Episode 269: The Autistic Question - Rewriting the American Dream

“Today’s episode examines the 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr., where Baldwin argued the American Dream was achieved at the expense of Black Americans. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, reinterprets this historical event through an autistic lens, suggesting that the systemic exploitation and marginalisation faced by Black people mirrors the experiences of autistic individuals in a society not built for them. The essay contends that both groups are deemed “obstacles to empire,” forced into “unpaid, unacknowledged labor” of masking and adapting for inclusion, and consistently pathologised by a dominant “system of reality” that refuses to acknowledge their inherent worth. Dr. Hoerricks critiques William F. Buckley Jr.’s stance as emblematic of institutional narcissism, which dismisses structural injustice by framing it as individual responsibility. Ultimately, they call for autistic people to refuse assimilation into a flawed American Dream and instead “reclaim authorship” by building alternative, more equitable futures rooted in dignity and authentic belonging.”

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/for-nothing-baldwin-buckley-and-the

Let me know what you think.