Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
In her blog, titled Thriving in Holland, my wife Kate has written eloquently about the importance of April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. She opens, “On this day, we shine a light on autism in the hope that those living with autism will feel less alone and know that people around the world celebrate, support, and welcome their difference, their uniqueness.”
I originally recommended that Kate add the word “blue” to that light we shine on autism, acknowledging the efforts around the globe to raise awareness exemplified by the blue lights that today illuminate some of the world’s most famous landmarks, including the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Empire State Building, and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Even though our family shall be wearing blue today as we celebrate our boy Jukie, Kate pointed out to me that many people with autism feel uncomfortable with the organization behind the “Light It Up Blue” campaign, Autism Speaks. Founded a dozen years ago by GE vice chairman Bob Wright, Autism Speaks has been accused of deploying disease metaphors when addressing autism. We might wonder if autism should be “cured,” for example, when people with autism see autism as inherent to their sense of themselves. They express similar concerns about rooting out the causes of autism, in part because of concerns about choices people might make once we have a better understanding of such causes.
Any parent of a child with autism, such as Kate or myself, becomes an advocate for autism awareness in the act of advocating for a beloved child. And Jukie’s loss of skills and language when he was young continues to be a source of heartbreak for us. All that said, people with autism rightly question the extent to which well-meaning advocates may functionally silence those people with autism because of the focus on proxies, such as parents and organizations, rather than those who might more accurately and eloquently speak on behalf of those with a version of this syndrome, the people with autism themselves.
Indeed, an author friend of mine in Japan saw my retweet of Kate’s link to her blog entry and responded with typical insight: “It’s evident that your support comes from a place of love. You might not know, though, that many many #ActuallyAutistic people (including me) feel that Autism Speaks (the #LightItupBlue folks) do[es] harm to autistic people. You can read here, for example: http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/26/this-is-why-i-will-never-light-it-up-blue-for-autism-awareness-we-do-not-need-a-cure-because-autism-is-not-a-disease-7408706/ .”
I agree with the opinion shared in that Autism Speaks critique that we should all show more respect and love with people with neurological variance, and that more people with autism should serve on the board of such organizations. I also know that if he were asked to serve, our wordless and curious boy Jukie (whose particular form of regressive autism deserves newly-discovered and better therapies and treatments) would quickly grow bored by the required meetings. Jukie would lead me out the boardroom door into the bustle of E. 33rd Street so that we could gape like hayseed tourists at the actual Empire State Building which towers over New York a block from the Autism Speaks headquarters. And then our nature boy would walk me over to nearby Bryant Park or Madison Square Park to see how Manhattan playgrounds compare to those in Davis, California.
And I would follow Jukie to where he takes me, because that’s what I do, on World Autism Awareness Day, and every day. Happy April 2nd!
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will have an international flavor. Expect also questions on constant improvement, Louis Armstrong, lists of records, walled settlements, W.E.B. DuBois, the problem with sin, Russian cities, early start times, a break from the children, Catholic research, Al Antz, National Poetry Month, Jimi Hendrix, canine nicknames, millions of thrillers, an odd use for glass, capturing General Washington, prime numbers, Burkina Faso, trips to earth, jogged memories, notable people named James, reasons to visit London, Jim Morrison, your cute uncle Noel, remixes, cartoons, the French navy, foreign languages, facts about plants, volatility, Swedish exports, candy, Trump Tower regrets, Janis Joplin, words that rhyme with taxi, and Shakespeare.
Thursday night is Poetry Night in Davis. Join us April 5th at the Natsoulas Gallery. We gather at 8 PM to hear from out of town poets Richard Robbins and John Dooley.
See you tonight!
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Science. Not rodents, rabbits are instead what L word?
- Books and Authors. Born in Pakistan, the Trump critic author of the book This is Our Constitution: Discover America with a Gold Star Father was written by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter. Tell me that letter.
- Current Events – Names in the News. Today we learned of the death of Linda Brown, made famous by a hallmark 1954 Supreme Court case. In what state did Linda Brown attend elementary school?