I firmly believe you can not attempt to “reclaim” images that are triggering to others.
Furthermore, I am a brash and outspoken individual that doesn’t have a reputation to tarnish and therefore I do not back down or mince words when it comes to calling out something that I think is grossly offensive.
I’ve seen this a few times now, people claiming to use an image first and then continuing to use said image with the negative impact and triggering effect already in place from it being used for years by another corporation, company, organization or entity.
I’ve written about related things in “An Autistics Guide To Corporate Social Responsibility” which provides a great resource for those who might want more information on how to create a favourable campaign while being considerate of Autistics.
With all of that being said, there is a DEFINITE divide in the “community”, I created this image, youtube video and podcast about it. I hope you have a chance to check it all out below.
There’s lots of links in the youtube description as well. Just click the video.
He uses clickbait titles which plays off the very same theme, essentially taking Autism to a level where it becomes something fresh, new and exciting – at the expense of others. He also pairs up with other YouTube creators who have the same thing in mind. I recently heard that he made a point of insulting “negative” creators at an event tied to the creation of his videos.
2. Self fulfilling prophecy
He creates content to boost his ego. He can’t take critiques from anybody. If you tell him he’s doing something wrong, you’ll be blocked very quickly.
@theaspieworld is an egotistical liar who believes that success is YouTube subs and that perpetuating misinformation makes him some kind of deity. I know he said this about me based on the timeline. #ActuallyAutisticpic.twitter.com/YHGqLBsh7D
— Margaux // Retrophiliac (@artfulretro) July 9, 2019
There have been other people in the #ActuallyAutistic community who have called him out and some that have even taken the time to private message him to express their feelings about his content, only for it to fall through the cracks and be disregarded. He has also written a book about a religion (he may or may not) have created and he also promotes his merchandise through his videos.
Alex Watts is his producer and “community manager” who decided to send me this on twitter. It’s incredibly unfortunate that they will stoop to tactics like this as a means to communicate with me.
Compelling debates are reserved for folks who would benefit from a discussion – you're simply still hounding on Dan daily like it's your 9-5. Check yourself. Dan may be peace and love – but I'm the asshole who'll call your BS.
July 12th, still being heckled by Dan Jones “Community Manager”, who fails to uphold himself to any professional standards.
3. Misinformation
If you have the ability to watch my react videos, you’ll notice very quickly that he fails to cite sources for his information. When talking about Aspergers VS Autism, he prefaces it saying that it doesn’t apply to everyone, yet he makes generalizations. Autism absorbed Aspergers in 2015 — Four years before his video came out. He said he will be updating the video, but it’s not like he didn’t have the new information at the time of creation. I also am baffled at a lot of the things he says and he continues to perpetuate his information as fact. It’s not factual. If you can’t cite sources and you can’t show proof to people, you’re only as good as your word.
His videos are presented at different educational events which is a further way to perpetuate fiction.
He has also said that there is a lack of Autistic female youtube creators, which also is not true. Perhaps he said this because he’s not a fan of those who have challenged him and suggested that he change.
Emma Dalmayne created a video back in October of 2018 that I highly suggest you watch.
A vast majority of his audience seem to be Autism “Warrior” Moms. These are the type of people who generally won’t listen to #ActuallyAutistic adults in favour of people who are telling them what they want to hear. Daniel Jones has found that they are the perfect audience for him and he uses terms that are generally not well liked by our community like “WITH Autism”, “With Aspergers” — which I find a lot of these parents use. Plenty of them are Autism Speaks supporters as well and won’t hesitate to attach a shiny blue puzzle piece to their social media handles.
Mine has nothing to do with representing autism, it’s about representing my son and what he has had to go through. Nothing to do with his autism. I know there are people who don’t like the jigsaw piece, but it can represent for other things too. Thank you for your input.
If you’re not going to listen to the community you supposedly represent and are part of and you continue to promote yourself with the basis of your content being completely untruthful, manufactured, sensationalized and self-gratifying, you’re not helping anyone.
I also believe it’s so important to give a voice to my fellow Autistics and I have done so in this post. It’s not just me who is striving for change and proper representation. IF YOU HAVE AN AUDIENCE, DO SOMETHING GOOD WITH IT!
He's douch.
And supposedly he represents people here in North Wales i for one think of him as Creditinal Youtuber.
Sadly Autistic Kids have to be referred and preferenced to him from Martyrs.
I used to like his work, but then I seen through the cracks. It's all views and subs. Also, using people that are well known instead of actually going into the community, His advice is outdated. He should promote other autistic advocates out there. What a missed opportunity.
I thought he was alright at first, but it's all about YouTube hits to generate cash and sponsoring products. He's always say symptoms and tested, like it's a contagious disease. It's "assessed" they don't stick a needle in you. They're characteristics.
I'd be concerned about misinformation. I didn't live his style so haven't seen enough to know how accurate he is.
However, I wouldn't begrudge him simply for trying to pay the bills via informative YouTube videos about his condition. I appreciate a few who do this.
— Autistic Priest⛪ (FrMatthewLC) (@AutisticPriest) July 6, 2019
He’s been giving tips on what the difference between autism and Aspergers is and won’t listen to people telling him there is none. He blocked me for doing so even though he lives locally to me
I have never liked him because he’s using being autistic to make money, and also spreads so much misinformation and is a terrible representation of autistic people. Glad to see there are others who agree.
I watched a few of his videos and got off vibes. It was like some of his content didn’t really seem that genuine. I’m glad it’s not just me who thinks so
I asked on my Facebook page if anyone was interested in having me share some of my favourite content on YouTube and seems like the answer was YES!
I have definitely found myself becoming increasingly bored at the content that Netflix and cable create. YouTube has been a great source of original content. These are in no particular order.
Dan Bell is definitely a film maker who has carved out a niche: he finds dead and dying malls and captures it all on video. His narration provides the viewer with lots of information and trivia.
Super 80’s, Jr. High School goodness. I am in awe of some of the clothes. It’s a peek in to what Canadian tv was like for teens. It definitely helped establish the franchise.
Rachel and Jun live in Japan. Rachel is originally American and they share all kinds of cool tidbits about living in Japan and the differences in western culture. They also have very cute cats.
Defunctland is all about defunct theme parks and goes through what used to be and what didn’t work. It’s really interesting to me to learn about times gone by.
Alex Meyers provides the ultimate narration on shows and movies infused with perfect comedic timing. He breaks down character flaws and plot holes in a really creative, entertaining way.
Bright Sun Films captures my interest in abandoned, bankrupt or cancelled changes to old properties – mainly hotels and amusement parks. It’s done in a way that you can’t help but want to watch more. Perfectly narrated and very interesting.
Barcroft TV is a channel with a lot of documentary style programming. They cover all kinds of different topics that deal with different lives and lifestyles at it’s core.
Vice is pretty much the millennials guide to news and entertainment features. They’re always updating and providing new content. I am really desiring more Oobah Butler content.
Justine Leconte is a French fashion designer. She provides all kinds of information about clothing quality and what to look for when you’re shopping. She is a wealth of information and can really educate people who are looking to make informed decisions when they’re shopping. I’ve already learned a lot from her!
Safiya Nygaard is an ex Buzzfeed video creator. They were moving in a direction that didn’t seem to work for her so she branched out and created her own channel. She has a great sense of humour and makes videos about a number of subjects including beauty, home, fashion and probably more things I can’t think of. Her and her Fiancee Tyler have great chemistry and work really well together.
I LOVE this channel so much. My favourite types of videos are ones with Claire and Carla. The majority of videos featuring Claire really showcase her talent for taking items off the shelf and making her own gourmet version of them. I love Carla’s back-to-back baking challenges with celebrities.
What channels and videos on YouTube do you like? Let me know! I’d love some suggestions.
I never claim to be an expert. I am an Autistic Person who is sharing her experiences. Those are two vastly different approaches when it comes to providing insight as to what Autism is. There are people out there who are passing themselves off as experts and they are getting feedback from those who are taking it all in as fact. Please be careful! Perpetuating untrue stereotypes and misinformation does not help anyone. Do your research. Be skeptical, ask questions.
I specifically told her about my disapproval of Autism Speaks and how their aim is to eradicate autistic individuals like myself. I told her how important this detail was in regards to my own journey.
Every so often, I find myself looking up the title of the article to see where it’s been posted.
To my surprise, a disgustingly sick feeling came over me, It has been posted on the Autism Speaks facebook page for all to see.
The VERY article that had this statement in it:
The goal, Wosk explained, is to help people become more educated about autism — that’s why she spends much of her online time being an activist for autistic people and protesting against organizations like Autism Speaks, which Wosk said spend more time looking to eliminate autism rather than support autistic people.
It had been up for 2 hours with over 40 likes and 2 shares.
I don’t think any of those Autism Speaks supporters (or even Autism Speaks themselves) even bothered to read my article, because if they did, they wouldn’t have posted anything with an unfavorable mention.
This begs the even larger question of the importance of autistic opinions. I believe that when it all comes down to it, it’s that money rules and we don’t matter.
This was certainly not my first online encounter with this greedy “charity”. Nope. Autism Speaks Canada actually e-mailed me once trying to tell me all the things they do. TELLING me is important to note because they failed to read or even address anything I had said.
In conclusion:
Autism Speaks wants to replace and eliminate us. Our voices are not worthy or important to them.
