Under President Bush, the primary scapegoat was homosexuals. Bush used a ban on gay marriage as a unifying cry to rally his base. In 2003, the Supreme Court defeated a Texas law banning sodomy. The law was shot down but the movement was there nonetheless. Under President Obama, the administration called for a society where you could sleep with whoever you wanted but not eat or drink whatever you wanted. The idea that obesity was a self-induced state had existed for years but Obama ignited a further “war on obesity” that gained the support of Republicans and Democrats. Billboards with pictures of obese people that read “Big Meals did this not big bones” appeared in a number of places.
In 2004, President Bush used his crusade for a nationwide ban on gay marriage to energize his voters. The anti-gay marriage theme also distracted voters from issues such as the economy. It was deceiving. It spread false ideology on both sides. It increased discrimination against the LGBTQ community. It created a scapegoat. And it worked. Politicians resort to using scapegoats in order to distract the public. It is a form of false ideology.
One may wonder who will be the next scapegoat?
As recognition and diagnosis of ADHD and autism are on the rise, denial of both are also on the rise. While on the campaign trail, now President Trump openly mocked a reporter with a disability. There is also a slow but steady rise in ridiculing people with learning disabilities. The conservative radio host Michael Savage labeled autism as a “fraud” and “racket.” Savage commented, “It is an over diagnosed medical condition. In my readings, there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism.” This is an extreme example, but there are other examples of people dismissing mental disabilities throughout society.
I once read a Q&A column that focused on questions such as how to deal with intrusive landlords. One person inquired about a no-pets rule, asking if a therapist’s note would require an exception from that rule. The columnist wrote back, “if you show up to your co-op interview with a therapist’s note, do you really think the board will say ‘aw shucks, we weren’t serious and look you have mental problems, don’t worry about it?'” Actually, when you board an airplane with a therapist’s note, the airlines say just that.
Of course, this may change someday.
It is ludicrous that this has to be pointed out, but simply because someone sees a therapist does not mean they have mental problems. And even if it did, that does not mean they would not be an acceptable resident of the community. Discrimination and a stereotypical view of anyone with a disability is certainly present in our society. This discrimination currently goes unnoticed and at times is even disturbingly encouraged.
Who will be the most friendly candidate towards people on the autism spectrum in the 2020 election? To what extent will other politicians capitalize on the attacks on people on the spectrum? Hopefully people on the spectrum will not suffer the fate of becoming the next political scapegoat.