I’m amazed at how few interviewers have written about the connection between “The Big Bang Theory” and Asperger’s Syndrome. To me, all of the characters epitomize various stereotypes of Aspergians. Jim Parsons’ character, aka Dr. Sheldon Cooper, is usually the only one that people assert has Asperger’s but, to me, all of the male characters exhibit traits. In an interview in 2009, Parsons said that John Galecki had read “Look Me in the Eye” and had passed it on to Parsons for character development possibilities for Sheldon Cooper’s behavior. I contend that Galecki should keep the ideas for his own character, Leonard Hofstadter. Leonard, Howard Wolowitz, and Rajesh Koothrappali are as oblivious to unspoken social cues as Sheldon Cooper is. Sheldon just doesn’t care that he has the social skills of a boulder, because, like the boulder, he just sits there, whether it is convenient for others or not. The rest genuinely desire the full social package (including girlfriends) but haven’t a clue how to acquire the objects of their desire. Sheldon is merely the most obvious but all of the boys fall on the autism spectrum. The writers in a four page discussion on the forum, WrongPlanet.net, mostly concur with my assessment. One even suggests that the character Penny may not be neurotypical as she does none of the stereotyped behaviors of a neurotypical woman, that is, shopping in groups, etc. And she hangs out with geeky boys, which no neurotypical woman would unless she had ulterior motives. After four seasons, she still hasn’t tried to take advantage of any of them, so does this mean she is also on the spectrum? I don’t think so. I think she’s just a nice person who has acquired some friends who truly need her. Who doesn’t want to be needed?
Leonard and Howard have both been involved with other women on the series but their female companions are as socially inept as they are; Leslie Winkle and Bernadette Rostenkowski are clueless about how to attract neurotypical men – they understand that sex works but how to neurotypically get from point A to bed is a mystery, but as women have more control over this, both have found willing mates when they wanted them. With respect to their relationships with our boys, it is a case of life attracting like. Raj can only talk to women if he has been drinking alcohol. This is getting old.
Amy Farrah Fowler is another character who has a very peculiar relationship with Sheldon. Neither has any interest in sex beyond the purely academic. In this, they have found their true mates. Someday, they may produce a test-tube child together, who will either be exactly like them or a complete sensualist. Roll the dice.
I’m getting very tired of Facebook; it’s not something that I’m willing to devote a lot of time to. I guess you could say that I’ve got a real life, not just a Facebook life. As a result, I’m not a frequent poster. I read my wall to see what my friends are up to. One of my Facebook friends, someone with whom I share a casual acquaintance, posts between three and ten times a day, always the latest thing the kids have done or what’s up with the employment scene. I hate to say it, but it is as boring as reading the phone book. Maybe it would be of some interest if I had ever met the kids but I probably need to be a close relative to find it vaguely interesting. Everybody thinks their kid is the smartest kid on the planet – and they aren’t. They’re all pretty ordinary kids. But then, I had the smartest kid on the planet so the rest have to be pretty pedestrian!
I recently read “Momzillas”. One of the more odious mothers in the book was constantly boasting about the brilliance of her child; you wanted to smack her upside the head and tell her that her kid was just another spoiled brat and it was her own fault. My friend’s kids aren’t the little beasts in “Momzillas”; they’re normal kids, not baby Einsteins. Heck, even Einstein wasn’t an obvious genius as a child (although I understand that the myth about his failing math in school is just that, a myth). I made sure that Jack wasn’t spoiled, no matter how wonderful I thought he was. In any case, I’m tired of people using Facebook as their moment of “fame.” I don’t mind one or two posts every week about your kid; it’s the nonstop, “My kid is a real-life miracle and you should feel privileged to read about them,” that annoys me. Most posts are not terribly interesting but it’s hard to say what will actually catch my fancy. Today (as I wrote this, not the day I posted it on my blog), it was a posting about the allure of leftover brownies as a possible breakfast treat. Most posts are as forgettable as dishwashing. I’m tired of not only the same old thing on a daily basis, I’m really tired of having it shoved under my nose multiple times a day! Bleah!
No comments:
Post a Comment