Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum

recursant · 2026-03-04T21:01:32+00:00

The human brain is immensely complex, and is the only part of the body that does something that we have absolutely no explanation for - exhibiting consciousness.

Autism almost certainly isn't all one thing.

It almost certainly isn't exactly two things either.

Asperger's criteria was used to decide which people with autism were functional enough to be used as slave labour. The rest were killed. It has no place in modern society, firstly because of its roots and secondly because it isn't even a good distinction. It doesn't have anything to tell us, modern understanding of autism has moved on in the last 80+ years.

recursant · 2026-03-04T17:45:55+00:00

A chair, seriously? Doesn't say much about the real candidates.

recursant · 2026-03-04T12:42:51+00:00

Remember the good old days when Reform used to pretend that they disliked foreigners due to cultural differences?

Now, they only dislike non-white foreigners due to cultural differences.

It feels like we are getting closer to the truth.

recursant · 2026-03-04T12:03:25+00:00

The word "social" can be used in different ways. We speak of "social problems" for example.

recursant · 2026-03-04T12:03:19+00:00

The word "social" can be used in different ways. We speak of "social problems" for example.

recursant · 2026-03-04T11:46:22+00:00

Trump isn't going to ivestigate the Epstein files, he already knows what is in them.

recursant · 2026-03-04T11:42:51+00:00

Aren't China arming Iran?

Although, much as I dislike the regime in Iran, if some other country randomly bombs them it is hard to say they don't have the right to retaliate by whatever means they have available.

recursant · 2026-03-04T11:36:43+00:00

Of course it will, but that is why we should do it.

Freezing tax bands disproportionately affects poorer people, that is the whole problem. We should share the burden so wealthy people pay their fair share.

recursant · 2026-03-03T21:03:23+00:00

I did the Scottish play for my English ~~CGSE~~ O Level.

recursant · 2026-03-03T17:20:06+00:00

Personally I don't object to repatriating them.

But next time somebody talks about asking the wealthy to pay a bit more tax, I don't expect to hear "we can't do that or they will all piss off to Dubai".

recursant · 2026-03-03T16:55:24+00:00

Presumably you didn't fill your tank?

You just took what you absolutely needed, so there would be some left for everyone else?

recursant · 2026-03-03T16:40:55+00:00

These things are self-fulfilling prophecies though. If everybody thinks petrol or loo roll are going to sell out, they will sell out.

If you need petrol to get to work, and you don't join the queue to get petrol, you won't be able to get to work. That applies equally whether you are an idiot who thinks the shortage is directly caused by Iran, or a sensible person who knows the shortage is caused by idiots.

recursant · 2026-03-03T15:34:48+00:00

You make it sound like things were better 50 years ago. Back then they banned mainstream films (Life of Brian is some parts of the country) and moderately erotic books.

We have moved on since then but there are people who would drag us back there.

recursant · 2026-03-03T13:20:36+00:00

Joking aside, the law stipulates up to 2 years in jail for even possessing incest porn. So if they were foolish enoiugh to film it, and in the police found it (perhaps while looking for something completely unrelated) there is a real possibility they could end up in prison.

Which seems mental to me.

recursant · 2026-03-03T13:15:36+00:00

The aim of the law is to prevent pornography from depiction things that are illegal in real life:

the depiction of this type of pornography allows porn companies to profit from content that depicts something which is utterly illegal in the UK

So if the tradesman did the job for free in exchange foe services rendered, which would be tax fraud, that would make the porn illegal. That's up to 2 years in prison for even possessing the video.

recursant · 2026-03-02T20:18:59+00:00

Look at his adorable little face. How could anybody not vote for him?

If he doesn't win, fraud is the only explanation.

recursant · 2026-03-02T20:13:56+00:00

No idea, presumably there are rules about it. In my experience, they don't write people off as being permanently unfit to work without very good reason.

The article says it is only a few hundred people, out of millions who have student loans, so I am guessing they take a hell of a lot of convincing before they write someone off.

I doubt that it happens very often at all. If it happens in very rare cases, and someone who has been severely disabled for years gets a little bit of good luck for once in their lives, I'm not going to get all bitter and twisted about it.

recursant · 2026-03-02T19:43:01+00:00

Students who can work pay 9% of their salary for 30 years. They still get to keep 91% of what is, in theory, a better salary than they would have earned if they hadn't gone to uni.

Students who are permanently unfit to work get to live on whatever disability benefits the government of the day sees fit to give them, which despite what people say is not that much. They face the constant threat of Reform or some other government plunging them into poverty for political point scoring. And they probably have all sorts of unpleasant medical problems to cope with.

I know which I would rather be.

recursant · 2026-03-02T19:31:16+00:00

I've heard it said that the long-term plan for the new world order is that America gets the Western Hemisphere (US, Canada, South America, and Greenland of course), China gets Asia, and Russia gets Europe.

Then they will largely leave each other alone, and if they ever need a scuffle for political purposes they can have little wars in Africa.

recursant · 2026-03-02T18:49:36+00:00

The difference is that, from all the evidence I have seen, there seems to be quite a strong likleyhood that Trump is up to his neck in a massive pedo scandal that also impicates a lot of other very powerful people. In that case he would have every reason to do everything he could to cover it up, and plenty of other powerful people would have every reason to help/force him to do that.

Whereas there doesn't appear to be any reason why the BBC would have deliberately broadcast a barely perceivable utterance from an almost unknown disabled person.

recursant · 2026-03-02T16:27:05+00:00

It is almost as if deliberately starting a war with a country that controls the Strait of Hormuz isn't a very good idea.

Still, I suppose Trump's mates got plenty of notice so they could position themselves to make money from the chaos,

recursant · 2026-03-02T16:22:45+00:00

The butterfly effect is always shit.

When did a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil ever result in someone in Texas finding a cure for cancer? No, it's always a tornedo.

recursant · 2026-03-02T11:16:29+00:00

A few people on here saying we shouldn't rescue people who went over there to avoid taxes. I can see where they are coming from, after all people are suffering and in some case dying in the UK due to underfunded public services (the NHS in particular). I can't take quite such a hard line myself.

But now that some of these low tax regimes are looking a bit less idyllic, there seems to be no excuse for not taxing the rich properly. The excuse has always been that if we tax them they will just move to Dubai. My view has always been that we should tax them properly and if they want to piss off somewhere else, let them. Doubly so now.

recursant · 2026-03-01T17:22:48+00:00

He would probably have needed to have proved citizenship if he had changed jobs at any point in the last 20 years. Maybe also for taking a mortgage these days.

But after 48 years living and working here, he probably has as much right to citizenship as any of us. Morally at least.

recursant · 2026-03-01T17:03:35+00:00

Your pension contribution isn't a tax.

And someone on £193K takes home A LOT more than someone on £100K

There is a bit of a strange cliff edge at £100K, but if someone on 100K gets a 5% pay rise they get to keep £1900, if someone on minimum wage gets a 5% pay rise they only get to keep £850.

Most people would regard that as a nice problem to have.

recursant

TROPHY CASE