Autistan: metaphorical country, concrete support

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1. Original article in “Autism Magazine” (Brazil)

https://www.canalautismo.com.br/noticia/autistao-pais-metaforico-apoio-concreto/

2. Same article, here (“Autistic people gather in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Autistan Day”)

In line with the celebrations of World Autism Awareness Day – instituted by the United Nations (UNO) for the day 2 April, the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, a non-profit institution with several points and supporters around the world, promoted Autistan Day in Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, this past Sunday (31).

On the occasion, autistic people from different states in Brazil, in person and virtually, discussed topics of free choice in various round tables. Between the debates, Subjects such as neurodiversity, diagnosis, prejudice, Autistic women and self-acceptance.

The person responsible for the event was the Frenchman Eric Lucas, from 54 Years, who classified the schedule as the hardest day of his life. There were more than 10 Hours focused on call management and transmission, made simultaneously on YouTube and Facebook, so that it could be watched in different places in Brazil.

Dialogues

The idea for Autistan Day came just two months before the event itself. Despite the rush, Eric managed to bring together different autistic people in different positions in autistic media activism – such as youtuber Leonard Akira, podcaster Erika Ribeiro and teenager Zeca Szymon – to talk about the topics that interested them.

"They were very collaborative, Very patient, Very cool. This is the magic effect of Brazil, The people are more humane, more open, kinder and kinder. Brazil, In my opinion as a Frenchman, It is a very advanced country in terms of rights for autistic people", Told.

The event started at 11 am and continued until 9:30 pm. The schedules were divided into small lectures, comments and included, also, details about Autistan – a metaphorical concept of a country of autistic people. In addition, the public was able to follow the broadcast on the organization's YouTube channel and on the Facebook page.

The proposal, according to Lucas, was complicated to execute. "There were more than 10 volunteers, But the event involved a lot of technology, interactions and it was extremely difficult. We're not used to doing such complicated things with the computer", Highlighted.

Originally the event would have a connection with the Journée de l'Autistan, occurred simultaneously in Belgium. Nevertheless, Transmission problems caused schedule changes. Despite the impasses, Autistan Day maintained the participation of all autistic people planned.

"I had a lot of stress and fear of having technical problems, But it's my way of doing it. 'Cause when we think too much, We think it's impossible and we do nothing. But we managed to do something really cool and we solved the problems together", Completed.

Support

It is impossible to dissociate the Embassy of Autistan, physical location of the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, of the figure of Eric Lucas. Since leaving France after the Paris terrorist attack in 2015 and have rented, in February 2017, an apartment of 40 m² in Copacabana, The space welcomes and supports, with its own resources, autistic people from different parts of the country.

Eric, in the past, He was a traveling figure and of many stories. It even appeared in the edition of 2001 from Guinness World Records, he was in countries like Russia, Egypt and Kazakhstan, is polyglot, was a DJ during 15 years and adapted to social life as much as possible. More than two years ago, in Rio de Janeiro, He says he is satisfied with the change and avoids appearing in photos.

The Frenchman lives with Shree Ram, a young Nepalese man whom he met on one of his trips in Nepal and who accompanies him in Autistan and in Brazilian life. "We have a friendship that we couldn't imagine. It's like a brother to another mother. We are very happy here", told.

A neurodiverse help in Eric's life is Ludmila Leal, that he has an autistic brother and collaborated, in general, in the organization. "This is the path for humanity. This is the only way to peace, people accept and put themselves in the place of the other", She says about the importance of differences.

It was the intention of trying to understand other autistic people that Lucas made as many adaptations as possible for the guests. Geuvana Nogueira, for instance, is part of the Autistic League, has dietary restrictions and moved from Campo Grande to Rio. In the capital, was assisted by the organization and the other autistic people present.

In Rio de Janeiro, Geovana said she experienced challenges. "I got out of my comfort zone, It was delicate. But I believe that, when we can accept ourselves and look at ourselves as autistic, The other autistic is not difficult. It's as if everyone already knows each other".

Eric Lucas reiterated Austan's mission. "We want to collaborate with anyone, Be autistic, families or organizations. We are an autistic organization, extra-national, i.e., Not linked to any country, with a global vision to support national activists".

Stories

The backstage days of Autistan Day yielded meetings and experiences for the participants. Erika Ribeiro, podcaster of the Erika's Small Talk, He recognized the event as a kind of watershed in his saga to "come out of the closet" that dragged on in a significant part of his 39 years old.

"I was diagnosed at the height of my career, with 22 Years. I was studying Law, I worked and that gave me an abnormal mental confusion. I went to seek psychiatric help and ended up diagnosed with ADD and Asperger's. I decided to come to show up soon and let's go!”, Told.

Most of the participants in the event were adults, except Zeca Szymon, a teenager from 14 Years, accompanied by his mother, Magaly Botafogo. On the other hand, Geuvana has two grown children, and sees her position as something different from most non-autistic mothers.

"One of them doesn't live with me. When he comes home, There is a very big discomfort. I hate to be held, And I get choked. And you don't identify with it anymore, But it's your son, You like him. But I'm learning to deal with it. I raised them to have their lives. His life is not mine, it's his", Explained.

YouTuber Leonard Akira faced that autistic potentialities should be explored. "Autism, for part of the parents, It is considered a taboo and a limiter. They think about all the difficulties that their child will have in life and the discrimination. If a parent has a more hopeful view of their child, he sees the advantages and disadvantages of this condition".

Ludmila, who followed everything behind the broadcast cameras, approved Autistan Day. "The more events that show different ways of living, To think, of living together, to accept, best. [Need] End intolerance, that is spreading in civilization, and at this moment it is of paramount importance".

Introvertendo Podcast — episode about Autistan Day

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Tiago Abreu
http://www.introvertendo.com.br
Journalist, autistic and creator of the podcast Introvertendo.

3. Autistan Day Videos

3.1. Closing clip:

4. Text of the presentation at the beginning of the day

Presentation of Autistan, of autism, of the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, Autistan Day concept, and the "Autistan Day 2019" events in Rio de Janeiro.

(Event Introduction 31/03/2019 at the Autistan Embassy in Rio de Janeiro)

Welcome, welcome to Autistan!

1/ What is Autistan ?

The word "Autistan" (translated into Autistan in Portuguese) It's simply a name, invented by our French autistic friend Josef Schovanec, in 2014.

This name literally means "the country of autistic people", as "Kazakhstan" means "country of the Kazakhs".

A "country of autistic people" or a "world of autistic people", That's a metaphor to speak of, As a matter of fact, of the specific things of autistic people: Different views on the world, The ways of thinking, the sensibilities and special qualities, The original creations of autistic people, and so on.

When you can "enter the world" of an autistic person, for example, when he explains the thoughts, The passions, his works, etc, or simply, not to mention, sharing his "inner peace" or "innocence", You will move in a "mental frame" very different from your usual frame of reference, that of the "standard normal world". Like this, After this experience, you will have the impression of having taken "a trip to Autistan".

Use the name "Autistan", as a kind of "virtual country", It allows more things than with just the word "autism", because "Autistan" gives a notion of "place", And this is very interesting for autistic people, because, in a lifetime, We have an impression of always being foreigners, with no "place of their own", the impression that in every social place, in every social situation, You're going to have a problem, discomfort, etc. which is very close to reality, unfortunately.

Like this, The idea of "a country for autistic people", Even if virtual, can help autistic people have hope, to start having confidence, what is indispensable to stop feeling more or less "inferior" or "sick" or "people with a disorder", or "bearers" of something, etc.

Autistan is a virtual country, or metaphorical, But it is not an imaginary country, 'Cause all of this exists well, backwards, for instance, from the country of the Smurfs (which we could call the "Smurfistan"), that exists only in the imagination.

Like this, the word Autistan is a way of naming something that exists: autism, That it's not an imaginary thing.

If we try to go a little further, to achieve less "virtual" things with Autistan, We have several possibilities.

– First, has the notion of "autistic people" or "autistic nation", that makes sense because autism has something genetic and hereditary about it, and we believe that autistic people are born autistic, which corresponds to the etymology of the word "nation", and also, even if each autistic person is particularly unique (which is the result of our resistance to standardization), We also have things in common, specific to autistic people, that makes an autistic person from one country understand well other autistic people from other countries, when we can place ourselves further away from the "social or cultural layer", Be, closer to Autistan, of our nature.

– Secondly, if we want to seek a kind of "physical country" for autistic people, You don't have to get a piece of land on the planet, because this is difficult but also because we want to be able to live anywhere on the globe, Like the others (but with respect for our sensibilities and differences), No segregation ; So we can simply say that every "autistic person's place", Every "autistic refuge" (Like a room) can be seen as a part of the "global physical space of Autistan" : We just have to state it, to have a few square meters that "belong" to Autistan. For instance, here, Every Square Meter (Rental) of the first physical Embassy of Autistan in the world is a "territory of Autistan", even if this is not official according to the usual conventions.

– Thirdly, we can say that autistic people are mentally in Autistan when their thoughts are "in autism", far from the social reference and the media.

In this way, each autistic person has their own piece of "Autistan", usually without knowing it.

When we speak of the "world of thoughts", We talk about consciousness, and even more abstract things.

There are very abstract things, without anything material, but that do exist in reality, such as love.

When you're "lost" (Or lost) in your thoughts", When you "come back to reality", You don't know how long your "mental trip" took or where your "own self" was exactly...

Like this, The thoughts and mental references of autistic people may be "in reality" but with a non-social approach, different, or they may also be further away from material things, and closer to spiritual things, Closer to the truth, of purity, and so on.

In this way we can also see Autistan as a kind of "perfect mental country", or a space of truth, of natural purity and harmony, not subject to the rules of the material world that we can feel with our body, are the 3 Dimensions, and time.

2/ Autism : The fundamental importance of understanding the difference between autism, and the so-called "disorders"

Autism and "disorders" (or the related difficulties) They are two different things.

– Autism is the specific nature of autistic people, who is "protected" from what I call "Non-Autistic Disorders".
The autistic, As much as he is "authentically autistic", less adapted or altered by social conventions, will be living mentally in a kind of "natural reference", with a more unique and more original personality, and more in harmony with nature, Order, Justice, The truth. He is more sensitive, and at the same time he has a kind of "self-protection" against absurdity and social vices, of which "normal" people are victims, unfortunately, living in an artificial social system disconnected from nature, of the truth etc.

– Autistic people who do things different from this, such as lying, they simply do non-autistic things, Not representative of autism, because the most authentic autistic people don't even have the idea of lying or doing things to feel superior, to manipulate, to try to imagine what others think of them, etc, which forms most of the concerns of non-autistic people, unfortunately, That I don't blame, for they are victims of this perverted social system.

– The so-called "autistic disorders" are simply the results of the global conflict between the two frames of reference (The natural, autistic, and the artificial, Not autistic).

How autistic people can't (And they shouldn't) adapt well to the artificial system (dangerous for everyone), They have problems, Sufferings, Crises, because of the lack of understanding of all this on the part of people who live within the social standard (That shows every day a little more that it's wrong).

– There are also "disorders" that are very subjective, For example, the fact that they prefer to be isolated without communicating much is seen as a "disorder" only because of the current social system that is based on a kind of fashion of hyper-communication where everything is "social", But in reality the natural preference for solitude is not a disorder, but only a way of being, which is worth no less than wasting your time in gossip and constant social strife.

I'm not saying that autistic people prefer solitude in general, but to prefer to leave the solitude, to get closer to the "social mess", This system of society has a lot to do, Very much, to look attractive to us...

– Once we understand that finally the so-called "autism" is just a "non-autistic concept", and that the "normal" system has many, many defects and should not dictate our lives, We can start to overcome and live better, with the acceptance of autism, Not as a disease or a disorder to accept, But as our nature differs, which is neither worth more nor less than the other differences. Only the current social system is wrong, Not the people.

– Like this, We have the right to respect our differences, of our original approaches to life, of the so-called "autism". And how all this forms a kind of autism-specific "world", we can call this world "Autistan", and see how this tool can help our cause.

– Recognize that each autistic person lives more or less in their own world, or your own reference or value system, is simply acknowledging the truth, And there's nothing wrong with that; But that doesn't mean autistic people want or should live just like that, Isolated, 'Cause how we have the right to difference (Like any living being), We also have the right to inclusion, to a life without more suffering than others, to a happy life, which is almost impossible these days, because of the general blockage between autism and non-autism, Of the general misunderstanding, due to the fact that non-autistic people believe that the only way to be happy would be to adapt to the default system, and that autistic people should "erase their autism", to live as non-autistic, which unfortunately many of them do (In a lot of pain), which is total nonsense.

– Backwards, autistic people should fight to preserve their original qualities, And to explain it all, and to obtain the necessary adaptations from the "normal system". If many people prefer to adapt to a normal system, This is not enough to force those who cannot and who should not: This would be a form of what I call the "dictatorship of normalitarianism".

– Thus, we must strive to obtain reciprocity in adaptations: Can autistic people make adjustment efforts Yes (without erasing their autism, be it nature and autistic qualities), but the social system must also make efforts to correct its defects, And so everyone could benefit from it: Autistic people with less suffering, and non-autistic people, with a less coarse life, less absurd, less violent, with fewer problems, fewer injustices, less fear of everything etc.

– In other words, Better understand autistic people, and our sensitivity, and taking this into account at the level of the social organization of the "normal" countries must logically produce positive effects for everyone.

3/ The Diplomatic Organization of Autistan

– Autistan is just a name, the name of the country or world of autistic people in the metaphorical sense, but to do concrete and useful things, we have the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, that tries to do everything possible to explain these things and to improve relations between all groups or bodies that want or should help autistic people to have a better life, A dignified life, that we deserve.

– As our Organization is not involved in the internal conflicts of each country, We can propose our visions, Our Tools, our support when possible, in a complementary way to what already exists, When this is useful, and with a global approach that can help public authorities better understand the importance of the requests of national activist groups (autistic people and parents), for example, when we show that this is similar in other countries.

– Like this, Political struggles, Necessary, are made by the national groups of the countries: this is not the role of our Organization, that only tries to achieve a global and universal vision of all this, and propose concepts, Useful Boards and Tools, in order to improve the lives of the world's autistic people, which benefits all living beings in general.

4/ The Ambassadors and Embassies of Autistan

– The fact that it has Ambassadors and even a physical Embassy, here, is very important to show that our Organization is not just "an idea that looks cool", but something concrete, Made to serve.

– And this is also good for the self-esteem of autistic people, When they know what we do exists, that there really is at least one place made by and for autistic people, without depending on anyone, It helps them feel stronger, further away from that idea of "disability" that makes us live as "defective people", what, Very obviously, It is a huge problem to live happily and to want to adapt to a society that sees us as walking defects.

– Like this, the general public can also "wake up" when he discovers this concept of "Autistan Embassy", because it wouldn't make sense to create, for instance, an "Embassy of Canceristan": Like this, This helps people get out of standard thoughts about autism.

– I will not talk more about the Embassy of Autistan in Rio de Janeiro,

of our Ambassadors,

of our Goals,

From our List of Fundamental Rights of Autistic People,

Not even ours Explanations about autism,

because you can see all this on the pages of the site Autistan.org.

5/ Autistan.net

There is also the website Autistan.net, which is "the network of autistic people in the world", in other words, the "people of Autistan" website. All this starting little by little.

6/ Autistance.org

Autistan is very abstract, and helps in a relatively symbolic way, In the long term.

But we also have a concept of concrete mutual aid, named Autistance, with the website Autistance.org.

Autistance is a word formed with "autistic" and "assistance", which means "support".

This concept is based on the idea that every autistic person needs a personal support network, which is evident but which is almost always missing.

With this tool, We want to help families make these personal networks for their children, organize help with volunteers and better share information, tips etc, and also for emergencies (e.g. crises, or when an autistic child is lost).

All of this is a huge job, that we try to start, Out of the blue.

It also has a first Autistance Club, more in harmony with Autistan, that is starting here in Copacabana.

7/ Autistan Day

– Autistan Day is a global concept, imagined to have our own "Autism Day", in parallel with World Autism Awareness Day 2 April, that was created without consulting autistic people (A bit like creating a World Women's Day, entirely idealized by men...).

– Generally, Associations in the world that follow the "official" day have that "defective" approach to autism, like that autism tape, that spreads an idea of "disease", And there are many autistic organizations that don't like that, obviously.

– In general, The Default Ideas About Autism Are Terribly Wrong, and this prevents the necessary reciprocal adaptations. For example, when the dictionary speaks of "people suffering from autism" : No, Autistic people do not suffer from autism, suffer from the consequences of a lack of adaptations and understanding of autism, on the part of the non-autistic social system.

8/ The events of Autistan Day for 2019

– How this concept of Autistan Day is new, This year we have only a few events that try to be in harmony with the whole that I have explained, generally.

– In Belgium, Today the 31 March 2019, has an event called "Opération Chaussettes Bleues, en route pour l'Autistan" ("Operation Blue Socks, on the way to Autistan"), in the Royal Park of Brussels, with various activities and lectures, with Josef Schovanec (the creator of the name Autistan, who is our godfather) and with the Ambassadors of Autistan in Belgium and France.

– In Brazil, Have, today, this roundtable at the Embassy of Autistan, with you, autistic people from Brazil who accepted our invitation to this little adventure, and where you will be able to express yourself at will.

This is just a first experience; We've never done this before, and technically it's a bit difficult, Let's see.

Perhaps it will be one of the very few, or perhaps the only international event organized entirely by autistic people.

– In Czech Republic, There is also a mother of an autistic boy today, that he really likes the concept and that he also organizes a meeting "Autistan Day".

– And, next Sunday, or 7 April, We will have an "Autistan" booth at the big event "Good Deeds Day 2019" at the Girl from Ipanema Park, near Pedra do Arpoador, Organized by tied, a volunteer organization that helped us with both events.

I hope I have summarized the essentials to understand Autistan and about Autistan Day ; Thank you very much for your attention, Thank you also for the courage to try new things, welcome to the Autistan Day event 2019 at the Autistan Embassy in Rio de Janeiro!

Eric LUCAS

Founder of the Autistan Diplomatic Organization

5.Preparation

Details about the participants

6. Autistan Day in Belgium

7. Continuation with the Day of Good Deeds in Ipanema

Video about Autistan Day and Good Deeds Day with the volunteering organization tied, in 07/04/2019 in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro:

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