Leah BensonJett Travolta: autistic victim or degraded being? YOU DECIDE!
January 5th 2009 12:49
Its strange how sometimes, for one reason or another, a news story can have such a powerful—and personal-- effect on us. It’s not always obvious, even to ourselves, what it is that we find so captivating about these stories, but for whatever reason, we process the facts and resulting emotional responses as though the story is our own, as though we experienced it personally.
As most of you already know, this week has focused on one news story in particular—the tragic death of Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston. And since the moment I heard about this story, I’ve had this empty, almost painful, feeling in my stomach. I immediately thought of a photo I recently saw of Jett walking barefooted, on the tips of his toes, next to his mother and remember thinking: “duh, he’s autistic!”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who questioned his “autistic-looking” behavior; the internet is filled with articles about Jett Travolta and whether or not he suffered from autism or other developmental problems. Many of these articles focus on the fact that for 16 years, due to his ties to Scientology, John Travolta repeatedly denied that there was anything developmentally or neurologically wrong with his son. Many wonder, with obvious skepticism, why neither John nor his wife attended the premiere of “Normal People Scare Me,” a documentary about autism produced by Travolta’s own brother. And many, like the 2006 article written by investigative journalist Mark Ebner, looked at the role of Scientology, with Ebner concluding that:
“The Scientology couple [John Travolta and Kelly Preston] cannot even publicly admit that their son is afflicted with a neurological disorder, lest - according to the incontrovertible doctrine of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard - he be labeled a "degraded being" that brought his affliction onto himself.”
In light of Jett’s tragic death from uncontrolled seizures, this public denial is again showing some obvious cracks. The New York Post, for example, has raised the issue of whether Jett was being treated for his seizures, in light of the "scientology dogma (that) opposes medication for seizures and does not acknowledge the existence of autism, a condition that many believe John Travolta's son suffered." Unfortunately, no matter what the answer, it is too late to change the outcome of Jett Travolta’s life.
As for me, I can’t stop wondering how any parent, for any reason, could be ashamed or embarrassed by their child. Why not just lock them away in an attic or some far-away state hospital? I know I sound harsh but come on people! Wake up! I don’t care if it’s due to religion or class or any other bullshit reason: people with autism are not “degraded beings.” Jett Travolta deserved to be accepted as he was—and he certainly deserved the services available to any person with special needs. If he was denied those services, the tragedy of his life began long before his recent death.
As most of you already know, this week has focused on one news story in particular—the tragic death of Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston. And since the moment I heard about this story, I’ve had this empty, almost painful, feeling in my stomach. I immediately thought of a photo I recently saw of Jett walking barefooted, on the tips of his toes, next to his mother and remember thinking: “duh, he’s autistic!”
toe-walking is one of the symptoms often associated with autism...
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who questioned his “autistic-looking” behavior; the internet is filled with articles about Jett Travolta and whether or not he suffered from autism or other developmental problems. Many of these articles focus on the fact that for 16 years, due to his ties to Scientology, John Travolta repeatedly denied that there was anything developmentally or neurologically wrong with his son. Many wonder, with obvious skepticism, why neither John nor his wife attended the premiere of “Normal People Scare Me,” a documentary about autism produced by Travolta’s own brother. And many, like the 2006 article written by investigative journalist Mark Ebner, looked at the role of Scientology, with Ebner concluding that:
In light of Jett’s tragic death from uncontrolled seizures, this public denial is again showing some obvious cracks. The New York Post, for example, has raised the issue of whether Jett was being treated for his seizures, in light of the "scientology dogma (that) opposes medication for seizures and does not acknowledge the existence of autism, a condition that many believe John Travolta's son suffered." Unfortunately, no matter what the answer, it is too late to change the outcome of Jett Travolta’s life.
As for me, I can’t stop wondering how any parent, for any reason, could be ashamed or embarrassed by their child. Why not just lock them away in an attic or some far-away state hospital? I know I sound harsh but come on people! Wake up! I don’t care if it’s due to religion or class or any other bullshit reason: people with autism are not “degraded beings.” Jett Travolta deserved to be accepted as he was—and he certainly deserved the services available to any person with special needs. If he was denied those services, the tragedy of his life began long before his recent death.
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