Episode 293: Sweet Potatoes, Solidarity, and Self-Sustaining Care
Today’s episode explores the concept of mutual aid and self-sufficiency in the face of diminishing state-provided support systems like healthcare and education. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, uses the metaphor of a sweet potato sprouting in water to symbolise resilience and growth despite hostile conditions. Dr. Hoerricks advocates for community-led initiatives such as “health pods,” seed swaps, and sharing homegrown food and traditional knowledge as a means of collective survival and resistance. Ultimately, she suggests that true care comes from within communities and that by returning to ancestral practices of prevention and reciprocity, individuals can create alternative frameworks for well-being that are independent of inadequate institutional systems.Here’s the link to the source article: https://autside.substack.com/p/on-sweet-potatoes-and-solidarityLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The AutSide at autside.substack.com/subscribe
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Episode 293: The Sweet Potato Doctrine of Solidarity and Care
Today’s episode focuses on fostering community resilience and self-sufficiency in the face of declining state support for essential services like healthcare and education. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, uses the metaphor of a sweet potato growing in water to illustrate how individuals and communities can cultivate care and mutual aid outside traditional institutional frameworks. She advocates for a return to ancestral knowledge, emphasising prevention, shared resources, and local initiatives like health pods and skill-sharing. Ultimately, she suggests that collective well-being and survival depend on strengthening these informal networks, proving that care can flourish even in challenging conditions.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/on-sweet-potatoes-and-solidarityLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The AutSide at autside.substack.com/subscribe
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Episode 292: Decoding Communication - The Truth of Gestalt Language Processing
Today’s episode argues against the mischaracterization of gestalt language processing (GLP), particularly by online "autism coaches" and even some licensed professionals. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, explains that GLP, a distinct language development pathway where individuals learn language in emotionally resonant "chunks," is often mislabeled as OCD, trauma responses, or other conditions. This misattribution, prevalent in the self-help industry, not only confuses individuals seeking understanding but also leads to inadequate support in educational and therapeutic settings. Dr. Hoerricks advocates for accurate terminology and a deeper understanding of GLP to better support autistic and neurodivergent individuals, emphasising that proper identification fosters recognition and community rather than misdiagnosis and isolation. Ultimately, she champions understanding GLP as a valid way of being in language, rather than a deficit to be fixed.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/its-actually-glp-silly-coaching-cultureLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The AutSide at autside.substack.com/subscribe
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Episode 291: Thumbs-Up - The Grief of Nonresponse
Today’s episode explores the concept of “thought-terminating clichés” and the profound impact of non-responsive or dismissive communication, particularly on autistic individuals who are gestalt language processors (GLPs). It highlights how seemingly simple replies like a thumbs-up emoji or common phrases such as “It is what it is” can create a “ghost gestalt,” representing an incomplete or aborted conversation and a failure to truly connect or engage. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that these responses prioritise the speaker’s comfort over genuine interaction, leading to a “grief of nonresponse” and underscoring a need for “communication justice” that respects diverse communicative styles and values depth and resonance over superficial closure.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/thumbs-up-is-not-a-reply-on-ghostLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The AutSide at autside.substack.com/subscribe
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Episode 290: The Commons We Chose Against
Today’s episode explores a hypothetical alternate history of the United States, beginning in 1945, where the nation chose a path of “commons” over “conquest.” Instead of a Cold War and a focus on military expansion, this timeline features a “Grand Reconstruction” emphasising public good, social welfare, and communal living. The author of the piece, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, presented as a “historian of the forked world” using a mysterious “device” to witness these events, contrasts this cooperative and equitable trajectory with our own history, highlighting how resources spent on war in our reality were, in the alternate world, used for universal healthcare, housing, and a sustainable economy. Ultimately, Dr. Hoerricks argues that a more just and abundant society was always within reach, implying that the choice to pursue empire was a deliberate, costly decision.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/what-if-we-had-chosen-the-commonsLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to The AutSide at autside.substack.com/subscribe
AutSide: A podcast from an autistic trans woman that explores critical issues at the intersection of autism, neurodiversity, gender, and social justice. Dive deep into the realities of living as an autistic adult, critiques of education systems, and the power of storytelling to reshape public narratives. With a unique blend of snark, sharp analysis, and personal experience, each episode challenges societal norms, from the failures of standardized testing to the complexities of identity and revolution. Join the conversation on AutSide, where lived experience and critical theory meet for change. autside.substack.com
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