The False Moral Authority of Titles
In today's world, holding an advanced degree or prestigious title leads those individuals to think that they are entitled to the role of moral and legal gatekeeper. Such a perspective is not only outdated but dangerously arrogant.
(This echoes the colonial mindset where the "educated colonizers" claimed ipso facto moral and legal authority over those they deemed "uneducated primitives").
One quick path to fame and relevance today is the spread of negative news, fueled by algorithms that amplify these messages. As as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar noted, humans already have a tendency to doubt the positive but not the negative. For instance, when someone says "I love you," it's often met with skepticism ("Really?"), while "I hate you" is silently accepted.
Negative news triggers larger outward reactions, whereas positive news generates internal feel-good responses that don't spread as widely. As a result, negative spins and conspiracy theories have become a quick road to staying relevant and profits in the form of online followers, book deals, speaking engagements.... which in turn helps justify the perception of them as an "expert" and the "moral authority."
This phenomenon has many parallels in the field of autism. Select groups have positioned themselves as the sole experts of autism, their way the only way, and the lone voice of morality. They effectively shut down alternative lines of research in autism or approaches by being the loudest or most powerful voice. This is accompanied by vicious attacks, harassment, and doxxing of those they consider "others." This helps maintain their positions of power, fame and profit - (Perhaps they also get a rush out of this bullying).
The irony is that existing evidence-based practices are often weaponized or misrepresented to justify their stance. Just because something isn't fully explainable or understood yet doesn't mean it should be dismissed as pseudoscience. Rather, it represents science-in-progress. Complex phenomena like autism often defy simple cause-and-effect explanations, waiting for the right methods, technologies, or even an evolution in our scientific thinking to fit neatly into an explainable model.
A 'certification degree' or Ph.D. does not make one all-knowing about a highly heterogeneous condition like autism. We are all still trying to figure autism out. If we had all the explanations and solutions, the quality of life for all autistic individuals would be infinitely better. It’s crucial to remember that science is a process, not a destination. It thrives on curiosity, openness, and the willingness to challenge existing paradigms. True progress in understanding autism, and indeed any complex phenomenon, requires humility, collaboration, and an openness to diverse perspectives.
Let's resist the allure of false authority and the spread of negativity. Instead, let's foster a culture of inquiry and respect, where every voice is heard, and every avenue of research is explored. Only then can we hope to make meaningful progress in understanding and improving the lives of those within the autism community and beyond.
