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

[omega 616]

When people get angry they get stupid, you see it all the time on forums. People start off quite civil and then as the disagreement escalates into an argument people start trying to hurt each other and then when they read it back with a calm mind they are often embarrassed.

I bet if that woman read that letter now, she would be ashamed of herself.

She just wanted to vent but took it to far, now she looks like a horrible person but she could have just been in a rough patch in her life and this was the straw that broke the camels back and she exploded.

 

[Gennadios]

I generally support euthanasia under the conditions the letter listed.

Not much background info on the child in question, but I'm not about to get all indignant on the possibility that the child is a misunderstood savant with a lucrative career in data entry ahead of him.

 

[Lieju]

I read the police got involved. This surely is horrible but...what's the crime here? Why even call the police when in the situation you're in. I think they used the letter as an excuse for attention.


"My neighbor is being mean to me" is not really grounds to waste public funds on investigations. Despite how mean it was.

Thats what I was wondering too. Yes the person that wrote this is an asshole and needs some training in being a fucking human. But is this really a crime. I looked up Canadian mental health protection and there isn't anything beyond work, home and basic accommodations. Maybe one of Canadian peeps can shed more light on it? Telling someone they should be euthanized isn't a direct threat against them as they aren't saying I am going to euthanize you or use your body for parts.

Well, telling people 'no-one wants you here', and telling them to 'Go live in a tralier in the woods or something with your wild animal kid!!!' can be threatening. Also she is telling them she doesn't think he deserves to live and if he died it would be better for everyone.

Kinda would depend on whether there has been any other incidents, though.

And whether he is kept outside or not, her concern clearly isn't for him.

 

[Dirge Eterna]

I read the police got involved. This surely is horrible but...what's the crime here? Why even call the police when in the situation you're in. I think they used the letter as an excuse for attention.


"My neighbor is being mean to me" is not really grounds to waste public funds on investigations. Despite how mean it was.

Thats what I was wondering too. Yes the person that wrote this is an asshole and needs some training in being a fucking human. But is this really a crime. I looked up Canadian mental health protection and there isn't anything beyond work, home and basic accommodations. Maybe one of Canadian peeps can shed more light on it? Telling someone they should be euthanized isn't a direct threat against them as they aren't saying I am going to euthanize you or use your body for parts.

Well, telling people 'no-one wants you here', and telling them to 'Go live in a tralier in the woods or something with your wild animal kid!!!' can be threatening. Also she is telling them she doesn't think he deserves to live and if he died it would be better for everyone.

Kinda would depend on whether there has been any other incidents, though.

I can see the no one wants you here as minor harassment. But telling them they don't deserve to live isn't a direct threat. It would depend on the history and if there have been and incidents in the past.

 

[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