Autism Blog - Peta – Idiots « Left Brain/Right Brain

07 Oct 2008

Author: Kev
Comments: 6

Peta – Idiots

The text below is from my good friend Ari Ne’eman. My own contribution is supplied in a link at the bottom of his text.

I am happy to announce that PETA’s recent, “Got Autism?” billboard has been removed by the advertising company hosting it. The billboard misinformed the public about the autism spectrum by falsely implying that milk consumption was the cause of autism. Such advertising contributes to a state of public hysteria about the autism spectrum, fueling the fear and resulting prejudice that marginalizes us from society at large. It is unacceptable for autistic people, our families and supporters to be used as instruments in PETA’s political agenda or that of any other unscrupulous interest group. Our community came together to communicate the need for a swift withdrawal of this ill-informed piece of advertising, and I’m pleased to say that were able to achieve a swift result. That we were able to accomplish this so quickly and effectively speaks well for the autistic community and the cross-disability rights movement. Thank you all for your support.

If you’d still like to indicate to PETA the need to avoid exploiting the autistic community in its future advertising, you can write to them at info@peta.org as well as call them at 757-622-7382 and dial 0. You can also sign our petition on this topic, further indicating to PETA and the world that it does not pay to try to attack and exploit the autistic and cross-disability communities.

Incidents like this show the need for a strong and activist autistic self-advocacy movement, working closely with the broader disability rights community. By uniting on issues like this one, we can work to address the persistent biases that pervades the public discourse about autism in specific and disability in general. As we speak, the blind community is uniting against false and offensive depictions of their community in the new movie, “Blindness”. Over the last few months, disability rights activists from all parts of the community came together to fight against outdated and damaging portrayals of people with intellectual disabilities in the movie, “Tropic Thunder”. Less than a year ago, the disability community united behind our successful effort to stop the NYU Child Study Center’s “Ransom Notes” ad campaign, which portrayed children with disabilities as kidnap victims.

Like any other community, we have the right to be treated with respect, in media, in service-delivery and in all aspects of society. While responses to offensive depictions of disability in popular culture are not the only battle in the broader struggle for equity, inclusion, quality of life and opportunity for all people with disabilities, this issue must remain an important priority. Culture helps to shape the reality we live in. By challenging the exploitative and offensive public discourse on disability we find today, we can advance a broader agenda for disability rights. The disability community is on the march and we will not be stopped. Thank you once again for your effective action on this issue. I look forward to working with all of you once again in the future. Remember, “Nothing About Us, Without Us!”

Wise words from Ari. And now my own vitriolic, childish but very satisfying contribution.

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Comments

6 Responses to “Peta – Idiots”

Autism Blog - Autism and allergies | Left Brain/Right Brain
October 8th, 2008
19:38:22

[...] allergies. I saw this paper and found it interesting, but wasn’t going to blog it until the PETA campaign (Got Autism) came up using the proposed sensitivity of autistics to [...]
| Autism Library
October 11th, 2008
16:33:48

[...] did, but it was also carried by Maternal Instincts, Asperger Square 8 and Wrong Planet, and LeftBrainRightBrain, to name a [...]
Around the autism blogosphere October 11 2008 | Autism Library
October 11th, 2008
16:37:16

[...] did, but it was also carried by Maternal Instincts, Asperger Square 8 and Wrong Planet, and LeftBrainRightBrain, to name a [...]
Spurwing Plover
October 19th, 2008
03:05:54

HEY PETA GOT BRAINS?
Spurwing Plover
October 26th, 2008
16:56:22

Now you know wehre all their money gose it gose into purtid billboards,horrible propeganda and for these PETA jerks to run around in goofy costumes or go naked just to prove THEIR ALL STUPID and only a pualtry 1% realy gose into animal welfare
Tweets that mention Autism Blog - Peta – Idiots « Left Brain/Right Brain -- Topsy.com
February 16th, 2011
02:11:34

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Nicole Jensen and Ash Donaldson, Owen Hodda. Owen Hodda said: RT @ashdonaldson: #PETA is spreading misinformation again. This time, they're targeting parents of autistic kids http://bit.ly/gpXMyu #FAIL [...]