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

[LeBeau59741]

He's a freakin' comedian, Folks, and a comedian who has built his persona on saying outrageously offensive things. He's bitter and he's utterly irreverent- to Leary, no meal tastes better than beef from sacred cows.

Was his little rant tasteful? NO!
Was it "nice" of him to say that? No!
Will it impact public perception of autism? I should think not.
Should we be looking to our comics for anything but a laugh in these murky times? Get a grip.

[YellerDawg]

Pardon me if I fail to see the comedy here. I teach autistic children in a public school. Leary's ignorant comments make me very sad, which is not the objective of comedy, unless I am mistaken.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

This wasn't funny.

[Princesspeach]

Please enlighten me as to the humor of calling disabled children "lazy" and "stupid" and the devoted parents who struggle through each day with them "inattentive" and "competitive", because I seem to be missing it.

I don't think he was trying to be funny -- just offensive and insulting. And in that, I believe he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

[Pennsylvanianne]

Humor directed against some of the most vulnerable people in our society (disabled children) is not comedy. It's cruelty. Anyone who has a child, disabled or not, should be appalled. I know I'm not laughing. Glad I have never watched Leary's show because I can't be said to have ever contributed to his bottom line. I don't want to be there when Jenny McCarthy gets ahold of his dunce.

[Protoguy]

He's not making jokes, he's pontificating about his beliefs. There wasn't a single thing there that was meant to be funny. It was meant to "educate" people.

[jimmyjones22]

LOL

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

I know a couple with an autistic child. The mom is totally devoted to the little boy and the dad is a DOCTOR. It is anything but a sham.

Just a hint: if your "career" is in the loo, try something other than shock jock crap to get your name back in the news.

Pu tz.

[IrishEyesSH]

Denis - I thought I had the pleasure of meeting you in Colorado for the Firefighter Memorial that my father is also on with your cousin. I was so exicited to meet you - what a joke. You are a rude , thoughtless man and do not care who you will hurt in the process just for a joke. You met my daughter who is now 8 year old in Colordo - who is a beautiful , smart , loving girl who just happens to have Autism. If only you could meet her now and tell her to her face that she is just stupid and lazy.
I hope you are proud of yourself.

[groucho]

I like how these guys like Dennis and the Savage Michael Weiner are so angry about autism. Of all the troubles in the world, let's slam some kids for having disorders. So productive. And their expertise in the area? Crickets....

[krisgarfield]

My son is a hi-function non-aspie autistic who works his butt off and has been tested as highly gifted. Considering the fact that Steven Spielberg, Albert Einstein, Woody Allen, Michael Palin, Bill Gates and so MANY other such gifted individuals "suffer" from this disorder, it seems that Leary ought to start educating himself on the tremendous variations of this very complicated spectrum. What's next? Labeling the victims of abusive Catholic priests nothing but a bunch of loser whiners?

[whatfreshhellisthis]

Really? Steven Spielberg, Albert Einstein, Woody Allen, Michael Palin, and Bill Gates? I didn't know that. How do you know? Have these men themselves said that they are autistic? If such high-functioning people have autism, then perhaps it should not be considered a disorder at all. For instance, is Woody Allen autistic or just eccentric? And is eccentricity a disorder?

I came across this while researching the subject:
"In 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that a broad definition of autism may be present in as many as one person out of every 500. This estimate suggests that there are roughly 500,000 people in the United States who could be described as having autism or autism spectrum disorder."

So I wonder, if it is that common, is it a disorder, or just another kind of normality?

I'm not trying to pick a fight, so hope that I won't be attacked by angry parents. I'm just trying to understand, because a close friend's child has been diagnosed as autistic, though he seems quite extraordinarily bright.

[ellezeebub]

Asperger's Syndrome is a form of autism. If you are interested in autism from a person who is autistic, try Temple Grandin's Seeing in Pictures, or Animals in Translation. Brilliant woman, with autism.

[krisgarfield]

How long have you researched this subject and what are your sources.? I LIVE with Autism, so quite frankly your research just does not hold a lot of water. My family are test subjects for various and stellar Autism research Groups.
It is beyond being "eccentric". I can not explain it as simply as you have just attempted.

Why not check out Autism Speaks or the UCLA Research Study Group...or how about Agre (thru Stanford University School of Medicine), IAN (Interactive Autism Network)...Would you like some more resources? There are plenty more than the CDC(who by the way, are not experts in dealing with the genetics and behavioral issues of Autism) I'm not an angry parent, just dumbfounded by your lack of knowledge and your feeble research attempt. It's offensive.

[jo777468]

I have always found anything thet Dennis Leary says is pure ignorance the shows he has been on and the comments that come out of his mouth. If he really feels he needs to attaxk children and their parents who work so hard so their child can live normal he is the one that has to sleep at night. Nothing but ignorance to a subject he knows nothing about. Now if he had said something about african americans or any other ethnic group the horrible sterio types that goes along with ethnic groups which is also ignorance. Just because there are cases of misdiagnosis among the autism community does not mean that ever child is misdiagnosed. This isnot the answer we were looking for when we realized something was not right with our son we waited for along time before we let anyone diagnos him. Dennis Leary's comments are alittle upsetting but you have to realize the source. Ihope everyone reading this has a good week and don't give this a second thought we are just giving an ignorant man more publicity for him and his book

[asolarski]

Give the poor guy a break. He's just trying to be funny and failing miserably like always. What's he going to do, get a real job? He's becoming as pathetic as Dennis Miller and I suppose he'll be a regular on Fox News soon, where having no talent helps him fit right in.

[snpeebles]

Duh, mental retardation (PC alert: disabled), mental illness, and Downs are all genetic disorders ya morons. Bad chromosomes! Genes! DNA! I know you've heard of DNA, 'cause you all watch CSI. Let's follow the process. People have sex, make a baby, (half her DNA, half his DNA) and unfortunately, genes with defective chromosomes get in the mix. Now let me make this perfectly clear; A) it's not the child's fault, B) I'm a living example-I am bipolar, my parents were both mentally ill. I have probably passed this genetic defect to one of my two children.I refuse to call myself disabled, it's just the way the cards were dealt to me. Science has no concrete grasp on what causes autism, genetic or otherwise. And If McCain and Palin can imply that Obama is a terrorist, freedom of speech gives Denis Leary the right to say stupid things as well. Welcome to my home, the United States of America.

[corysadvocate]

SNPEEBLES please, we are talking about AUTISM, please stick to what you are educated on.

[dtrobert]

As someone with AS (an 'aspie') I take personal offense at what "Mr" Leary is claiming. He places himself in quite august company in his views on Autism, in the person of Michael Weiner (Savage). I hope they are very happy together, in their hate-filled autoerotic mental asphyxia...

[lmrblog]

Cruel and untrue. Shame on Denis Leary.

[tkondaks]

Stephen Spielberg has been diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome...is he lazy and stupid?

[Protoguy]

My ex's son was diagnosed with autism. He is autistic. Period. No way in the world autism is fake, false or made up to appease dumb parents.

He has a large number of food allergies (no wheat, no egg, no peanut, no bananas, etc.), extreme socialization issues, issues with perceptions such as touch and hearing and emotional problems (though his weren't as bad as some). He was in the hospital for the first 3 months of his life and has had to go back many times.
It is entirely possible that he could improve and not need care as he gets older, or he could get worse and need lifelong attention.

I've met other kids through him and his mother who were far worse. Unable to speak, more serious allergic reactions, horrible emotional issues.

Autism is a spectrum of disorders, ranging from mild (extreme hyperactivity or socialization problems) to extreme (inability to communicate, seizures and severe food allergies). It is not just a bunch of kids with ADD and lazy parents or greedy doctors.

All you people who spout crap you have no knowledge of are the lazy morons, not the parents, their kids, or their teachers and therapists. I know you know everything and don't need to get any learnins cuz you're all so brilliant without it, but if you really want to see what Autism is, the documentary "Autism is a World" is a good start.

Or maybe read up on crap before you make idiotic declarations.

[littlejohn]

Look, people are going crazy lately on the subject of autism. The number of kids being diagnosed with it is skyrocketing. Some wackadoos are blaming it on childhood vaccines. They're wrong. What has happened is that doctors are calling every kid with an unusual personality autistic. Asperger's syndrome, which may or may not be related to autism, is now being labeled as autism. Autism is a terrible burden, but it's unlikely it's increasing in frequency. We're just becoming more promiscuos in our diagnoses. And yes, for those of you preparing to write snotty replies, I am a doctor.

[dtrobert]

"Asperger's syndrome, which may or may not be related to autism": Quotation, please. You're asserting something you cannot possibly assert; You may be a doctor, but you seem to be ignoring, for some reason, the clear consensus of the psychiatric community. I have to wonder why.

"every kid with an unusual personality": As a doctor (I assume you mean by that an M.D.), you should be aware that Asperger's syndrome has a very clear diagnostic profile that is quite distinct from other disorders. It's far more that just an unusual personality, it's a very *specific* kind of unusual personality. Some characteristics, such as the tendency to imitate animals in sometimes very inappropriate settings, are quite unique and hard to assign to any other class of disorders or personality profiles.

I believe that, notwithstanding you status as an instant expert by virtue of your (undescribed) doctorate, you lack the information to make this kind of sweeping assertion. On the other hand, as someone who lives with the disorder, and who has made a point of getting (very) well informed on the subject, feel like I have a right to address its issues, a right you, sir, do not share.

[ellezeebub]

When the Oracle at Delphi told Socrates he was the wisest man on the earth, he tried to figure out why. He sought out the most educated he could find, and tried to understand the nature of wisdom. He realized, at last, that educated people thought that their education extended beyond their expertise, to every thing ... wine, architecture, art, whatever. He finally decided he was the wisest man on earth because he didn't feel like he knew anything.

Now, if being a doctor made you so smart, how come you misspelled promiscuous?

And, how come you are not completely current on research around the country that is tying autism to organochlorine pesticides and other chemicals? How come you can't recite the epidemiological studies that show rates of autism increasing? And, Dr. Smarty Pants, why can't you tell us what causes autism and how to make it vanishingly rare? Could it be, gasp, that YOU DON'T KNOW??

It isn't your specialty, is it?

[Protoguy]

Clearly you know nothing about the subject but what you heard others say. When you meet parents who had a completely normal child who suddenly becomes non-speaking and exhibits other symptoms of the disorder immediately following a vaccine-induced illness, it's difficult to speak so flippantly.

[corysadvocate]

HOORAY FOR YOU LITTLEJOHN, YOUR A REAL DOCTOR, maybe thats why your taking such offense!! As for the WACKADOOS I pray for people who go to you for treatment. May we bow down and kiss the groung you walk on!!

[pepsiluvr]

What is the problem with people today! I have lost total respect for Denis Leary. For him to say something like this is UNACCEPTABLE. Who does he think he is and where does he get his info. Obviously he doesn't know anyone with Autism or ever researched it before he said these things.
I have a nephew and I work everyday with children with Autism and parent and children alike would like there to be no Autism but it's there and we have to stop these people from bashing our kids and parents. Of course we could just say "oh well, we'll just ignore it" but if we ignore this ignorance it will never end. I know for a fact that I will NOT be buying this book and I will do anything I can to discourage everyone I know NOT to buy it also.
For all you parents out there, there are still more caring and understanding people in the world then the dumb asses like Denis Leary so don't let things like this get you down, but use it as a reason to promote Autism Awareness. Maybe if he knew what he was talking about he wouldn't have said these things.