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Mental retardation IS a gift, It is NOT a disability

Mad Hatter

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Of course none of this necessarily implies that happiness and intelligence are causally related. And it's all pretty Ne-speculative anyway.

Maybe there just is a natural disposition in people towards happiness/unhappiness, like with a lot of other things. If this is true, I think it works more like a catalyst of these dispositions, rather than a force of its own.
If intelligence implies questioning and analysis or a given situation (which can also mean "your life as a whole"), it certainly can get you deeper into a rut - provided you have already been in one.
But maybe it can also work the opposite way ... I've been quite unhappy for some time, but I had a couple of interesting insights (though I don't feel like elaborating, at least not in this thread) when I was around 19 which made me appreciate myself as the person I am. Basically all of them came from mere self-reflection, and I was pretty glad I had arrived at that point - because I've never been truly unhappy ever since.
Of course, this implies that self-reflection etc. = using intelligence, but to me it's an example that intelligence can in fact make you happy.
 

Ivy

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did you mean Asperger's? The difference is that the gifts people with Asperger's have are largely intellectual. That doesn't negate the social/communication issues they have to deal with. But I sort of agree with you, although maybe not in the way that you think- I do think people with mental retardation, along with their deficits, have other gifts (as all people do, I believe, though some are snuffed out or squandered) and should be respected and treated as fully human.
 

Poki

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Of course none of this necessarily implies that happiness and intelligence are causally related. And it's all pretty Ne-speculative anyway.

So can we safely come to the conclusion that its Ne wandering and speculation, not intelligence that drives worry. Have you verified to see how intelligent Ne is? It could possibly just be a curiousity of relation and intelligence is more dependent on how succesful you are at figuring out that relation. So the more you worry , the less intelligent you are since you have problems putting the 2 together and understanding the correlation. So the more you worry, the less intelligent you actually are. :D
 

pyramid

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Does anyone here actually work in the field? I've seen many people who help care for these individuals sadly treat them as overgrown infants, even petting the heads of those in wheelchairs like animals (probably because they are at hand-level. there is a difference between stroking someone's hair lovingly and patting them on the head in approval) :shocking: I couldn't believe how many workers COMPLAINED constantly while they were on the job, about their personal, pathetic issues that pale in comparison to what's in front of them: being someone perpetually dependent on others.

ANYWAY... I see each individual as such, a unique entity, and I love to listen to and otherwise be around those with "developmental disabilities" (I HATE all the PC terms. ugh!). I can't paint with my feet nor tell that someone is smiling at me when I'm not looking directly at them. These people do remarkable and uncanny things for a caregiving audience of fretful people who placate them, in my opinion. I do respect everyone's case and most of the time relatives of the person have been caring for them their whole lives and I believe that you should respect the wishes of family and those who know them best. It's about compromise of what's worked and what people feel is best.

Most of these people need adaptive, evolving care not just a rigid behaviour plan with canned responses that become predictable and meaningless to those being addressed.

My work with direct support so far comes down to respecting one's human rights and striving to present new ideas and experiences and methods to our consumers. I like this exposure principle.

I am hopefully starting with a new organization next week, I can't wait!

PS - if you guys don't know what a Snoezelen Room is... look it up! so cool!
 

Chunes

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I don't know much about this subject, but I could speculate about the relationship between "happiness" and intelligence level. It seems like one's level of contentedness declines as they approach the extreme ends of intelligence (genius or severely mentally inhibited).

I'll do you one better and suggest that acting intelligent and being intelligent are two separate kettles of fish.

In other words, people who seem contented also seem like dullards, which implies low intellect. But that is a terrible assumption.

There is a certain air of contentedness that disarms intellect. It's that air of humility and non-flashiness that causes people to assume there is a correlation between happiness and intelligence.
 

Thalassa

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I'm surprised this thread is not in the graveyard. I seriously thought it was a joke when I first saw it.
 

Poki

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I'm surprised this thread is not in the graveyard. I seriously thought it was a joke when I first saw it.

Its not a joke:shock:

I was using it as a stab at people who think they are intelligent.
 

FDG

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This thread is kind of offensive, you know (I have a retarded brother; self-sufficient, but still with clear retardation).
 

Poki

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This thread is kind of offensive, you know (I have a retarded brother; self-sufficient, but still with clear retardation).

Ive actually always preffered the term slow for some reason.

Not to be offensive, but you can imagine what pops in my head when I see these signs.
SlowChildrenSign.jpg
 

FDG

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Slow is a completely different thing...
 

Poki

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Slow is a completely different thing...

I know, they just all seem like they develop slow in certain areas, be it coordination, mentally, etc.
 

Litvyak

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Deviancies are by no means "gifts", neither negative nor positive ones.
Nature and society promotes the average. Symmetry and standard is everything.
 
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The thing that seperates humans from animals is their intelligence. Animals can learn and make determinations but in the end they are all based on instinct. See a predator, run. Feel in heat, mate. Hungry for food, eat.

Mental retardation, depending on the severity, can reduce a human's intellect to that of an animal. Have you ever watched a mentally retarded person go through life? Even if they are "functioning" and can walk to school, go to the bathroom, etc. they still take life one step at a time. They respond to stimuli much like an animal. They seem to have one thing on their minds at all times. Thinking seems to be quite a linear process for them. A -> B -> C.

You know how when you're a kid you think about how nice it would be to be born a pet cat or dog (at least I used to think about that when I was younger)? Never have to go to school, never have to work. Well, that's what retarded people are, pretty much. They eat that which is set in front of them, they can be "trained" to follow schedules, but they can determine nothing for themselves and are completely dependent on others.

Retardation is definitely a disability. Intellect is the only thing that sets us apart from animals. If your intellect is so disabled that your functioning is on an equivalent level of somebody's house pet, what is the point of even being human?

Sorry to anyone with handicapped friends/family. I'm not out to get rid of mentally challenged people, just trying to logically analyze this.
 

haag261390

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The thing that seperates humans from animals is their intelligence. Animals can learn and make determinations but in the end they are all based on instinct. See a predator, run. Feel in heat, mate. Hungry for food, eat.

Mental retardation, depending on the severity, can reduce a human's intellect to that of an animal. Have you ever watched a mentally retarded person go through life? Even if they are "functioning" and can walk to school, go to the bathroom, etc. they still take life one step at a time. They respond to stimuli much like an animal. They seem to have one thing on their minds at all times. Thinking seems to be quite a linear process for them. A -> B -> C.

You know how when you're a kid you think about how nice it would be to be born a pet cat or dog (at least I used to think about that when I was younger)? Never have to go to school, never have to work. Well, that's what retarded people are, pretty much. They eat that which is set in front of them, they can be "trained" to follow schedules, but they can determine nothing for themselves and are completely dependent on others.

Retardation is definitely a disability. Intellect is the only thing that sets us apart from animals. If your intellect is so disabled that your functioning is on an equivalent level of somebody's house pet, what is the point of even being human?

Sorry to anyone with handicapped friends/family. I'm not out to get rid of mentally challenged people, just trying to logically analyze this.

it seemed that the OP was being sarcastic about this. I wouldn't take it so seriously.
 

Snuggletron

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Retarded people are able to think more simply than normal people. Many times when normal guy is trying to figure out some simple things they might miss the answer simply because the answer is so simple that they cant think like that. If it was some retarded guy trying to figure the same thing out he most likely would get it in a second.

discuss

I agree. Also, the nice thing about retarded people is that they're pretty much incapable of being pretentious.

assburgers
 

Quinlan

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they still take life one step at a time. They respond to stimuli much like an animal. They seem to have one thing on their minds at all times. Thinking seems to be quite a linear process for them. A -> B -> C.

That sounds remarkably like some descriptions of sensors...
 
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