I have read so many pieces on Jerry Seinfeld that I find myself forming an opinion where I originally had none. Like so many things (vaccines, a "cure", ABA, the actions of desperate autism parents,) people seem to be strongly on one side of this issue or the other. I imagine most people are really just somewhere in the middle. They just don't write about it on a Facebook page.
I wasn't "offended" by Jerry's statement. But I did roll my eyes and quietly laugh. I almost did a face-palm, but not quite.
For so many, autism is a serious quality of life issue and for someone who has as comfortable a life as Jerry Seinfeld, there is no quality of life issue. Could his life be less comfortable than it appears on TV? Yes! Quite likely, in fact. But nobody's life is as comfortable as Jerry Seinfeld's life appears on TV. There is no doubt that autism hasn't held him back the way it has for so many. As a TV personality, he has a responsibility to show the big picture when he makes statements like this. To his credit he said “On a very drawn-out scale, I think I’m on the spectrum,” indirectly acknowledging that his 'autism' only affects him mildly.
To his discredit he also said “I don’t see it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mind-set.”
It would have been nice if he had prefaced that with "The way it affects me," and then went on to recognize that it affects others in a very profound way and therefore, is a serious disability and far more than an alternate mind set, regardless of how he sees it in himself.
I liken it to someone who says "I think I have OCD. My sock drawer always has to be set up with matching pairs." Someone with a really disabling case of OCD would roll their eyes and do a face-palm.
Personally, I think I have a very mild case of dyslexia. I am an atrocious speller (Thank you spell check!) and I am in awe of bloggers that can just bang something out without re-reading it several times before they hit post. (You can be sure I'll re-read this at least 3 times and there will still be mistakes.) I read slower than most people in spite of taking a speed reading course and spending a lot of time reading. Nevertheless, if I were on TV and I said "I think I'm dyslexic," I hope I would qualify that with saying that it is very mild and that I understand there are people who have serious dyslexia. They can't read at all and have trouble with road signs or finding the right grocery isle. I also wouldn't portray dyslexia as a simply 'different'.
So I get those that see his statement as trivializing the level of struggle that they or their kids go through on a daily basis. I get that some worry his statement will make others who know very little about autism think "If Jerry Seinfeld can overcome his struggles with autism and make it in life, why can't your kid?" Haven't we all known some one that finds out about our kid's diagnosis and gone on to tell us about another autistic person they know of as if our kid would have the exact same abilities? I know I have!
Overall, I don't think it's that big a deal. We've all got bigger fish to fry. It's just such a hot topic I find myself thinking about it a lot.
I wasn't "offended" by Jerry's statement. But I did roll my eyes and quietly laugh. I almost did a face-palm, but not quite.
For so many, autism is a serious quality of life issue and for someone who has as comfortable a life as Jerry Seinfeld, there is no quality of life issue. Could his life be less comfortable than it appears on TV? Yes! Quite likely, in fact. But nobody's life is as comfortable as Jerry Seinfeld's life appears on TV. There is no doubt that autism hasn't held him back the way it has for so many. As a TV personality, he has a responsibility to show the big picture when he makes statements like this. To his credit he said “On a very drawn-out scale, I think I’m on the spectrum,” indirectly acknowledging that his 'autism' only affects him mildly.
To his discredit he also said “I don’t see it as dysfunctional. I just think of it as an alternate mind-set.”
It would have been nice if he had prefaced that with "The way it affects me," and then went on to recognize that it affects others in a very profound way and therefore, is a serious disability and far more than an alternate mind set, regardless of how he sees it in himself.
I liken it to someone who says "I think I have OCD. My sock drawer always has to be set up with matching pairs." Someone with a really disabling case of OCD would roll their eyes and do a face-palm.
Personally, I think I have a very mild case of dyslexia. I am an atrocious speller (Thank you spell check!) and I am in awe of bloggers that can just bang something out without re-reading it several times before they hit post. (You can be sure I'll re-read this at least 3 times and there will still be mistakes.) I read slower than most people in spite of taking a speed reading course and spending a lot of time reading. Nevertheless, if I were on TV and I said "I think I'm dyslexic," I hope I would qualify that with saying that it is very mild and that I understand there are people who have serious dyslexia. They can't read at all and have trouble with road signs or finding the right grocery isle. I also wouldn't portray dyslexia as a simply 'different'.
So I get those that see his statement as trivializing the level of struggle that they or their kids go through on a daily basis. I get that some worry his statement will make others who know very little about autism think "If Jerry Seinfeld can overcome his struggles with autism and make it in life, why can't your kid?" Haven't we all known some one that finds out about our kid's diagnosis and gone on to tell us about another autistic person they know of as if our kid would have the exact same abilities? I know I have!
Overall, I don't think it's that big a deal. We've all got bigger fish to fry. It's just such a hot topic I find myself thinking about it a lot.
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