Hi Col
I wish to state a few things.
Firstly it was not at all easy for me as an unknown to be elected onto the
Council of the NAS considering the sort of people I was standing amongst and
it was a considerable surprise to me when I was elected at all, particularly
as I had openly stated that I intended to bring a certain bluntness to them
and to adopt an alexandrian solution of cutting the gordian knot.
Considering the woefully low number of people on the autistic spectrum who
are actually members there is no way I would have been elected on there
support alone and being as I am currently only the third autistic person to
get this far I think that is not bad going so far. Whatever is done from the
outside, the NAS is not going to go away and there is no easy way to build
anything as big and as powerful from the ground up unless there is a
millionaire backer out there, of whom I would be instantly suspicios if
there were anyway. That is why I am going to continue challenging from
within for as long as I still can and to play a long game.
The object is not to defeat an adversary in open combat, but to ultimatly
win over ones adversary by convincing them to adopt the ideas one is
fighting for so they are no longer and adversary. I could give lots of
analogies but would make this an ever longer post than it is likely to be at
the moment.
In order to do this one has to be prepared to suffer some degree of abuse,
and I have had a lot of "training" in suffering abuse I can assure you.
Those who struggled in the human rights movement like Ghandi and Dr Martin
Luther King certainly knew how to take abuse. Nothing would be served by my
resigning or ceasing to make my appearance at conferences like the one I am
attending.
It is incorrect to say that all Charities are colluding with the government,
as politics is not a simple us and them, government versus proles set up and
the government are only one particular force in a cultural hegemony. BCODP
is a charity after all and I do not wholly endorse the reticence of such
organisations to fully take on the challenges that neuro diversity makes to
the social model when the model ossifies into a paradigm rather than grows
to take account of some of its flaws. In there own way those who hold onto
the ideas of twenty years ago are sociologically littel different from the
american society of pysciatrists in there rigidity. For a visitor from Mars
anyway.
I get a little tired after thirty years of watching people on street corners
selling newspapers full of slogans believing that this is somehow going to
cause the multinationals to lose any sleep. I was not all that enamoured of
them thirty years ago to be honest ultimatley abandoning an erly faith in
the "littel red book" to develop a more anarchist perspective, I do not
believe in human or temporal absolutes. I am not an ideological anarchist so
much as a person who was born with a disposition that finds it hard to deal
with authority of any kind.
I am autonomous because above all I am autonomous in my own thought and will
not be dicatated to by any ism unless I have come to see its validity
through my own perspective, not because I am told it is right. I am thus
sceptical of uncritically accepting anyone elses perspective and that
includes people like Foucault, and Derrida.
If I were to go to that conference and take off my jacket to reveal a T
shirt that said Fuck all you neuro-typicals or if I were to hurl abuse in
every fdirection if I were ejected because of it I would not last very long,
I have to have a well thought out agenda and to be able to make evaluations
as to what might be more effective and to make appropriate alliances where
possible. Shouting down a speaker for example would be an absolute last
resort and one guaranteed to exclude me from any possible discourse for
ever.
I am worried Colin that you have made too many enemies too erly by rejecting
gruops that you find hard to work with. We all have to guard against being
carried away by our own enthusiasm, and at them moment I may be putting my
head in the Lions mouth, but that is where I feel I ought to be right now it
is right for me. We each of us have to do what we are best at. Then if I
have failed, you can put me up against the wall and have me shot if there is
anything left of me to put up against a wall.
Anyway Colin lets here more of this alternative discourse on this list, it
needs it badly in my opinion
Larry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of ColRevs
> Sent: 31 August 2002 10:43
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Conference next week
>
>
> Liz, Larry and others
>
> I totally agree with you Liz. I for one have given up on these mainstream
> 'middle-class' charities. As a neuro-diverse person from lower
> socio-economic background I have experienced discrimination and social
> exclusion first hand within these charities. I would also had that I have
> also experienced discrimination and oppression from 'user groups' run and
> controlled by disabled people and due to my neuro-diversity have felt
> bullied and socially excluded by disabled neuro-typicals.
>
> The seems to be a lack of tolerance of difference within the
> disabled people
> movement which I have great concern. We can't get our house in
> order within
> the movement and accept everyone, then how can we expect these
> Charities and
> Governments and all Society to change the attitudes and behaviour towards
> all disabled people ?
>
> Mainstream Charities serve the interest of the professional middle classes
> who are so frightened to challenge oppression and discrimination within
> their own organisations, due to this 'culture of fear' is serves the
> interest of middle class Professionals. The 'real voices' of the
> people they
> are supposed to represent are totally ignored.
>
> I am in favour of disabled people 'user groups' who can take direct action
> from the outside. All these National Charities are colluding with the
> Government and it serves a purpose within their 'rhetoric and spin'.
>
> Nothing is really changing and oppression and social exclusion is rife
> within Society and globalised world. 'ignorance is bliss they say'. As you
> are well aware within an economic discourse where the upper-classes and
> multi- nationals have the real power, then do they really want to give the
> power away? It is politics of greed. The current environmental summit in
> South Africa is an example of the ignorance of the rich countries
> having the
> power and control over the poor, especially the USA and United
> Kingdom. The
> politicians within these countries are controlled by Multi-Nationals and
> this is where the real power needs to be challenged. We need to unite
> against globalisation and they effect it is having on disabled people who
> are effected by poverty the most and are socially excluded. Globalised
> resistance is the way forward and the disabled people movement should join
> forces in my opinion with the anti-global capitalist movements in the U.K
> and the globalised world.
>
> Disabled people needs to have a real voice and informed choices
> and I am in
> the opinion this can only be done if within the U.K. 'user groups'
> representing all disabled people are given the autonomy to be control of
> their own lives with a political 'voice' which is not going to be
> ignored by
> any political party from the mainstream political parities and Government
>
> Disabled people in the U.K and the globalised world have to be united
> together and all the in-fighting has to cease from immediate effect. The
> should be a human rights agenda for all disabled people and no one-person
> should feel socially excluded from that agenda.
>
> We all have choices which need to be informed. Come-one let's
> unite together
> and challenge these monolithic Charities and Governments through an
> alternative discourse and political 'agenda for action'.
>
> Regards
>
> Colin R
>
> (Human Rights Activist)
>
> (Neuro-Diverse individual)
>
>
>
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