Title: The Guide to Dating for Teenagers with Asperger Syndrome

Author: Jeannie Uhlenkamp

 Cover: A bit conspicuous (but then again I might not have picked up the book at all if it wasn’t), and a little childish (cartoon characters on the cover are a bit much). Also, “Teenager on the Autism Spectrum” would have been a better title than “Teenager with AS” because the latter seems to exclude Kanner’s Autistics, who could also benefit.

Foreword: About the Foreword, forewarned is forearmed. If I were giving this to another teen on the spectrum, I would take the foreword out. It is targeted to the parent/professional giving the book and not the teen reading it. As the receiver, I might take offense to this foreword.

Actual Text: The book is written in a question and answer format. After each answer, the main idea is listed along with discussion questions.

Pros

-Defining phrases which are not explicit/definitive ( ex.”likes you more than a friend,” “beat yourself up”, “two-timing”,).

-Very concrete suggestions (ex. after writing “apply deodorant several times a day at school” it adds the not-so-obvious to Aspies “in the nurse’s office or bathroom”). I imagine the book was tested on an audience of spectrum teens, and their feedback was used to clarify any potentially confusing or misleading lines.

-Although addressing some spectrum-specific issues (ex. Will my sensory issues interfere with my ability to date?), the book goes out if its way to cement the idea that many of the issues facing Aspies are actually faced by all teens. This makes the odds of success seem a bit better.

-Unlike many books targeted towards individuals with Asperger’s, this one does not make the assumption that all Aspies are male. Questions from males and females are fielded, and a male and female “dating-expert” alternate providing answers.

-I really liked the answer to the question about sensory issues and dating (I would consider it my biggest obstacle in the dating world). The book mentioned ways to bridge the issue with a date, accommodations (like taking outside breaks when visiting the mall), and alternatives (like hand-holding instead of hugging).

-I also liked the fact that they addressed the unpleasant but true fact that some men (and perhaps women) will lie about love in order to have sex . Two acquaintances of mine were proposed to, slept with, and dumped the following week, and it’s an important thing to watch out for.

Cons

-The discussion questions and summaries after each point are excessive and distracting. A more useful option would have been to place a section at the end of each chapter which listed the main points from each answer and several discussion questions.

-Some of the definitions are a bit condescending and unnecessary. Most teens with an ASD, for example know the meaning of the word “accommodation”.

-I felt some issues were left under-addressed or ignored completely. For example in the “What should we talk about section”, there was no mention of special interests and the “Aspie-monologue”.

-Some advice I thought was rather poor. For example in response to, “I made a special meal for my boyfriend and he didn’t acknowledge it,” the book suggests that the cook was not allowing the boyfriend to have his own feelings or be free around her, and it was her issue, not his, that he didn’t respond. This answer really seemed way off the mark to me.

-Some things certainly could have been explained better or more specifically. For example in the “My girlfriend wants a special song and I don’t want one” question, the response was that some girls like special songs so you should let her pick one. It would have been better to explain why a special song is important to people (as a reminder of the person, a secret, or a connection to a specific shared event, etc.). Also broad statements like “Make sure your body language lines up with your verbal language” should have been supplemented with a list of body-language meanings, even if they were given in a reference section at the back of the book.

-The book only mentions/addresses heterosexual relationships. It wouldn’t have taken much additional effort to include a few pages addressing issues specific to queer adolescents on the spectrum, or, if this were not a possibility, to have a few of the general questions be written by queer teens.

Overall Rating

I would give this book 2.5 to 3 stars out of a possible 5. I’m glad I found it on a bargain table, as I do not believe it is worth the full-price of $20. Despite the title, the book was not truly a book written for Aspies, but one which would be helpful for the general population. Books written by individuals on the autistic spectrum, or which at least include personal stories written by individuals on the spectrum would be far more useful. The author suggests using this book as a currciulum to be studied by parents and teens together. A better strategy might be for the parent to read the book first, post-it note sections which might need additional clarification or input (for example, a “Let’s talk about this one” on the section on masturbation so you can discuss house rules or religious/moral views which have an influence), an the offer that the teen can feel free to ask you any questions or share any thoughts which arise while reading the book. This makes the book less of a chore and more of a reference/resource.

Other Resources:

How Rude Guide to Dating, a companion to the awesome How Rude that I reviewed last year.

Autistic Guide to Dating ,

Preparing for Life 

 Autism-Aspergers and Sexuality

Growing up on the Spectrum

 Asperger Download 

Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome

Yeah, there’s Tim Allen, but I celebrated the holidays with those Rankin/Bass specials long before the Tool Man slipped on the red coat.

Yes, Mickey Rooney is my Santa Claus.

In the last couple of weeks, between the local channels and ABCFamily, I have lost count how many times I’ve seen Santa Claus is Coming to Town. However, I love it. The little kid in me can’t let go. I look forward to watching Rudolph, singing along to the Snow and Heat Misers while I bake my cookies, and feeling teary over Nestor’s long donkey ears.

**On an odd note, ever notice how the heroic characters were “misfits?”. Rudolph, Nestor, even Santa Claus was an orphan raised by elves (just like Buddy-but that may be for another post).

Rudolph was my grandmother’s favorite special, and it’s also mine. I just love the likeness of Sam the Snowman/Burl Ives. What’s not to like here? You can’t say Hermey, Yukon Cornelius and the “Bumble” don’t make you smile. Here’s the 1964 TV spot for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

There are a handful of holiday Rankin/Bass specials that were animated instead of their signature stop-motion ones. Every year, I’m like a kid sitting in front of the television reciting all of the words to this classic. Jimmy Durante narrates the story of Frosty, voiced by Jackie Vernon. Listen to Santa Claus’ voice (as well as the man in the ticket booth and the cop), that is the vocal talents of Paul Frees who voiced most of the villains in the stop motion specials. Yup, Burgermeister Meisterburger and Kublai Kraus.

(links to parts 2 and 3)

This one is another favorite of mine. The absolutely lovely Fred Astaire is the special delivery man, narrating the story of Santa Claus. My Mickey Rooney of course, is Santa. Astaire returns as the same character for The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town. Rooney is Santa in the Year Without A Santa Claus.

This isn’t Rankin/Bass at all, but a holiday is not a holiday without a Charlie Brown or Garfield special. The “lights, please?” moment is probably one of the most memorable from the special.

I also can’t forget the Alvin and Chipmunks special. Remember the Golden Echo Harmonica? I do. Go on Youtube and take a gander. For now, I’ll leave you with these clips to check out. Have a great holiday!

Over at the Guardian UK’s music section, Paul Morley spoke with electro dance guru Matthew Herbert about “End of the Year,” and even “End of the Decade” lists that are showing up lately. The link is here, and unfortunately, the video’s not embeddable. It’s a great discussion about a LOT of things, most of which isn’t related at all to hip hop specifically, so you should definitely check it out.

Herbert said one thing about hip hop in particular that got me thinking. He was describing last year’s Pitchfork End-of-the-Year list, and mentioned that he saw a Ghostface Killah album in the top ten, so he decided to give it a listen thinking it might be something new and exciting, having been ranked so high. When he heard it, he remarked:

“[T}o me it sounded like Wu-Tang Clan ten years ago. [The selection] showed no spark or desire to challenge. As I get older, I wonder if those lists are there to reinforce a slightly sort of conservative mainstream consensus about what music’s function is in society.”

An interesting comment, which led me to do some research (i.e. googling) about the concept of conservatism in hip hop, most notably whether the genre as a whole is at all a progressive form of music. And after finding nothing, I began wondering to myself: “Is hip hop a conservative art form?”

Of course, the discussion here about conservatism vs. progressivism in hip hop has nothing to do with political ideology. Rather, whether the genre strives to evolve and produce something NEW in music, or whether it’s anchored down by a self-cycling urge or need to return to its roots of yesteryear. There’s something to be said about “good” hip hop, these days, in that most often, the collective community of hip hop fans seem to equate good hip hop with hip hop that noticeably sounds like the post-golden age of the 90s (strangely, hip hop seems to be the only definitively “classic” pop cultural achievement of that otherwise barren decade). And beyond most other genres, hip hop seems to have the most nostalgia of its own retro culture. I don’t see a lot of electro-dance DJs wearing disco outfits, arena rock people dressing in spandex or R&B singers dressing like doo-wop artists from the first half of the 20th century. Yet, you could walk into any number of clubs in NY or LA, and still see shell-toed adidases and tracksuits, dookie gold rope chains, and Kangol hats (eta: punk still exhibits this nostalgia as well).

The affinity for retro elements within a culture obviously comes from a place of prioritizing purity. And in hip hop, “purity” means honoring the late 80s, early 90s style of rap in its heyday; which, ironically, was already using EARLIER elements in the form of vinyl samples and the piggybacking of old school lyrics and callbacks to earlier hip hop classics (See Snoop’s “Lodi Dodi”). And since the mid 00s, a revolution in production technology has been focused mainly on the capability to transform older forms of media to newer ones, and easing the transition from traditional standards of performance and production, over to laptop DJing or computer-powered producing/sampling without making it sound like there is, in fact, any difference from what was used before.

All of this wouldn’t be as big a harbinger of hip hop’s conservatism if not for the most obvious obstacle to its attempts at progressivism. That any artists who DO strive to do something outside of the centralized perception of what is “true school” in hip hop are ostracized, or relegated to “alternative rap” status in the eyes of the community.

The above video is a good example of the odd line a lot of would-be progressive artists walk. Themselves, made up of emcee Dose One and producer Jel, give an incredible (completely live!) performance to a song that sounds decidedly UNtraditional. And yet, if you showed this to many people, their first thoughts would be: a) they’re white; b) he sounds weird; c) this doesn’t SOUND like hip hop; and as a result, would probably be dismissed, or at the very least demoted into some weird, abstract area of hip hop that doesn’t get to see the light of day too often. And as a corollary to even political ideology, that is a definitively conservative mindset. Which is a shame, b/c it’s pretty fantastic (along with everything that Dose One is involved with).

Which brings us back to Herbert’s original comment: is hip hop inherently conservative, or is it a result of a community’s reinforcement of the idea that things were better in the olden days? I’m not entirely sure. I’ve talked to a few people about the academic studies of hip hop, and most of them seem to be agreed on the sense that a lot of the field is still completely emergent. And the idea that an artform that has lasted probably less than thirty years (and much, much less than that in its current iteration) brings with it the idea that maybe it’s too early to be wondering if hip hop NEEDS to evolve past the point of when it was at its best.

But for a musical genre that most people view as modernist and progressive, at least in the ideas it presses and its impact on race and the sociopolitical climate of our society, hip hop is decidedly conservative about its own identity. And as a fan, an artist, and someone who aspires to write and study it, I can only say that I hope it progresses beyond this cyclical need to return to homebase. Either that, or I gotta go get my dookie gold rope out of storage.

This is the time of year where traditions abound! Just like certain staples we have to have at our holiday dinners, the same goes with the television. I LIVE  for holiday specials, and look forward to ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas, mainly because I love those Rankin/Bass specials.

Just last week marked a milestone. AMC aired National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation every night and back to back to commemorate its 20 year anniversary. Twenty years, wow. I’ve been watching this movie since I was little, and I still can’t get tired of it.

We settled down one night as a family and watched it. It’s partly sad and hilarious that we can quote the movie as it rolls along.

What I also love is that this movie is referenced a few times in the Huntingtons’ “It’s Always Christmas At My House.”

Anyway, I can’t say our family has ever had any Griswold-like holidays, although there was that one year, I was scared out of my wits and screamed hysterically when I saw Santa Claus peering in through our window. I think it was my uncle.

In terms of my book–because I try to relate everything to my book–the LaSalle family is kinda Griswold-y, without the crazy mishaps and lack of a Christmas bonus. Christmas comes and goes in my book, and the extended families come to visit. Oh, and Josh’s dad decides to decorate their new home, not with 250 strands of lights, but with a Snoopy house, nativity scene and just enough lights to be shy of obnoxious.

So I thought I would post this, the great scene with Clark has invited the family out to see the house lights….and they don’t work.

So, what are your traditions?

“How Many Kings” by Downhere is my most favorite Christmas song of 2009….. please enjoy it, and reflect:

How Many Kings
by Martel/Germain

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother’s shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for His honor and frankincense for His pleasure
And myrrh for the cross He’ll suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we’ve waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

Oh…
All for me, all for you…
All for me, all for you…

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

I read an interesting article about the “success” DJ Hero on the great cultural tech site, Ars Technica. Riding on the coattails of the plastic instrument phenomenon, DJ Hero up to November 15, 2009, had only sold about 122,000 copies. That’s across four platforms, with the best moving on the Xbox 360, at 62,000 units sold. Speaking more directly on the problems of the game, Ars had this to say:

People intuitively know how to use a guitar. It’s a stringed instrument, it’s accessible, people know how to hold it. Drums are the same way. A turntable? Even fans of the music may not have a good idea of what’s being done to create those sounds.

When people watch others play Rock Band or Guitar Hero, they want to try. Even playing on easy mode with DJ Hero requires you to learn new skills; when people watch others play, they seem to get intimidated instead of drawn in.

Which is a completely valid point: most people simply don’t understand what a turntable is and how it factors into the creation of music. And while DJ Hero may mark an interesting historical footnote in the turntablist movement, its success should neither signify the importance, nor the acceptance of turntablism in the popular culture of today for people who aren’t immersed in the culture.

Most people would be quick to say that DJs are obvious mainstays in hip hop history; but few people probably understand that DJs actually invented the music genre itself. When Bronx DJ Kool Herc first noticed that people danced more during the instrumental breaks during funk and soul songs, he cued up two turntables and and extended the break for several turns. This came to be the breakbeat, which then spawned the “break dancers,” or b-boys/b-girls. And as most breaks were drum solo riffs, lacking any vocals or instrumentation, the lack of business allowed the literal masters of ceremony at the party to speak longer, syncopating simple nursery rhyme rhythms and sing-song lyrics, which later gave birth to emceeing and rapping. The DJ literally controlled the show, and was the gateway to getting a fast enough beat to break to, or a dope enough drum loop to spit to. They were the end-all, be-all of the culture, and recognized as such by the sub-culture that formed in the Bronx during the late 70s.

When “Rapper’s Delight” became the first “commercial hip hop record,” it was the birth of the rapper as the mainstay of hip hop. And while you can’t deny the importance of the record for the course of hip hop history, not a lot of people consider the negative aspect of the song: that it killed the DJ, and in a lot of ways, changed every single rapper’s outlook on their own artform. With no reputation, no experience, and notably, no DJ, the Sugarhill Gang basically had nothing to lose due to the fact that they really had nothing to prove; and in the end, were the very representation of what the culture’s success was not about: a profit (and really, The Sugarhill Gang and “Rapper’s Delight” true place in the history of hip hop is for another entry altogether).

It’s not hard to understand why emcees were more sellable: they had faces, a personality, their voices were what everyone locked on to when the singles were played on the radio. And so, from the early 80’s to the mid 90’s, the emcee reigned as groups slowly began to do away with having the DJ as a co-artist on the level of an Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, or Gangstarr.

In the mid 90’s, an interesting sub-culture within the genre was upcoming. As the commercial success of flossy rappers continued to rise, the underground circuit continued to flourish, now transplanted from the Bronx to a growing culture of White, Latino and Asian artists in the west coast, as well as a contingent of forward-thinking traditionalists in the boroughs of NY. The second generation of hip hop was coming of age, and as expected, seeing the spotlight shined on the bigger-than-life personalities and a move towards sample-heavy or keyboard-infused sounds, it seemed like a sense of nostalgia had formed in a number of younger artists who eschewed the gangsta/thug urban culture of current hip hop, and focused more on the culture’s purported Four Elements: MCs, DJs, B-Boys, and graffiti artists.

These four elements were first mentioned in the seminal hip hop film, Wild Style. And it’s interesting that as new millenium approached, a sense of nostalgia began to form for a genre that was barely 20 years old itself. Consider the changing landscape at the time: the growing urbanization of inner city sectors in the 1980s resulted in new generations of younger, urban youth to develop concurrently with the radio; in other words, the old generation was still next door, and could recount to younger fans what hip hop was truly like back when Kool Herc rocked the party. At the same time, the Internet and growing DIY technological style of music production around the late 90s, early 00s placed the previously inaccessible history as well as the independent hip hop scene at the fingertips of any local scene across the nation.

For a period of the mid 90s to the early 2000s, the new-wave DJs stormed the scene. The Invisibl Skratch Piklz and X-Ecutioners changed both coasts’ perceptions of turntablism, the Beat Junkies seamlessly became the saviors of true-school party hip hop, and DJ Shadow’s 1996 Endtroducing forever changed the way we saw sampling for music production. Every DJ, from Z-Trip to A-Trak (yeah I know, bad pun) received subsidiary major label record deals and released compilations full of rappers saluting the DJ. DJ Revolution ruled the Wake Up Show in CA, and Funkmaster Flex ruled Hot 97 in NY, in a time when radio was the most important way to have access to new music.

The result was an infusion of not only new styles and influences, but also a strong respect for a culture that up to that point, had only had enough public footing to maintain forward progress. This came at a time when production in hip hop, and by proxy the DJ’s presence, was arguably the bigger star than the rappers themselves (Premier, Timbaland, Swizz Beats, early Kanye, as well as guys like Scott Storch, Alchemist, all had unique and very identifiable styles). Meanwhile, events like the DMC World Supremacy Championships, Skribble Jam, and other national or wordlwide battle/exhibitions for turntablists made DJ battles and exhibitions far more fascinating than anything that emcees were up to in that era, still finding a collective identity after the Coastal wars and pre-Southern Bounce Bass movement uprising.

And while the public fawning over at least skills-based turntablism was replaced in the mid 2000s by an appreciation for the more subdued and ambient electronica phase that now rules the alt-pop music industry, DJs today are seemingly more omnipresent in culture than ever before (See RJD2’s theme to Mad Men and every commercial on TV), it’s worth noting that with the current state of hip hop culture: the infusion of the non-black culture, the mash-up heavy genre borrowing, the sped-up sample era of production that still hasn’t ended, DJs went through this phase a decade ago, and are arguably responsible for the rise of everything we now hold as commonplace in the evolution of the modern era of both hip hop, and indie-alt electronica.

And yet, it seems that people don’t want to BE DJs as much as the corporate projections may indicate, based on DJ Hero’s sales. Which shouldn’t be an indication of the success or failure of DJs and turntablism regarding their place in culture. The dedication it takes to not only learning the skills, but also owning the equipment and enough vinyl to make it worth your while is one of the best and worst parts about DJing and its culture; without insane, borderline obsessive love for the artform, you won’t get any value out of it; and by proxy, most who do commit to the artform create incredibly valuable music in some or another. It’s not like picking up a mic and writing a couple of rhymes down and playing karaoke (like what I do); it requires genuine thought and understanding for music, rhythm, technology, as well as an insane memory and streak of creativity outside of an box or genre. It’s not easy, and as a result, a video game that stays true to the bare bones skeleton of being a DJ is similarly difficult, complex, and damn near unapproachable (seriously, have you tried playing the Z-Trip set on Expert?).

But it’s nice to see DJ Hero give us an excuse to hail the technically proficient DJs as king, being that that sub-genre/culture is largely fallow in the current culture. Because more than 25 years later, fewer and fewer people have seen Wild Style, or remember the parties thrown by Kool Herc or Grandmaster Flash. And without the reminders, not as many will bother to ask, or look it up. Someone has to pass on the tradition, and at $120 a box for 122,000 copies (over $14M profit), corporations and traditionalists can be happy; and we can all rest easy that the next generation of DJs will add a few more to their ranks, or at the very least a few (thousand) more believers that it’s the DJ who first rocked the party, and rocked it right.

A few weeks ago, Preebs shared a blog post from Invisible Oranges about a new book out about AC/DC – Why AC/DC Matters, by Anthony Bozza.  It was a contest to win one of 5 free copies.  And as far as getting a book for free from blogs, well, I’m always a winner!

Okay, the cover’s really not that red (I had fun taking pictures!)

So the book chronicles the history of the band and its fans.  It’s amazingly short (131 pages) but packed with info!  There’s a chapter on the Youngs, a chapter on the lead singers, a chapter on the drummers and bassists.  Then the fun starts.

If you’re not a fan, then the book won’t be much to read.  If you’re a fan, it’s a fast read.  And it reads like the longest, best review of an album (or in this case, the band) ever.  The book goes into the details and science of sound without being so technical to leave behind the most musically disinclined.

The only thing I wish the book had were pictures, photos, promotional posters.  But no matter, it’s a great book for any fan!

Here is an opinion piece I am planning on submitting to my campus’s newspaper about an autism fundraiser we had this weekend:

Last week (my school) College’s service fraternity (name) raised over $7,000 for the Autism Outreach Center of (region). This was quite a feat, and I applaud them for it. However, I take issue with the banner displayed at the Dance-a-Thon which could be classified as misleading.

Before I address the poster specifically, here is a bit of background on autism. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that is typically diagnosed before a child’s third birthday. Autistic individuals have difficulties with communication and socialization and often have sensory processing and attention problems as well. Many use repetitive movements to calm themselves and require a precise routine to complete life tasks like bathing, eating, and going to sleep. Roughly one percent of the population exhibits an autistic spectrum disorder which includes Asperger’s and PDD-NOS.

The largest sign at the fundraiser had the Dance-a-thon’s Slogan which went something like: We have to SHAKE it up because a cure may be just around the corner. This reflects the title of the cause, “Students Helping Autistic Kids Excel.” The issue is not with the clever title, but with the use of the word “cure”. Autism is incurable, not because a cure hasn’t been found, but because there is no possibility of a cure. Autism is not a disease like cancer or pneumonia, but a distinct neural anatomy. The brains of autistic individuals have structural and functional differences from those of non-autistic peers, and no amount of vitams, chelation, or hyper-baric oxygen treatments will change that. Moreover, when surveyed, most parents of older autistic children say that would not want to “cure” their child of autism, and the majority of autistic adults would also declare that they were not interested in a “cure.”

The fact that a “cure” is impossible and unwanted is not a reason to stop fund-raising for SHAKE however. It is merely a reason to shift the focus away from the scientists researching an impossible cure and onto autistic individuals and their families that do need assistance. Instead of donating in the name of autism so that a cure may one day be found, choose one of the following reasons to donate:

-so an autistic child who cannot speak can be supplied and taught a different way to communicate

-so an autistic adult who has difficulties with blocking out loud sounds can be purchased

noise-canceling headphones

-so that videos designed to teach autistic adolescents social skills can be offered as a resource

-so that workplaces can be developed that can minimize the challenges to tap an autistic employee’s full potential

-or any other methods which will improve the lives of autistic individuals.

The Autism Outreach Center of (region) fulfills (club)’s mission of helping autistic children excel. But this goal of finding ways to help children with autism to reach their full potential should not be confused with developing a “cure.” Autistic children will become autistic adults, and by donating to SHAKE you helped ensure they have the supports they need to succeed.

Think back for a moment and consider if you’ve heard either of these phrases for a moment:

“When the Blind lead the Blind, both fall into a ditch.”

“In the land of the Blind, the one-eyed man is king”.

Likely that exercise wasn’t too difficult, if you’re anything like me, you’ve heard these phrases an innumerbale number of times in your life. And because you’ve heard them so many times, you’ve come to accept them as fact, likely without ever really considering the situations they describe.

Think for a moment about “the blind leading the blind.” The chance of two blind people actually falling into a ditch while walking together is very slim. The sight of the ditch is not the only cue of its location, and if these individuals have grown up blind, they likely have a variety of other compensatory mechanisms which would allow them to locate the ditch and not fall into it.

Now imagine a sighted person leading a blind indivdual around a ditch. Now the chance of the blind person falling in is actually significantly raised. While the two blind individuals were able to offer meaningful cues to each other to avoid the ditch, the sighted person is less aware of the exact needs of the blind individual, and would not be as effectively capable at guiding them away from the ditch.

Think now about “The Land of the Blind”. Would a one-eyed man really be king there? Almost definitely not, and for several reasons. For one, the “Land of the Blind” is likely suited to be used by blind individuals. It is not as if there are signs that only the one-eyed man will be able to read, because if everyone in this land was always blind, no one would have created the sign. Additionally, if this was the first sighted person born in a land of blind people, the sight would likely offer no assistance, because he would not be taught to make use of the skill. If no one else could ever see before, how could he naturally be able to use his sight to his advantage? He’ll also be far easier to distract; while his classmates can focus on their lessons, his eyes will be darting around watching birds fly by the window and the sun play tricks on the ground, all distractions his classmates are not privy to. He’ll likely be an underperformer, rather than a powerful king.

The explanation is that both are metaphors, and can’t be examined literally. But what is the metaphor suggesting? It is putting forth the notion that in all situations, it is better to have someone who is non-disabled or less-disabled in charge, as they will naturally be more capable of handling the situation than those with the disability. It refutes the notion that there are times when a disability could ever be an advantage, and teaches us, from a young age, to reject the disabled and find attempts to make them more like the non-disabled, which will in-turn empower and strengthen them. And that is a dangerous road to travel down, particularly when the evidence points away from it.

So I just submitted my words over at NaNo and clocked in…I made the 50k mark! Go me!

*stops to do a little happy dance*

Anyway, enough about that! Let’s get back to Media Monday!

Now in celebration of finishing, I am *ahem-trying to break out my best Casey Kasem impression* dedicating this Media Monday to the book. Before I submitted my words, I was working on a scene where Josh is experiencing this cliched “infinite” moment. He finally has everything he could possibly want and understand in the world. And there is a very sweet girl that enters his life that makes every day easier to get up and out the door. So today, I’m posting the Huntingtons’ “She’s Coming to the Show.” Now just remember to keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.