Hi All. I have been watching a lot of House lately, and just started “Extrodinary Attorney Woo”. I am curious to know what you all think of their portrails of Autism. Is it pandering? Representation? Romantisation?
Also see “The Good Doctor”, “Atypical”, “Love on the spectrum” etc.
While I know people have complaints about how it sometimes infantilizing and played for laughs et cetera, when I first watched Big Bang Theory back 2007 or so, it felt both like an eye-opener and deeply validating.
Sheldon doesn’t mask. He is not anxious. He is not ashamed of who he is. He never “learns to chill and be normal”. He is helpfully insightful at times. And he retains close friends who repsect him and he keeps a successful career. That was beautiful to see.
It made me believe I could exist as myself.
I know the “front lines” have moved since then, and most people expext more from representation, but I will ever be grateful for what that series gave me.
Weirdly, I didnt even think of Big Bang Theory.
I dont think there is anything wrong with liking media that speaks to you.
I like that Sheldons Autism isn’t a “super power” like the Good Doctor. If a magic pill “cured” Sheldons autism, then he would still be a scientist. If a magic pill “cured” the good doctor, he becomes useless.
Fwiw, I am not on the spectrum.
it felt both like an eye-opener and deeply validating.
Sheldon doesn’t mask. He is not anxious. He is not ashamed of who he is. He never “learns to chill and be normal”. He is helpfully insightful at times. And he retains close friends who repsect him and he keeps a successful career. That was beautiful to see.
It made me believe I could exist as myself.
I felt that way too when I first watched TBBT, since I watched it alone… Then I watched the show with other people in the room and realized that he was the butt of every joke. And from that point on I could never stomach watching the show again. It’s disgusting.
Regarding “Love on the spectrum”, I found these videos very insightful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Y_5E5qRoY
I havent watched “Love on the spectrum”, so I have no real opinions on it. Those kind of shows do tend to end up being fairly exploitative anyway, so Im not suprised that that one also is the same way. Ill watch the videos tomorrow though when i have some free time. Thanks!
I watch the series, and videos like this make me frustrated. There are discussions to be had, but sifting for faults and focusing on them to such a degree that the entire thing just look like a pure evil plot isn’t going to encourage better representation.
The comment sections of these videos are just crab bucket hate parties.
We should criticize yes, but also encourage and celebrate anything that tries to be better than what we had.
I don’t have autism, and I have very limited exposure to anyone with autism, but I’ve found Love on the Spectrum to be amazingly humanizing. I feel like I’ve learned so much watching that show about the variety of internal dialogues and emotions people with autism experience, to the point where I’m more prepared to meaningfully interact in real life.
I only watched the first video you linked, and I couldnt disagree more with it. The guy with autism in this video feels awkward. He talks about this explicitly. He tells us about his anxieties and we watch him confront them and grow. I feel like I’ve learned so much from this show that would help me more effectively interact with someone with autism, where before, I might have struggled to know what to say or have felt awkward myself.
I’ve never once felt like Love on the Spectrum is exploitative or dehumanizing, but I’d bet $100 that other show they referenced is. The guy in the other show is supremely overconfident, and they probaby televise some incredibly toxic relationship dynamics. I would never in a million years watch that show. Is the guy who made the video you linked really comparing these two shows? Is he saying the portrayal of the overconfident dude is better? I just profoundly disagree.
Ultimately, I didn’t even notice they had switched the music until they told us they switched it, because both are just cheaply produced television soundtracks.
i AM autistic, and you said so many things i wanted to say.
i haven’t seen either show, so i can’t comment on the overall issues, and i’m fully aware that more context could completely change the situation.
but it’s a pet peeve of mine when people make “add-on” complaints or criticisms of a problematic thing anyway— nitpicking that distracts from the actual issues.
ANYWAY, as an autist, my reaction to the “awkward” seen was “omg, i feel you friend.” the music and editing highlighted the way he portrayed himself. it amplified his self-expression.
alex, meanwhile, got a treatment that made him look arrogant, shallow, and obnoxious— which was precisely how he behaved… or at least, that’s one way to look at it. because whether you think alex is “confident and sexy” or “an absolute tool” is actually quite dependent on your own biases and not necessarily the soundtrack.
(alex the bro could be a really fun guy, but my instinct would say that his action reel intro was mocking him, not celebrating him. most reality shows like that are seen as pretty “trashy” in my neck of the woods, and the cast is being mocked by default.)
Good representations I’ve seen:
- Abed Nadir (Community)
- Tina Belcher (Bob’s Burgers)
- Jonah Byrde (Ozark)
- Woo Young-Woo (Extraordinary Attorney Woo)
These characters all made me feel validated and seen, while not being put in their respective shows only to make fun of them. Sometimes their autism is used to create humorous situations, like Tina and Young-Woo, but it’s never done in a mean-spirited way.
I’ve only seen one episode of Woo, and it felt to me like they were treating her autism as a magical attorney super power. I wasnt sure if that was valued representation or not, hence the question. I guess its not wildly different to seeing neurotypical characters with extraordinary abilities. I did enjoy it though, and will keep watching.
Love me some Troy and Abed in the Mooorrrrninngg :D
Woo definitely gets better, but you have to acknowledge that there are some “super power” autism people out there (I personally fall more on that side of the spectrum). That being said, they don’t shy away from the other side of the spectrum and they don’t claim that one kind of autist has more worth than another.
Yeah, I get that its a spectrum, but I dont know the distribution, hence why I am seeking opinions here.
I guess i was just worried that it sets up an unrealistic expectation/stereotype, that may not be beneficial?
“Oh you have autism? Thats so cool, whats your super power?” - This kinda of thing. Kind of the Autism version of “Oh, your asian, you must be good at math”.
Ill definitely watch the rest of Woo anyway, I did enjoy the first episode.
I was friends with a guy in my youth who definitely had savant aspects. Things he was interested in mostly. For example he loved cars. Not motorcycles, not big rigs, just cars.
In a 4 hour car ride he would look out the window and give details about the cars and at the end of the ride you could ask him about car models that we’d seen between certain mile markers. He had it all catalogued in his head and could tell you what order the cars were in, their color, year, options, weight, GVWR, motor type, style, transmission type, really just about anything.
All of the Belchers are great representation, though none are canonically Autistic.
Louise: She’s autistic. She can’t help it.
Tina: Yeah, I’m Autistic.
Hugo: Bob.
Bob: Just a sec. No, you’re not autistic, Tina
Is that the reference? Cause that looks pretty definitively like a child mocking another child and not a diagnosis or canon confirmation. The only other reference in that episode is a callback joke to this bit.
She just like me fr
I haven’t seen Woo but my mother who is an attorney with autism really likes it
