The Gulf of Mexico story is more insidious than it may superficially seem. In the aftermath of the 9/11/01 attack, the US government got annoyed enough with the French that it changed the name of julienned deep-fried potato sticks to “Freedom Fries”. This name change primarily affected the cafeterias in the Federal buildings, and was…
Author: Clio
Common Sense: Religious Rights
This is Common Sense: Students should be allowed to practice their faith in school in a way that doesn’t disrupt others and isn’t belittled by the school. Which is the way things currently are. There is not a war on Christians or Christianity, and the only way that Christians are at all oppressed is if…
Dear Parents
Dear parents, I’m a high school teacher. I don’t really want to teach your children moral values. Even though school was originally set up to teach students how to be productive and patriotic members of society, I’d rather let your children figure out most of the details on their own. There’s one moral value that…
On conversations and compromise
A true conversation means that everyone involved is actually willing to change. “Our side” of the transgender debate has been willing to compromise and seek a middle ground for decades, but over that time, the other side has just dug in more with arrogant claims about mental illness and patently false claims about p3d0philia (the…
On respect for names and pronouns
I am an atheist. I do not believe in any gods. Nonetheless, when Bishop Budde was in the news recently, I used her correct title and spoke respectfully of her within her own belief system. This is how I treat all clergy. I don’t question it, I don’t tell them what I think of their…
On self-diagnosis of Autism
So, about Autistic Self-Diagnosis. I’ve seen people who question self-dx mention the people who giggle about their tidy desks with “I have a touch of the OCD.” This leads me to wonder, though: When someone says that, are they REALLY diagnosing themselves with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or are they making a casual, arguably callous and dismissive,…
the word
it starts with a wordwhispered into the darkness it starts with a sparkas stone strikes stone it starts with the strokeof an angel’s wing and from there it tricklesinto colorinto lifespreading outlike vines and tendrilsand harlequin wispsinto wavesinto gustsinto flamesthat burn throughthe shadowsand light the corners what had been quietbecomes an exultation what had been…
Untitled
I used to be so organizedAnd then I told me noAnd put me in a little boxAnd wouldn’t let me go 01.16.25
Autism and Sarcasm (Draft Take)
I was reminded today of the belief that Autistic people don’t do sarcasm. This is completely, utterly, and totally true. Yeah, right. While it’s true that many Autistic people do in fact enjoy being sarcastic, there are some reasons why someone, especially a Neurotypical person, might wish to be careful. One: It depends on the…
Autism: Social vs Medical Model
A part of the conversation on Autism is the distinction between the medical model and the social model of disability. Some Autistic people, particularly those who are “level 1” or “high functioning” (terms that are problematic in themselves), insist that Autism is not a medical disability at all. I personally disagree. Under the medical model,…