Now, you might be wondering something here…what does the 1989 civil war film, “Glory” (1989) starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Andre Brougher have to do with neurodiversity? Sure, it’s a movie about breaking milestones that would make a difference in US History such as the first African American military unit of the civil war, but there is a character in the film that demonstrates that sometimes we need to make ourselves better not just in the civil war, but in everyday life as well that I think we can all use these days.
The character that I am talking about is Sergeant Mulcahy, the Irish American Drill Sergeant brought into whip the regiment into shape. Now, you might be thinking that this guy is being too tough on these men because of who they are, particularly towards Matthew Broderick’s friend in the film played by the late Andre Brougher. When I first saw this film, I couldn’t help but notice that Sergeant Mulcahy isn’t being mean to the men for the heck of it, he’s trying to prepare them for the aspects of war.
When you look at this character, you might ask yourself why he comes to represent neurodiversity? Is he trying to intentionally cause sensory overloads or meltdowns or is there another really good reason?
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Something I notice a lot of in today’s society is that there are a few people that just don’t have determination to get to where they need to be and would much rather stay in their shell. There are plenty of neurodivergents out there that are too set in their ways and that the outside world isn’t like that. There is a reason why we all need to “grow up some more” at times and that includes installing self-awareness and self-acceptance of neurodivergents.
If there is one thing that I have had to learn several times is that I needed to change and adapt, particularly after high school when I had a difficult transitional period. When I graduated, I thought that things weren’t just going to change entirely. Then came being put into my first paying job at Borders, having my bedroom redone without my knowledge and just dealing with discovering my footing in a post high school world.
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I’ve also known younger members of our community that have continuously struggled with the prospect of “growing up some more” because they either struggled mightily or were unwilling to find employment because they refused to grow up. Hell, I even have developmentally different colleagues at my day job that I have to deal with every week who refuse to “grow up some more” because of their cognitive functions, much to my constant chagrin.
Like the importance of flexibility, “growing up some more,” is essential to surviving in an ever-evolving society. This can range from learning to respect the boundaries of others to being willing to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Sure, as I have said before time after time, not everyone will accomplish all of their goals, but we all grow up by the journey.
Developmentally different individuals all have goals and for some, those goals are deadset with the idea of not doing with Sergeant Mulcahy taught the regiment in “Glory” (1989). The truth of the matter is that what Sergeant Mulcahy said to Matthew Broderick’s character is true regardless whether you are neurodivergent or neurotypical.
Tough love is never easy to administer on anyone, but sometimes it has to be done because the world isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
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Catch you all later!!
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