nekobakaz reblogged
IIM 003 // 005 - Awesome Facial Hair Bros!
nekobakaz reblogged
An open letter to Benedict Cumberbatch
Dear Benedict Cumberbatch,
You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but I feel like I need to say something in the wake of your devastating comments about autistic people. If you were a friend, I’d sit you down with a cup of coffee and explain to you bit by bit why the words you said about people like me cut so deep.
But I don’t know you, so this is the medium I must use. I am a 33 year old queer autistic person who has two children who are also autistic. I’ve been a fan of your acting since I watched my first episode of Sherlock three years ago, and my admiration of your work has grown from there.
I know that you’ve fielded quite a lot of questions regarding the characters you play, which is a natural part of discussing upcoming films, TV series, etc. I’ve seen that many reporters and interviewers have touched upon the question of whether you play your characters (some of whom are not just characters, but who are people who actually lived) as autistic. It’s a difficult question, I’m sure, especially as your interaction with autistic people (to the public’s knowledge) is limited to just a few interactions in your research for Frankenstein.
I wish you would have said “I don’t know.” I wish you would have embraced your ignorance of this topic and instead of discussing how “lazy” it is to interpret Alan Turing as autistic, despite there being loads of evidence that he was.
I personally was drawn to your interpretation of Sherlock in part because of Sherlock’s physicality, as well as his (sometimes present) social ignorance, and just the many ways that Sherlock reminds me of, well, me. Not to mention that the word “Asperger’s” was uttered on screen in regards to him, whether you think that is canonical or not.
I also saw a similar physicality at a much more basic level reflected in your interpretation of the Creature in Frankenstein. I later learned of the ways in which you obtained that knowledge, which sickened me tremendously.
So to hear you deny the fact that many of your characters can absolutely be interpreted as autistic, to hear you call your fans “lazy”, many of whom are actually autistic ourselves, is hurtful.
It’s hurtful to be called lazy or wrong. But it’s devastating to hear the way you talked about a 17 year old who you assumed had the “mental age” of a one and a half year old infant, all because he didn’t fit into your ideal of what a 17 year old disabled teenager should be. And it’s horrible to read that you think that all autistic people do is struggle all the time - that your idea of autism is so skewed that all you can see is suffering and struggle and not the achievements and pure joy that is being autistic.
Over the past few days, I’ve read that it’s been confirmed that you’ll be playing Dr. Strange, who is canonically a disabled person. Now, I’ve seen you in Hawking and I think you did a fantastic job there. I’ve seen your (probably unintentional) portrayals of several autistic or at least non-neurotypical characters. I don’t doubt that you absolutely can do a great job.
But the way you talk about us is telling. I spent almost a year hyped up about going to see The Imitation Game, only to be completely devastated three weeks before the premiere. I have very little desire to see it now, even though I’d been looking forward to it for quite some time. I had a similar experience two years ago when I read your comments regarding Frankenstein. It’s a good thing that Sherlock has such a long hiatus. It allowed me some time to process my emotions about the things you’d said about people like me. I can tell you I was far less excited about Sherlock series 3 than I was about Sherlock series 2.
So please, open your eyes and start paying attention to what autistic and otherwise disabled people are saying about our own experiences. Don’t listen to Autism Speaks, no matter what your Star Trek co-stars may say. Educate yourself, and show that you care about what autistic people have to say.
In the meantime, I’ll continue writing as much autistic Sherlock and autistic Martin Crieff fanfiction as possible.
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Have some links.