Michael Savage autism remarks on the radio! What should be done?

Question

As a parent of a child with Asperger's syndrome I was appalled! I'm a firm believer in that everyone has the right to their own opinion, however, don't broadcast ignorance!

From the July 16 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:

SAVAGE: Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I'm not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. For a long while, we were hearing that every minority child had asthma. Why did they sudden -- why was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I'll tell you why: The children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket. Everyone went in and was told [fake cough], "When the nurse looks at you, you go [fake cough], 'I don't know, the dust got me.' " See, everyone had asthma from the minority community. That was number one.

Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? 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."

Autism -- everybody has an illness. If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, "Don't behave like a fool." The worst thing he said -- "Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot. Don't act like a girl. Don't cry." That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You're turning your son into a girl, and you're turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That's why we have the politicians we have.

Answer 1

I have 2 boys on the spectrum and had never heard of this guy before this broadcast.  It sounds like he is an ignorant shock jock.  Based on some of the comments I have read on YouTube, this guy is pandering to a portion of his listeners and going for big ratings and some extra media attention.  It certainly worked.

The best thing you can do is hit them where it hurts- in the wallet.  Send letters/emails to the show's sponsors complaning, threaten to stop buying/shopping with them.  Also complain to Clear Air, let them know you will boycott their network and ask everyone you know to do the same.  Unfortunately, businesses only care about the bottom line any more.  Not right and wrong.

Answer 2

Savage is a shock jock but that does not make him wrong.  The real issue here is that there are some very real parents suffering that have kids with problems and Savage's comments aren't very sensitive to their pain. However, I do believe that Savage is correct in his assessment that our Education establishment is much too willing to practice medicine without a license - for example, prescribe stimulants to adolescents in the name of pacifying active boys by pushing Ritalin.  

Personally, I believe in freedom of speech.  If Savage is wrong on this, then prove it.  Forget the boycotts and the anger - that is, except for the French! (Not now of course since they elected Sarkozy, but boycott France as soon as they put another wimp in office of President.)

Answer 3

Please help support autistic children and the parents who raise them. This is an outrage! He needs to be off the air. How low do you have to be to insult a disabled child.  I am going to call the people who own the station and give them a piece of my mind! I encourage others to do the same. I located this information on the bbb.com website…

Name: Buckley Broadcasting Corp.-WDRC, 102.9

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Address: 869 Blue Hills Ave

Bloomfield, CT 06002-3710

Website: www.wdrc.com

Original Business Start Date: February 1942

Principal: Mr. Eric Fahnoe, General Manager

Customer Contact: Mr. Eric Fahnoe, General Manager - [phone]

Answer 4

All this outrage is exactly what he wanted. National attention, just like Imus got. I'd prefer we make him invisible and irrelevant. He doesn't even care about autism one way or the other...he just wants to sell books and get on CNN, maybe Oprah. In his business machine, the autism word is all $$$.  Let's not make it lucrative for him.  My vote is to let this "hullaballoo" simply die into nothingness.

Answer 5

boycott

Answer 6

The best thing you can do is ignore him.  Really ignore him - the more the community is outraged - the more people tune him in.  He is not a world leader, he is not someone important in the medical field or a researcher looking for help for students - he makes his living saying shocking things.

If you all make a big deal about it - he will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Answer 7

You should take the time to understand what Michael Savage actually said and the context of the conversation that was underway.

Instead, you are quoting an organization who has it's own agenda against Michael Savage and littering Yahoo Answers with ignorance.

You should also look into who Michael Savage is, a man who has done more for Children's health than the organization you are quoting will ever do.

Visit his website and read his side of the story and rid yourself of your ignorance.

Answer 8

I don't think Savage did anything wrong. Not that anything could be done to punish or silence him anyways; people have been trying to get him off the air for years and his show has only gotten bigger.

Have you heard Savage's side of the story or just Media Matters' version? Savage isn't just another talk show host making things up. He was a teacher when he was younger and he worked in the nutrition field for years. He has multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. in nutritional ethnomedicine. He has raised two children himself. He even wrote a book called "Healing Children Naturally", because he was concerned about children being unnecessarily medicated. Since he's not in the health/nutrition field anymore he might not be up to date on the very latest studies but he usually knows what he's talking about. Savage had a severely handicapped brother who died in his 20's without ever speaking a word in his short life. I've listened to Michael for 2-3 years and he has always been on the side of protecting children

Savage dedicated all 3 hours of his show yesterday to this subject, and he almost never talks about just one topic for three hours straight. He had an autism expert on to discuss the issue. Did you tune in by any chance to hear him defend himself?

I think there is more to the story than what you're getting from the news and Media Matters.

-----------------

The Autism Controversy

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as "autistic."

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing "autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an "illness" which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York "snake-pit" of a "mental hospital," I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

--------------------------------------...

Answer 9

He should come to my house for a week.  

He should have also listened to his father.

Answer 10

I think he should have to deal with these "brats".  The guy is an idiot him self for stereotyping by assuming that fathers arent present in these homes of children diagnosed with autism.  Savage should be fired.  Bottom line.

Answer 11

I sent a email to every one of the shows sponsors letting them know if they condone this type of slanderous broadcasting,  they will never get another dollar from me - and forwarded that to my email list.. I'm hopeful others did the same.  If Don Imus lost his job for insulting a population, why didn't Michael Savage?

Answer 12

Just because the way he brought it up offended people doesn't make him wrong.  

Go educate yourselves a little on the obvious biases and facts that there are no screening tests for autism that are objective.  The diagnosis of autism can't even be classified as a scientific process.  The UK even came out and said they won't screen for autism in schools until they find 1 test that can be proven to actually diagnose autism.  They can't find 1!

Just as in most ADD cases, it's a kid with little recess time that had pop tarts for breakfast and has candy in his school desk, autism is surprisingly mis-diagnosed.  There was a recent study that said Silicon Valley was having a pandemic of autism.  Let's think about this.  Kids of parents in a tech utopia are socially awkward, incredibly organized and intelligent.  Hmm...   must be autism!

Savage's credentials are that he has a doctorate in nutritional ethnomedicine.  He knows better than you, me, and 99% of the media how diets and drugs are affecting our bodies and those of our children.

Answer 13

They should operate on him without delay; - and implant a brain!

Answer 14

Since the stations have been diverting their phones, and have blocked their e-mail, I decided to express myself though his family owned and operated bussiness:

ROCKSTAR, Inc.

PO Box 27740

Las Vegas, NV 89126

[phone] phone

[phone] fax

Answer 15

Savage is an idiot.  My spouse has listened to him from time to time and gets so infuriated.

My advice-don't listen and don't patronize those who advertise with him.  I hate talk radio in general....we call them "talking heads" here.

Answer 16

Sad. Sad, but to answer your question, I think he should be put in a class to monitor, control and work with the kids he chose to insult!  He will learn the difference between a kid fooling around and one struggling to be in control in his/or her own skin.  He is obviously ignorant and heartless!   The insensitive remark is really painful.  

Part of my passion and business is helping kids overcome their inability to learn/processs information.  Often I work with students and kids in the learning disabled, autistic, ADA-ADHA spectrum.  If anyone could attest to the fact that the condition is real, it’s me -- because the kids do progress with intense therapy over time and their attitude do change!  Success stories abound!

Some parents of these children really sacrifice a lot to make life worthwhile for their children.  When I started this successful business program, my fees were high or in line with the industry’s.  However, after watching how these parents sacrifice everything to help their children long-term (not to mention their endless emotional frustrations), I just take what they can pay, even to the point that I end up in “business red” sometimes -- but gratefully so -- because the end results of strategizing therapies to get such a kid excel is priceless!

The condition is very real and it is not just minorities who are are affected.  Just like any illness, this undefined condition is no respecter of persons.  I’ve seen kids in all shape and sizes, all the different race, ethnicity, status- rich and poor , class with these conditions.  

It’s just not fair that some ignorantly-dead-brained-moron will trash both parents of the kids and children living with such conditions.  I think he needs some serious exposure.  There is a big difference between a spoilt child and a child struggling with autism.  I hope he learns the difference.  Soon!

Answer 17

Here's his quote on the subject. If you think about it, there is a bit of truth in there.

The Autism Controversy

My comments about autism were meant to boldly awaken parents and children to the medical community's attempt to label too many children or adults as "autistic."

Just as some drug companies have overdiagnosed "ADD" and "ADHD" to peddle dangerous speed-like drugs to children as young as 4 years of age, this cartel of doctors and drug companies is now creating a national panic by overdiagnosing "autism, for which there is no definitive medical diagnosis!

Many children are being victimized by being diagnosed with an "illness" which may not exist, in all cases. Just a few weeks ago doctors recommended dangerous anti-cholesterol drugs for children as young as 2 years of age! Without any scientific studies on the possible dangers of such drugs on children, corrupt doctors made this controversial, unscientific recommendation.

Increasingly, our children are being used as profit centers by a greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment. As the brother of a severely disabled person who suffered and died in a New York "snake-pit" of a "mental hospital," I know first-hand what true disability is.

To permit greedy doctors to include children in medical categories which may not be appropriate is a crime against that child and their family. Let the truly autistic be treated. Let the falsely diagnosed be free.

Michael Savage

On his main web page he also has links to two articles by Thomas Sowell.   While I do find Savage's methods offensive, I believe it is a subject that should be discussed. I did belong to one of those "late talking children" groups discussed in the Sowell article. I talked to many parents who's children were wrongly diagnosed. I saw their pain and frustration as they first believed the dx, then their anger at those that falsely diagnosed their children. I heard accounts of parents answering questions, only to have their answers twisted so the dx would fit.

I wholeheartedly believe that autism is on the rise, but I think that there is also more mis-diagnosis going on as well. Unfortunatly, this is a dirty little secret that people don't want to look at. It should be opened up for discussion. It would only help everyone in the long run. More resources for those who are truely affected, less stress for those families who's children have other issues, but not autism.