Dyslexia: An Excuse for Laziness

[Veldrin]

Many people claim to have dyslexia.

Many BoC members, many other UO players, many other people in this vast SUPER HIGHWAY OF INFORMATION THAT IS THE INTARNIT claim to have it. I have met more people than I CAN COUNT who have claimed to have it as an excuse for spelling mistakes or typographical errors. Because we ALL know that humans can't simply make MISTAKES. OH NO. These days there has to be some sort of MENTAL DISORDER behind it.

Get nervous talking before a crowd? Anxiety disorder. Can't pay attention in class? ADD. Prone to mood swings and being nice one minute than a total jerk the next? Bipolar disorder. Feeling down after your spouse dies? Depression. Keep spelling "Octiovus" wrong? Dyslexia.

I'm not saying that these disorders don't exist. All of them have been MEDICALLY DOCUMENTED so there's no CHANCE of them being total HOOEY, right? But that's not my point.

I simply ask: How many people who claim to have dyslexia... actually know what it is?

By my count: not very many.

Dyslexia is a LEARNING DISABILITY (not dissimilar to Down's syndrome or autism). It is a MENTAL DISORDER. It is a condition that must be diagnosed by a medical doctor. A MEDICAL DOCTOR. Egotistical, white coat-wearing DREGS who spent the better part of a decade in SCHOOL learning ANATOMY and dissecting human CORPSES, which qualifies them to deduce from evidence and tests that you have the disorder, the DISABILITY called dylexia which affects around 15% of the population.

15% of the population. As stated by the National Intitutes of Health.

No no, that doesn't sound accurate to me. Judging from people I have met on the INTERNET, who have vast credibility and about six to twelve years of PUBLIC SCHOOL under their belt, I'd say it's more around 70%.

So, what IS dyslexia, exactly? Come on Veldrin, we could already deduce that it was a learning disability and a mental disorder, stop being such a wisecrack and tell us what dyslexia IS, if you think you're so smart.

Well first, let me state what it's not. Let me state what many people use it as an excuse for. Dyslexia is not an excuse for stupidity. Dyslexia is not an excuse for common misspellings. Dyslexia is not an excuse for laziness. Dyslexia is not an excuse for grammatical mistakes. And dyslexia is not an excuse for not being very good at English (or other languages). All of the preceding are common human error.

Dyslexia is (said to be) a condition or learning disability which causes difficulty with reading and writing.

By "said to be," I mean that it's highly debated about whether it actually exists. Many claim that it's nothing but a mythological construct as it's not medically similar to other learning disabilities. But let's assume for now that it is real.

Let me repeat myself: Dyslexia causes difficulty with reading and writing. Writing and reading. AND READING. Of all the poor, suffering dyslexics I've met, I don't think ANY OF THEM have had difficulty with reading. Oh they read JUST FINE. But they make common spelling errors and REFUSE to TRY to correct them because they are DYSLEXIC.

Difficulty with WRITING is common. For example, I often mix up lettres or syllalybles, combine words like behign (being and behind) or, in typing, pu tspaces int oo early or late.

No one is a LITTLE dyslexic. No one gets dyslexic when they're TIRED or being LAZY.

It took me WEEKS to figure out how to spell "Octiovus" right on the first try, without spelling "Octovius" or "Octiovous" or "Octavius." I spelled it wrong all the time. But instead of using DYSLEXIA as a crappy excuse to not even try, I put actual EFFORT into getting it right and now I can spell Octiovus Octiovus Octiovus Octiovus Octiovus many many times in a row without spelling it wrong. This is not because I am SUPER HUMANLY INTELLIGENT (although we all know that I am anyway), but because HUMAN ERROR is common and CAN be corrected.

DYSLEXIA is not the same as making the same common typos everyone else makes, or messing up on the same word every single time. DYSLEXIA presents difficulty writing, reading, and sometimes seeing or hearing. I have not met a SINGLE INTARWEB NAVIGATIONOR who has had difficulty reading as well as spelling.

So the next time anyone claims to have DYSLEXIA without it being diagnosed by some CRACK doctor, they're being DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED from the army and demoted to TRAMP.

That is all. This work of satire, insults, and facts has been brought to you by Veldrin Incorporated. Remember, "You are all imbeciles who vill get zhe pain and suffering you deserve!"

Addendum: Keep any personal insults, profanity, and obscene comments to yourself. Flaming is not tolerated and may result in bannings, glorious bannings.

[Mela Arkay]

Hear hear! 

[Khaelieth]

Hair hair! Vledrin's wright!

[qom_riyadh]

Well said!

I agree with you in 100 percents! The fact is that while using in-game chat we don't write elaborates or professional Oxford-like reviews of the tasks etc - the english that we need to use is rather not complicated. Of course, the main problem is (of course in respect to those who really HAVE dyslexia) that:

1) people are writing way too fast [I do]
2) people are too lazy to have a dictionary by hand [I did, but I bought one] and
3) people whose english isn't their 1st language make typical errors [me again].

Overall - most of people which have a "say-so" dyslexia will be miraculously healed of this ailment (spelling of last two words checked in Collins Dictionary ) if would try a bit harder...

Great writing, Veldrin - I really enjoyed it.

[Khaelieth]

English. Big letter. 

[Delcarakdur]

1) people are writing way too fast [I do]
2) people are too lazy to have a dictionary by hand [I did, but I bought one] and
3) people whose english isn't their 1st language make typical errors [me again].

There you have me, especially because I generally type and press enter, but don't bother to read trough the gibberish I just wrote.

[Darath Mithar]

Hello, my name is Alex and I'm dyslexic.

Yup thats right, I'm dyslexic. I was indeed 'diagnosed' with it at the age of 11 by a educational physiologist after a rigorous examination. Having experienced dyslexia (wether or wether not you want to consider it real) for the last decade or so i feel I'm in a position to answer some of the points brought up in this  post.

Dyslexia is a LEARNING DISABILITY (not dissimilar to Down's syndrome or autism). It is a MENTAL DISORDER. It is a condition that must be diagnosed by a medical doctor. A MEDICAL DOCTOR. Egotistical, white coat-wearing DREGS who spent the better part of a decade in SCHOOL learning ANATOMY and dissecting human CORPSES, which qualifies them to deduce from evidence and tests that you have the disorder, the DISABILITY called dyslexia which affects around 15% of the population.

Sounds like your getting a little to hooked on 'diagnosis'. It doesn't have to be a typical doctor as you've stated, for example like i said i was diagnosed by an Educational Physiologist. Indeed a doctor of the type you've stated would not be able to diagnose someone with dyslexia. There is little to know concrete biological markers and the few that have been found definitely have not been integrated into any kind of widespread biological test for dyslexia.

Well first, let me state what it's not. Let me state what many people use it as an excuse for. Dyslexia is not an excuse for stupidity. Dyslexia is not an excuse for common misspellings. Dyslexia is not an excuse for laziness. Dyslexia is not an excuse for grammatical mistakes. And dyslexia is not an excuse for not being very good at English (or other languages). All of the preceding are common human error.

Dyslexia had no effect on how stupid or clever you are. Einstein was dyslexic.

Dyslexia is (said to be) a condition or learning disability which causes difficulty with reading and writing.

By "said to be," I mean that it's highly debated about whether it actually exists. Many claim that it's nothing but a mythological construct as it's not medically similar to other learning disabilities. But let's assume for now that it is real.

Ultimately no one knows. To go off on one slightly i do personally feel that the "dyslexia situation" has been hyped to mad extremes at the moment. Taking me for example, i was given a free top of the range computer and about a grands worth of other equipment provided to me free be the government.

Although i am sure its real, I do feel that perhaps dyslexia will be looked upon as somewhat of a storm in a teacup in a decade or so.

No one is a LITTLE dyslexic.

Wrong. There is most certainly a sliding scale of dyslexia severity as it is documented today.

DYSLEXIA is not the same as making the same common typos everyone else makes, or messing up on the same word every single time. DYSLEXIA presents difficulty writing, reading, and sometimes seeing or hearing. I have not met a SINGLE INTARWEB NAVIGATIONOR who has had difficulty reading as well as spelling.

Well now you have!

So the next time anyone claims to have DYSLEXIA without it being diagnosed by some CRACK doctor, they're being DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED from the army and demoted to TRAMP.

I'll sue you for discrimination! 

[Veldrin]

Indeed a doctor of the type you've stated would not be able to diagnose someone with dyslexia.

My comment about doctors was pure satire. However the comment about getting a diagnosis, that was to prevent people claiming to have dyslexia when they didn't know what it was. You don't KNOW that you have dyslexia until a doctor says you do.

Dyslexia had no effect on how stupid or clever you are. Einstein was dyslexic.

Einstein also failed math class. He's starting to sound like a real nobody.

I did not say or even imply that dyslexia made you stupid. I was actually saying what it DID NOT make you. People who can't spell, who are lazy, and who are not good at English claim to have dyslexia. My point, as I clearly stated above, was that dyslexia did NOT make you those things and it was not an excuse for them.

I'll sue you for discrimination!

You HAVE been diagnosed, I don't see what your quarrel is!

Ultimately no one knows. To go off on one slightly i do personally feel that the "dyslexia situation" has been hyped to mad extremes at the moment.

If you ask me, I personally think it's another crackpot disorder that psychologists have cooked up. They're also diagnosing depression as a mental illness. ADD, that's crap too. LOVE will probably be a mental illness some day, I saw an article that did compare the chemical reactions of "love" in someone's body to a mental disorder.

The fact is that all men (and women) are NOT created equal. We're all different. We have different learning capabilities, we perceive the world differently, our bodies process things differently and everyone is just a LITTLE BIT imperfect. However we have to take these imperfections and slap names on them, and turn them into "disorders." These aren't diseases, people. They're just personality differences with names on them. There is no PERFECTLY NORMAL functioning human being, I can almost guarantee you that everyone has a "disorder" of some kind. And the fact that they take medication for it and a doctor tells them it's a disorder or an illness or a disability only makes them hide behind these fancy names instead of putting effort into trying to be a capable, responsible human being and correcting their flaws.

A woman was classified as inadequately prepared to care for a foster child because she had a history of mental illness. What illness was that? Depression. Why was she depressed? HER HUSBAND OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS PASSED AWAY some years ago and she was SAD for a while. How is THAT a mental disorder? Depression is not a disorder, it's a state of mind influenced by outside factors. Just because medication "works" for it doesn't mean that the medication is FIXING you, it's just managing your hormones so you don't FEEL sad.

Some people have more trouble paying attention than others. I have excellent spelling skills because it's just innate to me. Pretty soon there will be a Bad Spelling Disorder to explain the people who aren't exceptional.

The whole idea behind these tedious mental disorders is messed up bull honky and shouldn't be given any mind. The 21st century just comes up with more and more incredulous tripe.

[Gregor Eason]

rofl wtf!

[Veldrin]

An intellectually stimulating response from our Gregor Eason, as usual.

Where WOULD we be without you.

[Vince Valentine]

Umm, somewhat random conversation topic, no?

[Kazuo Shinrai]

Although I totally agree with this thread, one should not forget that there is an affliction far more serious than being dyslexic. That being also a mental disorder that if diagnosed frequently amongst the Dutch.

Stonedness.
Oh yesh!
Yeah, I know, lame joke.

Anyway, typing a decent, typographically and gramatically correct post is not all that hard.
Not only does it make a report far more enjoyable to read (personally I hate stupid mistakes such as "I here you"), it also doesn't make you come off like a complete and total plonker and I'd say that is what it's all about!

Just typing without thinking is not only an insult to the English language and a nuisance for other people who try to read or decypher it, it's also an insult to yourself!

As for my chronical stonedness, I am under influence of the plant alot, but does that generally affect my typing? No! Nor should drinking affect it. Sure, you are more prone to mistakes, but it still shouldn't keep you from at least trying to compile a decent sentence. In short, if you can't be bothered, just stop posting!
(Trust me, your stories won't be missed!)

PS.
Double the respect for a decently readable and error-free post if English is not your native language!
*respects self double*

[Teagan Grayner]

How did I laugh at myself? I don't use it as an exscuse i've had tests which prove my dyslexia unlike 99.9% of Internet users.

EDITED

[Khaelieth]

I think all USanians are dyslectic. They can't spell "through"

[Mela Arkay]

Loving the news:)