For the past few months, I have been reading the book "Icarus
Deception" by marketing guru Seth Godin. After finishing the book
last month on my Kindle, I flipped back to the beginning and started reading it
again. The book is that important.
I went to college for marketing
rather than writing (my greatest talent). Why? Because my dad
suggested it. It was better to major in business rather than my passion because
it would be easier to find a job with a business degree.
The Icarus Deception speaks of
the "connection economy" replacing the "industrial
economy." This is a change that will be difficult, but one that I
think will ultimately benefit those with autism and those with other
disabilities as well. Why? Because the industrial economy thrives
on standardization.
In the past 100 years, the
industrial economy has standardized many aspects of life including schools.
The industrial economy was not designed to accommodate people on the
spectrum because those on the spectrum are outliers. The industrial
economy serves the need of the masses, influencing society to contribute by
producing and then buying what was produced. In order to produce faster
and cheaper with higher quality, industrialists have dehumanized many aspects of
everyday life. Wonder bread was mass produced, removing the personal
touch that can be found in homemade bread.
Those on the spectrum challenge
the industrial machine without really trying, just by being who we are.
Why? Because people have been trained to accept standardization and
norms over the past one hundred years. To be human is to be unique, make
mistakes, and possess qualities that others do not possess. The
standardized school system was not designed to accommodate those on the spectrum;
it was designed to accommodate the mass of students that would eventually
contribute to an industrial society. But things are changing.
According to Seth Godwin, marketing guru and author of the Cirrus
Deception, the industrial age is dying.
The Internet has leveled the
playing field. This blog is an example of it. Why? Without
the Internet and connections that I have forged in the past two years, you
might not even know my name. And yet, here you are, reading these words
because you and I have been connected somehow. Through the Internet and
the connection economy. By using the Internet, anyone can create
something meaningful and then share it with others. That is the point of
the Icarus Deception: to encourage others to create art.
Many people on the spectrum
create art. Not just art work, but meaningful decisions that are risky at
times but are completely human too. I am creating art right now, as I
write this. I have no idea if you will see what I am trying to say here.
I have no idea who will even read this. My point is the change will
be difficult. All change is. But the demise of the industrial
economy will ultimately benefit those on the spectrum most of all. Being
human means making mistakes, taking risks, and standing out. That being
said, those on the autism spectrum are far more human than an industrialist who
thrives in keeping things predictable, secure, and standardized.
