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[RedKing]

Gah. Internet stupidity is pissing me off. No, spllng lk ths will not get your point across. Nor will writing in all caps or adding 15 exclaimation marks at the end of your post.

WHT U MEAN???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Angel Of Death]

Gah. Internet stupidity is pissing me off. No, spllng lk ths will not get your point across. Nor will writing in all caps or adding 15 exclaimation marks at the end of your post.

WHT U MEAN???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

U BSTRD! I WLL KLL U!

Also, people who threaten other people on the internet are making me pissed off

[Vector]

Am I the only one thinking of a eugenics program?

Of course not.  That's because it IS a eugenics program.  They're all about pushing funding for a cure, whether or not the people in question want to be cured (some do, some don't, but I don't think one should have that sort of thing foisted on them by others).  I wouldn't call it eugenics if it weren't so strongly pushed from outside the community, rather than inside it.  Cancer?  Yeah, it's the inside that got the ball rolling.  Autism?  Definitely external pressure, and that's not just because not everyone in the community can talk.

At the "autism day" events, people related to autistic people are invited to stand; those who have it are not.  There was a terrible video published a little while ago, something like "autism is coming for you, fight for the cure--this is what it looks like!  It's horrible!  Help us get rid of it!" (of course, pretty much all the clips in the video were of happy autistic kids, so it was a moot point).

And finally there's the usual thing where after their videos air, sometimes women watch them and smother their autistic children.

[RedKing]

DEBATE. Screw debate.

I wasted six hours of my life doing something I understand nothing about. Developing bonds with people I will never care for. Learning skills that will never help me.

Debate is just a simple game. That's all. It's an exercise in total futility. No matter how good you are, even if you can convince every judge that you're right, you're not fighting for something you care about. It doesn't matter what the topic is. It doesn't matter what is right, or what actually is good. All that matters is that you win. And nothing will ever change.

The schedule displacement from this will be an absolute horror as well. Evidenced by the fact that I'm typing now, more that two hours after I went to sleep last night. My body cannot handle these kinds of things. I don't know why it's like that, it just is. The rest of the week will be poor.

Oh, and I have a minimum of three more of these to attend. Only they'll be on the weekends, an average of fourteen hours total per, and more serious.


Note: My original draft of this post contained an increased level of cursing and other foul language usages. If this revision offends anyone, I can change it back.

It is a game. But here's the thing. Yes, you're going to have to argue about things you don't really care about, and occasionally even argue AGAINST things you do care about. Don't think of it as a waste, think of it as practice. Because when you get out into the real world, the ability to argue your point coherently and persuasively *and* be able to shred your opponent's argument into tiny, whimpering pieces is an awesome skill to have. Then you can use your carefully honed debate-fu to promote things you do care about, and annhilate the egos of people who would stand in your way.

Think of debate class as the "wax on, wax off" stage of your training, Grasshopper. 

[Akigagak]

Also, people who threaten other people on the internet are making me pissed off

Hypocrisy much?

[Angel Of Death]

Also, people who threaten other people on the internet are making me pissed off

Hypocrisy much?

The text above my post was a joke. Didn't you see the ?

[Akigagak]

Also, people who threaten other people on the internet are making me pissed off

Hypocrisy much?

The text above my post was a joke. Didn't you see the ?

Wasn't referring to that.

Most recently, you said that Trump should be beaten with a brick, and it's far from uncommon for you to suggest violence as the solution to some problem or another.

[Angel Of Death]

I wasn't threatening Trump, I was just saying that I'd like to see him beaten with a brick.

[ToonyMan]

I wasn't threatening Trump, I was just saying that I'd like to see him beaten with a brick.

hahahahaha

[Angel Of Death]

Gah. I just had the website freeze again. What's causing these freezes?

[Pnx]

That's... pretty disgusting, the situation yer being confronted with. I don't suppose you can attempt to talk this over with the other members of the committee? Terribly well aware it's probably completely useless, but it's the try that matters, neh? Or at least vote against it, I guess. Probably won't do anything, but hell. Yeh tried. Principles over prudence.

Going to echo Frumple there. Stepping down doesn't help the problem, but rather ignores it. Just stick to your principals and vote as your head and heart dictate.

O, I've brought it up with these wolves. My what deaf ears they have. B.S. explanations including "holistic approach," "well rounded person," and other such undefinable terms in the face of the scholarship trust's clearly defined criteria. She doesn't have the grades, extra circulars or pretty much any of the requirements, and especially so compared to the other kids. It isn't addressed; it's redirected, avoided and the kind of thing I'd hone in on in cross examination.

As for pragmatism, that depends entirely upon what one wishes to practice or accomplish. Here voting 1 against doesn't stack up to 4 votes for. It would be quickly forgotten and lost. If I actually wanted to really have effect, I'd have to blow the lid off this thing a la my usual digging skills, but  a.) I don't have time for that, b.) pain... in... the ... ass, c.) I don't know the "proper" procedure for that and I'm sure there is one, (and if it's suing the trustees then auggh) d.) even if I went out with the news and proof, the other, legit recipients could be collateral damage....

I'm especially concerned about "d." I dunno if I should just cast the worthless vote against, or step down to avoid giving it the appearance of legitimacy, which it does not deserve.

The whole thing is pretty vomit worthy. It deeply sickens me.

I know this was 12 hours ago but I thought it worth mentioning, that even if you can't necessarily stop this happening, there are ways to "get your own back." And hopefully discourage it from happening again.

First up, try not to make too much noise. If experience is anything to go by they will try to kick you out and make your life miserable any way they can if they think you're going to cause trouble/are causing trouble.
Second of all, before you can do anything else, you need to squirrel away whatever evidence you can easily get. Essays and submissions, who voted for what. If you have transcripts of meetings or such those would be brilliant. I can't guarantee it will be of any real use but you might not be able to get it later on. Sometimes these things go missing. Again, I would be careful about this, and try to be subtle.

First up there's journalism. It's probably the easiest way to make an impact, although probably with the least effect. Send off the evidence to a bunch of media outlets with a note attached saying, "Hey, corruption over here!" They might not pick it up if there's more interesting things going on, or because it just doesn't seem trustworthy enough, but you might find they get flooded with bad press and lots of reporters asking irritating questions. I'd wait a while before doing this, maybe a couple of months so they have some time to forget about you, and all eyes won't immediately be drawn towards you.

But before you do that. I'd talk to the police. I'd be willing to bet their hands are tied and there's really not much that can be done. But talk to some people at a police station and try to get in touch with a detective. He or she can probably give you legal advice more solid than I can*. Even if there's nothing they themselves can do (because this is the whitest of white collar crime), they could probably put you in touch with one or two lawyers, and even if they can't I doubt it's that hard to track down a lawyer that can deal with corruption.
You might even try getting in contact with the people and families that are losing out here. Although a good lawyer will try to talk to these people themselves, getting a head start might not hurt. Although I worry they might make a load of noise and get you into trouble.
The way I figure it*, the people who didn't get the scholarship are in a position to sue. I don't know if you'd be able to use whatever you've got as evidence, but at least these people will know for certain the problem is there.
_{*Note: Strange people on the internet are not good sources of legal advice.}[/

One last word of advice.
When a good man goes to hurt someone, he says hardly a word. When a bad man hurts someone, he gloats, brags, threatens, and taunts. Don't do any of those things,

[Bohandas]

I feel obligated to talk to them because that group (Autism Speaks) considers the autistic community to not actually include the autistic people themselves.

I dunno.  I'm wondering if I'm not too upset to do anything.  I'm so tired of this.  I'm tired of the awareness that amplifies the disorder and erases the presence of the human beings involved.  Why don't people know any autistic people if it's so widespread?  I know loads!  More than I need!  And it seems that other people don't notice them existing thanks to society's erasure and shaming.

I don't know.

This is stupid.

Having looked at what I'm guessing is their official site, they mention that apparently an ASD is more common in males than females. If I'm remembering correctly, isn't it more correct that it is harder to diagnose it in females? I doubt the numbers they're citing and especially the idea that the prevalence increasing ten percent each year. 1 in 110? Ten years, 1 in 55, twenty years 1 in 27.5. Combine that 'fear mongering', including what you say about their discounting of autistic people from the 'autism community'...


Am I the only one thinking of a eugenics program?

No, that's the vibe I got too. They also seem to be superficial and douchebags.

[ChairmanPoo]

Ugh. Training tests are going badly. WTF is going on? Three weeks ago I was in the top of the class.

[Heliman]

My chemistry professor is teaching me about moles again. I learned this in middle school man! Come on!

My professor also sounds even more like a square than I do when I'm talking about search engine optimization. I always thought that nasally, pointdexter voices like this were just something crocked up in Hollywood. This shit is the real deal.

[Lectorog]

-large post-

It is a game. But here's the thing. Yes, you're going to have to argue about things you don't really care about, and occasionally even argue AGAINST things you do care about. Don't think of it as a waste, think of it as practice. Because when you get out into the real world, the ability to argue your point coherently and persuasively *and* be able to shred your opponent's argument into tiny, whimpering pieces is an awesome skill to have. Then you can use your carefully honed debate-fu to promote things you do care about, and annhilate the egos of people who would stand in your way.

Think of debate class as the "wax on, wax off" stage of your training, Grasshopper. 

Yes, that's all true, and those are very valid reasons to take debate. But I'm already a competent arguer, to the point that my first semester in debate won't help me there. I've spent years having to present points to people in simple, understandable, and logical/agreeable ways. I know how to prove a point, and do it effectively. I win just about every argument I make. As I'm not pursuing debate any further than my first semester, it's just an unpleasant game that I'll have to force myself through. Thanks for the reply, nonetheless.

Here's the really stressful part: Take the learning curve analogy. Our teacher throws us into a pit, has us fight it out, and then starts tossing down pieces of the ladder we can assemble to get out. On the positive side, this means that we are the best novices in the area. I'm not bragging or anything; our school wins nearly all of its initial novice debates. I just can't stand that particular type of stress.

While I'm making this post, I may as well say that I'm a little sad that I can't nap. I'm tired today, and that would be nice. I have plenty of free time and all that.