Denis Leary Slams Autism As A Joke

DENIS Leary should brace himself for hate mail from the parents of kids diagnosed with autism.

In his new book, "Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid," the joke-slinging "Rescue Me" star writes about the brain disorder:

"There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a [bleep] what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."

The Autism Society of America responded: "For Mr. Leary to suggest that families or doctors conspire to falsely diagnose autism is ridiculous . . . [His] remarks reflect the same misconceptions of autism being caused by bad or unemotional parenting that were held over 50 years ago."

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In November's Vanity Fair, in a Q&A, Leary calls it his "favorite chapter":

Another chapter is titled "Autism Shamautism."
Which is my favorite chapter.

I see vigilante autism woman Jenny McCarthy picketing your book tour.
Great. That would be really good for me. It will help sell more books.

Comments

[LiberalMother]

Denis Leary is the posterboy for the bullies who torment and beat up our autistic children then explain away their actions by saying they were "only joking". I wonder how many of those defending his childish remarks (or his publisher, for that matter) would be so quick to do so if he had been blaming and attacking the character of parents with children affected with Down Syndrome, blindness or Muscular Dystrophy? Mr. Leary's inability to diagnose autism by looking at a child, doesn't negate its existence and the very real effect that it has on our families. Us inattentive and competitve parents generally don't seek help for our kids because they can't compete academically - my autistic son is an academically gifted student -- we often seek help when we see our children struggle to integrate socially and suffer at the hands of the future Denis Learys on the playground.

[tired of YOUR bs]

this must be a symptom of the net age....how do responsible, rational people CONFUSE the comments of a stand up comic who has made a career of playing a 'jerk off that you love to hate', for words that are valid and valued, like those of civic and religious leaders, policy makers, teachers, school board members and news reporters. his act is "the abrasive comedian", people. he does it well but the only weight that Leary's words carry is the weight YOU attach to them.
let's all worry more about the associations that potential policy makers keep, like outspoken racist religious leaders. or the spin cast by ALL OF OUR news sources. or school boards chipping away our children's educations for increased federal funding. the words of these people shape our lives and our children's. not the abrasive words of a stand up comic.

[alexolife]

Gee, hasn't anybody ever heard of Denis Leary before? His act has always been like this. He's a controversial comedian, not a politician - and the joke is making fun of people who are lazy, not autistic. Anyone whose response to this is "O, but MY child is autistic, etc" should probably butt out of the comedy world. Comedians like Leary and Bill Hicks are known for being less politically correct than your Dane Cooks and other unfunny, whitebread hacks, but their material also exposes the truth of the matter at hand. The same truth from which the prettier, more homogenous comics distract you.

[corysadvocate]

Well maybe you as well as dennis leary nead to butt out the autism world since apparently the both of you are very ignorant to the world of autism.

[btanner]

Many forms of mental illness are not easily assayable, unlike blood sugar for diabetes, lipid markers for heart disease, tumors for cancer, etc. I get the point that some of the diagnoses for mental illness may be bogus. But let's not lump them all as one and the same. Unfortunately, if the diagnosis is merely a cop-out for the parents, ultimately it's the kid that suffers. I know of a guy who'd been given all kinds of diagnoses at an early age, including his poor spelling skills. So growing up he had all kinds of excuses not to work hard. As a result, this guy, who's in his late 20s now and wants to become some kind of a professional someday, is having a hard time passing his classes at a community college. And he's also immature.

[DanielaVideo]

An interview from Vanityfair w/ Denis Leary...

Interviewer: "Another chapter is titled “Autism Shamautism.”"

Denis Leary: "Which is my favorite chapter."

Interviewer: "I see vigilante autism woman Jenny McCarthy picketing your book tour."

Denis Leary: "Great. That would be really good for me. It will help sell more books."

[Bermo]

Gee Mr. Leary. What a gifted comic you are???? It's so easy to make jokes about people that don't even care to defend themselves. I know you have no clue about Autism, and cleary don't know anyone affected by it. Why don't you visit a special needs school before you write something as stupid as what you wrote. Do you think you'll see a bunch of lazy brats, or a bunch of children with a nuerological condition of some sort? What were you thinking????? Get a clue. Now that I said what you needed to hear, I figure I'll let you know something else. I never liked your comedy, your shows, or any movie you were in. However, I would not ever say that to you since I am respectful of people (unlike you). Since you have made the first shot and insulted my son with your stupid book, I figured I'd tell you that. I'll let you know that you aren't the brightest star in the universe. Do you know how many thousands of people in this world that are affected by this disorder support your career by watching your unfunny work. You have just lost a huge fan following which will effect your future earnings and career. So enjoy this little uptick in your popularity because when this moment is past us, your interest will be reduced to nothing. My adive to you is think before you make a joke next time. Make sure it's funny.

[Midnightrain]

Leary's got an Oedipus complex. I guess mommy didn't give him much attention. Whawha.

[4Hope]

Here's a true story - my family & I were devoted fans of Dennis (sorry...DeNis) Leary . We all watched & quoted his stand-up routines.
Then a few years ago we were thrilled to see him at a Bruin's hockey game & asked for his autograph as he stood near us at the snack stand.
I am a gray-haired, polite lady, I was with my husband & son, we told him what fans we were & then I started to look for pen & paper in my purse. This man was as rude as could be. He didn't smile, he didn't say thanks to the people who pay his salary, he backed away & acted like we were terrorists. We did not seek him out, he was standing next to us in line.
It was such a disconcerting incident, because he seemed so funny & kind on camera.
Needless to say, we have never again watched anything he's ever done & this rude & thoughtless comment about autism & his inability to apologize does not surprise us at all. He's a bum.

[Veganbikerbabe]

By Post Below, I meant MY post below... I didn't know I was being censored. Hopefully it will now post above this one. Again, I was referring to my post.

[Veganbikerbabe]

Check out the name I use. If anyone should be offended by Leary it should be me, as he makes jokes about "people like me" all the time, but I'm NOT offended because there's more to this guy than meets the eye. Read my post below...

[DanielaVideo]

wow... just watch my video response to Mr Stupid Leary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fp_qbyj25E

[senorteembrennan]

Thank you Mr. Leary !! What a relief to find out tha tmy daughter is just a brat and not an Asperger child! Now, I know acting is EASIEST job on the planet, but I did not know Mr.Leary had a degree in neurology as well.
Boycott his show to demonstrate your support for autism. Write to the advertisers and tell them you will not buy their products. Does anyone have an address??

[DanielaVideo]

i will get them addresses and info!

[LisaKat]

I'm sad. I normally think Denis Leary is so funny!

My son has PDD-NOS, a variant of Asperger's Syndrome. He is 11 and profoundly gifted, but has always looked at the world differently and has social problems. He certainly doesn't have academic problems (he is years ahead of his age-mates) and he is a conscientious student. He's also a sweet, loving person who desperately wants to make friends and get along with others. My husband and I have been completely dedicated to helping our son interact appropriately, and we've always tried to nurture his gifts as well as help him with his problems. I wish Mr. Leary could meet my son, because I am sure he would like him and see that his problems are neurological rather than behavioral.

I also have PDD-NOS. My mother and father were extremely loving and supportive to me as I was growing up. I can attest to Mr. Leary that my differences are truly neurological. Like my son, I have never had any difficulty with empathy, and I was always a very hard worker and excellent student. I wasn't lazy, dumb, or a behavioral problem. I'm a little confused as to why Mr. Leary got the impression that this was the issue with people on the autism spectrum.

I hope Mr. Leary re-thinks his position, because he is a wonderful comedian who could actually use his celebrity to help this cause rather than belittle those who are affected by autism.

[slambert]

I never heard of Denis Leary. I never heard of racist Enis? or that other shock jock that used insulting ignorance to generate fame. If these "entertainers" had an autisitic offspring, like the children in "Autism Everyday" they might feel differently. Instead they insult victims to generate media.Unfortunately the media will always oblige. As PT Barnum said "There is no such thing as bad publicity".

[Jenfoxtwr]

I know a lot of mothers with autistic children, including myself. All of us spend hours each day researching autism, driving our children to various therapies and preparing foods for special diets. If you consider this "innatentive" you must be a total momma's boy who still gets his bottom powdered (or ass wiped) after using the bathroom.

All the moms I know are trying desperately to unravel the mysteries surrounding autism and help their children. It does not help when idiots like yourself try to further increase the controversy surrounding this devastating disorder.

Attentive in St. Petersburg,
Jenny Fox

[zanne1504]

I don' t know who Denis Leary is. I don' think I've ever heard the name before. I take it he's on some TV show I don't watch. I spend most of my spare time with my 17- year old son who has autism. FYI, Mr. TV actor, my wife stopped working when our son was born to be home with him (we are very fortunate to have been able to manage that).

Tom is considered "high-functioning" but I still have to supervise his shower if I want him to actually be clean. He has a lot of trouble making friends so his mother and I spend our weekends taking him on outings because he can make your life real miserable if he gets bored.

Tom can recite all of the presidents backward and forward and tell you their birthdays, but he needs a calculator to do simple addition. He probably knows YOUR birthday, by the way (it's his thing). My family has lived with autism on a daily basis for the last 17 years. We've consulted with a dozen or so mental health professionals in Baltimore and Washington along the way, and we still have very little understanding of what autism is. I do know that it isn't because we're bad parents; bad parents wouldn't do this for very long. So, Mr. fourth rate TV whatever, what makes you think you have anything worthwhile to say about this neurological disorder?