Here at Stimpunks, we are into the punk ethos of DIY and inclusion and actively neuroqueering society. Existing as a neurodivergent or disabled person is often a pretty punk process.
I searched for “punk animals”. These came up often:
Punk Animals? : punk
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Rats
- Platypus
- Hedgehogs
- Porcupines
Then I searched for “hedgehog spiky profile autism” and got some interesting stuff like:
As anyone with a disability will be aware, we are constantly having to ‘prove’ we are disabled ‘enough’ and eligible for support (financial and literal). Having a super spiky profile, which immediately conjures images of us as a hedgehog, can leave us feeling like we are loosing the plot. One minute we can do something, the next it would be dangerous or we can’t. We have two degrees but ask us to navigate a social situation we haven’t prepared for and we are at sea. Our resultant support needs are so variable that they are often underestimated.
Since hedgehogs have punk, disabled, neurodivergence connections, I like them as symbols of the spiky profiles of neurodivergent people and the overall spikiness and diversity of humanity. We form better competency networks when we do so in a neuroinclusive way that respects that spikiness.
Further, the ability of hedgehogs to curl up into a ball evokes social anxiety, exposure anxiety, minority stress, and masking.
Neurodiversity and neurodivergence need a chibi hedgehog mascot.
Inspired by Wapuu
The mascot for the WordPress open source community is Wapuu.
Local WordPress communities design their own variations of Wapuu.
View a gallery of Wapuus at Wapuus Field Guide & Trading Post.
Neurodiversity and neurodivergence need a chibi hedgehog mascot in the spirit of Wapuu.
Name: Esmx
What’s a name for this hedgehog? I’m thinking Esmx, derived from Esme, in honor of Esmeralda Weatherwax and the witches of Discworld from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. The witches of Discworld have the philosophy of “First Sight and Second Thoughts”, which relate to neurodivergent ways of being such as “Very Grand Emotions” and “Justice Sensitivity“.
First Sight and Second Thoughts, that’s what a witch had to rely on: First Sight to see what’s really there, and Second Thoughts to watch the First Thoughts to check that they were thinking right.
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The witches of Discworld center care work and have a tradition of community service.
Everyone’s poor around here. If I don’t help them, who will?”
Pratchett, Terry. A Hat Full of Sky (Discworld Book 32) (pp. 116-117). HarperCollins.
Esme has a history of being a name for men, not just women, which I like. “Esmx” emphasizes gender neutrality. Pronunciation: Ehz-mix.
A Profusion of Esmx
As with Wapuu, local communities can have their own versions of Esmx. We’d have one for Stimpunks. There could also be ones for various neurotypes and traits: Autism, ADHD, monotropism, etc.
Call for Designs
Community artists, let’s make some Neurodiversity Hedgehog Mascots Inspired by Wapuu.
Share your designs. We’ll include them here for all to see.
License
Let’s license these designs under Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” so everyone can freely iterate and share.
CC0 enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain, so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law.
In contrast to CC’s licenses that allow copyright holders to choose from a range of permissions while retaining their copyright, CC0 empowers yet another choice altogether – the choice to opt out of copyright and database protection, and the exclusive rights automatically granted to creators – the “no rights reserved” alternative to our licenses.
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