Dear 21 Jump Street....

A few months ago I saw your movie, "21 Jump Street" featuring two of my favorite actors of all time in Jonah Hill and Ice Cube. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed your movie... with one MAJOR exception. Almost halfway into the movie, Ice Cube made a comment towards Jonah Hill's character demeaning a presentation that he made via a bulletin board where he says, "This chart looks like sh*t, are you autistic?"

....

As an autistic adult I was very disappointed with the way your movie made a joke out of a disability that countless people (over 1.5 million in the U.S. alone) struggle with everyday. You see, I was inspired to write this letter because of autism advocate Holly Robinson Peete (who was in the original 21 Jump Street in the 80's and had a cameo in your movie) who wrote a letter response to Rapper 50 Cent about his autism comments. If you haven't heard, 50 Cent, in a response to a fan on his twitter page tweed, "I just saw your picture fool you look autistic" which was followed up with him tweeting that he didn't want any "Special Ed Kids" following him on Twitter and he should follow someone else.

I know that comedies such as these are suppose to be funny but, like Holly has said via twitter, autism should never be used as a punch line. I think this goes the same for any mental disability for that matter. There are so many gifted writers out there today that you can make a movie that's funny while avoiding using jokes like this that could hurt so many. Autistic people deserve to be accepted and not ridiculed.

Dealing with autism over the years I've learned that there are so many bright and gifted individuals on the spectrum out there who are just remarkable. You see, autism is nothing to laugh at. I grew up being ridiculed for being different but today I self-advocate to make people aware that just because you have a disability doesn't mean you dont have a-bilities as well. I've embraced being autistic in many ways and now as a 24 year old adult I'm 6 months away from getting my Masters Degree from Seton Hall University in Strategic Communication and Leadership.

          

In closing you will see a picture of me when I was first diagnosed with autism at 4 and a picture of me today. 20 years have past since I was first diagnosed. I hope you can learn from our autism community to spread awareness that jokes like this can hurt individuals and to remember this in the future.  

Sincerely,

Kerry Magro