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.
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.)