Saturday, July 2, 2011

Mind blindness versus Empathy

I wanted to find a key.  I can't be as descriptive as Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, nor as poetic as Nicole Nicholson. These are two grand works of  two great minds. They are fighting fire with fire.  I am much more simple-minded. I fart in Dr. Baron-Cohen's general direction

But  I want to contribute, truly,because I have been thinking for weeks the evil Baron Cohen is going to wreak on parents in the new found way to blame them, and children who have tremendous misunderstanding to deal with, now with the insult of being labelled in a book about evil by a man who is supposed to be on their side.

Initially, I looked up empathy in the dictionary.  I was thinking the autistic equivalent was compassion.  It was interesting, but led nowhere.

Strangely, the thought occurred:  What is the opposite of empathy?  In fact, I googled "opposite of empathy", and this was the fourth entry  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind-blindness   According to google, one definition of a-empathy is mind blindness.

That's interesting, isn't it?  A man who is looked upon in some eyes as a great authority in autism, makes up the tests that decide who is autistic.  He makes up the science, and then picks the science to agree with that he's made up.  He even makes up the definition of the words.  We are being subjected to one man's own little world, totally made up in his own mind.

He's like his cousin, Sasha Baron Cohen, who makes up a character and then films real people's reaction to his character. Simon pretends he is an authority in all things autism, and then makes up the science, and basks in the reaction to the dimwits who believe him.  It has to be a familial thing.  Perhaps it is genetic.  Or maybe environmental. Wikepedia says of Sasha: 
In his routines, Baron Cohen's characters interact with unsuspecting people who do not realize they are being set up for comic situations and self-revealing ridicule.

Perhaps Simon is doing the same for autistics. It's quite an act, I've got to admit....
I am not a great scientist, or poet, or philosopher, comedian, or even necessarily a good person.  But my daddy taught me how to call bullsh*t.





I call bullsh*t on Dr. Baron-Cohen.

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