Even the kindest portrayal of people with Asperger's is concentrated on presenting us as some kind of eccentric geniuses who are smart but completely inept socially and as a result make everybody around them feel extremely uncomfortable.
On the one hand, ridiculizing autistics attracts viewers. Many people need the kind of entertainment that gets more and more extreme with every new episode, show, movie, etc. These people feel so benumbed by their sad daily existences that they need entertainment to tickle them into consciousness, albeit momentarily.
Because of shows like these, it is often useless to try telling people that you have autism. "No, of course you don't!" they say in indignation. You are nothing like people with Asperger's that they show on television!" Well, my friends, do you know what the difference is between me and these characters? I'm real and they are not. They are fictional characters created for a specific purpose. Such shows might entertain you but they will never teach you anything useful or truthful about autism.
12 comments:
Thank you for this wonderful take. I saw it coming. I must admit to having once been fooled by the Boston Legal portrayal of Asperger's and the exaggerated character Jerry. In one episode, he eventually meets a female Aspie who is equally (if not worse) portrayed.
It's a good thing that we don't get all our information from TV shows then.
I have know people with Asperger's who made me very uncomfortable. And I suspect that I also make some people uncomfortable for the same reason. I don't watch enough television to have ever seen any characters I recognized as having Asperger's. Some other people with Asperger's are very dear friends and have never made me uncomfortable at all. Is it possible that the stereotype arose just because people were only aware of the people who made them uncomfortable?
The new series Parenthood has a character who is diagnosed with asperger's (Max). I'm curious what your take on their portrayal would be. It does seem to be along the same lines: the kid doesn't really have friends, he wears a pirate costume to school, etc.
(btw, found you via Dr. Amy's blog)
And I know many people without Asperger's who have made me feel uncomfortable. :-) Maybe it isn't AS that is making some people uncomfortable. maybe it's just some people. :-)
Nadine: I haven't had a chance to watch this show yet but now I have a reason to watch it. :-)
When I was little, there wasn't a greater punishment for me than to hear adults say "Go play with other kids!" God, I hated that. :-)
I thought you would have a problem with Jerry. The problem with the show is that everyone there is over the top so Jerry has to be really over the top. In real life William Shatner's character would be a good candidate for being an Asperger. He is very smart, odd and lacks a feel for normal social conventions.
Asperger's syndrome seems to be in the popular culture as "syndrome of the month". Naturally, TV gets it wrong. I daresay a significant percentage of self-diagnosed AS adults "get it wrong" or aren't familiar with diagnostic criteria. There must have been some article in a popular psychology magazine or a celebrity TV show or some other publicity that got the "syndrome-of-the-month" going. I doubt that public understanding will improve - the myths will multiply.
Izgad: I think you meant James Spader's character 'Alan Shore.' William Shatner's character has Alzheimer's.
NancyP: If people feel better and find their lives easier when identifying as AS, then who cares whether they are "right" or "wrong"?
The show took William Shatner’s eccentric behavior and went with Alzheimer’s, but there is a lot there that could work for Asperger syndrome, particularly in how he relates to people and the trouble he creates for himself even as he is brilliant and charming in his own way. These are things that relate to Asperger syndrome in real life, but are not the things that television associates with it.
Have you seen the show Parenthood? There is an Asperger child in it and they are actually doing a good job of it.
Yeah, but "Denny Crane" is a Republican and Aspie people are supposed to be really really smart, no? :-) :-)
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