A Scary Time For Asperger's Parents

   "You know why our parents didn't have school shootings & all this
   bullsh*#? It's because back then we could beat the sh*t outta the
   weird withdrawn f*#king sh*tbags!"  
  - Facebook User 
   The status above from facebook was one that showed up in my feed because someone who was on my friends list 'Liked' it. I wish I could say this was the only one but its not. Even as I sit here at this computer I can hear from my left two people at the desk next to me talking about it. I'm trying not to listen in but as you all know, when your ear gets trained to hear things its hard. When I'm in ear shot & someone says Autism or Asperger's I hear it. Its a big part of our lives so it catches my ear. 
   A boat load of the media has now back peddled & put our stories about how there is no link between Aspergers & violence but what I think they don't realize is the damage has already been done! You jumped on that bandwagon right away and put stuff out there about how this kid was emotionless, didn't feel pain like normal people, & has this thing called Aspergers. People hear that & even if you take it back it's still there. People as a whole, I think, always take to heart the accusation more than the retraction of that accusation. It's like someone being accused of murder, rape, or molestation that has been proven innocent. You heard that they were proven innocent & the real bad guy was caught & made a full confession! BUT there is always that thought in the back of your mind that maybe...just maybe! The same thing is true for this. Everyone in America heard the BUZZ words you dropped; ASPERGERS, MURDERER, EMOTIONLESS, MENTAL ILLNESS, MASS SHOOTING. Now that you come back & say, "Well, actually there is no link between aspergers and what happened" The link in peoples mind has already been made because maybe...just maybe!    This whole thing is scary. I just want to keep my kids home with me & lock the world out. I worry about the thing all parents worry about; could this happen at our school, how do you tell your kids about this, do you tell your kids about his or chance someone else leaking it to them? BUT now I also worry about what have other kids heard? Will they say something to my son because he is that kid who acts a bit funny or the one they know has aspergers?  OR am I just over thinking it all & being over protective because that's never happened......nope, never happened before. I can't image what I would do in the situation those parents are in. I'm not sure I could remember how to breath if something happened to one of my boys.