Oh Brother—He’s No Winner
April 24, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Big Brother contestant Adam Jasinki—who achieved near-universal opprobrium in the autism community for calling autistic children “retards” on the show—-is one of the final two contestants to win the half a million dollar prize. Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer describes him as a “wide-eyed lug with Cherry Hill roots”—-that’s Cherry Hill in South Jersey—-who has “connived his controversial way” into possibly winning. If Jasinski wins, it’s a sad statement about what people will do for money and about people in general: Something a lot, lot less than brotherly love.
The guy aspires to win on a show named after a malevolent authoritarian force. Pretty much indicates his intelligence level. If there were a show called “Brutal Stalinist Haven”, he would probably be first in line to compete.
“Woo! Come on big bucks (at the expense of my soul)! Whee!”
Idiot.
I wish this guy’s attitude was rare but I ‘ve seen it a lot with staff at places where I have been a patient.
The claim is that they are “willing” to work with people that others aren’t. Staffer’s often don’t feel like they get paid enough to really work with people so they catagorize them as not being capable of being worked with, then those people that they are saying this about feel that way about themselves, and a bad cycle continues. People get warehoused and warehouses are made for boxes that don’t think or act independently. People don’t function well under those conditions.
Until society really changes their attitudes about this, people with attitudes like this will continue to be hired and/or these are the attitudes that will often develop with people who continue to work in this field.
People with less athority will often be less open with their words and these veiws are less ingrained in their outlook. As this guy displays, once someone is in athority in this bussiness, they can and will get away with saying and doing all kinds of things.
Unfortunatly, many will laugh at this guy, and some who had been reserved about this view will start being more open about it. This encourages too many people to adopt these veiws. However, too many caring people who can have an influence don’t know that it is going on until it gets on T.V. and people like you shine the spotlight on it. Thanks for these post. People need to know that this is going on.
Not like I needed another reason not to watch TV, but…this is certainly a good one. Ed has some great points.
Ed,
thanks for what you wrote, especially this:
“Staffer’s often don’t feel like they get paid enough to really work with people so they catagorize them as not being capable of being worked with, then those people that they are saying this about feel that way about themselves, and a bad cycle continues”
I’ve seen this happen with staff with my son and also with older relatives, and the cycle keeps continuing. Maybe, very ironically, Jasinski’s example can get real discussion and change going in this, at least a little.
The Adam Jasinski supporters are coming out of the woodwork and claiming divine intervention and that God has blessed Adam with the win and that those of us who posted to the contrary will have to deal with karma.
I agree with your response to Ed – “Maybe, very ironically, Jasinski’s example can get real discussion and change going in this, at least a little.”
This is the point that I brought up in speaking with family members tonight.
Jasinski won and said he will donate one-fifth of his winnings to his former employer, the United Autism Foundation.