Liminalist # 29.5: The Scales of Justice (with Temple Grandin)

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Part two of conversation with Temple Grandin, on the overlap artist and autist, speech delay in autism, Jasun’s bohemian background, encouraging artistic ability in children, video game addiction, limiting exposure to technology, learning computer programming, Temple’s emotional life, a preference for intellectual complexity, human psychodramas and US politics, social media and emotional amplification, moderating message boards, the disappearing art of debate, the need for civil discourse, mistaking emotions for facts, business gossip & science magazines, generational distrust in science, studying cattle behavior, teaching the scientific method in schools, Google scholar, Temple’s policing for method, using data bases for research, nurturing curiosity, Temple’s major in psychology, the psyche and the body, Temple’s unconscious, test-running equipment in the mind, Fukushima, advising on relationships, Temple’s interior oracle, mathematical mind and visual thinking, weighing the scales of justice, animal sensitivity and ESP, Donna Williams and facilitated communication, meeting Tito, portrayal of autistics as criminals, the danger of scapegoating, Temple’s early motivation, vegetarianism and slaughterhouses, changing standards in the meat industry, the liminality question, autism on the margins, Einstein and the opportunities for autistics to flourish.

Temple Grandin’s Autism site.

Songs: “El Mariachi” & “Monkey Said,”  by The Freak Fandango Orchestra; “Wheels” by The Rebel; “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Bob Warner/Guitar Picker.

2 thoughts on “Liminalist # 29.5: The Scales of Justice (with Temple Grandin)”

  1. T t t trigger on the finger, ready to blast.
    On the all the bullshit that she pulled out of her ass.
    Emotionally attached and imposing ways.
    Take cover folks cuz it’s coming you’re way.
    You can close you’re eyes but i’l be ready to knock it harder.
    Harder then a Jevhovas witness at you’re doorway.

    Jokes aside 🙂 But I dont know where to start.
    But it was funny how she tried to adress the lack of debating teqnique, when she interupted you more times then I could keep count on. I think she also managed to get almost all her books mentioned during theese 2 episodes.

    I am trying to be gentle and nice now, and the most kind word I can find to describe her is an old hag. She continiusly take her own experiance and try to portray it as a good way for others to follow at the same time being very judgemental towards things she does not understand.

    As someone who played games from the age of 5 until now and computer games from the age of 10-11 until now, I’l start off there. If it wouldnt have been for computer games, I probably wouldnt have been able to speak english to the degree I am able to now, nor would I have been able to learn how to socialize (not saying I am good at it now but it would have been much worse otherwise).
    From Poker I learned how to read body language, I learned how to interpret tones of the voice
    aswell as learning how to spot lies. All theese things that they falsly saying aspies cannot understand or learn. Not gonna dwell further into that, but I doubt working on a farm would have helped me in a better way.

    She seems to have this conclusion that everything that was good for her would be good for other autistic people. And to me it feels like what she actually is arguing or trying to convey is that having a regular job and being a “functioning member” of society would be the holy grail for all autistics.
    Almost like she propagates that autistics should try to emulate and try to become NTs to an as big degree as possible. To me that is almost as repulsing as most of the neuro typical norms and ways of beings that pester this world. She use sentences like “with asperger” like it was some kind of disease that need to be intervened against, preferebly at an as early stage of life as possible.

    I am not gonna go deep into the meat thing again, but just hearing her rich ass saying she cannot even bother to care what she eats cuz her importent behind is on the road spreading the gospel of justice all the time made me gag abit. Or that she is dependent on meat cuz she thought eating a tomato as a substitute would make her feel great. For sure she did not try a proper vegetarian diet at all, like most the people defending there craving for blood.
    It is as silly as you’re own argument Jasun that everything might aswell die on purpose cuz you might step on a bug on acceident when walking on the grass/leafs. The intent ofc always makes a big difference. But I am not gonna go further on the offence on this issue again either.

    Overall I think you did a decent job trying to ask questions in a smart way. She sometimes seemed to not understand them though or interupted you before you even could make you’re point.

    I just do not like this women, even if she has a few decent points at times, that is not enough for me to give her any slack. I simply dont like her and as said earlier she is on my top 3 of autistics I disslike the most. It was funny though that you mentioned Michelle Dawson who is actually one of my favourite “famous” autistic people. Would be great if you could get her on the podcast!

    And I do not expect to like or agree with all of the guests you have on, that would just be silly.
    Infact I love hearing from people I do not agree with. But this did not give me much and I dont know if she actually said much of value at all, atleast not to me.

    Though I think you tried well with your questions in a diplomatic and kind way, but some people are just impossible or very hard to reach or get a proper awnser out of.

    Peace out -_-v and keep this nice podcast going, if you are running out of guests I might even be willing to join in at some point if you would dare to have me on 🙂

    Much love to you and yours.

    Reply
  2. I was a little worried about this conversation because I know that you are more focused on ideas/abstraction and Temple is more hyper focused on design/material. I imagined uncomfortable pauses as you 2 zipped past each others thinking modes. Young Aspergers often seem like little professors while high functioning Autistics can appear like little computers. Considering how different the two of you are I think you did remarkably well.

    I appreciate Temple working through her anxiety/social limitations to feel like a contributing member of society. My personal feeling is that she often comes off as if her choices are the only correct ones. But then again, she would feel that way because her thinking style informs her faith in the non-abstract and material. She can look at an MRI and see an enlarged Amygdala and only see drugs as being the only course of action. Perhaps it is. Perhaps for someone else it could be something else-video game therapy maybe. I think there is a lot of variation to personal biology. Things that work for one person are useless to another.

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