The history of humanity’s treatment of people with intellectual & emotional differences/disabilities is a dark one.
In her book Divergent Mind, Jenara Nerenberg writes, ‘In the 1400s, the common notion of madness was that the devil and evil spirits had taken possession of the human mind. This belief contributed to many women being viewed as "witches" and then killed, especially if they were considered to be countercultural or irreligious.’
The Holocaust Encyclopedia notes that ‘At the beginning of World War II, individuals with mental or physical disabilities were targeted for murder in what the Nazis called the "T-4," or "euthanasia," program. [...] Despite public protests in 1941, the Nazi leadership continued this program in secret throughout the war. About 200,000 people with disabilities were murdered between 1940 and 1945.’
People born neurologically different or who behave ‘abnormally’ as a result of trauma have historically been painted as burdens & degenerates, but in truth, they are more often victims of a world that simply can’t be bothered to understand them. The Trump regime is doing everything in its power to continue this harmful tradition with the appointment of science denier Robert Kennedy Jr. as Department of Health and Human Services Secretary. His dangerous depiction of autism as a “tragedy” and a “preventable disease” should be a red flag to all Americans, one in five of whom will experience “mental illness” in their lifetimes according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
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