Acid Horizon

The Rise of Anti-Capitalist Neurodiversity: Robert Chapman's 'Empire of Normality'

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Jan 28, 2024
Explore the influence of eugenicist thinking on society and the concept of the 'empire of normality'. Discover the historical production of normality and the rejection of eugenics. Challenge the notion that self-diagnoses are capitalist constructs and discuss the importance of recognizing shared experiences. Examine the concept of surplus in capitalism and its impact on neurodivergent individuals. Explore the transition in understanding mental illness from disease to dysfunction in modern psychiatry.
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INSIGHT

Eugenics Origins

  • Eugenics originated in Britain, not Nazi Germany, and aimed to improve the human race through selective breeding.
  • It was intertwined with white supremacy and classism, seeking to increase upper-class reproduction.
ANECDOTE

The Legacy of Cyril Burt

  • Britain's school system, with grammar schools for the 'gifted,' is based on eugenicist Cyril Burt's flawed research.
  • Burt's twin studies, which influenced this system, were later found to be fabricated.
INSIGHT

Empire of Normality

  • The "empire of normality" is the superstructure of eugenics, controlling how we perceive bodies and minds.
  • It responds to the neurodiversity movement and thinkers like Singer and Walker.
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