Haydyn said:
Sorceror Nobody said:
I take personal offence at this one. Next you'll be saying that autism needs to be "cured". It doesn't. These characteristics make people what they are, and without them they're not the same person. Besides, everyone's on the autistic spectrum. It's called a spectrum for a reason.
Does not medication try to relieve people of having illnesses? I'm not saying anyone needs to be "cured". I'm saying a way we could balance the chemicals in one's brain to make their life a hell of a lot easier would be great. It makes me sad that people take offence to giving everyone an equal opportunity to be what society considers "normal". Maybe you don't know what's it's like to live with a mental illness, or with someone who does. I'd give my right eye for the chemical inbalances in the people I know to be fixed.
Okay, I did fly off the handle a bit, but the point is that mental "illness" is not necessarily any such thing, and "chemical imbalances" are a really simplistic view, as the brain is still little understood. I get annoyed by incorrect attitudes to the differing mental workings of people because I myself have ADHD, a degree of OCD, and Asperger's Syndrome, and although I do have medication to control the ADHD, it's still there. It's a part of who I am, and without these so-called "disorders", I would be an entirely different person. Without Asperger's in particular, I would very likely not find the joy in maths and physics that I do. I would probably be less socially inept too, but I'm perfectly happy as I am, so that doesn't bother me. Finally, what society considers "normal" is tripe. I am a normal person by any truly justifiable criteria. What people mean when they say "normal" is "neurotypical" - in other words, the most typical neurological characteristics. People who are not neurotypical are NOT abnormal because of it. Giving everyone an equal chance to be "normal" is not the issue. It is fundamentally wrong that non-neurotypicals are made to feel that they have to conform - everyone is different, and differences should be tolerated and embraced unless it is harmful to do so. Helping people to cope is fine, but trying to turn them into little clones in a perfect society is... well, borderline xenophobic, really.
We fear what we do not understand.
-----
Getting back on-topic, how about...
1.
An internet that doesn't breed trolls and flamers
2.
A Nintendo console with no Mario games on it
3.
A non-lethal weapon that is actually non-lethal in all circumstances (and to all people). Note that it must still be functional; the purpose of NLWs is incapacitating the target, and although plenty of things are indeed non-lethal, they are generally totally useless for incapacitation!
