Angry mom sends letter to family of autistic child telling them to have him euthanized.

[Jamieson 90]

Before today I couldn't believe that any parent could write something like that to another parent, oh how wrong I was....

Seriously kids are loud, annoying, smelly, and just general brats, because they're you know kids.... it's like the natural order of things; I was annoying as a kid, my brother was annoying as a kid, all my siblings and friends were annoying as a kid, and this autistic kid is probably a bit more annoying than we were, but does that justify this woman writing a letter to his parents telling them to have him killed? Of course it fucking it doesn't! How can any sane person think that? This is a real fucking person with thoughts and feelings not just some animal or inanimate object.

 

[Abomination]

I have encountered high-functioning autistic individuals who contribute to society.

I have encountered low-functioning autistic individuals who do not contribute to society.

This kid sounds like one from the latter camp.

If your child has such extreme issues that they can't behave themselves in a manner that doesn't annoy your neighbors then you really need to consider relocating or keeping your child sedated.

As for the author? I sympathize with her frustrations but there are far more productive and effective methods of resolving the situation that doesn't involve making yourself into a douche.

If something is bothering you and what you do to make you feel better does not assist in resolving the situation, rather it makes it potentially worse, I wonder who in the equation really does have the autism.

 

[ninjaRiv]

To be fair, I understand the frustration. A screaming little brat isn't going to be less annoying just because he's disabled. And I've wanted to hit quite a few little shits with a baseball bat! But there's just some stuff you don't do or say. Think it, if you want, but don't write a fucking letter if there's absolutely no need. If he's next door and you hear it constantly then yeah, something should be done. But something official and considerate, not what this person did.

Also, does anybody else get the captchas where they ask you to type in the name of the brand being advertised? I feel dirty typing that shit.

 

[Seracen]

It's interesting how this comes out at the same time as the story about death threats towards the writers at Bioware. Unfortunately, this behavior exists everywhere. No single group can claim to have a monopoly on bigotry and hatred.

Having said that, there are two sides to every debate. What perturbs me is folks who go to such extremes, that engaging in civil discourse becomes impossible (ie the aforementioned BW scandal).

I mean, who is going to see the other side when ANYONE on the other side act like this? For that matter, why would fans see their side if ANYONE acts like EA and Capcom generally do?

But I digress...

 

[Something Amyss]

I was on the side of the autistic kid and his family until I read this:

You selfishly put your kid outside everyday and let him be a nothing but a nuisance and a problem to everyone else with that noise polluting whaling he constantly makes!!!

I'm sorry but killing whales is just inhumane.

I don't think he's killing the whales, just polluting them.

This is the USA. The only special institutions for special people they have are called prisons.

Even if it was the USA in question, that's not true. There is an issue with payment in the states, that's true, but let's not pretend that "prisons" are the only institutions. It's dishonest.

No arguments here, they should get some time outside and fresh air is always good for you. Still, the parent could do a number of things, letting them out less is one, taking them out further away to places like parks is another. Not saying they should be locked up, just that the parent could consider reducing the time the kid spends outside until they behave a bit more.

Kids with severe autism respond reeeeeeeal well to that sort of "punishment."

 

[Avaholic03]

Euthanasia is just inherently wrong. The very idea of it is just twisted.

Even in the case of avoiding terminal pain or agony? That's a very selfish attitude. My sister worked in hospice, and on more than a few occasions, family unnecessarily prolonged someone's suffering because they selfishly couldn't let go. Euthanasia is, in many cases, the far more humane option.

EDIT: whether or not that applies to this story, I really can't say. As usual, sensationalist media reporting doesn't really give an accurate portrayal of the situation.

 

[Weaver]

I kind of sympathise. I doubt they literally believe that the disabled should be euthanized; they're frustrated because they have to deal with that shit in their homes and have probably been dealing with it for some time.

People say a lot of shit when they're frustrated. Besides, what kind of parent lets their low functioning autistic child run the street, acting up? At least she took it out on them instead of the kid.

I actually sort of agree. Obviously she could have worded this not ... so abusively; but I've lived with careless neighbours who were noisy ALL the time. They would party to 3am next door and one of them would be up at like 7am slamming doors and shit. It was actually scary how much the lack of sleep affected my health. My blood pressure went up about 30 points, and I was diagnosed with hypertension. I couldn't focus on anything, I felt sick and tired all the time, my university marks plummeted. In the end I had to get the landlords to evict them.

 

[Weaver]

Hmm... Sending hate mail is hardly the right way to act in such situation. Your very first action should be talking to the parents of this child and explaining your position. If they manage to successfully calm him down, then problem solved.

If not, however, then she should have filed an official complaint, backed by petition of other people, living in this zone (sorry, I don't know how things work in USA, but you get the idea). Then court, because needs of many are far more important then needs of a few, rules that this child is to be sent to special institution for special people. Neighbours are sattisfied, parents can visit their kid whenever they want, everybody wins.

This is the USA. The only special institutions for special people they have are called prisons.

And that wouldn't even be needed if basic mental health care was provided. Screaming outside isn't all that severe for low-functioning autism, chances are fairly high that with the support of a cooperative and affordable mental health care specialist you can see great improvements.

But this is the USA. Mental health care is at a third world level.

So, most likely you've made a somewhat accurate prediction. People in the area will file an official complaint of some misbehavior of the child, committed not out of any ill will but as a simple symptom of his disorder, the courts will get involved and he'll be send to a special institution for special people, jail.

Ontario, Canada; now in the USA.
You heard it here first!

 

[Subscriptism]

Why can't people just let me have a little faith in humanity? Just a bit?

 

[anthony87]

I can't help but sympathise with the woman who wrote the letter, I've got neighbours with 4 ridiculously noisy kids who just run around screaming all the time, even when they're talking they shout and the mother is no better. It's gotten to the stage where I've had dreams about going postal on the lot of them....

So yeah, I understand the frustration. She could've just worded it a hell of a lot better.

 

[TehCookie]

For someone complaining about a noisy kid she sure had a lot of exclamation points which made me feel like her letter was yelling at the reader. Though I was almost expecting a !!!!!111one

Though it doesn't matter if the kid is handicapped or not, he has to function in society. If he is truly being that unruly the parents have to find a way to make him stop.

 

[surg3n]

A lot of autistic kids just don't get the care they need from their own family. I've seen an autistic kid have his head put through a windscreen, wandering the streets on his own, blindly runs across the road and fuck, a head shaped recess in a windscreen and a lot of blood, and a driver who's most likely blaming themself.

 

[II2]

I say give the kid a megaphone when he wants to vocalize, see who it riles up. Secure the alpha creature of the incurring soccer mom herd, and pop it's eardrums with surgical needles. This will grant it two things:

- Reprise from the offending noises

- A greater appreciation for the nuance of written word, going forward

 

[OmegaDestroyer]

What an amazingly monstrous response.

(Not you, II2)

 

[kasperbbs]

Theres not much context here, i assume that her family has to deal with the screaming and whatever else this kid does every single day, so she snapped and wrote the worst thing she could think of. I know i couldn't stand listening to some weird screams every single day, my neighbours dog is bad enough.

 

[II2]

What an amazingly monstrous response.

(Not you, II2)

Heh, it was a appalling suggestion, though, to be fair. Given how tone is lost on the internet, I might be well served with a 'lol j/k', but I trust people will get it's just coal black flippancy born of frustration.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Jesus Christ! Psycho much? Okay, I don't know all the details- so maybe the kid is low-functioning Autistic, and maybe the parents should have handled their kid better, but death threats are not the way to go! Seriously, what the hell?

Why can't people just let me have a little faith in humanity? Just a bit?

Agreed, sometimes it feels like the more I know about people...

 

[scorptatious]

Thoughts?

Oh, please.

For starters, who gives a shit? This is private conveyance.

And second, judging by the tiny amount of information given, I am assuming that this kid is waaay more autistic than you are. You have so little in common you have no reason to feel it "A little close to home". I mean for god sake, you have a language! You can talk.

I've encountered this 'autism' vs 'normals' stuff in the past, as if you're similar in any meaningful way: it's a crock of shit, so nip it in the bud.

"As someone diagnosed with autism."

You're not in the same group as him.

The autism spectrum is pretty wide. So yes, I'm well aware that this kid is most likely a lot more autistic than I am. That doesn't make him any less of a human being however.

EDIT: I kinda agree with some people on here that perhaps the parents or whoever was caring for the kid probably should have had better control over the kid. As I said earlier in this thread, if she were to simply write to them asking them to keep the kid under control, this probably wouldn't be such a big issue at the moment.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

It should be noted that the mother has multiple sclerosis, undoubtedly making care for her autistic son much more difficult. Instead of being a human being with some miniscule shed of decency and empathy, the author of this hate letter has chosen to do nothing but cause more pain and anguish for this family. Bravo...you worthless sack of shit.

A rational and polite letter regarding the amount of noise her son makes would have been acceptable(and far more constructive). The letter sent was nothing but selfish bigotry designed only to provoke and hurt. Seriously, the author of the letter needs to take their own advice and euthanize themselves...few tears would be shed.

With the rest of the neighbourhood rallying around the mother and son, I sincerely hope the selfish prick who wrote the letter is found out and completely ostracized. The fact that the neighbourhood is so supportive suggests that the autistic boy is not overly problematic. The mother has vowed to never move and I commend her for taking a stand. If anyone has a problem with her family then THEY are free to move to a new neighbourhood.

Neighbours living in a compassionate society support one another in times of need. Such a sentiment is becoming a thing of the past as our society is slowly becoming excessively selfish and rude. I may be speaking in hyperbole, but it seems the future will be rather intolerable if our culture continues down this path. Try to think what the mother's life is like for a moment, a bit of noise outside seems rather insignificant in comparison.

 

[Easton Dark]

Awfully worded letter, understandable sentiment.

Loud kids are annoying, autism or no, shut the fuck up. Nobody wants to hear screaming everyday.

Organ harvesting is going a bit too far. Give him like, a thick bag to scream into or something.