TV’s Greatest Autistic Characters Are Not Autistic
Sheldon Cooper loves trains. I mean, he really loves trains. He loves trains more than he loves his girlfriend. He calls his girlfriend “Amy Farrah-Fowler” when referring to her in everyday conversation.Many of the things Sheldon does are unclear. Why does he have “his spot” on the couch that no one else is allowed to sit in? Unclear. Why does he refuse to learn to drive, and instead insist his friends drive him everywhere? Unclear. Why is he so mentally adroit that he entered college at age 12, but he cannot navigate a basic social situation by himself?Actress Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy Farrah-Fowler on the show, insisted in a 2015 interview with Radio Times that this absence of diagnosis is “sweet” and “part of the show’s charm.” Bialik, who has a PhD in neuroscience in real life, says that the show’s “refusal to pathologize” these characters by labeling their odd behaviors is a good thing. If by “a good thing” she means “helpful for audience members who see themselves reflected but don’t want to see themselves as autistic” then Bialik is probably right. For marketing purposes, the lack of diagnosis makes sense.For social justice purposes, not so much. Because autistic people are increasingly represented in the U.S. population but woefully underrepresented in U.S. media. When we are represented, it is generally as children who are misunderstood, rebellious outcasts. How wonderful it would be, then, to see ourselves in a scientist, struggling with the same issues we face every day. How wonderful.We saw Sheldon Cooper, who contrary to Bialik’s evaluation, clearly was pathologized, quite often, by both his friends and by the show’s framing. The entire show begins with Sheldon’s roommate and “best friend,” Leonard, making jokes behind Sheldon’s back. These jokes…
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