Regarding Linus's use of the words "walking helmet."

[trombonejb]

UPDATE: Linus has deleted his tweet. 

 

 

Some of you may not see anything wrong with this but I was pretty offended by this tweet.

 

For Linus to say "I better put on my walking helmet" in response to dbrand saying "join me on this autistic ride to the moon", it is clear that Linus put two and two together and expressed the stereotype that people with autism have to wear helmets because they don't think and walk as normal as someone without autism would. While he is partly true that some people with autism do wear helmets to protect themselves, it's very important to know that not every person with autism needs a helmet.

 

One of my best friends whom I've known for as long as I can remember has autism. I've shared a handful of classes with him & in his earlier years and he has expressed unusual behavior countless times. But words cannot express how far he has grown as a person adapting to himself as well as the world around him. Not only does he have a driver's license, last I heard he completed his masters in accounting which is very hard to get. Some of you might think "wow that's so inspirational that someone with autism can do that." I personally don't think much of it really because my lifelong friendship with him wasn't defined by his disability. It was defined by our mutual friendship we have developed over the years as well as my ability to look past what holds him back.

 

Back to Linus. Even though I was offended by this tweet, I still know that deep within he is a very nice person. I do not think he was trying to be mean in this tweet towards people with autism but I also think that he needs to be very mindful of how he characterizes anyone with an intellectual disability. Most people when they catch themselves engaging in this behavior aren't themselves friends with very many people with disabilities.

As far as Dbrand's involvement in this goes, they just didn't need to throw ableism in the conversation in the first place. That is an easy error to fix.

 

If Linus is reading this or if I got the opportunity to speak with him in person, I would just kindly tell him "Hey man I get what you're saying, but in doing so you are stereotyping people with autism and I think it would be best if you delete the tweet and apologize to the autism community for doing so. No need to make a whole video about it like you did with the whole PS5 SSD thing last year. Just say or maybe tweet that you'll be more mindful of how you characterize people with disabilities moving forward."

And as far as anyone else reading this who still thinks I'm crazy or something, just know this. I wouldn't be saying any of this if I hadn't spent lots of time immersing myself as well as my brother in the Best Buddies International organization. In other words, just like we shouldn't stereotype black people for the color of their skin, we shouldn't stereotype people with disabilities for their disability.

[PlayStation 2]

What's with people wanting to be offended for someone? I'm autistic and I was told that I wouldn't be able to read, let alone drive a fucking car. Guess how far I've come from then. I don't have time to be offended by silly phrases and you shouldn't be offended on behalf of someone, either.

[trombonejb]

38 minutes ago, PlayStation 2 said:

What's with people wanting to be offended for someone? I'm autistic and I was told that I wouldn't be able to read, let alone drive a fucking car. Guess how far I've come from then. I don't have time to be offended by silly phrases and you shouldn't be offended on behalf of someone, either.

Part of being offended for someone involves having someone to be offended for. In my case I mentioned my friend. In your case, you have yourself. Maybe that's the disconnect we have.

[PlayStation 2]

7 minutes ago, trombonejb said:

Part of being offended for someone involves having someone to be offended for. In my case I mentioned my friend. In your case, you have yourself. Maybe that's the disconnect we have.

The disconnect here is that I have nothing to compensate for virtue. I'm unashamed in being a bit brash, crude and offensive. For that, I don't feel the need to deflect my coarseness in the form of taking offense for anyone. 

Which is, to say, one of modern culture's biggest problems is the need to appear more virtuous than anyone else for no discernible reason. Being a good person is one thing, and I commend anyone who's a genuinely good person. But one of human nature's components is satirizing damn near anything. It can be funny, or at the very least, tolerable, so long as it's not completely tasteless like yelling out the hard R multiple times at the Laugh Factory. 

It's okay to be a little offensive, it's also okay to defend someone, but to me, it's not okay to speak on someone's behalf in terms of something they're offended with. That's for that person to decide, not you.

[trombonejb]

6 minutes ago, PlayStation 2 said:

The disconnect here is that I have nothing to compensate for virtue. I'm unashamed in being a bit brash, crude and offensive. For that, I don't feel the need to deflect my coarseness in the form of taking offense for anyone. 

Which is, to say, one of modern culture's biggest problems is the need to appear more virtuous than anyone else for no discernible reason. Being a good person is one thing, and I commend anyone who's a genuinely good person. But one of human nature's components is satirizing damn near anything. It can be funny, or at the very least, tolerable, so long as it's not completely tasteless like yelling out the hard R multiple times at the Laugh Factory. 

It's okay to be a little offensive, it's also okay to defend someone, but to me, it's not okay to speak on someone's behalf in terms of something they're offended with. That's for that person to decide, not you.

What's stopping someone from asking you "where's your football helmet?" Plus, if we're allowed to be "a little offensive", what's stopping someone from making a snarky remark to a black person like "lol of course you chose the watermelon."

Look, there's a reason people don't mock the disabled in cages for the public to scorn at these days. That's because people stood up for them.

[ToboRobot]

CAN I BUY A WALKING HELMET ON LTTSTORE.COM?

 

(yes, I'm shouting on purpose, I REALLY want a walking helmet)

[trombonejb]

1 minute ago, ToboRobot said:

CAN I BUY A WALKING HELMET ON LTTSTORE.COM?

 

(yes, I'm shouting on purpose, I REALLY want a walking helmet)

If Linus wants to do that he can do so. It's just gonna cause more problems with the public's reaction moving forward concerning people with intellectual disabilities.

[ToboRobot]

1 minute ago, trombonejb said:

If Linus wants to do that he can do so. It's just gonna cause more problems with the public's reaction moving forward concerning people with intellectual disabilities.

As someone on the spectrum, who has had to wear helmets because of brain injury... just embrace it and let yourself be free and happy with being weird.

Life is too short to worry about autistic helmet jokes.

[PlayStation 2]

9 minutes ago, trombonejb said:

What's stopping someone from asking you "where's your football helmet?" Plus, if we're allowed to be "a little offensive", what's stopping someone from making a snarky remark to a black person like "lol of course you chose the watermelon."

Look, there's a reason people don't mock the disabled in cages for the public to scorn at these days. That's because people stood up for them.

I'd probably shoot back by making fun of them. I don't mind stooping to someone's level to make fun of them if they initiate that shit. Not to mention, making fun of autism is a different thing from making fun of race. Both are relatively tasteless in many contexts anyways, but again, I don't tend to care. I have better things to do than to be offended for someone because of some offshoot comment.

[NattyKathy]

Think it's worth noting that for many folks, calling out stuff like this isn't "recreational outrage" or whatever, it's about pushing back on a culture of blatant disrespect. Those of us who were born in the '80s, grew up in the '90s and came of age in the early 2000's had this notion shoved down our throats by Gen X and Boomers that not only is making fun of people good humor, but it's actually the BEST kind of humor- and punching down only makes it better. And I get how, in the context when this cultural phenomenon was building, that it provided a useful foil to the stick-up-the-arse obsessed-with-etiquette image of pre-1960's middle America and was seen as taboo-challenging but it's gotten kind of old now. I'm not gonna riot or cancel anyone over jokes like this but I think it's worth taking opportunities to suggest that maaayyybeee poking fun at disabled (or for that matter black/gay/fat/etc etc) people isn't actually the hilarious comedy gold that MTV kept telling us it was 20 years ago.

[PlayStation 2]

1 hour ago, Natty Ice said:

Think it's worth noting that for many folks, calling out stuff like this isn't "recreational outrage" or whatever, it's about pushing back on a culture of blatant disrespect. Those of us who were born in the '80s, grew up in the '90s and came of age in the early 2000's had this notion shoved down our throats by Gen X and Boomers that not only is making fun of people good humor, but it's actually the BEST kind of humor- and punching down only makes it better. And I get how, in the context when this cultural phenomenon was building, that it provided a useful foil to the stick-up-the-arse obsessed-with-etiquette image of pre-1960's middle America and was seen as taboo-challenging but it's gotten kind of old now. I'm not gonna riot or cancel anyone over jokes like this but I think it's worth taking opportunities to suggest that maaayyybeee poking fun at disabled (or for that matter black/gay/fat/etc etc) people isn't actually the hilarious comedy gold that MTV kept telling us it was 20 years ago.

I'd be inclined to feel the same way if it wasn't for the fact that modern culture hasn't advanced much outside of inverting the goalposts of offensive jokes from being about minorities to being about majorities. 

[_princess_]

39 minutes ago, PlayStation 2 said:

I'd be inclined to feel the same way if it wasn't for the fact that modern culture hasn't advanced much outside of inverting the goalposts of offensive jokes from being about minorities to being about majorities. 

yes you have a valid point. Feminism just seems to not be about actually feminizing society or encouraging women to be more ladylike and cultured, but by making women more macho and uncultured, like that new Equalizer tv show for example. I don't really want to diss the show because it seems rather entertaining as a television program and the show seems to be attempting to clean up crime from the ghetto, but its just a useful example of our society as a whole.

[piratemonkey]

As someone who is probably mildly autistic (never diagnosed, just have symptoms of aspergers) I'm not offended at all. I'm with @PlayStation 2 don't be offended for someone else. You may think the joke is in poor taste, but that's no reason to be offended. 

Interesting to note, one time on wan Linus said he's probably autistic

[NattyKathy]

57 minutes ago, PlayStation 2 said:

I'd be inclined to feel the same way if it wasn't for the fact that modern culture hasn't advanced much outside of inverting the goalposts of offensive jokes from being about minorities to being about majorities. 

I mean, going from punching down to punching up is a pretty significant difference when looking at society thru a view of power dynamics. But I agree that making fun of people in general is just low-effort humor and there are much better (nicer, and funnier) ways of getting a laugh.

[IkeaGnome]

5 hours ago, trombonejb said:

in his earlier years and he has expressed unusual behavior countless times. But words cannot express how far he has grown as a person adapting to himself as well as the world around him. Not only does he have a driver's license, last I heard he completed his masters in accounting which is very hard to get. Some of you might think "wow that's so inspirational that someone with autism can do that."

I feel like your word choice could be a lot better here. It feels like you're looking down on your friend. 

Here's a question. Did your friend find it offensive so you came here to post for them? Or are you making assumptions for your friend?

[Sir.gg]

Offensive statements aside, it' really just one of those "big oof" things. Like, really Linus? Autism jokes? A couple months ago he deleted a retweet because the person he retweeted was racist. It's hard to know when someone is crossing the line, when the line is a bunch of scribbles. Again, offensive statement aside, this is just out of character for public Linus. He's dipped his toes into the memes a bit hard. It's one thing to joke about stuff with Luke or friends, but his public statements not only affect himself LTT as a business, and the rest of his employees. He's not yet at the point where he's Elon and can just yolo say anything. Or is he?

He's just getting more and more out of his old norm.

[IkeaGnome]

2 minutes ago, seee the state im in nooow said:

just don't say stuff like this personally or directly in front of people on the spectrum. it's all i ask for

 

(not sure of the walking helmet thing, this is literally my first time hearing of this practise, and i've volunteered multiple times and have never encountered this)

But my little brother makes these jokes and is on the spectrum. Do we shame him?

[Sir.gg]

3 minutes ago, seee the state im in nooow said:

just don't say stuff like this personally or directly in front of people on the spectrum. it's all i ask for

 

(not sure of the walking helmet thing, this is literally my first time hearing of this practise, and i've volunteered multiple times and have never encountered this)

To clarify the helmet thing, helmets are often to help shape the skull or protect softer skulls of some babies. Down the road, helmets may be worn by those with "special needs" who are more likely to sustain injury (either from behavior or from motor control issues), and also those prone to seizures where having a seizure can result in injury to oneself just simply due to collapsing and hitting your head on something (including the ground). At least in schools in larger cities, it's not uncommon for kids and teens to be exposed to special needs students that have to wear a helmet for whatever the reason may be (this was even true through high school for myself, where there were special needs students wearing helmets regularly). The connection between autism/special needs and helmets is obviously made by then, and then continues on to videos like this one . Hence, helmets+special needs.

[SansVarnic]

When I was a kid we said square helmets. 

The disconnect between then and today is ... today there is a greater number of thin skinned people than there was then. Additionally there are more that want to feel ashamed or offended on "behalf" of others, this a very poor and very retarded way of thinking.

Before anyone decides to call me out for saying retarded.. look at the definition of the word first I am using it correctly. 

[DustyHeatsink]

time to cancel firefighters because they use fire retardant

 

cancel airbus for the a320’s idle throttle warning, “50, 40, 30, 20, retard”

 

I guess you can be offended for other people, but it helps no one. All you’re doing is strengthening this new online mindset of trying to find things to be offended by

[trombonejb]

39 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

When I was a kid we said square helmets. 

The disconnect between then and today is ... today there is a greater number of thin skinned people than there was then. Additionally there are more that want to feel ashamed or offended on "behalf" of others, this a very poor and very retarded way of thinking.

Before anyone decides to call me out for saying retarded.. look at the definition of the word first I am using it correctly. 

So if someone calls my black friend (not the same friend with autism) the n word then it would make me thin skinned to stand up for my friend and just let it slide instead and be cool with it?

You're right about the use of the R word but get this https://www.spreadtheword.global/

[Sir.gg]

Just a heads-up: Linus has taken this as a learning moment. I'm not sure I can 100% buy the fact he didn't know about helmets, given that he's only a few years older than I am and my prior comment clarifying the helmet thing (unless "suburban" Canadian schools are different than here in the US by a significant amount in that regard). But, he's at least learned and has actioned that hey, he probably shouldn't say stuff like that.

 

 

 

 

[LogicalDrm]

10 hours ago, DustyHeatsink said:

time to cancel firefighters because they use fire retardant

 

cancel airbus for the a320’s idle throttle warning, “50, 40, 30, 20, retard”

 

I guess you can be offended for other people, but it helps no one. All you’re doing is strengthening this new online mindset of trying to find things to be offended by

Your examples show how narrow your view of the world is. With those cases, the target and the word are not referring to human, group of humans or medical condition. Just like word negro isn't automatically racist. But calling someone, for any reason, retarded without describing their actual medical learning difficulties, is very offensive and gross misuse of the word. Same goes with words which are evolved from that Spanish word for black.

 

Overall I would agree on point "don't get offended for the people unless you know they would be offended". I'm part of visually impaired community, and don't usually get annoyed when people misuse term "blind". What does irk me is when people misuse the services that are created or needed by those with disabilities. Or whine about them being even possible.

[Rybo]

I'm just mystified that we as societies have so little joy left in ourselves that we can't laugh with each other.  Some of the funniest stand up I've ever seen has been comedians caricaturing and stereotyping different types of people, including themselves, and you know a multiracial friendship is solid when the group can freely make fun of the stereotypes of each others' races.  Nothing -- not race, not disability, not sexuality -- should be above this, because it implies that the protected characteristic is somehow less and in need of protection. 

We're not enemies.  Unless something is quite obviously meant to offer offense, don't take offense.  In the small scale you're just harming your own mental health and in the large scale you're doing the work of separating humanity into castes based on our immutable characteristics.  


 

[Mutoh]

Captain Cancelled strikes again.