HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incited backlash after questioning why autism is "only happening in young people" during a televised news briefing.
  • Heikki@lemm.ee
    17·
    2 days ago

    When I hear something along the lines of “there is no way someone can be that stupid.” I think about 2 things.

    1. How dumb the average person is and realize half the population is dumber than that.

    2. The interview of a Yosemite Park Ranger discussing the difficulty of designing the perfect bear proof trash can. The ranger is quoted as saything,“there is a considerable intelligence overlap between the smartest bear and the dumbest human.”

  • Etterra@discuss.onlineEnglish
    18·
    2 days ago

    Of course he can be that stupid. If you don’t think you can be that stupid, you are as out of touch as he is. There is no known bottom to human stupidity.

    • TronBronson@lemmy.world
      11·
      3 days ago

      Congress too, we need them to step down. The rich are afraid of taxes, congress needs to be more afraid of us than they are of taxing the rich. they still need to get food. They still have family that live in our communities. They should feel as safe as an illegal immigrant smuggling thought crimes across the border.

  • perestroika@lemm.ee
    36·
    3 days ago

    Short answer: if they got it bad, they’re dead or in a nursing home. That’s why they aren’t walking in a mall. They ran out of health.

    Long answer: in recent times, there seems to be lower threshold of diagnosis.

    But if he truly thinks he can pinpoint exposures that increase autism - things like the exposure to tetraethyl lead which probably increased criminality and decreased mental health - good luck for combing scientific studies. There may be some. But if he’s gonna rewind the age old “vaccines cause” record and replay it, nah, I won’t be listening.

    • thiseggowaffles@lemmy.zip
      25·
      3 days ago

      It’s not that there’s a lower threshold. It’s that the definitions and our understanding of Autism changed. People who formerly would have been labeled with Asperger’s are now labeled (correctly) with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Plus we’ve learned how Autism can present differently in other communities that aren’t white male children. Acknowledging that girls can even be Autistic is a relatively recent development (the 90s).

      The truth is that there are likely a ton of people out there with undiagnosed Autism, because they wouldn’t have met the criteria to be diagnosed as kids based on our understanding at the time. It’s why there are so many adults now getting late life diagnoses.

      • AoxoMoxoA@lemmy.world
        4·
        2 days ago

        Acknowledging that girls can even be Autistic is a relatively recent development (the 90s).

        That is in-fucking-sane

      • Jumpingspiderman@lemmy.world
        5·
        2 days ago

        I was a scientist and have tested on the spectrum myself. And I think a whole lot of my colleagues would have too. Except if you’re high functioning and productive, there is little reason to test you. The misery of being on the spectrum and not being able to easily socialize with other people or to detect their emotional states is unimportant to society as long as one meets the performance standards society sets for you. Not that I’m complaining but I might have felt better about myself if I had known why I wasn’t able to do those things until I was an adult. I suffered depression largely because I was “weird” growing up and was bullied until I became an accomplished wrestler and it became dangerous for others to bully me. I truly think sport saved me. And taught me how to act more normally. Not everyone on the spectrum is so fortunate.

        • thiseggowaffles@lemmy.zip
          2·
          2 days ago

          This, exactly. I didn’t get diagnosed until my mid-30s with either Autism or ADHD. My life would have been so different if I had known earlier. I would have been so much kinder to myself. I’m sorry to hear you experienced the same. 😔

        • thiseggowaffles@lemmy.zip
          2·
          3 days ago

          Yeah, my uncle who passed definitely had Autism, and so does my dad. They’re half-brothers, which means it’s highly likely my grandmother was as well (which my dad also agrees with).

          It’s definitely hereditary in my family. I also clearly get my ADHD from my mom.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    28·
    3 days ago

    Touted ‘Unfit’

    By senators prior to his appointment?

    No, by some anonymous posts on social media last week

    So will this result in any actual consequences?

    Absolutely not

    Great

  • TomMasz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    3 days ago

    He’s dumber than most people can imagine. Jack, Ted, and Bobby might have been morally bankrupt but they weren’t stupid. Something went seriously wrong with this one.