Autism and Violence

[PeteyCoffee]

I say autists who commit assault or destroy property are absolutely responsible. All people who make choices have moral agency. Many say, "You, sir, lack sympathy. Autists don't have a choice." I say, if this is true, it makes such autists instinctive predators. I don't care about sensory overload; I don't care about triggers. One who commits assault is an assailant. One who destroys property is a vandal. One who murders is a murderer.

Example autist I don't sympathize with:

Here's a great article, written by a mother who was in fear of her life because of her hulking, autistic son who would frequently attack people and attempt rape.
http://www.salon.com/2009/03/26/bauer_autism/

 

[Segue]

But that autistic in the video actually does not have control over his behavior. It all depends on how severe their autism is.

 

[KingofManga420]

Yeah that's not remotely how autism works. Try again after you know even the most basic things about the condition and mental health.

 

[DuskEngine]

it makes such autists instinctive predators.

Do you lock your windows at night because you're afraid of the Autistic Menace?

 

[Silver]

people always say that the autists have no empathy but I am sensing that it is impossible for "regular" humans to understand sometimes.

OP, you are 100% wrong and need to go study some more before you bring this back.

 

[autisticdragonkin]

I don't care about sensory overload; I don't care about triggers. One who commits assault is an assailant. One who destroys property is a vandal. One who murders is a murderer.

Although some autists may be unable to in certain scenarios stop themselves from melting down they are still able to and often do go out of their way to avoid such scenarios. That is not criminality.

 

[AnOminous]

I say autists who commit assault or destroy property are absolutely responsible.

He's clearly so profoundingly fuckin retarded he doesn't know what day it is or what planet he's on. He's barely more responsible for his actions than a wild animal.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

He's clearly so profoundingly fuckin retarded he doesn't know what day it is or what planet he's on. He's barely more responsible for his actions than a wild animal.

I think what OP is getting at is that these people need to be treated differently. You can't treat someone who has no moral agency with the privileges of someone who does. I'm not saying people like this are criminals or need to be put down, but they do need special care.

 

[DuskEngine]

He's clearly so profoundingly fuckin retarded he doesn't know what day it is or what planet he's on. He's barely more responsible for his actions than a wild animal.

Yeah, I really don't know how someone could look at a kid chimping out and see some kind of predatory monster unless they already knew what they were looking for.

 

[autisticdragonkin]

Although I myself have asperger syndrome I have experience with severe autists and who have in some cases made me fear for my life. In none of those cases have I seen them as predatory monsters though. Rather I saw them with pity because they were not in control of their actions. You don't have to have sympathy for them but rather you simply must not attempt to blame them for their actions. It is a useless action and only hurts you

 

[PeteyCoffee]

Anyone who attacks others with zero self-control is a predatory beast. If this truly describes severe autists, and they're always going to have these "episodes", there's no hope for them. They are no better than rabid animals. (Frothing around, doing nothing, then suddenly spasming and attacking the nearest person.)

I still empathize with severe autists, likewise with all bad people. I pity their circumstances; those made them what they are today. With identical circumstances, I would have wound up just the same. Despite that, they are still awful, abusive individuals. No sympathy.

If severe autism truly takes away one's free will, that is absolutely horrifying. It is akin to Alzheimer's, maybe even worse. To be born deprived of the potential to be anything more than what you are. What a depressing sentiment.

 

[KingofManga420]

I don't see why you can't sympathize with them. That's just devaluing them as humans and likening them to animals which they aren't. They still learn to speak and have interests and are not devoid entirely of free will, you are making a gigantic leap from special needs to predatory monsters.

It's a sad condition but I completely disagree that a person who does bad things and has no choice over the matter is inherently a 'awful, abusive individual'. They're inherently fucked in the head and it's not their fault and we can only hope that one day the way to prevent it or 'cure' it is discovered.

 

[autism420]

Anyone who attacks others with zero self-control is a predatory beast. If this truly describes severe autists, and they're always going to have these "episodes", there's no hope for them. They are no better than rabid animals. (Frothing around, doing nothing, then suddenly spasming and attacking the nearest person.)

I still empathize with severe autists, likewise with all bad people. I pity their circumstances; those made them what they are today. With identical circumstances, I would have wound up just the same. Despite that, they are still awful, abusive individuals. No sympathy.

If severe autism truly takes away one's free will, that is absolutely horrifying. It is akin to Alzheimer's, maybe even worse. To be born deprived of the potential to be anything more than what you are. What a depressing sentiment.

You seem like you lack empathy. I recommend experiencing life a little more. You sound like a complete piece of shit.

 

[PeteyCoffee]

He's clearly so profoundingly fuckin retarded he doesn't know what day it is or what planet he's on. He's barely more responsible for his actions than a wild animal.

Wild animals who attack humans are usually held responsible. The animal is incapacitated so it cannot do any more harm. This is also what prisons are generally for - you protect the general population by sequestering dangerous individuals.

Shouldn't an autist who victimizes people be stopped, just as a non-autist who harms people in the same way? It's for the people being harmed.

You seem like you lack empathy. I recommend experiencing life a little more. You sound like a complete piece of shit.

I think to treat them with humanity is to treat them as individuals, using the same ethical/moral system you use to judge all other humans.

 

[autism420]

Shouldn't an autist who victimizes people be stopped

Uh yes, of course. No one is saying that people like this should be allowed to hurt others.

I think to treat them with humanity is to treat them as individuals, using the same ethical system you use to judge all other humans.

They are not normal humans - they are mentally disabled.

 

[AnOminous]

Wild animals who attack humans are usually held responsible.

No, they aren't. They're animals. They're not moral agents, so they are obviously not responsible for their actions.

The animal is incapacitated so it cannot do any more harm. This is also what prisons are generally for - you protect the general population by sequestering dangerous individuals.

And also to punish them. Punishment only makes moral sense when someone actually deserves to be punished because they have made a reprehensible moral choice.

 

[Conrix]

Nice bait thread, OP, if that's what you wanted to do.

Anyway there's no actual direct link between autism and violence, as that article says, or over half of us here would be new Hannibal Lecters and/or real life Sephiroths. A combination of factors, including autism that's severe enough, mental retardation, excessive testosterone to its brain, excessive stimuli for that autistic brain to process, or other chemical imbalances can lead to the uncontrolled rage that we hear about in articles and videos such as that which OP posted. With that said there's a huge difference between a HFA who might be socially impotent but still has enough control over his actions to be a moral agent, and someone who's so severely autistic that he can't control his actions and doesn't even know what day it is. And every case of autism is different, with some possible similarities, because it's literally a disorder caused by scrambled brainstuffs from birth.

Legend also says autism is caused by too much internet.

 

[CatParty]

I value animals lives over autists.

 

[OtterParty]

Spoiler: lots of greentext

In conclusion autists are unthinking emotionless murder machines but damn if they aren't fucking hilarious

 

[Alberto Balsalm]

It's actually possible for autists that have issues with violent outbursts to learn to function properly, depending on the severity of their condition. So I'd say it depends on the case.

If someone's so impaired that it is virtually impossible for them to control themselves, then it's their caretaker's responsibility to keep them from harming people. However, if someone is self-aware enough to survive on his or her own, it's on them to keep the 'tism rage in check.