Things To Stop Saying To Autistic People
August 8th, 2022 Barry Posted in Ableism, Becky Hawkins collaborations | No Comments »
This cartoon is another collab between me and Becky Hawkins.
If you like these cartoons then these cartoons like you too. They sit up at night thinking about you, but not in a creepy way. But they do it all the time, and that is a little bit creepy. Thinking… thinking… thinking… Maybe if you supported them they’d stop? But when I put it that way it sounds a bit like blackmail. Um, never mind.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has nine panels, arranged in a 3×3 grid. The central panel has nothing in it but large, cheerful letters, which say:
THINGS TO STOP SAYING TO AUTISTIC PEOPLE
Each panel features a different character speaking directly to the reader.
PANEL 1
A young person with a jeans vest over a white shirt with torn short sleeves – essentially looking like a modern person who for some reason is dressing like a 50s greaser – is speaking to the reader with a wide-eyed, sincere expression, one palm held up.
GREASER: A kid at my son’s school is autistic! I feel so BAD for the parents.
PANEL 2
A middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie, with a beard that screams “I am an intellectual,” is looking a little puzzled, one hand stroking his beard.
MAN: You don’t LOOK autistic.
PANEL 3
A balding man with white hair is holding out a hand in a “please stop that” gesture.
MAN: Could you stop flapping your hands? It’s weird.
PANEL 4
A woman with carefully-messy-styled hair and wearing a full makeup job is holding her hands with their palms against each other in front of her chin. She’s smiling very large.
WOMAN: Autistic? That’s VERY fashionable these days.
PANEL 5
This is the central panel, which has nothing in it but a caption, in large, cheerful letters.
CAPTION: THINGS TO STOP SAYING TO AUTISTIC PEOPLE
PANEL 6
A man with an enormous beard, and nice glasses, glares suspiciously at the reader, with arms akimbo.
MAN: My niece is autistic and noisy rooms don’t bother HER.
PANEL 7
A middle-aged woman with a somewhat hippy-ish vibe is smiling and talking to the viewer. She has fluffed-out white or blonde hair, and is wearing at least three rings, six bracelets, and four necklaces, nearly all of which are large and chunky. She’s speaking so much that it forms a wall of words behind her, most of which we can’t make out because she’s in the way, but we can read enough to get the gist of it.
WOMAN: Have you tried yoga? Not eating sugar? Not eating dairy? Sun… celery juice? …matory diet? … Acupunct…. Quitting sm…. Float?
PANEL 8
A young guy carrying a drink with a straw is grinning and pointing to himself proudly with a thumb.
GUY: I know ALL about autism. I’ve seen “Rain Man” AND “Big Bang Theory”!
PANEL 9
A middle aged woman leans forward towards us, a concerned expression on her face. She‘s dressed nicely in a jacket over a blouse and a simple necklace. She’s got one hand aside her mouth, as if she’s whispering to us.
WOMAN: Have you just TRIED acting NORMAL?
