Thank you, Autism Awareness Month!
We got rid of cable television a few years ago. Tired of the subtle indoctrination and the in-your-face consumerism, it was time to turn off the talking box. We still watch TV shows and movies doing so through other means. We might be a season or two behind what everybody else is watching, but we watch what we want and when we want to on our own schedule (and without commercials, including endless pharmaceutical advertisements).
A few weeks ago my husband and I finished viewing a season of a popular television show and needed a filler before choosing something new show to watch. We ended up on Youtube one night and stumbled upon Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show channel. We watched a few clips that night and found ourselves looking for more funny clips several nights later. We’re hooked now and make a point to check out his skits the day or two after they’ve aired.
Jimmy’s Thank You Notes segment on his show is one thing that makes me giggle. Sending a thoughtful, and sometimes snarky message of thanks to someone or something creates some enjoyable belly laughs. They are nothing about autism and everything about humor, something I rely on to get me through some of life’s tough days.
I’m a big fan of handwritten thank you notes myself. Today, I’d like to share some of my own with you. All of them are addressed to Autism Awareness Month, which after 30 long days, is about to end.
If after reading my thank you notes and you feel I forgot something, go ahead and add your own thank you to Autism Awareness Month in the comments section below.
Thank you, Autism Awareness Month, for starting the festivities off with news of the updated national autism rate. Too bad you’re off by a couple of years.
Thank you for perfectly timing another autism study in early April. Can the next one be one that doesn’t blames Moms for autism?
Thank you, IACC “advocates” for being asleep at the wheel figuratively, well, actually literally! We agree that if haven’t already poked your own eyes out at one those meetings, those meetings are quite the snoozefest.
Thank you for shying away from awareness all month and pointing out how ill-informed you want everyone to be.
Thank you for turning the heat up on the unvaccinated this month. It’s not like we were already busy or anything.
Thank you for adding more insults to your agenda and not going to bat for us when we could have used more support.
Thank you, Autism Awareness Month, for the chance to party with the CDC during their #CDCVax hashtag party. It was swell to see so many CDC representatives active online once again this month. Do they ever let them sleep? Ha ha!
Thank you for ending the month-long celebration of awareness with no plan to address or reduce the autism rate.
But, good news is on the way!
With awareness just about ready to be boxed up until April 2015, you know where that leaves us?
Eleven straight months of action, of course!
Dear May,
Let’s get ready to rumble!!!!
Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.
.. So moms are Qualified to get pregnant, give birth, feed the baby, take care of their colds, but are Unqualified to see that after a doctor shoves a needle on their behinds and suddenly develops high fevers, screams inconsolably , develops seizures, then loses eye contact and speech, to know the facts about what happened to their baby? Surely the pediatricians who do this regularly and see many babies get ill like this have become the UNQUALIFIED ones in this Millennium? Shell of "Recovering Autism, ADHD, & Special Needs."
Posted by: Shell Tzorfas | May 04, 2014 at 09:23 PM
Great points. Great graphics. Great writer.
What a perfect summation of everything unnecessarily endured by autism parents of vaccine-injured children.
Posted by: nhokkanen | May 04, 2014 at 05:22 PM
Thank you, Cathy. As a culture, I'm beginning to think we have bizarre, and possibly self-destructive "health" rituals. Will we have another "Get vaccinated! Vaccines do not cause fill-in-the-blank Awareness Month" this month?
Some of the more eligible candidates IMO in a long list of "health" related commemorations:
May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness month,
Arthritis Awareness Month,
Mental Health Awareness Month,
National Toxic Encephalopathy and Chemical Injury Awareness Month,
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Month
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | May 04, 2014 at 01:13 PM
Loved your thank you notes, Cathy! Started my Sunday off with a smile. It's either laugh or cry at our nation's current situation...and April already caused enough tears. Appreciated the laugh for a change of pace! Not that the plight befalling our children is anything to laugh about...quite the opposite...but those of us in the trenches sorely need a good belly laugh every once in a while :)
Posted by: Laura Hayes | May 04, 2014 at 11:04 AM
The April "awareness" situation is so predictable. Quite honestly I had been very busy, stressed out, etc. over the last few weeks and had not had time to do much surfing the net. One day, I had a few extra minutes on my hands and went on Facebook only to see three Facebook friends (separately as they are not friends with each other) had posted articles about how awful people are who don't vaccinate. Immediately I wondered what was going on. All of the sudden it occurred to me. Oh, it's April....
Posted by: That time of year again... | May 04, 2014 at 09:00 AM
Thank You, Autism Awareness Month for bringing us awareness of autism and all the mixed messages that goes with it. Autism cases are said to be exploding, while at other times we are told this is not so -- just better diagnosis. We are told that this month is about sounding the alarm for autism, which is often a severe, lifetime disability. Still, on other occasions, we are reminded that there is nothing to be gloomy about: Autism is just another aspect of human diversity. In fact, it's a gift that should be celebrated. As well, we are told that, over the years, this awareness has taught us so much about autism. Yet, there are the others times that we are cautioned that we still know next to nothing about autism -- what it is, what causes it, and whether it's indeed increasing.
Thank You, Autism Awareness Month, for straightening out the confusion!
Posted by: Greg | May 04, 2014 at 06:54 AM