Friday, August 19, 2011

Classic Autism - A Definition

Classic Autism - A tongue in cheek definition. If you know anything about autism, there are some inside jokes. If you don't know anything about autism, then this is just really weird.


Classic Autism was predominant in the late 17th century and was often recognized as an alternative to highly structured and restrictive Victorian social codes. This was supplanted by Neo-Classic Autism with the advent of the 18th Century and the rapid changes in governments vis-a-vis the French and American revolutions. The freedom of expression and dismantling of strict social hierarchies of this period created fertile ground for the growth of eclectic forms of expression that make Autism so distinctive. As the Industrial Age took hold Autism took an odd turn, avoiding the high intensity noise, chemical smells and chaotic expansionism and instead opted for solitude and a quiescent life style. Autism continued to follow its own path through the Modern and Post Modern periods nurturing an inventive and atypical way of thinking. It was a mistake of the world at large to assume that Autism was no longer a force to be reckoned with simply because there was little visible interaction with this eccentric community. While it is true that during this time period there was little obvious interaction with society, Autism was building the foundation for a strong, some say unstoppable, resurgence. With the explosion of technology in the 21st century, Autism has once again exploded on to the scene, their plans of world domination developed in their quiescent period bearing fruit as adherents have taken places in the highest levels of science an engineering. It will be interesting to see if Autism can survive the schizms between the Aspergian sect, the Kannerites and the more inclusive D5's (a corruption of the more formal DSM-V). If Autism is able to reconcile these profound differences within their ranks, they may hold the power to fully and finally transform human culture into something approaching the utopian visions of the greatest human thinkers.