Savage Stands By His Autism Slam; Invites Parents to Call In And Speak Their Mind. Will You Accept His Invitation?
Michael Savage, the incendiary radio host who last week characterized nearly every child with autism as “a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,” said in a telephone interview on Monday that he stood by his remarks and had no intention of apologizing to those advocates and parents who have called for his firing over the matter.Of course, it will be no small feat to actually get on the air during Savage's show, since hundreds - possibly thousands - of parents will be on the line. But assuming that you actually could get through, what would you say?“My main point remains true,” Mr. Savage, whose radio audience ranks in size behind only those of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, said in the interview. “It is an overdiagnosed medical condition. In my readings, there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism.”
On the July 16 installment of his program, which is broadcast every weekday, Mr. Savage suggested that “99 percent of the cases” of autism were a result of lax parenting. He told his audience: “They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life.’ ” Among the other admonitions he felt children with autism should be hearing, he said, were: “ ‘Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’ ”
Asked Monday if he actually believed that 99 out of every 100 cases of autism were misdiagnosed, Mr. Savage conceded that figure was “a little high.” He added, “It was hyperbole.”
But he said he was proud to have prodded discussion on the subject, and planned to give over his entire show on Monday — broadcast live from Northern California from 3 to 6 p.m., Pacific time — to parents and other callers who wished to disagree with him and to educate him.
Would you argue the question of whether autism is overdiagnosed? Describe your own experience? Show him that autism dads are present, actively involved, and far from wimpy?
Speak your mind!
Comments
I am a late middle aged autistic man. I say, no, don’t call into his show. Just ignore Savage. I agree with your previous comments about ignoring him. These people are just giving him what he wants. High ratings for controversial topic. Savage would be suffering a lot more if all of the sensitive people in the autism world would just stop feeding the trolls. Now, he is going to get a ratings boost because of all the outrage and he is going to bask in this.
For years I thought I was a wimpy parent, until I finally was told that my child does have autism. No one is going to make me feel wimpy again.
I have mixed emotions about calling in and promoting his ratings in any way. However, I think I could provide significant information about autism and the reality and maybe promote awareness, so I’d have to weigh in and call.
I may try to call in. And I would mostly just want to take him to task for what he actually said, not to try to “educate” him, because frankly, I don’t think he is really interested in that. He made hurtful, ill-informed, idiotic statements, then instead of being man enough to apologize, back peddled into the old “I didn’t say what I said” position. Which is as cowardly as his original comments. I would also certainly offer to meet with him face-to-face, so we could talk about his supposed “wimpy dad theory.” But I am 100% positive he wouldn’t have the guts to do that.
And as a PS: I am not giving him attention to boost his ratings. I am also doing everything in my power to get sponsors and stations to drop him. I am hoping our local station will drop him soon, and they hinted that they might.
What an ignorant man. I would not call his show and give him the audience to make such assinine comments. As for his firing….give me the petition. I will sign it !
I will not contribute to his show in any way.
This guy is either very ignorant or very smart. He knows how to bring light to his show by spraying his ‘opinion’ on a challenging subject we work with on a daily basis. He needs to spend some time in our shoes to really find out what his short-sighted rant is really all about (but then again, I really don’t want him around my son). I urge you not to respond to this so-called ’shock jock’ by calling into his show; that’s exactly what he wants and needs you to do. Why? That is his business, his job. Folks like him thrive on causing and/or using controversy as a platform to generate outrageous results; they love to goad people into calling their station and slamming them ‘on air’ whether the caller is right, wrong or just expressing an opinion. They’ll always claim to be right because it’s their show! After all, ratings are what really count in his world. If you really want to respond to his ‘opinion’, which, unfortunately, he is not the only person who shares it, send your thoughts to other info outlets like newspapers, online blogs, etc. Feel free NOT to reference his name, since that would only be more free advertising for him. Instead, refer to his misguided opinion or statement. I work from home and care for my son. He’s 10 years old, has Type-1 diabetes and is considered high-functioning autistic. Like some in this situation, I listen to the radio most of the day, mainly sports talk shows. The station I listen to most has some excellent hosts who get It and often share these little radio industry insights with their audiences. I guess if we’d like, let’s look at it this way; thank what’s his name for bringing more attention to autism and some uninformed opinions. In many ways, thanks for providing us with a chance to educate more and more folks.
I wouldn’t waste my time or open myself up to a person like that. Some people you can talk to till your face turns blue- this person is all about ratings and maybe he really doesn’t feel or believe the things he says. It’s all about ratings for him.
I think it’s rude to use people in this manner at the expence of other people and children, but his show will not in the end promote any kind of good public awareness and anyone who calls in, expect to be torn apart and have your words all twisted.
This guy has to be the biggest buffoon on the planet. First of all, I’m a father of a 3 year old with Autism. I’m with my son everyday. 2nd of all I’m a veteran of the United States military, wimpy men? While he’s on his fat ass in a radio station, guys like me were off defending his right to stay stupid things. Mike…if you ever check these things, I hope you realize you’re probably about to loose your job. Next time you pick on people with a disorder, maybe read up on it a bit, make sure it’s not the biggest disorder affecting children in the country….ass. People headhunting you over your comments are justified, and not like the Soviet Union at all. I know it must be hard to imagine from your nice little studio in this great country. But they kill people for stupid stuff they say in other countries…you’re lucky you work here. Good riddance.
I am happy that AFLAC decided to pull its advertising from the show, and I am hopeful that other sponsors will follow suit. Members of our community need to keep sending letters to Savage’s sponsors. The best way to make an impact on public figures like Michael Savage–and the entities that support him–is to take action to affect their bottom line.
Here’s the amazing thing. For decades, if not centuries, in the dark ages of the medical profession’s past exactly those savage opinions were the default among doctors, psychologists and the general public. Parents with autistic children waged tough battles to get those misguided attitudes changed and to have autism diagnosed as a real condition. Only now, after so many years of hard work, are a large percentage of those with autism being properly diagnosed and treated (and among the poor it’s especially under diagnosed and under treated, the opposite of what the savage man claims, saying it’s a scam seized on by the poor). I know conservative means for many, turn back the clock. But surely there are limits to how far certain people will go to vilify the most helpless members of society. So please, don’t step back and try to ignore people like that. History shows that ignoring evil doesn’t make it go away. And pathetic morons can get followings, Mike Weiner being a paragon case in point. Autistic children aren’t the first group this so-called man has attacked. If you love your children, fight him. But whatever you do, don’t listen to or call into his show. Doing so is to dignify him. He has no dignity.
Apparently, Savage is just a moron training to be an idiot. Don’t give him the satisfaction of calling his show to provide him attention. Just thank the ass for helping to boost autism awareness. Thanks, you jackass.
Everyday I am amazed at how stupid people are. Savage truly has lived up to his last name. My 8 year old son is not a brat he is AUTISTIC and unfortunately we have no control over that. Believe me I wish I could have Wyatt speak in complete sentences and when he was 4 not have had to clean up his underwear for almost a year because he could not control his bowels. Does Savage not realize if it were as easy as telling our children to cut it out we would have done that. My life for the last 6 years has been at times hell on earth. In public you get stares and negative comments from uneducated people just like Savage and it hurts. Not only does it hurt us it hurts the siblings of these autistic children. I love my son and believe that GOD gave him to me and not someone like Savage, because he knew I could handle the challenge and Savage would not be stronge enough to handle the GREAT responsibility that comes with raising an autistic child. I am ashamed that he calls himself a conservative!
Mr.Savage is an incindery and hateful individual looking for any angle he can find to increase his listening audience. It does not matter the controversy. However, he over stepped his boundary showing no remorse for the 10’s of thousands of parents who have an autistic child and the autistic community itself. I am glad my son is too young to listen to his bantering and he will be gone from the airwaves when he is old enough to understand. I agree to leave him alone and let him stew in his misery of not getting enough attention for his comments. God Bless all the child and adults affected, including my son, who is NOT A BRAT, but a genious and mercy on Mr. Savage’s soul.
Mr. Savage is trying to get ratings, period. He doesn’t care about anything beyond that. He will get more ratings by people calling in to ‘educate him’, but if people don’t call in, he will say, ‘then I guess I’m right’ which is my assumption based on his personality type. Best thing to do? Get him off the air by other means. Contact radio stations that carry his show and pressure them to cancel it. Quiet and effective.
I am impressed by the lack of vitriol in the comments.
The lack of fair reporting in these articles is sickening. Everything you have read is based off of what Media Matters fed the internet and news outlets.
Have any of you listened to his show over the last year that this discussion has been developing? Did you even hear the July 16 show? Do you know at what minute the comments appeared? Probably not… he makes the comments at the 1 hour, 4 minute mark. But the specific discussion begins at 60 minutes. He began the discussion with his anger over the drug companies over diagnosing of MANY diseases.
Go to http://www.talkradionetwork.com to get the full clip and perspective before you accept what the media is telling you carte blanche. or do you believe everything you hear on CNN, ABC, NBC?
the comments in here are typical of the left leaning media feeding the overly emotional Americans.
i can bet that none of you have ever listened to any of Dr. Savage’s shows. he has been ripping at the heals of the Big Pharma companies for as long as i can remember (been listening to him since 95). he has numerous books written on taking care of you and your family without drugging yourself into submission.
but please, do carry on with your trivial whining because you emotions and feelings got hurt because someone has the guts to stand up to the Pharma companies.
Savage isn’t interested in our opinions. He’s an entertainer who will do and say anything for attention. Your time is better spent calling the companies that sponsor his show and asking them to pull their advertising. Then call the radio station nearest you that pays to air Savage and ask for the station manager, to let him(her) know what you think.
I am a parent of an autistic son whose father did check out on us when my son was very young and we did struggle alot but we survived and he is now a thriving young man who is able to live on his own and is an employed, productive member of society and I could not be more proud of him!
One thing I am not is whining, and neither myself or my son are “drugged into submission” as someone else suggested. I have never listened to him nor will I ever. It’s too bad that there are so many un-educated people out there.
I would like to tell this idiot just what I think of his idiotic, closed-minded statements but like everyone else I refuse to give him anymore publicity and attention than he’s already getting over this. If there is a petition out there to get him fired I would sign it in a second though!
I think Mr. Savage needs to speak to Temple Grandin…excuse me…Dr. Grandin. That might change his view that people with Autism are idiots and morons.
By the way, it takes a “moron” to quote statistics (99%???) without doing any real research.
I am the mother of my beautiful 6 year old son with autism. I would not waste my energy calling in to speak to any insignificant being like Michael Savage-no matter what group of unfortunate individuals he is a self proclaimed expert of. My energy goes to helping my son recover. We all have control over what we listen to so tune him out and listen for your autistic child’s first word!
Clearly this uninformed ass has never lived 24/7 with a child with any degree of autism. Please come live in our shoes for a week!!!! What an insensitive jerk. He is just looking for ratings at the expensive of others who have a disability. Sad.
Hi Lisa,
In response to your question, I would not call-in to Mr. Savage’s radio program. Why should hundred’s of educated individuals call-in to educate one “illiterate”? If he indeed wants to be educated, perhaps he should pay (monetary) for it.
Cheers,
Simon
I am very disgusted and annoyed by this so called know it all, my son, whom will be 18 in October was diagnosed with Autism, I am very sorry to say is not a brat, hardly, my husband and I decided he was going to be educated like everyone else even if that took wording it or borrowing from resources we had, has he ever spent a day in our shoes, fighting to get the care they need, becoming an advocate, a grant writer to help them??? I seriously doubt it. I have worked in the trenches of having a son in my home along with working with kids that work harder and longer then most and they are the most forgotten about, let alone given the funding these programs are in need of, so whom is this person that has the nerve to call these people that through no fault of their own are whom and what they are, people, you Mr. Savage are the most disgusting human being I have ever had the displeasure of hearing, the beauty of a radio dial..I can turn it, however your venom cannot be ignored and people like myself are left with the chore of educating, there is one thing I cannot give yo…a heart…you obviously have none and need to find out who these people are before you judge, well I thought that was God’s job…are you so filling in..I think not…you parasite are Satan and may you see the error of your ways..would you want any member of your family spoken of so???? SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!~!~