I have been bothered by the remarks of a prominent American leader in the health field. For purposes of this Blog, I don’t need to name him.

He has dehumanized all people with a diagnosis of autism. It would be as accurate as describing all those adults under 5 feet as not only short, but the chronic disease of shortness means they will never pay taxes, never hold a job, never play baseball, never write a poem, never go on a date, and never use the toilet by themselves.

As an aside and by way of editorial comment, one need only watch the current season of Survivor on TV to see how well a player with autism is holding her own, to appreciate the stupidity of this powerful and influential American.

But what can we do to speak truth to power? I’m glad you asked.

Let’s focus on the speaker.

I suggest he is suffering from a treatable condition called ‘willful ignorance.’

It isn’t an illness, unlike what he has framed autism as. But ‘willful ignorance’ is treatable, thankfully. But in comparison to alcoholism, no matter the root causes, the person with the condition needs to want to change.

A person suffering from ‘willful ignorance’ first uses denial to protect themselves from needing to change their thinking. Subsequent research has long since shown that the sources used to support their denial are unsupported in multiple studies by credible researchers.

As the speaker’s basis for his beliefs is worn away, he switches to the idea that treatment doesn’t work. “It’s not me, it’s them, deflecting responsibility onto others.

Eventually, much damage can be caused by influential people with, at best, misguided views.

You can create a porous shield against harmful rhetoric. I deliberately used the word porous because I believe we should reflect on all ideas, regardless of their source. We are all human, and we tend to appreciate ideas that reinforce our existing beliefs. We are also strong enough to recognize that reflection time can change our thinking or confirm some of our beliefs. We have that control.

Please give this a bit of a think. What ideas have challenged you? Perhaps you’ve dismissed them. Were you able to disagree, while understanding, without accepting, opposing views? Did you catch yourself skipping the story beneath a headline, because it contradicted your beliefs?

I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment below or send me an email with your bit of a think.

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glenn.walmsley@icloud.com