Red Room Where the Writers Are

My wife recently asked me if I had heard the  comments made by nationally syndicated radio personality and political conservative Michael Savage on his radio program. I told her no, I had not, and she proceeded to tell me that Mr. Savage was under the impression that the source of Autism is the laziness or absence of fathers. I was shocked and more than a little disbelieving. Was it just some Shock Jock's joke? Was it political parody? I remain unfamiliar with Mr. Savage overall, but I was later introduced to a quote from his show:

"I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' "

My guess here is that, as the father of an Autistic child, that I'm to blame for her Autism. Mr. Savage is also positing that had I left my family that such a horrible act would also cause Autism. Could it be possible that a few slaps and other sundry physical and verbal abuse could cause an Autistic individual to "snap out of" Autism? Could it really be as simple to wipe out AIDS, mental retardation, seizures, Leprosy, and maybe even the common cold by slapping it out of the people?

This would be akin to smashing yourself on the head with a rock to fix brain damage, just like in the cartoons. 

One question I would have for Mr. Savage would be where he got his information on Autism. It couldn't have been from Rainman, where Raymond would mutter incessantly about his beloved subjects. It must have been Mercury Rising where Bruce Willis' character must protect an autistic boy who is either unresponsive or screaming throughout the entire film. Is it possible that Mr. Savage is unable to distinguish between reality and Hollywood? 

It must be, since I find it hard to believe that someone with so little real understanding of Autism could lash out so viciously at something he clearly knows nothing about. Autism is a deeply complex issue which affects children in different ways which even our greatest scientific minds don't understand just yet. There are several theories which explain all or parts of Autism, but nothing has been settled on as a definitive reason. 

I can tell you one thing, however, if we continue to listen to and support individuals like Mr. Savage by purchasing from his advertisers and not speaking out coherently about this kind of verbal abuse we'll be no better than he is. Mr. Savage is cocooned in his ivory tower, immune to the ravages of humanity. He needs a wake-up call. To facilitate that, I, Tyler Regas, offer for you, Michael Savage, to spend a week with three families who have Autistic children. You can stay with my family, a friend's family who has two Autistic boys, and then we'll ship you off to a single mother who has recently been laid-off and has five Autistic children to deal with. 

We shall then see how convicted you are of your beliefs. Consider the challenge laid, sir.