No laughing matter February 26, 2011

Earlier this week, far-left blogger Ian Murphy made news by prank calling Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R).  In the call, Murphy posed as billionaire David Koch (“Coke”) and engaged in a 20-minute conversation with Gov. Walker, trying to bait him into saying something incriminating.  Depending on your ideology, Murphy either got nothing out of the prank and Walker didn’t say anything new, or Murphy is a hero for trapping the sinister Walker.

The Daily Caller made note of Murphy’s past.  Besides a fervent anti-war position, he went to a creationist museum while pretending to have Asperger Syndrome.  The title of his post on the experience was very offensive: “Let There Be Retards.”  (It hurts to write that.)

As someone that actually has Asperger Syndrome, Murphy’s representation of AS was an intolerant caricature.  I doubt even my fellow Aspie friend Jason Ross would act like that.  Worse yet, that caricature appeared to be for the sole purpose of screwing with a creationist museum.  I don’t think I’m a creationist.  I rely on what I learned in science classes from elementary school in Freeport to middle and high school in Wantagh to college at C.W. Post.  But my grievance is over his mockery of a stereotypical Aspie.

One symptom of Asperger Syndrome is hypersensitivity in many areas, including emotion.  Murphy’s mockery and slurs an emotional response out of me.  They hurt.  I took them personally.  Can you blame me?  AS is no laughing matter.  It isn’t something to pretend to have and then mock later on online.

If I get attacked personally for this somewhere on the internet, so be it.  I’ve unfortunately been attacked before.  I’m sure that can be said for many people.  For all the positive things on the internet, there are some harsh negatives.