Greta & the sad rise of autism ignorance

The media in this country can be a blessing and a curse. It can equally champion oppression or encourage oppression. Magnificent investigative journalism is there in the majority of decent, moral newspapers and broadcasters, it is journalism we can be rightly proud of. Indeed, as a writer and champion of children's disability rights, I know, I see it and read it. However, over the last few weeks, a creeping paralysis of self-opinionated nastiness has appeared from a small dark corner of the media, proliferated by those tentatively and laughingly working under the umbrella of "journalists"

The incredible rise to prominence of Greta Thunberg has rattled their cages, cages used to the young being told that the established way is sacrosanct and absolutely not there to argue with. This motivated and selfless young girl has whipped a small section of the right-wing and middle-class press into a bastion of self-righteous fury. Why? Well firstly maybe because she has a campaign that, despite the obvious science is absolutely factually correct or, maybe, because she threatens their champagne, Notting Hill way of life, their absolute belief in the establishment. Whatever the roots cause it is the worrying language used by them that worries me, why? Well, because Greta has a disability.

Greta has Aspergers. I'm not going to delve into that here because to me that's not the point. Disability and its community are one I am proud to be part of. She is driven and has her own mind environmentally and politically (terrifying to some used to children being seen not heard)

Greta, by her own volition, has decided to take on the world, especially the Business and Government world and ask them why they are determined to reduce the earth to a cinder hanging in space...money? Greed? Political gain? Yes, obviously, absolutely. For this unforgivable stand, some of the press, those who are the eternal guardians of the status quo, have launched into a full-on personal assault on Greta, using archaic terms around her disability as a tool to bring down her brilliantly worded and truthful campaign.

Words bandied about her have included "strange" and "odd" It appears they have, from their total ignorance of disability, concluded that this rather incredible young lady must be "controlled" and taken advantage off. The use of this language made me reel as a parent and as someone with a mental health illness. Their labeling in the negative showcases a complete lack of contact with people in the disabled community. This is obvious for all to see and for us all to be concerned about.

It seems that a disabled child, making a stance and raising a voice is smashing the glass ceilings of these criminally, socially out of step buffoons. With their small-minded rhetoric about what being a disabled child actually means we should all fear for the future, a future becoming more abelist and right-wing.

You can hear the cries from them now, "Back in your charity box youth, you can't possibly be in command of your own life, hold out your collecting tin. Leave the truth and facts to us" (insert laughter track here.)

Stereotyping from some corners of the press around disability and some rank corners of politics is nothing new. In fact, the stereotyping of all children seems to be the norm. For a disabled child to suddenly not be a "victim" or a "charity case" seems to have shaken some "journalists" to the core and left them in a state of utter perplexment. What should we do with this? You can hear them exclaim. "quick, launch into the established tabloid procedure: destroy, forget facts and hassle the relatives, and while you're there get your twitter feed up."

The rule seems to be that if a child takes on the establishment they should really return to playing with toys and having no point of view, and if that child has a disability then they should know their place in societies pecking order and be grateful for a handout. This is a meeting of minds, Greta and her contemporaries having several million and a minority of hacks sadly having none.

In the past few weeks, a few articles and odious online comments have appeared that, sadly, really believe it really is ok to lambast a 16-year girl and pick at her disability with a few abhorrent choices of words that anyone alive from 1850 would appreciate. Indeed last night Arron Banks added his charming non-appreciated views on Gretas transatlantic journey. Disability & irrelevant businessman aside, to see some members of the press encourage negativity towards a child are utterly stunning not to mention jaw-dropping. The last journalistic taboo has been broken by those who should know better.

Greta is her own person, with ideals, concerns and is just leading a growing awareness amongst children of the state of the planet, which is fastly boiling away like a forgotten kettle. She has inspired all children, all abilities, my wheelchair using daughter amongst them. It appears in their established world that a child cannot have the answers. That's their pals in the drinking clubs of Westminsters job, with all their collective knowledge of climate change in no way influenced by party donors or boardroom offers of post-political work. We will, of course, have to take our place behind them in the years ahead, as they walk on a rubbish heap to the sky.

I shouldn't be surprised by all this as a proud parent, campaigner, and broadcaster myself. Since the coalition came to power it has sadly been the norm to bait disability and hold it up for political and half baked hackery. Disability has become the scapegoat for hard times, a portion of the press using their weight to batter them down into poverty submission for daring to claim life-enhancing benefits. It is just so sad and abhorrent that our children now appear to be fair game. It now seems that the final no go area for a few "influential" commentators has been opened. An area first breached by dusty old, woefully out of touch political pinstripes, who have, consistently pointed politically motivated, bad circulatory fingers at a community simply trying to exist day-to-day.

This is where the new rot began and its spreading still, making even those yet unable to vote, drink or drive new targets for those with murky motivations and insidious viewpoints. We ideally should ignore them, leave them alone in the lap of luxury and ignorance. However, we cannot, we must fight back. We must educate the supposedly educated, those who think that because they have the power of the written word and the audience, that they can dictate venom.

We have reached a new low, the bottom of the barrel is looking for an extension. Shameful. Our children are capable of greatness at any age, the inventor of braille was 16, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein aged 18, Anne Frank was 15. Our children, especially those with disabilities are not compliant robots. This generation includes future journalists, broadcasters... two-bit hacks, your days are numbered.