The Inspiration for Thoughts from the 51st State of Confusion

Lud and the "50 foot chicken" in 2025 - Story about this in episode 2 - The Branson episode - converted from all American to now Hispanic chicken

Hi. I am Ludwik "Lud" K., Jr. The co-executive producer, creator, writer, and co-host of the "Thoughts From the 51st State of Confusion Podcast." You might ask yourself what is the inspiration behind this podcast? I will provide a little background in this post, but our first episode will dive into our biographies, backgrounds, and even more detail before we bring on the laughs in subsequent episodes.

I am an individual who is neurodivergent, which means I have a unique way of looking at the world which includes unique ways of communication, processing, and interpreting messages. One example is when I am in a deep discussion with individuals, I do not always make eye contact. It is not because I am not interested in what you have to say, but rather that I want to be certain that I fully am following what you are saying because if I made eye contact, there may be other sensory distractions that may prevent me from focusing on the important things you have to say.

Being neurodivergent is a category for folks with developmental disabilities such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, etc. I am a self-advocate who currently serves as vice-chairperson of the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities Arkansas.

In my self-advocacy I believe that humor is very important. When I do self-advocacy trainings, I use humor to show the importance of how it is important to have clear, concise communication. I believe humor and comedy, can bring about positive change in any cause worth advocating for and I have presented at 2019 Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered national conference on how humor was instrumental during the civil rights movement in bringing about change and its importance in advocacy. Basically, when we can come together and laugh it eases tension, brings levity, and allows us to calmly come together and have meaningful discussions. In what I do, I believe it results in a more inclusive and integrated society for all individuals.

It's a good thing I always have drank Pepsi products. Coke was founded in Atlanta after all. :) This will be discussed further in episode 2.

So this podcast, is taking the comedy element of my advocacy which consists of multimedia images with confusing messages and asking questions as to what the heck are they trying to say. My co-executive producer, Annette M. previously served on the Governor's Council, is very witty, and is active with the Arkansas Autism Foundation.

While this podcast is inspired from a humorous element of my advocacy approach, outside of our premiere episode this will be a silly podcast where we hope you just will be able to laugh and enjoy some silly banter along with satirical advertisements. We do have a special episode on Artificial Intelligence that is a little bit more serious, and an episode that looks at quirky experiences in Texas.

I have provided an excerpt from a training I did for the council back in 2022 coming out of the pandemic showcasing a few examples of these photos. I hope you all enjoy it!