Apparently, Michelle Dawson is *the* issue...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/moggymania/111861.html

I'm not even touching this. I couldn't even read all of that. The few parts I *did* manage to read either seemed to be focused on "she isn't really autistic, she just says she is" and "even if they can live without any help, that doesn't mean they can say our kids shouldn't have any"... the latter is so far from anything I've ever heard/read anybody say that I suspect an uncharitable person would accuse them of deliberately skewing the issue.

Oh, and there were a number of strange comparisons to the Deaf. Maybe they've never heard, but cochelear implants are a huge controversy both within and without (?) the Deaf community. That may not be the best comparison to ABA if you're trying to emphasise your support of the therapy.

(edit) In retrospect, I only found one comparision with deaf children. Perhaps it sticks out because they compare not getting a cochlear implant (and presumbably encouraging involvement in the Deaf community) with child abuse.

Why can't one dislike a book without insulting its readership?

I had thought this was limited to the sillies at amazon.com, but here it is at book_reviews:

I just finished reading 'Brave New World'...as long as you go into reading the book knowing that it is a satire then there may be a slight possibility you will find it somewhat enjoyable. I would recommend this book to middle aged men who sit at home all day watching Star Teck..but if you have somewhat of a life..you'll hate it. What a waste of a good three hours.

Now, I don't have a life, but I'm not a middle aged man who watches Star Trek all day either. And I liked the book. I don't claim you dislike it because you're a moronic fluff-brained child who is better off reading Baby-Sitter's Club, I think you disliked it because *gasp* not everyone has the same taste in books. It happens. Sometimes, you don't like a book other people love, and it's not because you or the book is bad, it's because you don't like it.

Of course, I have a few questions. Such as, why did you finish the book if you didn't like it? I wouldn't spend that much time on a book I didn't like, I'd stop after the first few chapters. Possibly this encouraged her anger, because she didn't feel like putting the book down. Possibly. And the second question... since when is Brave New World a satire? I always thought it was a standard dystopic novel.

(no subject)

There's a difference between grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, and this is the only time I want to explain this. When somebody is writing, and they type "I wanted to sit her", nobody thinks they made a grammatical error, or that they are ignorant. It's just chalked up to bad typing skills. But when somebody makes a mistake and spells "their" when they mean "there", all of a sudden everyone is on their case about grammar, sometimes even insinuating that somebody who makes such a mistake cannot POSSIBLY have a good point, since they can't speak their language properly.

Now, for the ignorant, let me explain that their/there/they're are homonyms. So are to/two/too and your/you're. These are words with different meanings which sound alike. When speaking, we have no way of distinguishing "you're book" from "your book", except that we know that nobody would ever say "you are book". In a perfect phonemic system, there would be no difference in the spellings of the words either, because they'd be spelled exactly as they're said. That is why people make spelling errors, because they either do not know which spelling is all right, or because they are rushed and make mistakes. Unless you honestly believe that the person is thinking "I am going as well the store" or "the book is that place book instead of mine", please stop calling this a grammatical error. Don't say you're correcting it because you're a grammar freak. It's a spelling mistake, a typo, and not all that big a deal.

Random link... thank you feminist_rage

http://www.chaparraltree.com/raq/rename.shtml

*gigglesnorts* I have GOT to try this. And I do have a question. Why do we segregate our bathrooms? It's not as though we're sitting out in the open, everything is in a stall, and the things that aren't (urinals) should be.

*laughs gently*

When I post saying that it is rude and extremely unhelpful to insult people for liking something you dislike, the appropriate response is not to then proceed to insult me for not interpreting this exactly the way you did. It happens. People disagree on lots of things, and you certainly haven't impressed me with your maturity and keen wit. Now, I'll admit, it's only been about nine years since I read Brave New World, and as a twelve-year-old I'm sure my understanding was less complex than it would be today, but there really is no need to go to still more personal insults... especially when posting in my journal, where I carefully avoided actually insulting you. Just a thought, sweetie.

I didn't babysit last friday...

I was going to, but 'dul wussed out on his dentist's appointment and Jenn overslept, so I was there when they had their massive blowout. Y'see, Ana's been teething. Teething makes her clingy. And when left alone in a room, she's more prone to cry than usual. But when Jenn went to pick her up, 'dul said "no, just get dressed, she'll settle down". So she did. And Ana was still crying. So 'dul put her in her crib. And she's still crying. And now the fight starts: should Jenn pick her up, or should they let her cry it out (now that she's almost a year old)?

Jenn and 'dul both love Ana very much, they're both good parents, and this is the same child we're talking about, not two children with very different temperments, and they couldn't agree on a very important parenting decision.

Parents do not know what's best for their children.

Lemme repeat this. Parents do not know what's best for their children. They make mistakes, like everyone else. They may understand their children better than anyone else, but then, they might not if they aren't very close. Some parents are like that, they don't get involved.

Thinking logically, nobody would ever say that doctors always know what's best for their patients... if that were the case, we wouldn't ever get second opinions. And nobody ever claims that people don't make mistakes, even people with important jobs like "firefighter" or "teacher". But parents, some parents use the line "I know what's best for my children" like it's true. And it might be, for this parent, this child, but generally, it isn't. Parents make mistakes.

I'm still thinking of the Michelle Dawson controversy. She presented a criticism of the ABA industry, and parents are flipping out that "she said I don't love my kids" because... what? She said you may have made a mistake? A very well educated mistake, but a mistake nonetheless? It happens. Live, learn, and get over it.