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Conservative Radio Host: 99% of Autistic Children Are Frauds

mediamatters.org — Yesterday on his radio show, right wing talker Michael Savage said that autism is “a fraud” and “a racket” and that “in 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” Savage then asserted that all these “brat[s]” need as a father to tell them to “stop acting like a putz“

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  • BCCStu, on 07/17/2008, -42/+39599% of Conservative Radio Hosts are as well...
    • Dragular, on 07/18/2008, -9/+60Don't assume Michael Savage speaks for us all, even most conservatives agreed he was ***** years ago.
      • BaudiIROCZ, on 07/18/2008, -9/+46along with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, etc.
      • Dragular, on 07/18/2008, -16/+5Mark Levin's show is awesome. He's a political version of Patrick from Nobody Likes Onions: "Oh you don't like this WELL TOO BAD SIR RAWRRR"

        His attitude combined with his voice make it worth a listen, IMO.
      • Troy64, on 07/18/2008, -24/+8You may disagree with Rush Limbaugh Sean Hannity or Mark Levin, but they are not crazy. Micheal Savage is crazy.
      • daRoach, on 07/18/2008, -8/+11I'd agree though, the spectrum for autism has recently widened to include personality types. Aspergers is a joke to most people and is probably the most misunderstood, misdiagnosed "disorder" out there right now. This does not help the actual people with real autism who are totally unable to communicate verbally and most of the time mentally.
      • rudeboyskunk, on 07/18/2008, -5/+21No, they're not crazy, just stupid and full of hate.
      • 5urr3al5am, on 07/18/2008, -4/+10The lead to the article calls Savage a right wing talk host, it should say, extreme right wing talk host.
      • jcm267, on 07/18/2008, -8/+12Savage is crazy. Rush and Hannity are pragmatic party hacks. They're all entertaining.
      • stonewall123, on 07/18/2008, -5/+12Yeah and apparently your other idol (Rush) thinks that people with Parkinson's are fakers too.
      • netdroid9, on 07/18/2008, -1/+8@daRoach: You mean Aspergers is commonly misdiagnosed, right? Not that it's not an Autistic Spectrum Disorder?
      • braveryonions, on 07/18/2008, -5/+2@Dragular: ...There-there's a hate show against me? *cries*
      • cfuse, on 07/18/2008, -2/+3Can someone point out those conservative speakers who are educated and articulate at the same time as not being sociopathic? I'm sick of hearing from the poo flinging monkeys.
      • CryRightardCry, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2@troy64
        Crazy or evil, does it REALLY make a difference?
        It's the same result: encouragement of ignorant extremist views.
      • neognostic, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1I did some quick research on Savage, what a slime ball. Boycott Rockstar Energy Drinks, his wife and son own it.
        http://www.nndb.com/people/588/000044456/
        Read the whole page, this guy makes Rush look like a choir boy.
    • dshPls, on 07/18/2008, -5/+48He wants people to get upset at his extremism, it's unfortunately a pretty big trend in Conservative talk radio. It's why people like O'reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh are so popular, and to a lesser extent Mark Levine and Andrew Wilkow(I'm sure more exist, these are just in my area). They say ***** that's wrong and annoying so people like MediaMatters write about it and get them free publicity.

      Don't give Micheal Savage the free publicity, bury this story as lame.
    • DyceFreak, on 07/18/2008, -11/+17I think the extreme point that he is trying to get across is, its over-diagnosed just like the ADD boom...

      The symptoms for autism aren't always in full force in 80% of the ppl with autism, yet they'd be diagnosed the same anyhow... just gotta play devils advocate here :S
      • 1timeuser, on 07/18/2008, -5/+8This may be true... but being what Savage said was insane.
      • DyceFreak, on 07/18/2008, -6/+14He was quite extreme, but to some extent he is right. Autism is pretty much the incompatibility of a mind with the current social society, well at least that's how it's diagnosed. It is a completely different form of thinking than the social norm, so its treated as a disease... Though where he was insane was blaming it on the family.

        Where the real problem is, is the fight against autism. This just shows how closed minded this society is. Anything that doesn't fit in society, must be faught... In my eyes, autistic people should be cultivated, as they have the potential to be super geniuses, as long as we cater to them, instead of forcing them back to the social norm.
      • ChuyMatt, on 07/18/2008, -1/+6In the beginning of this autism understanding, Dr.s called the reason "frigidity of the mother." Subsequently, mothers committed suicide and marriages were ruined.

        Good times...

        But in reality, that is why Autism is thrown around from Mental Illness and Dev. Disabilities camps. It is poorly understood but it is an abnormality that is shown in brain scans. Like dyslexia, there is a push to break out the autism spectrum disorders into set groups to allow for better understanding for the non Dr. types.
      • MoofTheStoof, on 07/18/2008, -1/+22@DyceFreak My daughter is low-functioning, non-verbal autistic. She's 7 and she can't speak or use a toilet or even be left unsupervised. She'll happily eat any chemical or poison she encounters - even her own feces on more than one occasion - and I have even seen her once pick up pieces of a glass christmas ornament she'd just broken and start chewing on them. One of her favorite things is to chew on small pebbles. She's actually broken two molars and had to have their remains extracted from her jaw in order to prevent further infection. Her view of the world is so small and distorted by her malfunctioning (yes, malfunctioning) mind that I have to hold her hand tightly in parking lots or near busy streets because she'll casually wander in front of oncoming cars without the slightest concept of danger. She'll sit for hours playing with a piece of string or with a stream of water from a faucet, but can't maintain more than accidental eye-contact or even look at most people as if they're more than another object in the room.

        I'm not refusing to cultivate her talents. I'm not fighting against her secret genius. I don't care about social norm. I just want her to function. I want her to read books and have boyfriends and go to college and find joys and loves and passions in interacting with the people and world around her. She can't, though, and she never will be able to. Whatever altered her brian development and caused this malformation needs to be understood and future children need to be saved from this fate because this is a disease and not just some poorly-understood quirk.
      • DyceFreak, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2well of course moof there are the cases of autism that do become an extreme hindrance, but its a steep slope with many different levels obviously. That being one of the more extreme cases I've heard, but that only makes up about 15% of the autistic-diagnosed-population at max.
      • colinrat, on 07/18/2008, -2/+1helluva way to get that point across, twisting up facts and science. this is how he earns his money , along with the rest of the righty-talk hosts.
      • CrucifiedEgo, on 07/18/2008, -2/+4@MoofTheStoof: That was quite possibly the best, most thoughtful and well put comment I've seen on Digg, ever. Thank you.
    • TXAgs911, on 07/18/2008, -3/+16True...there is definitely an irony in Michael Savage calling autistic minorities out for faking symptoms for money. His industry (and him in particular) is largely built around making wild-ass statements (that they don't necessarily believe) for effect (and in the end, money).
    • jefuchs, on 07/18/2008, -4/+14He's no fraud. He genuinely is that stupid!
    • repins, on 07/18/2008, -0/+9someone listened to his show to get this little "gem", and now look at all the free publicity he is getting. I would say this is exactly what he wants....basically more people to listen to his show....

      MISSION COMPLETE :)
    • baltar2008, on 07/18/2008, -1/+3Hold on there, sir. That implies 1% are genuine.
      • PopcornDave, on 07/18/2008, -1/+4And 4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident for their patients who chew gum, but there's that one damn dentist that won't go along.
      • MrPeach, on 07/18/2008, -0/+0I suppose they didn't pay him enough. Damn greedy dentists.
    • ZeRux, on 07/18/2008, -14/+6That host is an idiot, but I don't see how is this related with conservativism. Buried as anti-conservative propaganda.
      • MalenfantX, on 07/18/2008, -2/+0Social Conservatives are more than just anti-Conservative propaganda. Mental-defectives who vote are a serious problem, and made the Republican party the disaster it is today.
    • Stormwern, on 07/18/2008, -4/+7"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."

      Somehow I'm not suprised.
    • arcangelgabriel, on 07/18/2008, -3/+6I pay about as much attention to Michael Savage as I do to a 2 year old talking about string theory.
    • nickbertovich, on 07/18/2008, -2/+5Michael Savage is a ***** *****. This is pretty much common knowledge.
    • MrPeach, on 07/18/2008, -2/+5Savage is 99.99% pure ***** who spews 100% BS.

      Ignore him. He may not go away, but you can at least make some use of him as an ***** detector. If someone listens to him and doesn't get mad at his inane braying, they are most likely an *****. Or at the very least stupid.

    • bayouJosh, on 07/18/2008, -1/+6Sure, and here's your favorite son Bill Maher's comments on the pope: "If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you Pope."
      • sugarazor, on 07/18/2008, -1/+6Well... isn't that true?
      • Disgod, on 07/18/2008, -2/+5Wow, dude, yeah those two have nothing in common. Autism is a physical defect in people. Choosing a religion is a personal choice.
      • MalenfantX, on 07/18/2008, -0/+5That's pretty good, and sadly true.
    • paigeinphilly, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1ignorance at its best...


    • scott1, on 07/18/2008, -2/+3It's more like a 100%
  • alexhouse, on 07/17/2008, -61/+1699% of autistics are faking it. The other 1% go on to be conservative talk show hosts.
    • 1timeuser, on 07/18/2008, -2/+11Actually a lot of them go on to do great things...
  • MFF37, on 07/17/2008, -44/+18799% of Conservative Radio Hosts are stupid assholes....
    • fuhcough, on 07/18/2008, -23/+18surely i'll be buried down but look... i agree autism is very real. but i also think doctors are quick to say "oh yeah, i think your kid might have autism" when really all jr needs is a swift kick in the ass.

      that said, i (admittingly) saw an (admittingly boring) episode of that "america's got talent" hasselhoff crap and they had some kid on there with the whole autism sob backstory. then the kid comes on stage and most definitely is NOT autistic in any way.

      sadly i think there are parents out there who would rather believe their kid has some honest-to-god medical condition than admit "yeah, my kid is a ***** tool".
      • Ebonsteel, on 07/18/2008, -1/+20I think that may be more true of ADD and ADHD than Autism, honestly.
      • rudeboyskunk, on 07/18/2008, -3/+19Well when you get an autistic child in your family who on the surface doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him, you might change your mind. I did.
      • geddon, on 07/18/2008, -2/+11You mean Autism fits into the ADD camp where only a small percentage of the kids actually HAVE the disease? I had no idea that over-diagnosis was such a rampant problem, leaving me to wonder if all those kids are being over-diagnosed with cancer, leukemia, Parkinson's -- hell, maybe they're not REALLY over-weight!

        I think it's time we put their Health Care in time out. CHECK!
      • knuckles, on 07/18/2008, -0/+7I'm totally gob-smacked that 50% of the diggs to fuhcough's comment agree with him so far (based on diggs). Jesus what a bunch of *****.

        Being autistic does not mean mentally handicapped. It's easily diagnosed but very hard to detect simply by watching a kid with autism from a distance. Autistic kids look and act like normal kids whereas kids with mental disabilities or down syndrome are quite visible and easy to spot.

        Try learning about ***** before agreeing with some dumbass. Find Google and type "define: autism" and educate your mindless selves.
      • Hamletlere, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4You obviously don't have a child in this range. I do. If I wanted my child so labeled in his medical file, I am certain I could get him classified as having Asperger's.

        This is not me being lazy as a parent. I sincerely believe in good discipline, and he is a well behaved boy. But his mind works differently than the norm. He has high self-confidence, and low need to interact with others except on the occasions that he is in the mood. His social interaction skills are low (some neighbor kids think he's weird, because he has no desire to modify his behavior to fit into social norms, and peer pressure has about zero influence on him). He has a tendency to repetitively move his arms and hands because he likes doing it, although he can stop doing it if I ask him to (a typical symptom). He is extremely intelligent, talking to me about fractional distillation at age 7. I suspect, given his inclinations and intelligence, he'll make one hell of a scientist or engineer some day.

        Tell me again how this mental attitude of his can be cured by just getting a swift kick in the ass (which I am more than prepared to deliver, if needed)? That statement makes as much sense as saying "introverted people can be extroverted with a swift kick in the ass". It's a brainless statement. People are different, and no amount of discipline will make someone's mind work differently than it is wired.

        And just to prevent people saying that this is all due to the way I raised him, I'd like to point out that he has a twin brother who is an extreme extrovert, likes to fit in, and makes friends easily. In all honesty, both of them have their good points and their bad ones.
      • ehc123456, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1As a parent of an autistic child, I must respectfully tell you that you are ignorant. Autism is a well defined set of four pervasive developmental issues (in fact, the mild end of the spectrum is labeled PDD). They are:

        * Receptive language delay - the child has problems understanding language directed at him
        * Expressive language delay - the child has problems forming language
        * Fine motor skill delay - the child has problems with fine motor skills such as writing
        * Social integration delay - the child has problems fitting in with other kids and acts "weird"

        In addition to these delays, an autistic kid may have:

        * Processing problems - problems with bright lights, loud noises, strong smells, strong tastes, and touch
        * Self-stimming - they will manipulate common objects in repetitive ways for long periods of time

        Studies have shown that people with autism have marked differences in the physical makeup of their brains.

        So, I guess if the child exhibits the above combination of symptoms, a doctor may be quick to diagnose them on the spectrum. However, that would probably be appropriate.
    • PopcornDave, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2But 100% of people are entitled to their own opinions, no matter how stupid you or I think they are. And if someone is willing to pay them to spout their opinions, then the person paying them is a fool.
    • bestsoccerdog, on 07/18/2008, -15/+5100% of liberal radio hosts are stupid assholes.
      • kayala, on 07/18/2008, -3/+2Buried: off topic and moronic.
      • CryRightardCry, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1LOL
        At least they don't accuse the mentally handicapped of being liars.

        Congratulations on being such a scumbag loser that you can't even stand up for the handicapped and instead whine about liberals, who happen to be the ones trying to get handicapped people care.

        You can crawl into a hole and choke yourself now.
    • Celios, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3"All jr needs is a swift kick in the ass"? Autism can and is detected extremely early on. Autism has a very strong genetic basis. It's not something ANYONE in their right mind would just mistake bad behavior for. I would understand if you were talking about ADHD, where behavioral problems are often misconstrued as symptoms
      (usually because it's just easier that way for the parent and the doctor), but you're just way off base with this one.

      Children only a year or two old can be diagnosed by experts with an extraordinary degree of accuracy. That's because their social interactions are already noticeably impaired (don't babble or try to talk, unwilling to make eye contact with parents as toddlers are usually eager to do, extreme obsessions with repetitive activities, etc.) Autistic behavior is as far from "acting out" as you can get. If you don't understand that then at least have the decency not to pass judgment.
  • BalsamLane, on 07/17/2008, -24/+68Michael, stop acting like a putz!
    • TubaTechno, on 07/18/2008, -6/+2His name isn't even Michael "Savage". Stupid poser.
      • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1because no one uses screen names.....
      • Infidelephant, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Yeah, but the "Wiener Nation" just doesn't have the same ring.

        Or DOES it?
      • CryRightardCry, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1Weiner Nation sounds like something the GOP would LOVE.
        Not that they'd admit it.
    • blackinthmiddle, on 07/18/2008, -2/+14His father told him to stop acting like a fool. Looks like the father failed!
      • madeingermany, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1"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.

        clearly, all autistic people act like girls.
    • consonance, on 07/18/2008, -2/+7I didn't know it was possible to be a conspiracy theorist, sexist, AND racist in the same few sentences! I know they say you can't dig deeper once you hit rock bottom, but I think Michael Savage has managed to do just that.
    • chicofaraby, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1He's not acting.
    • Canadian0207, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1hahaha he says this all the time! "don't be a putz! go to directbuysavage.com"
  • whatknight, on 07/17/2008, -34/+9699% of austic people should beat up said conservative radio host.
  • codeblue315, on 07/17/2008, -32/+24Wow. I cannot believe this guy. I hope he has an autistic child/grandchild, maybe that'll shut his right-winged ass up.
    • screamthenrun, on 07/18/2008, -4/+27I see what you're saying... but I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
    • trying2hide, on 07/18/2008, -7/+16Just because he is a right -winger does not make him a moron.
      He is a moron either way.
    • LuxFX, on 07/18/2008, -1/+8Wouldn't it just be better if he didn't have any offspring at all? Just let that lineage stop at the Darwinian dead end it's at.
  • FlamDukke, on 07/17/2008, -11/+18999% of these comments will make use of a sarcastic statistic.
    • shutaro, on 07/18/2008, -2/+4999% of sarcastic statistics are made up on the spot.
      • NuFadZoo, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2199% of Diggers know that
      • teh_techie, on 07/18/2008, -1/+26100% of Diggers don't care
      • endlessoul, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1387% of all statistics are pulled directly out of your ass.
      • shutaro, on 07/18/2008, -0/+13No, 87% of all statistics are pulled directly out of *your* ass. My colon is statistic-free and clean as a whistle.
      • Tyrghast, on 07/18/2008, -0/+9Shutaro is correct, I checked it for him.
      • shutaro, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2That's quite a bold statement, there... Since it's admitting to having peeked into two colons for positive verification.
    • nafnosseb, on 07/18/2008, -0/+11Shot, you just blocked 99% of us from posting our wisecrack...
    • winnestow, on 07/19/2008, -1/+1how about these statistics:

      http://talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_conte ...
    • GorfTron, on 07/22/2008, -0/+11% of autistic children are a mystery to Michael Savage.
  • saxmaster, on 07/17/2008, -20/+12Thomas Sowell JUST published an article about this topic yesterday. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/20 ...
    • nevetssav, on 07/18/2008, -0/+11There's a huge difference between a misdiagnosis that leads to fake claims of "a cure", and "faking it."
    • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -2/+7["You've got mail"]

      Subject: Conservative Talking Points
      ...


      Look for others to start saying the same thing.
    • archiesteel, on 07/18/2008, -3/+6Thomas Sowell is an idiot.
  • 0Xonox0, on 07/17/2008, -15/+4It's a conspiracy!
  • greenroom628, on 07/17/2008, -30/+29what an loud-mouthed idiot...
    • sdfguy, on 07/18/2008, -19/+6The oh-so-heroic grammar that you use makes you look like an idiot.
      • blackinthmiddle, on 07/18/2008, -3/+7He used an "an" when he should have used an "a". Everyone makes a grammatical error here or there. However, there's clearly no slip up with Michael Savage. He's your typical political shock jock. He has a less than intelligent audience who will actually swallow the b.s. he dishes out. Now, he's giving his medical expertise on autism. Egads!
      • Prathik89, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1GRAMMAR NAZI! HELLO!
    • urbano35, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2Normally I don't care about the grammar, but the way he screwed it up just made him sound annoying.
  • wonderchemist, on 07/18/2008, -41/+699% of Conservative Radio hosts are autistic homosexuals.
  • Dumbledorito, on 07/18/2008, -15/+14599% of parents with autistic kids would love to drop their children off at Michael Savage's house for a little daycare.
    • VictoryGin, on 07/18/2008, -1/+3899% of those kids would not enjoy that daycare.
      • josephbloseph, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1499% of those kids would not find being told to "quit acting like a putz" helpful at all
      • knuckles, on 07/18/2008, -1/+6So we agree that 1% ARE faking it?

        /
      • summerday008, on 07/18/2008, -1/+6There's a 1% margin of error
    • trying2hide, on 07/18/2008, -1/+13I would LOVE to.... but am afraid that a day of being subjected to such narrow mindedness, my 9 year old with aspbergers might never be the same. He may be in the autism category... but he still has feelings.
      • blackinthmiddle, on 07/18/2008, -0/+7My daughter was born premie and we met a parent in the neonatal ward. Today, he has Asperger's as well. Michael Savage simply hasn't seen the world if he thinks this is a made up thing. All he needs to do is spend a day with an autistic child. Does he think that 3 year olds fake this stuff?

        If he believes it's fake, then he also doesn't believe in Savantism. Maybe Daniel Tammet is faking things as well? What a dumb ass! And the people that listen to him and keep him employed are also dumb asses!
      • Dumbledorito, on 07/19/2008, -0/+3For a lot of his listeners (and him, too, perhaps, though he could just be pandering for a buck), it's not so much "dumbass" as "a desire for simplicity."

        Some country doesn't like you? Diplomacy and relations are hard. Bombs are simple.
        The poor are getting poorer. Research and effective programs to help are hard. Cutting them off any funds to them is simple.
        Some people aren't well for one reason or another, but you're fine. Research and medical treatment is hard. Saying to "suck it up" or "you're faking it" is simple.

        Dealing with the results of such simple-mindedness is hard.
  • emmejuice, on 07/18/2008, -8/+63As awesome as all these "99% of ___'s are ___'s" comments are, I'd really like to add that this guy probably doesn't know anyone with autism, or had one random experience that seemed fake to him and decided they're all fakers.

    Who would -choose- to fake autism? They don't even know it exists when they first show symptoms.
    • nevetssav, on 07/18/2008, -2/+1199% of the people he knows don't have autism.
    • dood, on 07/18/2008, -11/+12"one random experience that seemed fake to him and decided they're all fakers."

      Conservative talk radio hosts, and bloggers, and pretty much all of those that parrot them follow that pattern. Look at how they talk about homeless ("that guy lives in his car, I call that a home!"), homosexuals ("we found one that lives the straight life, therefore it's a choice!"), illegal immigrants ("one of them committed a crime!"), etc.
      • lynx44, on 07/18/2008, -1/+10Diggers, and pretty much all of those that post comments on the internet follow your pattern. Look at how they talk about conservatives, "That conservative talk show host said something stupid, therefore they're all stupid!"
      • dood, on 07/18/2008, -4/+2lynx44, I never stated that connection. My statement is implicitly based on my personal experience, listening to conservative talk radio hosts, reading conservative blogs, and watching how their information tends to spread and be repeated.
      • JBish828, on 07/18/2008, -0/+6Everyone generalizes.
      • JBish828, on 07/18/2008, -3/+2Everyone generalizes.
      • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1Well the stats about illegal immigrants committing crimes is much more than just one, so that is a poor example.
    • gumby05, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2Dustin Hoffman
  • LeRenard, on 07/18/2008, -8/+80I used to work with autistic children, it would be pretty hard to fake what *most* of those kids are doing. First off, he's obviously talking about high functioning individuals, but even among them I bet you could beat them within an inch of their life and they still wouldn't be able to modify their behaviors this guy calls "acting like a putz" (I'm not advocating that anyone try it). Besides, I defy you to find a kid who *wants* to be in SPED classes.
    • VeritasAequitas, on 07/18/2008, -2/+6I can find you plenty that are in EBD classrooms that could have been completley normal if they hadn't had a messed up home life. And they are handled under SPED
      • gigigugit, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1I bet they would rather have had a good home life and be in the normal classes though.
    • wishninja, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1I think doctors err on the side of caution. If you do not get these people early intervention then it is much less likely they will be highly functioning.
  • dagnabbit, on 07/18/2008, -17/+63Seriously, who tunes in to this garbage?
    • qdkk, on 07/18/2008, -12/+2299% of conservatives.
      • kosmoX, on 07/18/2008, -3/+3Not even close.
      • matthewaaron, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4I'm a conservative and I can't stand this idoit... he does NOT speak for me.
      • qdkk, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1Of course, I was 99% joking.
    • lovek, on 07/18/2008, -3/+23I do on long drives. Why would I want to listen to the same boring music or listen to a reasonable person talk? Snooooore.

      Nothing makes a long trip fly by like screaming at your radio.
      • drlha, on 07/18/2008, -1/+7lovek: Sounds dangerous for others on the road though.
      • tmart, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4I have done the same on many long trips.
      • Argy, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Totally agreed. A recent drive up central California was spent scanning the AM dial.
    • trying2hide, on 07/18/2008, -3/+8UHm... my ex husband ...
      note the word EX
      • Delphium226, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1wanna date?

        kidding
      • gttim, on 07/18/2008, -0/+9Hey a woman! Lets talk to it!
      • WillyWonka, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2I sure hope you looked at their profile first and didn't assume that someone with an ex-husband was a woman before asking them out on a date. :P
    • acliffhang3r, on 07/18/2008, -2/+6Some of my friends do. He's actually pretty funny, sometimes.
    • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -9/+5Satan, and Osama.
    • lestyoubejudged, on 07/18/2008, -2/+4Sadly the guy in the cube across from me at work. You have no idea how much I LOVE my headphones.
      • D4r7h3v1l, on 07/18/2008, -0/+17I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.
    • jcm267, on 07/18/2008, -2/+4Not all that Savage says is completely insane (though a lot of it is). Savage is always entertaining, not always truthful.
    • WallyAnti, on 07/18/2008, -3/+5Most of what Savage says is shocking garbage. He also likes to romanticize boxing in a way that would suit a latent man toucher. Going off on how they are bare chested, sweaty, and whatnot. I think he's a silly goose.
    • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1i do, im waiting for that one night when he looses it on the radio. it will be epic lulz.
    • winnestow, on 07/19/2008, -0/+1over 8.25 million people per week:

      http://talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_conte ...
    • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -2/+1*proudly stands up*

      I do. Much better than the other crap out there.
      • kayaus, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0Please do not reproduce. Thank you.
      • hivoltage815, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1It's always lovely when people think their political opinion entitles them to pass judgment on everyone else. Liberalism isn't more right that conservatism, just a different viewpoint. Come on now, life is too short to be like that.
  • EatingPie, on 07/18/2008, -26/+68The implication of the article is to associate "conservative talk show hosts" with Michael Savage's comments. However, many conservative talk show hosts have actively condemned the things Savage has said in the past, and broke any association they'd have with the host.

    In reality it should have simply read "Michael Savage: 99% of Autistic Children are Frauds." But that wouldn't have fit Maki Maki's continued flood of anti-conservative/anti-republican posts.

    -Pie
    • insertAliasHere, on 07/18/2008, -6/+23Damn straight.

      As a conservative, I'll tell you right now that Savage is an ass, and doesn't represent me at all.
    • screamthenrun, on 07/18/2008, -3/+11You're right. Savage is an right wing extremist. To be honest I used to listen to him until I started realizing how ridiculous and hateful some of his comments are [like this one]. He actually hates just about every other conservative talk show host out there. He is elitist and he's a shock jock. Really people, I'm not sure why this actually needs to be covered. He's a downright pompous ass, and we've known that for years.
    • asforme, on 07/18/2008, -3/+6I wouldn't even call Savage a conservative, he is a statist and a fascist. He's advocated arresting anyone driving a white van at night because they're obviously a rapist. He'd be the first to impose a nation wide curfew and a ban on religions he doesn't like.

      I'd say most republicans now are far from conservative. I consider the word conservative to relate to a philosophy of applying government intervention conservatively, while liberals would apply government intervention liberally. Republicans definitely fit the definition of liberals, they just want their big government to do different things.
      • pintomp3, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2these days conservatives mean socially conservative and liberal means socially liberal. conservatives support banning abortion and sodomy, spying on citizens, oppose separation of church and state, etc.
      • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2i wasnt aware i supported all those things thanks for that sweeping (and completly incorrect) generalization pint. and how is this any different than what your bitching about savage for?
    • pintomp3, on 07/18/2008, -3/+4it seems to be a trend, like when rush limbaugh was making fun of michael j fox's parkinson's disease.
    • TVarmy, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1Not everyone knows who he is. The guy's so weird that he's usually on the fringe. In this case, he's said something so offensive and so bizarre, we're noticing it.
  • dshPls, on 07/18/2008, -11/+46Don't feed the troll.
    • TheMachine1, on 07/18/2008, -0/+5This entire proclamation by him is intended to stir up interest in his show. I never heard of the guy till I read about this a few days ago on an autism forum. This story going to frontpage is only aiding this ***** marketing plan.
      • bayouJosh, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3What do you mean you never heard of him? Savage has the third highest rated syndicated radio show in the nation. behind Limbaugh and Hannity. You obviously don't listen to talk radio.
      • TVarmy, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1Third most popular? That is sad. I'd heard of him before when he was saying really offensive things about gays.
  • TSCheredar, on 07/18/2008, -14/+27Please don't encourage this goon by talking about this. Just ignore it. Please.
  • deadfrank, on 07/18/2008, -14/+799% + lame comment=success
  • JBrown99, on 07/18/2008, -36/+33While I disagree with his statement on autism, I do agree with this statement:

    "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."
    • malex, on 07/18/2008, -5/+21All things considered, I'd rather my child grow up a girlyman than a psychopath.
    • Kidtuf, on 07/18/2008, -4/+20That's the stupidest statement I've ever heard. You cannot turn your son into a girl, and being sensitive towards others does not a beaten man make.

      Anyone who thinks that being considerate and sensitive to others around you makes you a "loser" have some issue of their own to work through. You can be a friendly person and a firm in your constitution. You can be respectful and strong willed. These things are not mutually exclusive, no matter what the AM radio tools insist.
      • JBrown99, on 07/18/2008, -12/+2I'm probably one of the most considerate and sensitive people I know. I went into work 2 hours late to help a woman who was broken down on the side of the highway. My point is that the nation has become overly sensative in a bad way. Everyone is afraid of hurting each others feelings to the point where you have to be so "P.C." or else you are immediately attacked and criticized. People need to suck it up and grow a pair.

        And yes, you can turn your son into a girl. Maybe not physically (well...), but too many boys are growing up without knowing what it means to be a man.
      • Hamletlere, on 07/18/2008, -2/+12Really? I'm a man, and I can't tell you what it means to be a man. Every one of us is different.

        Perhaps by not taking my son to sporting events, you think I am in emasculating him? Guess what? I don't like them. Guess I am not a "man" in your eyes, either.
      • kayala, on 07/18/2008, -2/+14What does it mean to be a man, JBrown? To sit in front of the TV and drink beers? To demand that your wife get you a sammich RIGHT NOW? To drive a dirty pickup truck? To wear a white wifebeater?
        These things don't define a man, and you can be a true man while not being obtuse and offending people everywhere you go. (See my post below.) The suggestion that sensitivity is a female virtue alone is terrifying; men, who according to you are not supposed to be subtle or understanding, have a disproportionate number of ambassadors and world leaders among them. Should they be "real men" and go play with their Tonka trucks instead of engaging in delicate negotiations? I ***** hate this kind of sexism. Let people be people and let all people treat each other well. The only true measure of a man or woman is as a good person.
      • zer0nix, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1being 'good' or 'bad' is relative. the hallmark of being an adult is personal responsibility. without that, you are just a child.
    • SamZi, on 07/18/2008, -4/+10You're an idiot, seriously. Considering the rates of family violence in this country, I think that sensitivity training is an important aspect of anybodys (girls or boys) childhood.
    • kayala, on 07/18/2008, -3/+18I love this behavioral distinction between sexes. Boys are supposed to be rough-and-tumble, obtuse and active, while girls are supposed to be dainty, sensitive and stay inside working on their embroidery. Anybody else find that just the least little bit disgusting? I wouldn't want to live in this world if boys didn't learn to have a little sensitivity! Being able to empathize and not offend people everywhere you go does not make you a "loser" and does not make this a nation of "beaten men". How sickening.
      • Evilena, on 07/18/2008, -0/+5I also wouldn't want to live in a world where girls can't practice Muay Thai, study Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, play video games, write code, or get lap dances from other girls because these activities are not feminine. What upsets them is that young women are no longing accepting the Femininity = Weakness lies.

        If you don't want to live in a nation of beaten men you actually have to get your asses of the couch and keep up.
      • ieee, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4I wish I could mod you up twice for that comment.

        Your comment completely reflects what I have seen with 3rd world immigrants at work where the wives are little more than property or servants.

        No matter how much of a loser the man is, he still feels like a big ***** because he is "above" his wife.

        It think that is really what is behind some of those old rules about men and women.

        If somebody feels like a loser they should work on themselves instead of trying to keep other people down.
    • cokobware, on 07/18/2008, -0/+9Sensitivity to other people is not soley in the "domain" of women. It's in the entire domain of PEOPLE. There are plenty of insensitive women out there in the world, and plenty of insensitive men out there too. If we taught our children to be aware of other people and how we make them feel, along with standing up for themselves and be discerning, we'd have a much better world. EVERYONE should be a bit more aware of the impact they have on everyone else. Maybe that's sensitivity, but it's really important to the health of our nation.

      Mike Savage is a f'n a-hole. If he had any clue what autistic children and parents of these children went through with Autism, then he would NOT be saying the sh*t he's saying. My spectrum child is wonderful, yet a handful. We punish him for misbehaving just like any other kid. It hasn't changed the fact that he's spectrum and that he will continue to have issues.
    • ieee, on 07/18/2008, -1/+5Well turning a son into a girl would involved surgery and drugs. So it can't be right on that count.

      Being sensitive means noticing things.

      Noticing things helps with being intelligent.

      Noticing things isn't exclusive with being physically strong, being able to beat the crap out of people or being able to tell a moron he has a weak argument.

      Nothing to be afraid of.

    • Suricou, on 07/18/2008, -0/+5Do I sense a touch of homophobia underlying his statement? I know that he considers manliness very important, and looks down on men who don't live up to the muscle-bound, dominant, agressive symbols of masculinity he wishes they would be.
      • wishninja, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2you nailed it. the sensitivity training he was rallying against is for schools and children that bully homosexual teens in the school. Savage seems to advocate beating the piss out of homosexuals. I am sure he is a homosexual that beats up on himself so he thinks that is what all homosexuals deserve.
  • lolmacs, on 07/18/2008, -17/+6I'd love to spend 1 minute working over his face with a baseball bat. Guaranteed he wouldn't wake up ever again.
  • SolidBones, on 07/18/2008, -6/+41Of course, because 2 year old children will beat their faces on walls until they bleed so their parents can make a quick buck.
    • Ladymongoose, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I keep hearing about all this 'funding' the schools and parents themselves are apparently getting. Our school district has recently had special education funds cut drastically, especially the Early Intervention section. Did you know it's a 6 month waiting list just to get someone from the school district to SEE your child to determine if they are eligible, then another 6 months to get into all that free therapy that is supposedly around (and then it's a whopping 1 hour a week..what good is that).

      And as for parents being encouraged to get an autism diagnosis for their kids to (according to MS) get all that grant money and welfare, well I must live in the wrong state since last year nearly 1/4 of our income went to special school and therapy for my son. There are undoubtedly children who are misdiagnosed, but my kid isn't one of them and we've seen ZERO special treatment, money or free therapy, despite two years of trying.
  • p51d007, on 07/18/2008, -15/+34As a conservative, please don't lump Savage as a conservative. That would be the same as saying somebody
    like Cindy Sheehan (however it is spelled) is a liberal. Both are wingnuts on the extreme of their respective parties.
    • sotonohito, on 07/18/2008, -4/+14Ummm. Not really. See, Cindy Sheehan doesn't have a radio show with an audience of millions. Savage and Sheehan aren't really comperable because the one is hugely popular, makes gazillions off his ravings and is (along with Coulter, Limbaugh, etc), and the other has an audience of zero at the moment, made no money, and never really was a giant among liberals.

      I'm sure that sane conservatives don't like the fact that their ideology has been hijacked by loonies, but unfortunately that's what's happened. Conservative == Coulter, Limbaugh, and Savage these days. Maybe we need a new word to describe people like you?
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2You're the one making the connection between the two, not us(real conservatives).

        Maybe you should call them what they are: entertainers. They are nothing more and nothing less.
      • hackiavelli, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1@Quisquis

        That says something about conservatives if they find that kind of one-sided, hate-filled, jingoistic BS "entertainment".
      • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1I bet most everyone on here makes assumptions without actually listening to what he says. He takes fact and wraps it in sensationalist statement, but it is still fact and worth listening to.
    • santaliqueur, on 07/18/2008, -9/+11Anyone who is not left is labeled as a conservative right wing nutjob on Digg.
      • tokabowla, on 07/18/2008, -2/+3Boo ***** hoo.
        Then why are you on Digg if it's so damn left-wing? Oh yeah, cause it isn't. Digg is bias against stupidity & ignorance, which is the basis of all conservatism.
        What sane person would be against progress and openness.
        Stupid & ignorant people.
        (btw, I love how the Digg spell-checker shows "Digg" as misspelled.)
    • jcm267, on 07/18/2008, -6/+3Michael Savage isn't a Republican. Don't lump him in with Republicans.
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -3/+2I'm ok with calling him a Republican, just don't call him conservative.
    • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -2/+3I get what you meant to say (I think), but if Cindy Sheehan is to conservatives what Savage is to Liberals, you conservatives have it easy!

      Liberals who score as evil as Mr. Savage tend not to get corporate sponsorship. Then again, not many liberals get corporate sponsorship to begin with.. yep, you guys have it easy.
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2right... go take a look at how much money Clinton got from the pharmaceutical industry.
      • caramba420, on 07/18/2008, -1/+0Clinton is not a liberal. She voted for the war and voted for the Patriot Act. She is a corporatist, just like 99% of the rest of politicians out there.

        Kucinich is a liberal. Ralph Nader is a liberal.
      • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1caramba420: bingo, Nader is a liberal that many liberals have doubts about. Clinton is centrist who dances with the other side..

        Kucinich, he just LOOKS liberal. :-D
    • caramba420, on 07/18/2008, -1/+5Except that Savage spews hatred for oodles of money. Sheehan's motivation is that her son got killed in Iraq due in no small part to the effectiveness of the propaganda machine that Savage is a part of.
      • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1due in no small part to the effectiveness of congress not having any spine.

        *fixed
      • caramba420, on 07/18/2008, -1/+0That's the other half of the equation. In 2003, after all the war drum beating that the media had done, they all thought that it would be political suicide to vote "nay." So they voted what they thought would get them elected the next time around, rather than what they thought was right.

        Except Paul and Kucinich. Kudos to them for standing by their principles.
    • JinnRikki, on 07/18/2008, -2/+7Cindy Sheehan lost a son to an illegal war, how many did Savage lose? I guess that makes her an extremist.
      • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1It ALSO makes her MIDDLE CLASS.*
        Rich kids with their college paid for, which is unfair to the rich since they don't get to serve in Iraq to help pay for that degree.


        *(Note to non-US diggers. In the US, "middle class" is NOT a derogatory term. Don't moderate if you're not sure what it means.

        I thought the term was universal and needed no explanation, but I've noticed simply USING this term gets one buried. I am middle class. I have sympathy for everyone middle class who is being hurt by US economic policy, which is a war on the middle class. It's not an insult. So there you go).
    • ace429k, on 07/18/2008, -2/+1first good reply to the article so far
    • aeoo, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
  • Pronoiac, on 07/18/2008, -8/+18How about "Completely uninformed delusional attention whore says on his douche canoe radio show that 99% of Autistic Children are Frauds" His political association has nothing to do with him being a complete idiot and it makes the rest of us look bad.
    • lestyoubejudged, on 07/18/2008, -1/+5"Douche canoe" omg that made me laugh out loud, literally.
    • caramba420, on 07/18/2008, -1/+0If all the "real conservatives" were in such a rush to distance themselves from him, why does he have the 3rd highest rated talk radio show behind Limbaugh and Hannity?
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2The same reason that people that hated Howard Stern back in the day listened to him longer that people that liked what he said. People like to be angry, and that's why these guys do well.
      • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1he provokes thought and is one of the only people on the radio that does that.
  • Shao00, on 07/18/2008, -17/+3i wish there was an area of his brain we could damage to make him autistic...
    • str8lazy, on 07/18/2008, -0/+7Wishing that someone were autistic is just strange and very rude.
      • Shao00, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2let him tell us they are just pretending then
    • elshizzo, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2The guy is already brain damaged if you ever listen to his show.
    • SolidBones, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1***** no! Autistic people tend to be dangerously intelligent and savant-like!
    • kayaus, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0First you'd have to locate a region of his pea-sized brain that is not already damaged beyond repair. That would be really, really hard. I'm all for giving it the ol' college try though!
  • GVR90, on 07/18/2008, -10/+5What a troglodyte...
  • baudbwoy, on 07/18/2008, -8/+12is it me or could you hear "I needed to be hugged dad" clearly in his rant. Please some find that man and hug him, show him some love. I do however believe that some kids are over medicated and SERIOUSLY need a smack down so they can get up and get right.
    • LuckySephid, on 07/18/2008, -2/+5that has nothing to do with autism. now kids with ADD/ADHD get over medicated and misdiagnosed. Alot just need parents to parent and beat there ass for snorting coke and skipping school
      • Zaxcomp, on 07/18/2008, -1/+3Beat their ass? That is clear and simple child abuse.
    • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2Savage is screaming for more than a HUG... he's a bit like Mr Garrison in South Park.
    • Klowner, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Poor guy, (from wikipedia) "He described his childhood as difficult, due to his father's "gruff and profane" personality.[1] His father died of a heart attack in his fifties."
    • somebunni, on 07/19/2008, -0/+0Autism doesn't get medicated. There is no medication for autism.
  • LuckySephid, on 07/18/2008, -11/+19what a *****
    • cokobware, on 07/18/2008, -1/+1my favourite word to describe ***** like Mike Savage.

      *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****, *****!
  • tsinsomnia, on 07/18/2008, -16/+15Ah yes, right-wing hate radio.
    This is what replaced 60s rock and roll radio.
    Why?
    • Rhydeble, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2its a better laugh
    • altgeeky1, on 07/18/2008, -1/+4Clear Channel?

      Corporate media concentration is going to get a LOT WORSE with HD radio, just like it is with HDTV.
      I'm old enough to remember all the local city independent channels that died out in the early 90's (raise your hand if you remember Creature Double Feature or Kung Fu Theatre)
  • digpiggy, on 07/18/2008, -3/+5it's just his schtick...savage fancies himself the angry voice of the all-american bulljock male. as for autism, it's always been around, but only recognized as widespread in recent decades.
  • TomT223, on 07/18/2008, -10/+15If he had said 99% of kids diagnosed with ADD were fraud then I would go along with him. Way to many parents choose to medicate their kids instead of disciplining them.
    • Tyrghast, on 07/18/2008, -4/+4Yeah ADD doesn't exist in most cases, it's simply a lack of parent's properly raising their kids. Control what they eat and control what they do so they learn how to behave correctly in public, medication is not the solution.
      • Evilena, on 07/18/2008, -2/+1Any why do you believe this other than hearing about it on a right wing radio show?
      • cokobware, on 07/18/2008, -1/+3You can only truly diagnose ADD and ADHD via brain scans. Don't believe in the ADD and ADHD diagnosis it unless you get a brain scan done to verify the hypothesis.
  • LoveWidescreen, on 07/18/2008, -13/+20Michael Savage is *not* a conservative. He's a right-wing extremist who is being lumped in with the term "conservative" by the article submitter because it makes for a guaranteed front page entry.

    I consider myself to be a conservative and I refuse to listen to his paranoid rhetoric.
    • bendiggn, on 07/18/2008, -2/+4He has been considered a conservative for quite some time now.

      Direct quotes from Michael Savage's own website:
      "Savage is harder hitting than other conservatives. Wilder than Bill, funnier than Ann,..."

      "Savage coined the terms "Compassionate Conservative" and "Islamo-Fascist," which have been hijacked by Republican speechwriters and spread like wildfire."

      I would agree with you if you said the Republican party has been hijacked by dirt bags like this guy.
      I have noticed more political (not religious) "conservatives" have been calling themselves Libertarians lately.

      • cyberprunes, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3The problem is that the "neo-conservative" and conservative terms are used interchangeably and incorrectly.
    • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -2/+1Savage is the only true conservative anymore. You are misinformed about what true conservatism is.

      The fact is Savage is a jerk and is flat out angry at the world, but "99 out of 100 times" is correct.
  • heliox, on 07/18/2008, -16/+10Wow...MediaMatters...must real.
    They NEVER take comments out of context...
    /sarc
    • jmhyer51, on 07/18/2008, -5/+4Oh, well if that's the case, can you please explain the proper context? I don't want to be quick to judge.

      And yes, Mediamatters must real indeed.
    • chicofaraby, on 07/18/2008, -4/+2OK, put his comment in a context that makes it something other than stupid.
    • caramba420, on 07/18/2008, -4/+1Wow! Media Matters...started by an ex-conservative media insider, David Brock, after realizing that right wing media was devoid of all journalistic integrity. I would encourage you to read Blinded by the Right.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brock
    • SamZi, on 07/18/2008, -2/+0It's pretty hard to take "99% of autistic kids are frauds" out of context unless he said "I definitely do not believe that 99% of autistic kids are frauds." When you make a statement like that, you need to back it up.. then maybe people would listen to you.
  • Coolkid11, on 07/18/2008, -12/+8Michael Savage is definitely a Conservative Radio Host. He has continually blasted Bush and has insulted the Democrats.
    • farmerjohn48pan, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3That's easy to do and doesn't prove anything.
  • PeterOA, on 07/18/2008, -8/+11Being from Canada I'm not often subjected to this thing that calls himself a talk show host. I did hear him for about 5 minutes driving south last summer (as much as I could handle) and thinking back it's clear that he is far from autistic. Autism is typically someone with a decent to high level of intelligence but an inability to communicate effectively. Savage has mastered the the inability to communicate, but with his hugely stunted intelligence he's way below the capability of an autistic child - he's around the level of excrement with legs and arms. The good news is he apparently has no problem proving this again and again.
  • withears, on 07/18/2008, -27/+17Conservatives. What a bunch of dicks.
  • oscenester, on 07/18/2008, -4/+16I have a friend who has an autistic child. Trust me its no act.

    and the government doesn't give her shiet either. I watched her struggle for many years until she finally managed to get a sales job at morgan-stanley, and even now she struggles to make a little bit of commission so that all her money doesn't go towards his medical issues.

    • pintomp3, on 07/18/2008, -4/+3many of the "free marketers" would argue it's not theirs or the government's problem.
      • Sairynn, on 07/18/2008, -4/+4Well, unless either the government or I caused the child's autism, it isn't.
      • oscenester, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2I would tend to agree...except in extreme cases.

        What I meant was that she never asked the government to give her anything. She handled it on her own,
        a single mother of three, her third the disabled child. In this situation, though, I think government assistance would have come in handy...as she had a very hard time with child care and working to provide.

        And I already know people are gonna say where's the father...and that is a valid point. But in this case the father got shafted out of his business by a business partner, and accused of a white collar crime he didn't commit. He took a plea agreement to save his wife from jail time and to try and leave her with whatever little they had left before giving it away in legal fees, etc.

        Had he been a dead beat though, i think the government still could have assisted, and then pursued dead beat father for repayment.

        just me though

        Oh, and PS: you may not have caused a childs illness, but the governement IS responsible for causing many by allowing industry to use chemicals known to be harmful in all types of things, from food products etc.

        What then?
      • Geekiest, on 07/18/2008, -2/+2@Sairynn: PREACH IT!

        "Oh, and PS: you may not have caused a childs illness, but the governement IS responsible for causing many by allowing industry to use chemicals known to be harmful in all types of things, from food products etc.

        What then?"
        Bring them to court and prove it, that's why civil courts exist.
  • nebbo, on 07/18/2008, -0/+10I think it worked exactly like he thought it would. He is back in the headlines and a lot of you will now tune into to his show today to listen to him. All to easy for him to get ratings.
    • ISurfTooMuch, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Not me. I think he's a loudmouth ***** with not a working brain cell in his head, and I have no intention of listening to his "show".
  • bigskank, on 07/18/2008, -3/+7The problems with people like Savage are that they take misdiagnoses and over-diagnoses from other areas of child psychology and transplant them to other childhood mental issues. Autism is very hard to fake. It has been rarely understood until recently (who had even heard of it before the movie "Rainman," for those of you old enough to remember). Probably the increase in diagnoses are a result of better testing.

    Savage takes the over diagnosis of problems like ADHD - which IS over-diagnosed - and transplants it to autism. It'd be nice to hear a conservative host, just once, make comments like these with evidence to back them up besides what their gut reaction tells them to say
    • lukemann, on 07/18/2008, -4/+4I guess you have heard of the term "Educational Autism". I will assure you that it is the new ADHD. Any kid with a speech disorder is getting lumped into this category. Then the school district gets more funding for that kid.
    • RadioFreeOpium, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Actually, like ADHD, the increase in diagnosis is the result of broader labels and definitions as to what can be called "autism". As it stands there is no physical proof of the disease, it is claimed to be genetic but no genes have been isolated as responsible.
  • franklymister, on 07/18/2008, -7/+18I'm pretty sure Michael Savage is a performance artist.

    There's no way this guy could be for real. I'm guessing that he gets together with Fred Phelps and Ann Coulter for secret meetings at an undisclosed hippie commune in Oregon several time a year where they all eat shrooms and drop acid, engage is wild bacchanalian orgies, and laugh about how they are working to discredit the right with their crazy antics.
    • notoneofus, on 07/18/2008, -1/+2If that were true, then he'd have been at the County Fair last week...
    • jcm267, on 07/18/2008, -0/+8???? You haven't ever listened to Savage. I'm certain that he doesn't like Phelps at all and he refers to Coulter as an "empty skirt" on his show.
      • franklymister, on 07/18/2008, -4/+2All misdirection and lies by Savage. Classic tricks of the trade.

        He has to deny involvement with his conspirators, or it could all come crashing down.

      • jcm267, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4Classic tricks of the trade? No. Not at all. The man's a Buchanan school conservative. You cannot listen to a show where he doesn't disparage the character of Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, the President, or any of a bunch of other conservative icons. Savage is an outcast on the conservative radio dial. When listening to other shows the others hosts sometimes mention other hosts for some reason and none of them ever mention Savage. They list all of the others. Just not Savage.
      • franklymister, on 07/18/2008, -1/+5Ah, you see, it's working. By putting on his "Michael Savage" persona, he can attack the right while seemingly being ON THE RIGHT himself.

        Middle America doesn't know the difference, and Savage gets quoted as "conservative radio host."

        I expect he's somewhere right now, eating a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream in his biodiesel-powered Volvo station wagon while he tearfully wipes oil from the feathers of an endangered bird.
      • Chordonblue, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3"When listening to other shows the others hosts sometimes mention other hosts for some reason and none of them ever mention Savage. They list all of the others. Just not Savage."

        Dead on there about that. I think it's because every so often, Michael forgets himself and says something ignorant (like this), and then gets control of himself again - but it's too late. NONE of the other talk show hosts could afford to be related in any way to his occasional outbursts.

        That said, I like Mike. He's not always right, but it's interesting to hear his point of view even when I don't agree with him. I don't understand how people listen to Hannity, it's like hearing the same tape loop over and over again.

        You never know what you'll get with Savage. Sometimes it's schlock, sometimes it's his stories of growing up in N.Y., and every once in a while he says something like this that just makes me shake my head. Hopefully, someone will educate him and set him straight on this.

        I have an autistic son, but I also understand that people do not get his personality or why he goes into 'stream of consciousness' mode and says exactly what comes through his mind - all at once. He is not to be pitied - he is functional and we are helping him.

        I just wish Savage would meet my son and realize that this isn't something faked or brought on somehow by bad parenting. You can't fake what my incredible son does, believe me.
      • card51short, on 07/18/2008, -1/+5"You cannot listen to a show where he doesn't disparage the character of Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, the President, or any of a bunch of other conservative icons."

        JCM...what conservative things has Bush done in his 8 years?
    • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -1/+1Coming from someone who clearly doesn't listen to his show.
  • str8lazy, on 07/18/2008, -7/+11I am no expert on the matter by any means, but by using about 3 seconds of my life, I found on wikipedia these words, and I qoute "The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, at least partly due to changes in diagnostic practice[...]" Michael could be making a point of some kind, but he may have gone a little over the top with his statistic. I would have to guess maybe closer to 25% of the kids are just brats and probably just need to be straightened out. Once again I am no doctor, but I do have eyes and a brain. Come to you own conclusions.

    BTW. I know I used wikipedia, but I would rather not use another 3 seconds of my life to find a more credible source.
    • lestyoubejudged, on 07/18/2008, -2/+1My friend who once worked in an Austism Clinic in the research triangle in South Carolina had a theory that the increase in Austism could be related to all the socially marginable people (ie some Engineers at high tech firms) who now date and marry and sometimes reproduce. A few generations ago they just stayed in their mom's basement or worked at firms that only employed men. Internesting theory. Perhaps true in some cases?
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -3/+0Yes, smart people NEVER got married prior 60 years ago... you're an idiot. My god, that is some ignorant *****. Just off of the top of my head, Einstein was married, Richard Feynman was married, Stephen Hawking is married etc...
      • lestyoubejudged, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1I am not talking about smart people. And you have no idea if I am an idiot or not. You know nothing about me. Open your mind for 5 seconds. I am talking about people who have a very hard time relating to others socially. I know some of these people personally and it does seem like they are already marginally autistic, image multiplying that. I am not saying all Engineers or 'smart' people. So your list proves nothing.
    • DerpDerpMD, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1The actual reason for this is that more diseases that were in the past classified as other diseases, are now considered forms of autism.
    • ZeroPointEffect, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1Twenty five percent, WTF what your telling me that a person that spent 8 plus years in school and X many years in practice can’t tell when a child is being a brat? That is inconceivable! There are mental traits that are the basis of autism and you can’t fake it. You can’t fake autism no more than faking a broken bone.

      Just to let everyone know the testing to confirm autism is a very long and drawn out process consisting of multiple hour long interviews and hours of cognitive testing. It took my nephew 6 months to get diagnosed.
      • Quisquis, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1Different doctors have different practices to diagnose things. A person that spent 8+ years in school and X many years in practice doesn't seem to be a very good argument considering the history of ADHD...
      • DerpDerpMD, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0thats because ADHD has signs that do often show up in normal kids, unlike autism. lack of attention is a common symptom of childhood, and it is often difficult for doctors to determine where the line is for ADHD. autism is much easier to diagnose, as the child presents nearly the exact oppisite of childlike behavior.
    • TheMachine1, on 07/18/2008, -0/+4Its a neurological condition that is primary genetic. The increased diagnosis is from recognising autism is a spectrum and higher functioning types were added to the definition in the early 90's.
    • cyberprunes, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3The problem with right wing talk radio hosts like Savage is the tendency to over inflate their point and come off sounding like ignorant fools.
  • potisreallygood, on 07/18/2008, -5/+4I can picture him screaming "au-au-autism is a fraud! these sodomite hippy homosexuals are destroying the nation!"
  • firesphotons, on 07/18/2008, -9/+7Conservatives, claim to love god but hate in mass quantity, how would we survive without you guys? What's Sean Insanity's take on the issue?
    • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2I'm a conservative yet hate religion. kinda ***** up your equation there now doesn't it.
      • firesphotons, on 07/18/2008, -3/+0It would if the last eight years your conservative pick had curtailed spending.
      • Monk22, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3he wasnt my pick once again your generalizations prove you to be a narrow minded dolt.
  • aquafire, on 07/18/2008, -12/+21Forget autism. He's right, many kids get away with way too much crap these days, and then their parents blame anyone or anything but themselves.
    • wing05, on 07/18/2008, -3/+4ADHD perhaps.

      Autism, no... Look up what autism is and you won't find a kid "getting away with crap". More like a kid taking crap and people wondering why they aren't reacting much or appropriately.

    • hivoltage815, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1I think Michael Savage is brilliant, digg me down.

      He says what everyone is too afraid to. He takes it over the top many times for hyperbole, but is usually spot on. And he is the only really conservative anymore who recognizes that Bush is a failure as a President and the two candidates running for office are simply "a Democrat and a communist."

      Free speech is an incredible thing.
  • ericjohnson0, on 07/18/2008, -20/+7I don't agree with the Savage's comment on Autism, but ADD is a joke. Its just one more way to madicate kids and give Big Pharma some customers for life.

    http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,21 ...

    • cokobware, on 07/18/2008, -2/+3Again, ADD and ADHD can only be TRUELY diagnoses via a brain scan. For everyone else who is diagnoses and fails the brain scan is likely sensitive to certain elements in their diet, and is need of coping skills training.

      This is really a good link to understanding what you can do about a child with suspected ADD/ADHD.

      http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/150/
  • amr05h, on 07/18/2008, -0/+7Anybody else notice that this article is very redundantly written.
    • amr05h, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Anybody else notice this article is redundant? He pretty much just quoted him three times :|
      • Bloodboiler, on 07/18/2008, -0/+3Yes. I would even say 66 % of it is redundant. :-)
    • BlacklabelSAR, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2I did notice the repetition, and thought how short the article would have been without dups.
  • matchmuchach, on 07/18/2008, -12/+5Yawn, what else is new? Conservatives: Please go see your heavenly father as soon as possible...
  • zimbra, on 07/18/2008, -6/+6If ignorance is bliss, he must be very very happy.
  • trying2hide, on 07/18/2008, -5/+6Mr Savage = moronic extreme out to say extreme things on talk radio.
    Think conservative Howard Stern .... but without the mental capacity.
  • RizenBB, on 07/18/2008, -0/+2My friend's brother has autism. This man must never have met an autistic person, as I can't see how anyone who actually has met an autistic child could say these things. Frankly it scares me that people this callous and stupid are even given an audience, much less a nationally syndicated one.
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