against this hatemonger. Imus says one sentence and gets fired because of public pressure. Savage says stuff like this every day and gets away with it.

Spiritof76

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:31:22 -0500

Michael Savage sounds just like the resident trolls here.

uhh

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:17:13 -0500

Last week: "What? Who's Michael Savage?" This week: "Hey, did you hear about that radio talk show host?" "Yeah, Michael Savage's all over the news! Let's tune in to see what the ruse is all about..." Michael Savage: Win.

cucarachita

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:07:16 -0500

My dad was diagnosed as a jerk for years. Then two years ago he finally got diagnosed with Asperger's. We always knew there was something up with him (we used to wonder if he'd hatched out of an egg or something), and had learned to tolerate his oddballness as some unnamed hopeless mental thing by the time we all grew up, but I have to say that he's pretty annoying now that he's so proud of his Asperger's and is always belittling everyone and trying to show us all how much smarter he is than everyone else, which makes him autistic and possibly still a jerk too. I'm just saying: I KNOW my dad would have agreed with Savage before his own diagnosis! (For all we know, this Savage has a form of autism himself, which makes him totally lacking in empathy for people with autism or for people who have kids with autism.)

handsomedevil

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:14:49 -0500

"also, bratty children grow up and can become "normal" adults." Actually, Temple Grandin is a good example of someone who has managed to do something very positive with her life despite being autistic, though the process doesn't sound particularly easy. I'm just sayin', it's not entirely hopeless.

ZeroK

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:45:12 -0500

Sure, Savage is a jackass pundit. That's pretty much the nature of punditry. Why bother even addressing his obvious attention-whoring when there are other, more interesting/exciting matters up for debate?

babyhitler

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:33:43 -0500

Why doesn't the US government take all the autistic children and use them as human supercomputers? Then we can immerse them in a enyzymatic pool and use them to predict what pre-crime will happen before it occurs and then arrest those criminals before they commit the crime and then the world will be a better place.

JacqueMehoff

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:31:31 -0500

he appeals to the dumb people who still don't know this admin is against their best interest. all they complain about are welfare queens with benzs', 40oz malt liquor, universal healthcare, foodstamps, the pledge of allegiance, the flag pin, I can go on and on.

surfbrooklyn

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:14:15 -0500

Why is anything Savage says a surprise? He has a huge audience because he plays to the lowest common denominator. Ignoring this asshole would be a much better strategy. That's what he's really afraid of.

UnrepentantFenian

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:11:04 -0500

Michael Savage is a disease.

dr zippy

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:10:34 -0500

I guess I'm not following some of the arguments being made here. Savage says some incredibly moronic and ignorant things. The people he directs his idiocy towards protest his hateful ignorance. Commenters here take the opportunity insult the protesters for reasons that have nothing to do with their disagreement with Savage?

ZeroK

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:35:36 -0500

@theevilone True, but you could say the same thing about the whole Anonymous vs. Scientology controversy. When major news outlets cover a fringe subject like that, it gains significant weight in society. When they make it seem like a swelling underground lifestyle/community, it certainly seems like a huge ordeal that everyone should be concerned about... as opposed to a few housebound lunatics with a questionable grasp on what constitutes a "worthwhile cause."

pazzia

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:34:38 -0500

"I think her point was that, in the case of a severely autistic child (it's a spectrum disorder so "symptoms" can vary in severity), her child might not even talk. Therefore, she'd willingly take "bratty" behavior, because that's normal childhood behavior." also, bratty children grow up and can become "normal" adults.

theevilone

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:27:44 -0500

But where is the good Rev Al? I thought he was the hate speech police?

Jerk Store

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:27:16 -0500

The funny thing is that Savage himself may well be autistic.

edEx

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:25:57 -0500

damn those nappy-haired autismites!

theevilone

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:24:51 -0500

The whole "neurodiversity" pride thing is a fringe movement at best - though getting an 8 page spread in NY Mag in May would make you think otherwise.

ZeroK

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:21:23 -0500

Damn right. Politburo is 100 PERCENT CORRECT.

ChampionOfTheSun

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:20:36 -0500

For more douchebaggery see his awful website. It looks like it was put together in 1995.

Politburo

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:19:58 -0500

AFAICT most of the 'psychotic pride' crowd doesn't even have Asperger's. They just read too much slashdot.

ZeroK

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:17:44 -0500

Ahem, lets make that: "There's some psychotic pride that Aspergers kids falsely believe themselves to be the next evolutionary step for humanity." And yes, not proofreading was a "retarded" mistake to make.

Politburo

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:16:09 -0500

According to Arbitron's website, the July Peoplemeter book closes tomorrow. He's playing everyone so that he gets a bit more $ out of the advertisers.

ZeroK

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:15:31 -0500

Gotta love Special Interest groups. Limiting your free thoughts and policing your airwaves... day after day. Besides, it's becoming the new ADD to be "uniquely autistic." There's some psychotic pride that Aspergers kids are falsely believe themselves to be the next evolutionary step for humanity. Hyper-advanced geniuses who have difficulty coping with simple social situations. Y'know, as opposed to what Autism used to imply: "retarded."

robingee

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:09:53 -0500

He's a jerk, so consider the source. Jerks say stupid things. Does he really have an influence on anyone, anywhere?

Jen Chung

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:08:21 -0500

@handsomedevil, I agree--considering that former GE chairman Bob Wright started charity Autism Speaks (after his grandson was diagnosed), I imagine there could be a big concerted push.

annieuro

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:04:06 -0500

Hmm..that makes sense. I was just surprised to see it at first.

theevilone

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:02:24 -0500

I think her point was that, in the case of a severely autistic child (it's a spectrum disorder so "symptoms" can vary in severity), her child might not even talk. Therefore, she'd willingly take "bratty" behavior, because that's normal childhood behavior.

annieuro

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:52:50 -0500

"I would trade my son being autistic for being a brat any day" So its okay to find something to blame or attribute psychological and/or behavioral issues? Of course Savage's remarks are bad. It's just interesting to see that quoted.

handsomedevil

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:49:51 -0500

I think rather than demanding he be fired or calling for a boycott, the best thing might be a sustained PR campaign in which people just point out what a moron he is. Use Savage as an easy lightning rod for autism awareness. Run an ad with a photo of him with the word WRONG in big red letters, and then argue "Contrary to what some people might wish, autism is all too real..." etc. etc. As far as I understand it, many psychological disorders have no physiological definition. There's no blood test you can take which proves you are schizophrenic, for example. This is because, for most practical purposes, scientists still don't know that much about how the mind works on a physical level. It doesn't mean that psychologists are all frauds.