Ham and Heroin the Life and Times of Rachel Zoftig @rachelzoftig - Tumblr Blog

via weheartit

“If autism isn’t caused by environmental factors and is natural why didn’t we ever see it in the past?”

We did, except it wasn’t called autism it was called “Little Jonathan is a r*tarded halfwit who bangs his head on things and can’t speak so we’re taking him into the middle of the cold dark forest and leaving him there to die.”

iamthethunder

Or “little Jonathan doesn’t talk but does a good job herding the sheep, contributes to the community in his own way, and is, all around, a decent guy.” That happened a lot, too, especially before the 19th century.

rosslynpaladin

Or, backing up FURTHER

and lots of people think this very likely,

“Oh little Sionnat has obviously been taken by the fairies and they’ve left us a Changeling Child who knows too much, and asks strange questions, and uses words she shouldn’t know, and watches everything with her big dark eyes, clearly a Fairy Child and not a Human Like Us.”

The Myth of the Changeling child, a human baby apparently replaced at a young age by a toddler who “suddenly” acts “strange and fey” is an almost textbook depiction of autistic children.

To this day, “autism warrior mommies” talk about autism “stealing” their “sweet normal child” and have this idea of “getting their real baby back” which (in the face of modern science) indicates how the human psyche actually does deal with finding out their kid acts unlike what they expected.

Given this evidence, and how common we now know autism actually is, the Changeling myth is almost definitely the result of people’s confusion at the development of autistic children.

vicecommanderhijikata

Weirdly enough, that legend is now comforting to me.

neddythestylish

I think it’s worth noting that many like me, who are diagnosed with ASD now, would probably have been seen as just a bit odd in centuries past. I’m only a little bit autistic; I can pass for neurotypical for short periods if I work really hard at it. I have a lack of talent in social situations, and I’m prone to sensory overload or you might notice me stimming.

But here’s the thing: life is louder, brighter and more intense and confusing than it has ever been. I live on the edge of London and I rarely go into the centre of town because it’s too overwhelming. If I went back in time and lived on a farm somewhere, would anyone even notice there was anything odd about me? No police sirens, no crowded streets that go on for miles and miles, no flickery electric lights. Working on a farm has a clear routine. I’d be a badass at spinning cloth or churning butter because I find endless repetition soothing rather than boring.

I’m not trying to romanticise the past because I know it was hard, dirty work with a constant risk of premature death. I don’t actually want to be a 16th century farmer! What I’m saying is that disability exists in the context of the environment. Our environment isn’t making people autistic in the sense of some chemical causing brain damage. But we have created a modern environment which is hostile to autistic people in many ways, which effectively makes us more disabled. When you make people more disabled, you start to see more people struggling, failing at school because they’re overwhelmed, freaking out at the sound of electric hand dryers and so on. And suddenly it looks like there’s millions more autistic people than existed before.

grace-and-ace

“…disability exists in the context of the environment.”

coldalbion

Reblog for disability commentary.

oockitty

That last paragraph is absolutely important.

hazeldomain

“How come nobody ever heard of ‘dyslexia’ until widespread literacy became a thing?”

oraclesofnorway

Your body is an incredibly bizarre machine.

“What you see is a myosin protein dragging an endorphin along a filament to the inner part of the brain’s parietal cortex which creates happiness. Happiness. You’re looking at happiness.”

andrewbelami

Look at her STRUT!!! She is dragging that endorphin for filth and using that filament as her runway, bitch.

jehovahhthickness

fluffygif

Fluffy ♡

rachelzoftig

I thought they said porn wasn’t allowed on tumblr anymore?

guiltyfilthycasuals

I can solve this millennial or gen z confusion

If you had any of the following phones as a teenager you’re a millennial. If you started teenage years with an iPhone you’re gen z.

sabertoothwalrus

see also: did you need to carry around a separate device to listen to your music with which had no speakers so if you forgot headphones you were fucked

leszula

boys and men will try to convince you that humans are intrinsically selfish and egotistical because they can’t cope with the fact that women are actually taught from birth to put their community, their friends, their family, everyone on equal (sometimes even higher) footing.

male individualism is completely dependent on the emotional labour of women, and whenever you try to point this out they act like you’re denying basic human facts

bookbeani

becoming-persephone

Crystal Herbalism - Selenite Goddess Tower

Selenite is fossilized salt water, giving it the cyclical energy of lunar and water. This crystal teaches us to ebb and flow, that the light always illuminates the darkness, like a starlight sky. This self-clearing crystal is perfect for cleansing other spiritual tools. It also aligned and activates the chakras when moved along the body. Selenite is closely connected with Arianrhod, a welsh moon and star goddess. She shape-shifts into a white owl, she is able to see into the depth of the darkness and seek out the light. The silver wheel is her symbol, the weaving of the moon phases with the Corona Borealis. Arianrhod rules fate, magic, reincarnation, and manifestation. She reigns in her castle (Caer Sidi) among the northern stars. The best time to connect with her is during a full moon for manifesting goals and during the new moon in order to welcome change. Use the crystal on your alter for a center point of clarity and clairvoyance. Place near you bed to promote peaceful lucid dreams. Do no run under water, this crystal will dissolve because it’s formed from sacred salt.

BUY HERE

vladtheunfollower

Credit: Symbio Wildlife Park

bears-official

mlemmen MONCH l’grap!

pyrlspite

tumblr is like wading through everyone else’s garbage until you find something good and go “ah. this is good” and take it and display it in your own garbage pile