“Normal” Was Manufactured: Neurodiversity and Loneliness

Description:

With the rise of industrialization and manufacturing systems came the rise of "normal." Endlessly variable ways of being in the world, including being neurodivergent, were declared unacceptable in the mission to create a predictable, docile workforce. Not only were the Commons enclosed and made inaccessible in the name of progress, but the mind, the body, and even time itself were also enclosed, leaving us with a pervasive and indescribable sense of separation and loneliness. Learn how to navigate modernity and rediscover ways of being in this world that resist this relentless push for conformity.   

Slides from the talk

This talk was based on the excellent book, Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism By Robert Chapman

Get it from Pluto Press
Get it from the library

Notes from my talk (I do a lot of hand writing to prepare because it accesses a different part of the brain):

Bio:

Paulé Wood (they/them) has a background in Human Centered Design and has been professionally designing complex systems for two decades. Storytelling is a powerful and ancient practice; they have coached and facilitated workshops to help people break out of fixed and outdated thinking using storytelling, from environmental economics to queer/trans community. 

A maker and repairer of clothing, tools, and community and a lifelong learner, they enjoy reading, listening, and discussing topics about resistance, mutual aid, alternative governance structures, cultural anthropology, sociology, and the way things work.