Romantic views of Autism

[cyberseraphim]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8192895.stm

Not really news I suppose - all films present an unrealistic/wildly romanticised view of life so why should autism be any different? Still a bit annoying though

not all films but most of the successful ones

The article is very sensible. I didn't see the movie, but a couple of reviews of 'Adam' (in TimeOut and the Guardian) irked me. Both reviewers used the phrase 'It was dishonest', the TimeOut reviewer finding it unrealistic that a pretty girl like the actress would go out with someone with Asperger's. The Guardian reviewer referred to Asperger's as a mental illness, and said that people with Asperger's can only think of themselves. ffs! I thought of writing to the Guardian, but haven't seen the movie...

You know what? I've written to the Guardian anyway, I just got so p** off

Good for you.
My son is handsome, intelligent and interesting, and there are many females out there who could do a lot worse.
He still prefers cats.

here's what I wrote:

Dear Film Editor,
the review of the recent film 'Adam' that you published on the 7th of August 2009 contains two mistakes.

1. While people with Asperger's may suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, Asperger's syndrome is not a mental illness; it's a neurological condition.
2. Contrary to common opinion, being unable to think of anyone but themselves is not a defining characteristic of Asperger's. Many people with Asperger's are in affectionate relationships with their parents, friends, romantic partners and their own children.

I find it intriguing that both your reviewer and the reviewer in TimeOut used the phrase 'it/this feels dishonest' with reference to 'Adam'. It's not a phrase one sees very often in reviews of romantic comedies. This is, after all, Hollywood. In a universe where a schizophrenic Russell Crowe wins the undying loyalty of a Jennifer Connelly, and an old man with OCD who happens to be Jack Nicholson can bed Helen Hunt, I (for one) don't find it so implausible that someone who looks like Hugh Dancy should get together with Rose Byrne, Asperger's notwithstanding. But that is just my opinion, and your reviewer is of course entitled to hers. The factual mistakes, however? Tut tut. Try to do your homework next time.

Sincerely,

Good for you sc3 - that's a brilliant letter!

IIRC there was an article about this film in the times as well - times article wasn't too bad, but was a bit that the times sought opinions from some counsellor who is supposedly expert in advising couples where one has aspergers, rather than from someone with aspergers!

Well done. SC13 - they amended it!

Now says:

? This article was amended on 10 August 2009. The original referred to the risk of "trivialising mental illness", whereas Asperger's is a neurologically-rooted condition. This has been corrected