http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/dont-judge-a-mother-until-you-know-the-whole-story/?hp
What's equally interesting to me is the comments. The vast majority of them are sympathetic, or from other parents of autistic children, sharing experiences they've had. One comment, however, calls the mother "irresponsible" for taking her son out to get food--something he'll have to do on his own when he's older; the commenter also claims "you could schedule these training runs when you don't have an actual purchase to make," apparently having missed this:
"As a result, I schedule the bulk of my grocery shopping for times when he is in school or being cared for by someone else. However, sometimes I plan short trips like this one to help him get used to grocery stores (a skill he’ll need if he is going to live independently) or, like today, because we need some essential item at a time when I have no childcare options for him." The commenter goes on to claim--well, here's the whole thing. Read the blog post first, then this:
"
Really irresponsible behavior on the part of the mother. These “training runs” can be conducted just as effectively when she doesn’t have an actual purchase to make, and can take the child out of the store without having to subject him (not to mention the clerks and the other customers) to his dis-ordered behavior. She can justify her actions until kingdome come, but basically she was just imposing her own lack of responsible planning, and desire for convenience on 1) the child; and 2) everyone else who was affected by his behavior. While one can feel sympathy for the challenges that mother and child face, it is the height of self-absorption to just put on the victim cap, assume the martyr stance and expect the rest of society to stand aside or politely ignore her child’s bad behavior. She’s just scamming here, trying to claim ‘intergration’ when all she wants is ‘convenience’.
— [Commenter name deleted]"And I'm thinking: A corrosive lack of empathy. Poor reading comprehension. Holier-than-thou. Patronizing. Head fake toward "sympathy" for them, when you can tell he feels no sympathy whatsoever. Calling her a "scammer"(?!?!?) And, finally, the complete and total failure to recognize that autism is a SEVERE MEDICAL CONDITION, and referring to it as "bad behavior."
I don't want to go so far as to say that conservative philosophy itself is a disorder, but there's so much overlap between a lack of basic, humane empathy and the philosophy itself that seems to me worthy of note.
