Anonymous
The lead character on that show has MILD Autism. Notice I didn't say "high functioning" in reference to his disability. That's because I HATE that phrase, and so should everyone else who is Autistic, regardless of what level they are functioning at. The phrase "high functioning" was coined by the same NAZI DOCTOR who first described Asperger's Syndrome. Hans Asperger believed that certain people with what he called "high functioning" Autism could be trained to do menial tasks for the benefit of the Reich. EVERYONE ELSE who had Autism (or any OTHER kind of disability, for that matter) deserved to DIE, at least in his mind. And DIE THEY DID- by the hundreds of thousands. Jews weren't the Nazis' only targets. They also targeted those with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, the elderly, the LGBT community, Catholics, and anyone else who didn't meet their standard of what the so-called "Master Race" should look like. As a result, millions of people in every one of these other categories DIED.
People with Autism were frequently gassed in Nazi Germany. Or they were sent to work camps, where they died from starvation or disease. Sometimes, they were subjected to cruel "medical" experiments, such as those performed on twins by Joseph Mengele. That's the reason why the phrase "high functioning " and "low functioning" need to go the way of the Dodo Bird. They are incredibly DEMEANING to the individuals involved. Calling someone with Autism "low functioning" is like using the N word to describe a person of African descent. It's a slur, plain and simple- and it's WRONG.
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The character in The Good Doctor is very high functioning. He even has a girlfriend now!