The Trouble with Spikol | Make Major Moves | PW Style | Cup o'Joel

Kid with autism serves up b-ball surprise

May 31 2006 | Comments 0

There’s really no way to present this story without being corny. It’s clearly one of those much-maligned “human interest” features that networks present to make you cry. And maybe I’m a sap, but I did get teary-eyed when I watched this. It wasn’t so much Jason’s triumphant 20 points scored in the high school basketball game that moved me. It was the reaction of his schoolmates when he did. So much love for him, and so much support. Yes, it’s heartwarming, and slightly nauseating. And a mite patronizing, particularly the sticky-gooey last line. But it’s kind of a guaranteed tearjerker, like It’s a Wonderful Life.

The one cynical question I have: Why, for all this time, did they assume he couldn’t play? I wonder why they never gave him a chance.

liz | 11:27 AM | Uncategorized

Reply:

About

Liz Spikol was born in Philadelphia sometime in the 20th century. She started writing about her experience as a person with mental illness in 1999, while employed at Philadelphia Weekly as the paper’s managing editor. Aside from serving as that paper’s web editor, music editor, staff writer, senior editor, executive editor and a host of other random roles that she couldn’t make up her mind about, she has also worked as a Spanish teacher, as a Certified Peer Specialist during Philly’s system-wide transformation and as a communications specialist for a prison reform organization. Currently, she works at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania and writes book reviews for PW. This blog — named one of the Top 10 Bipolar Blogs of 2007 and 2008 by PsychCentral — is about medications, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, SAD (and many other acronyms), mad pride, Big Pharma, celebrities, hospitals, stigma and the recovery movement. And other stuff.