Be Careful with the Blue Filter on FB
I usually don’t use social networks to write comments and/or ideas of my own. Instead, I merely use it to share things that I agree with and that I feel will encourage others, or in any case, things that I consider healthy entertainment. However, given the ease with which certain things—and “trends”—move in social networks, today I’ll break with that habit, because I think it’s important for all of us to be properly informed.
It's 99.99% sure that, throughout April you will see that at least one of your FB contacts is using a blue filter on their profile picture. I’m almost certain as well that you already know it’s related to “supporting autism” if you live in the USA or some other English-speaking country. Then, you may think, “Oh, that seems like a noble cause,” and you’ll use the same filter a few days to support that same cause… until you get bored and revert to your original profile pic or add a new one. But before you decide to use that filter, I want you to know exactly what’s behind it.
Two days ago, on April 2nd, several landmarks all around the globe were lit up blue in “celebration” of the World Autism Awareness Day, whose apparent goal is to “raise public awareness of autism”. But one day just doesn’t seem enough to support this cause, which is why we have an “Autism Awareness Month”.
Hey, that’s just cool, isn’t it? After all, in a world where there is more and more talk about overcoming discrimination and promoting acceptance of all individuals, isn’t it a great thing to seek ways to better understand and support people on the autistic spectrum? Except that this isn’t what actually happens.
The blue color, usually accompanied by the image of a puzzle piece, is characteristic of the “Light It Up Blue” campaign, spearheaded by a non-governmental organization called AUTISM SPEAKS. This organization claims to support people with autism—which, by the way, is the wrong term; I’ll tell you why in a moment—and their families, as well as promote scientific research in that field.
However, if you pay attention to the “fine print” of their manifesto, so to speak, what these people really seek is to eradicate autism, as if it were an epidemic. Their scientific research doesn’t focus on how to improve the lives of autistics but how to ensure that, in the future, they cease to exist altogether. Their advertising campaigns, rather than promote understanding towards autistic people, present them as a burden and an evil that shouldn’t exist. Scared yet? You should be.
As a friend to autistics—and a potential candidate to be on the spectrum, according to them—I can assure you that they are all wonderful people, and even though they’re hard to understand sometimes, they have so much to contribute to this world.
I’ve learned from them that autism is not a disease—although it is medically classified as a disorder, and yes, there is a difference; you can investigate if you like—but a condition that makes them perceive the world surrounding them in a unique way. That is why talking about “people with autism” instead of “autistic people” is offensive, both for them and for those who really love them and seek to support them.
But you know? Because of this way in which they perceive the world, they also suffer. And it’s not their fault or even the fault of autism itself, but the fault of the people around them who don’t know how to take care of them; who don’t have the patience to attend to their particular needs or aren’t interested in knowing more about them; and who prefer to play the role of victims rather than having the courage to defend them. (By the way, this doesn’t apply exclusively to autistic children, since the vast majority of the autistic population is actually comprised of young people and adults!)
Now, it is not my intention to start a debate against AUTISM SPEAKS, nor to judge or criticize people who don’t know/don’t want to deal with people on the autistic spectrum. If it were, I could simply share other people’s posts that provide fairly solid arguments in that regard. What I really want is to give you my point of view as a Christian; that is, as someone who has learned how to treat others from the best possible example: JESUS.
You see, Jesus was a friend to those rejected by most of the people of His time. He sought to spend time with them and listen to them, showing them a love they did not receive from anyone else. Was it tough? Surely. Did it cost him some of His other friends? Definitely. Time and effort? A lot, maybe. But He didn’t care about it. He knew to put the needs of others above His own. He would be the last to reject someone just because that person’s mind works differently from that of others. That is love in action.
What Jesus wanted to accomplish by doing this was for others to learn to do the same, to live a practical love. He expects you and me to know how to love in that same way. 1 Corinthians 13 says clearly true love “is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable… Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
You may think that it’s hard to be kind to someone who doesn’t stand the human touch or who cannot socialize with others. You may think that it’s not possible to be patient with someone who often has a sensory overload and needs certain stimuli to relax. You may say that it’s just natural to get irritated or to be rude to people who understand things differently than you. You may boast saying that you’re better than someone who has difficulty speaking or expressing him/herself; or, on the other hand, you may be jealous because that person actually proves to be smarter than you. But true love overcomes all that, and that kind of love is precisely what the autistic person needs more than anything in this world.
Dear friend, if you are a Christian, or if you at least believe in God, show the same love that He showed! If you know someone on the autistic spectrum, don’t just use a filter on FB to support him/her. Don’t try to be good to them because you pity them either. Show them a true love! Be the friend or family that they’ve never had! And beyond that, motivate and teach others to love them in the same way. Only you can help put an end to the rejection they feel and give them the acceptance they deserve.
Finally, I would like you to understand something vital. Autistics are not a mistake of God. Autistics are not a problem that needs to be solved or eradicated. Autistics are not sick people who have to be cured. On the contrary, as is true with every precious human being who comes to this world, autistic people have a very special purpose! If you don’t believe me, take a look at the following list of scientists, artists and influential people who made history and who are believed to have been in the autistic spectrum: Albert Einstein, Amadeus Mozart, Lewis Carroll, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Nikola Tesla—whose work Edison stole, by the way, but that’s a topic for another occasion—Thomas Jefferson, Hans Christian Andersen, to name a few.
If you’ve reached the end of this text, I thank you immensely for taking the time to read all of it. If you still want to show your support to autistic people through social networks, I recommend that, instead of using the blue filter, you use a golden filter to support the "Light It Up Gold" campaign, created specifically by the autistic community and for the autistic community. But remember that the most important thing is not what you live on Facebook, but what you live out in your daily life. If you really want to support an autistic friend/family member, remember that your practical love towards them is the best way to do it.
Fae, Max, this is for you. You have no idea of just how much I love you guys, and God loves you too. I will never cease to be grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to know you. I hope that I’ve been a good friend to you so far, and I long to be friends with you always. You guys rock!
