You're offended by "muggle"?

"What do you mean when I use the word "muggle"? It's a reference to harry potter, where it is used by jk rowling to distinguish between the characters who live a certain way (with magic) and those who live a different lifestyle (muggles or non-magic folk). It's a term of endearment in the book and I use it to show the difference between my main characters and those who don't live the same way as we do. Its a concept many asd kids identify with, that they are in their world of Hogwarts and there are those who live outside that world, the muggles who couldn't comprehend how the Hogwarts world is. it has inspired many autistic kids to write fan fiction as they can understand that moment of having your differences explained: "you're a wizard harry!". Even JK Rowling references this similarity and describes many of the characters as having asd traits such as Hermoine andLuna Lovegood. Mainly I use it to avoid using words like "NORMAL" and NEUROTYPICAL which implies there's something wrong with my children in comparison to other kids. why must I refer to them as normal which by definition means my children are what, not normal? there must be a definition between the two when I'm writing so I would rather use a term that simply implies one group live one lifestyle and another live differently. Plus I'm a proper Potter head! No offense meant, you know I'm not like that! I ain't from Slytherin!"

This was how I explained my use of the word Muggle to a friend of mine who asked and was unsure if it was an insult or not. It's merely a way of defining two separate societies. Those with special needs and those without. I appreciate that most grown-ups don't know the reference I'm making to Harry Potter. But surely if you don't know what the word means how can you be offended by it in the first place?! Just because I didn't use the accepted definition of a child without special needs? I refuse to use words like normal, ordinary, neurotypical, and mainstream as by trying not to offend your children I end up offending mine!

Let's take a look shall we at all the offensive words my children could get labeled with:

mongol, spastic, retard, weird, freak, mongtard, mong, disabled, thick, unsociable stupid, vegetable, spaz, naughty, tard, billy no mates, OCD, mental, brain-dead special needs, special ed, not normal, simple, backward, handicapped, learning difficulties, window licker, basket case, socially inept and undateable...

And you're offended by the word Muggle!? The list to describe children without a disability consists of words like normal, ordinary, mainstream, able-bodied, functioning, social able, and neurotypical. I find these words offensive but nobody has an issue using them in front of me on a daily basis. The opposite to all these words are negatives and I refuse to use them as they serve to highlight the faults in my own children.

So, I chose the least offensive word I could for me, which summed up exactly how I felt. Muggles know nothing of my world or the world of my children, just like they don't in the book. It's not used as an offensive term in the book (that's mudblood for those who want to be pedantic) and it's not used as an offensive term in my blog.

But you wanna know secretly deep down why i use it? Because it makes my kids special ones. The ones with magic powers and special lives. It gives my kids something that no "ordinary" kids have. It makes them extraordinary and maybe that's what people don't like?

Throughout their lives, Cody and Jesse will be compared to others in a lesser light and I will here people use derogatory words, however unoffensive they think they may be, against my children and to describe my children. Do you know what it's like to be told by people who don't know you that because of their diagnosis Cody and Jesse are by definition unemotional, will form no emotional attachment to you, have learning difficulties, lack imagination, unsociable, unable to socially communicate, will be low functioning and obsessive.

So no, in my eyes Cody and Jesse are special. They are magic. They have abilities no one else does. They are exciting and talented. They can achieve things others can't. They live a different and extraordinary life.

I never considered using muggle to insult anyone. I used it so I didn't insult my own kids!

You're offended by "muggle"?

autismandlove

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