From Chapter 4: 'Animals and Humans, Cats and Dogs... What are you trying to meow?'
A typical stereotype (and a very fashionable one at present) is to compare autistic humans with cats and non-autistics with dogs. Some stretch the analogy even further and say that having autism is like being a cat in a world of dogs. It's a joke, really. (Sometimes I wonder whether HSs are able to use their brains at all. Why can't they see the obvious and manage to see something that doesn't exist?) And to be fair, why it is considered to be wrong to anthropomorphise animals, but it seems OK to animalise humans; in this case, to felinise autistics and caninise non-autistics? Can you leave us alone, please?
Anthropomorphism: the attribution of human behaviour or personality to non-human animals.
'Felinism': the attribution of cat behaviour or personality to non-feline (usually human) animals. You wish!
'Caninism': the attribution of dog behaviour or personality to non-canine (usually human) animals.
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If certain HSs want a better emphasis on 'unsociability', why do they want to use 'cat metaphors'?.. Why don't they compare autistics with seemingly more unsocial animals than cats, for example, giraffes? At least, it would be more logical. Giraffes do appear uninterested in the company os others. But, no. Everybody wants to be a cat. Of course, I don't blame them - cats are beautiful and intelligent creatures. However, for the sake of precision, giraffes are a much better comparison. Even the fact that HSs used to think that giraffes do not form relationships and friendships, because their attachments are expressed differently from the way humans expect them, is similar to the misinterpretation of 'autistic social impairments'. Just because giraffes do not run around each other and do not wave their tails when humans are approaching them does not mean they are 'socially impaired'. Wrong assumptions again.
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From Chapter 8: Language and Communication: Let's Talk about Talking.
...Take us cat, for example. We do communicate, but our communication methods are very different from humans. This doesn't give HSs the right to deny our ability to receive and transmit information. Felinologically speaking, using our methods we get more information from our communicative partner in seconds, while it may take humans months to know the person they have befriended. For example, when I encounter a cat whom I've never met before, I sniff to receive chemical information about his status, age, family background, where he comes from, the meal he has had recently, and many other things I'm interested in. How long would it take a human female to learn all this information about her date? And if he is not quite honest with her, how long will it take her to check all the facts he has provided? Sometimes years! In my case, the information I get is accurate and 'delivered' in seconds. Are you interested? Do you want to learn feline communication - 'sniff-code'? Well... I'm not sure if you really want to know which part of the body you have to sniff in order to get the most complete information about the identity of your partner. So let's leave it at that.
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From chapter 7: What is so Special about Special Abilities?
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And here we have another problem. Human 'environment is built to the specifications and limitations of a normal human perceptual system' (Grandin & Johnson) that may be not very suitable for autistic HSs. What's to be done? Some very one-sided humans would say, 'They [autistics] are in a minority. Let them adjust to our world.' Some 'other-sided' humans would cry out, 'Society must accommodate and adjust the environment to the needs of autistic humans! They have the right to be who they are!' Who is right? Both and neither. The fact of the matter is, different autistic humans have different needs, sometimes contradictory to each other. For example, one person may love the sound of running water and another would find it nearly impossible to tolerate. How can you accommodate these two in one and the same environment? Or take another case. Our Alex hates the sound of babies crying - it hurts his ears. Does it mean that humans have to ban babies from all public places in case Alex wants to go there? (OK, personally, I have succeeded in making my demands matter. But my case is an exception. My mates have adjusted both the physical and emotional environment to my very special needs. I meow once, and they jump; I meow twice, and they jump two times; I meow three times, and... I fly out of the premises. The speed they send me out of the house is a bit fast for my liking, but otherwise it's good for my health - fresh air, you know.)
Anyway, isn't it more fair and beneficial for everybody to approach the problem from two different directions? One side would try to take into account different ways of functioning and adjust the environment to make it easier for autistic HSs to access. For example, fluorescent lights are not a necessity, or non-autistic humans could teach their non-autistic offspring good manners and supervise them in public places. The other side could seek and get help to overcome treatable difficulties (for example, hypersensitivities can be addressed via tinted glasses, earplugs and so on). Besides, both sides have to educate themselves about differences and learn to respect each other.
We all have different abilities. This is true for both human and non-human animals. Some can do certain things much better than others, but be useless in other areas. Why can't all appreciate each other for what they can do well, and help with areas they struggle with?
