"Love on the Spectrum" star James Jones is fired up over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s autism comments -- and he's using his own story to shut down the BS and set the record straight.
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00:00Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several remarks about people who have autism or similar
00:14neurological conditions that I found to be extremely ignorant and, to be purely frank,
00:22downright offensive. I am old enough. I am of sufficient age that I can remember a time
00:33when society did not have a very thorough understanding of autism or similar forms
00:42of neurodiversity. So, I am very displeased, very disheartened to hear
00:52someone make comments of that nature. Mr. Kennedy went even further to imply that
01:03people who are neurodiverse are unable to function properly in society, that they
01:11shall always be dependent upon people who are neurotypical in order to survive or to
01:20function as a normal person, a normal human being, and thus, they are dragging down society.
01:28I am now a 37-year-old grown adult. I drive. I have had my driver's license since I was 17.
01:37I've had my driver's license for 20 years, and I believe that I can handle the responsibility of
01:42driving quite well. I have a permanent 40-hour-per-week job with benefits, which I have held
01:49steadily since 2017. And I am responsible for all of my own expenses. Yes, I will admit,
02:01yes, I do still live with my parents, but that is due to factors that are outside of my control.
02:07But I would say, apart from the fact that I still live with my parents, I believe I am doing quite
02:12well. I am a fully functional, productive member of society. And yes, I have autism. I am neurodiverse.
02:19But I have proven that I absolutely 100% can function like a normal member of society without
02:28any question. One other thing that Mr. Kennedy said that really bothers me is that he may have,
02:37I am not sure if he used these exact words, but he may have implied that autism is a plague upon
02:45society, or he may have even called it a pandemic. He commented on how more people are being diagnosed
02:53with autism in recent years compared to decades past. And that is because society now has a greater
03:03understanding of autism. Because people who have autism are now not afraid or less afraid to hide it.
03:14People are now more comfortable admitting that they have such conditions. And yes, they are conditions.
03:20autism is not a disease or a disorder. It is simply a neurological condition that some people
03:29have. It is simply a different way that someone's brain functions. A different way that someone thinks,
03:37speaks, and acts.