• 4 Posts
  • 186 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
cake
Cake day: August 1st, 2023

help-circle
rss

  • That’s a good question and I’m not sure I have a good answer. I yearn for a time when we can talk about neurodivergence simply and in human terms. Doesn’t “That person has a short attention span” get the point across without adding “… like a squirrel” to the end? It’s a difficult conversation to have, as you’ve rightly pointed out, but I think if we keep having that talk we’ll get better at it.

    And now that you have me thinking about it, another thought: We also use animal analogies in positive ways like “she’s a shark” or “he’s lionhearted”. I wonder if there’s a happy middle ground somewhere. Can we find an analogy that works that doesn’t equate someone to a rodent?


  • it just seems pedantic

    I’d like to refer you to all of history for what happens to marginalized groups when it becomes culturally acceptable to compare their behavior to animals.

    You do you and whatever, but it doesn’t matter who made this or with what intent, it’s still comparing neurodivergent behavior to squirrels and beavers.











  • It’s about motive.

    Officials then revealed in the statement, obtained Monday by USA TODAY, that the relationship between the suspects and Nordquist suggests it was not a hate crime.

    Nordquist and those suspected in his death were known to each other, and all identified as LGBTQ+, authorities said. At least one of the suspects lived with Nordquist before his death, the statement added.

    A “hate crime” by most definitions is motivated purely by a prejudice against someone because of their race/gender/sexuality. If the culprits were just doing this because they’re psychotic, it wouldn’t be pursued as a “hate crime”.

    “We are still in the early stages of this investigation,” according to a statement. “We urge the community not to speculate into the motive behind the murder as we work to find justice for Sam.”

    It sounds like it’s still possible it’ll be tried as a hate crime, but the revelation that the culprits were known to the victim and also identified as LGBTQ+ means there’s likely more to the motive.