Activism And The Tunnel- Reasons Why I Do What I Do

Activism and oppression are two of the more controversial, sometimes hurtful words in the English language or some of the most invigorating, depending on whom you talk to. I have believed in volunteer activism for years, but more recently, I have become decidedly more vocal about activism for the marginalized voices, strengthening my resume as a further than up-and-coming gay rights/ rights for people with differing abilities. I feel like as someone who has felt marginalized for a majority of his life, both for reasons having to do with autism and reasons outside of it mostly due to pieces of confusion in sexual orientation and other loss of privilege, I concur that it is my duty to further franchise the disenfranchised and get the people to where they can feel in better harmony and feel like I can strengthen myself and the community and that is why I feel like I should though to be in the trenches of something completely emotional and completely further providing the strengthened hope for the people. Which brings us to this next topic of this two-for: the Tunnel of Oppression. Since this is a public blog, for those who are unfamiliar, the Tunnel of Oppression is a three-day twice a year event at Boise State that is theater showing how various groups that are oppressed in a form that seems harrowing and graphic. I have been a guide, been on a planning committee, worked the front desk, been in a video, done discussion groups, debriefed, and been a participant for this worthy cause and have done that for six out of the eight years it has been on campus. It gets harder every year to see these things because as someone who is rapidly losing privilege and had been rapidly oppressed in previous school spots and even at some points at Boise State, mostly by professors and basketball players, though there have been a few people in the library, at the SUB, and near the Greenbelt who have shown oppression towards me. Fortunately, since the passing of an act where it is against university policy to use ableistic language towards people who appear to be or are ones with differing abilities, I haven't heard nearly any of the same language that I used to hear, the oppression instances since then (March of 2012) have been 3. 3 too many? Sure, but as someone who has spent his whole life fighting oppression, I'll take it. Maybe that's the piece why the Tunnel is so hard for me- I have never felt free- I am oppressed to this day because of no fault of my own. Before you use or think about using terms such as the r-word, the i-word, the 3-letter f-word, or any other term as a synonym for stupid, think about the people it might affect. And be careful about comparing people to characters from movies due to a certain skill or ability. I still get called Rain Man due to a character played by Dustin Hoffman in the classic movie of the same name, and it is extremely disconcerting and hurtful and partially why I haven't watched it in years. Feeling on the outside I feel more compassion and more understanding for the oppressed because I feel initiated as an outsider sometimes still. Loved by many? Sure. But there are still people out there who say things when they don't fully understand the situation who couldn't care less about my well-being who don't even know who I am. So before I react strongly for those people, I have to think that we never know why. They might just have to use the restroom and something hurtful comes out. We never do know the situation,so we should think of others always. Stay tuned next week for a lighter topic: people I admire and feel thankful for.

Insight Into Why I Do The Hobbies That I Do

This is one of the many ways that I spend my down-time (when I have any). Some other ways include: scrap-booking, drawing, photography, hanging out with friends, going to see movies, drinking coffee (kinda a big deal to me), and sharing my faith through my expression of worship. Due to these hobbies and my athletic hobbies as well, I have come to the conclusion that my hobbies are structured to where I can share how I live and who I am through expression, through individuality, and through structure for my own life and how to deal with my love and my experiences in my own structural value. Arts is not only how I deal with my creative side, but also emotions. Hanging out with friends is not only social, it's also relaxing and makes me feel rejuvenated and well-off in the world of love, life, happiness, and more. Movies I go to with the end result of being entertained or cheering for the good men and women or, in some cases, both. Coffee is a social thing that is a semi-addiction, but also something that I can share ideas with people about and structure non-linear caffeine-induced conversation. Worship is what I live for, and though it's been toned down a tad due to recent rash of injuries, it is structured well and pieced together for how I please God. It might make people upset and confused, but my worship and my athletic career are sometimes pieced together. Athletics? Well, that goes with trying new things and hoping to experience life to the fullest. There are many sports I haven't done in years, or in some cases, decades that I've spent time at once again the past few years. I don't know too many people that can say that they are well-versed at something that they haven't experienced in a while, but the strength of my body as someone who is not only tall but also semi-coordinated makes athletics a probable area for continued growth. So there is some insight- stay tuned for the next installment: what kinds of activism am I involved in and how badly I want to give people a voice.

A Valued Leader In An Autistics World

My leadership has been exceptionally valued. No doubt about that. I volunteer quite a bit and have since around the time my college experience began and I have worked on more projects than my fingers and toes doubled in college and close to that many in volunteer capacities. But, more importantly, it's how I've done it: 1) with integrity 2) with compassion 3) touching lives and 4) having autism and still making a huge difference. Some of the best experiences I could talk for countless hours on: Spring Break Alternative Jamaica, Bear Trap Ranch, Leadershape In Challis, Idaho, working as an Intern for Volunteer Services Board, being on Search Committees, being a Physical Education Helper, being a mentor, and working on rallies rank at the top of my list. However, there are some things that are not thought of as quite as high-profile that I've helped out with quite a lot- some of them include doing various things in activism, in the realms of the work for people who are have differing abilities, and all my various Service Saturday experiences, just to name a few. I've loved every minute of my experiences and I've done a lot, autistic or not. The autism is a large reason why this has happened: I've gotten a huge amount of experiences in spite of it, and for some reasons, because of it. I have worked tirelessly for many hours for many different experiences (sometimes literally, as activism work can be draining and I've lost sleep due to bad outcomes, stress, or overindulging on caffeine or gluten). Some of the biggest experiences in my life are from volunteering and I've been experiencing plenty of changed attitudes in the world of volunteering, many of which can be vindicated in how the town of Boise and some other places outside of it are changing their minds about these tough issues. One of the biggest things I've learned through leadership is that integrity matters and that I can overcome anything with the help of a good support system and a love for all people and a love for God. Does this come from my autism? I like to think that some of it does and I like to think that having compassion for the world comes partially from having been shown very little in some instances in my life. Even if I never do another leadership item for the rest of my college career after this term (and that is obviously not going to be the case cause that's what I'm passionate about :)) I will have done my job as a college leader and a very unconventional college leader at that and will have done my all. Stay tuned for my next topic: insights into why I do the hobbies I do.