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Big Bang Theory is painful to watch


Linda Rhaldeen

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Honestly, as an autistic asexual, I have way more of an issue with Sheldon's very obvious autistic coding than any asexuality. He's a horribly written character, and the amount of times I've heard autistic people being mocked for being 'like Sheldon' is honestly depressing. It does annoy me that he's been forced into this relationship though - I liked the first season, but after that it just became so immature and the characters too irritating I couldn't enjoy it anymore.

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Squirrel Combat

I've never seen it. But from I have heard it's just another TV show where the actors/actresses try too hard to act.

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The ace in space

I too have a few problems with the show. The show's dry humor and somewhat negative portrayal of asexuality are bad enough, but it's mostly how they treat the characters. With myself being autistic and somewhat socially impared, it just hurt to see a popular show with the main running joke being making fun of socially awkward nerds. I identified with Sheldon (up until he was in a relationship) and to hear not only the audience but people watching at home laughing whenever Sheldon was uncomfortable with sex or giggling/rolling eyes at him being awkward and shy was a familiar place I didn't want to go back to. In the show's defense, it is a comedy, and the writers have to eat somehow. But even so, all that show did was remind me how people like me are treated, and to see it represented in mainstream hurts. I don't take it too seriously, because people are learning more and more about autism and other social/behavioral disorders, and as long as they are educated on what autism is then it's usually treated with care, but still...

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Anthracite_Impreza

I too cringe when Sheldon and Amy are shown together; I just hate that he's in a relationship full stop >.< The fact that pressuring someone into intimacy is seen as funny is actually scary, regardless of orientation.

That said I do find the earlier episodes funny, but I'm hesitant to watch the new ones cos it's all about relationships *barfs* Early Sheldon was and always will be my favourite character, and in a weird way I find it a privelige to be compared to him (as I frequently am) :P

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ByTheTracks

I seriously don't get the point of Sheldon and Amy's relationship. They're very incompatible and there's no sign either of them will change. What baffles me most is they rarely talk about their incompatibility (though I guess a serious conversation like that may be hard to fit in a sitcom). Amy never asks Sheldon WHY he doesn't want sex, and Sheldon never make it clear either. She expects him to change, and he's like "as long as we're still together, it's all good."

My ideal of the happy ending of TBBT would be: Sheldon and Amy realize they're not right for each other as partners. They break up and stay friends. Amy finds someone else she's more compatible with, and Sheldon realizes romantic relationships are not his thing. He either remains single happily or enters a QPP-like relationship (much like the early days of he and Amy's relationship) with someone else.

OK, I REALLY don't usually like shows like this. I generally like stuff like True Detective, Deadwood, Rectify, The Americans, etc.

However, my wife and I *love* the Big Bang Theory. Why? Because it's funny. Are the characters accurate representations of real people? No. They're caricatures. That's what makes the show funny. And if you watch the show long enough, you see the shades of each character come out. People might not get the point of Amy and Sheldon's relationship, but he has basically said in his own way that he loves Amy and she makes him happy and he likes being around her. He also just loves his own time as well and doesn't always understand why relationships have to have negotiation beyond the "relationship contract."

And she loves him, but is obviously frustrated with the lack of physical intimacy. Of course, if she was a real person, everyone would be telling her to move on, that you're never going to get what you need from this guy. But she loves him.

In the end, it's just a TV show. The characters are extremes. That's what makes them funny. I laugh at the parts that I really identify with because I know I can be like each of those characters in certain ways. My wife laughs for the same reason. Am I as completely geeky as those characters? Nope. Do I see a lot of myself in them? Absolutely. Do I feel like they're poking fun of me or at people who act like they do? No, I don't. I think the show has a lot of compassion for those who are different, and for that reason, I think it's a great show.

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The ace in space

I seriously don't get the point of Sheldon and Amy's relationship. They're very incompatible and there's no sign either of them will change. What baffles me most is they rarely talk about their incompatibility (though I guess a serious conversation like that may be hard to fit in a sitcom). Amy never asks Sheldon WHY he doesn't want sex, and Sheldon never make it clear either. She expects him to change, and he's like "as long as we're still together, it's all good."

My ideal of the happy ending of TBBT would be: Sheldon and Amy realize they're not right for each other as partners. They break up and stay friends. Amy finds someone else she's more compatible with, and Sheldon realizes romantic relationships are not his thing. He either remains single happily or enters a QPP-like relationship (much like the early days of he and Amy's relationship) with someone else.

OK, I REALLY don't usually like shows like this. I generally like stuff like True Detective, Deadwood, Rectify, The Americans, etc.

However, my wife and I *love* the Big Bang Theory. Why? Because it's funny. Are the characters accurate representations of real people? No. They're caricatures. That's what makes the show funny. And if you watch the show long enough, you see the shades of each character come out. People might not get the point of Amy and Sheldon's relationship, but he has basically said in his own way that he loves Amy and she makes him happy and he likes being around her. He also just loves his own time as well and doesn't always understand why relationships have to have negotiation beyond the "relationship contract."

And she loves him, but is obviously frustrated with the lack of physical intimacy. Of course, if she was a real person, everyone would be telling her to move on, that you're never going to get what you need from this guy. But she loves him.

In the end, it's just a TV show. The characters are extremes. That's what makes them funny. I laugh at the parts that I really identify with because I know I can be like each of those characters in certain ways. My wife laughs for the same reason. Am I as completely geeky as those characters? Nope. Do I see a lot of myself in them? Absolutely. Do I feel like they're poking fun of me or at people who act like they do? No, I don't. I think the show has a lot of compassion for those who are different, and for that reason, I think it's a great show.

I definitely agree that it is taken too a certain extreme when it comes to criticization, and the show is indeed funny and quality. But at the same time, some of us relate to the characters and how they react, and whether it's the intention of the writers and creators or not, the characters tend to seem as though they're being laughed at, not with. I think why the people who don't like show, um, don't like the show is because they can relate to being laughed at for being awkward/shy/sex repulsed/socially disabled, or they know someone who has these traits and simply want the best for them, and they think seeing it represented as a comedy is somewhat harmful to the people who are like the characters, or how people can perceive them. Do I think the show is awful, not really. Are people overreacting? That much I don't know, and yet at the same time I can also see why some people wouldn't be happy with it, simply based on past experiences or knowing someone like the characters. Even something as simple as caricatures or parodies can seem to be an insult to some. Though it's always a possibility that some people are indeed overreacting and the show isn't as harmful as they say it is, I at the very least want others to see why it might be cringe worthy to a certain group. It naturally doesn't mean you have to love the show any less though!
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ByTheTracks

I definitely agree that it is taken too a certain extreme when it comes to criticization, and the show is indeed funny and quality. But at the same time, some of us relate to the characters and how they react, and whether it's the intention of the writers and creators or not, the characters tend to seem as though they're being laughed at, not with.

I can see that a little more easily for those who don't actually watch the show, but there have been enough episodes where they treat every character with dignity that I'm willing to let the rest slide as friends just jabbing at one another, you know? But I do get your point.

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Ah, I pretty much quit watching the show. I was into it for a while but the first thing that turned me off was the blatant misogyny, then Sheldon's incredibly inconsistent character. Remember the first episode where both Sheldon and Leonard were ready to donate their sperm and then ... not? You'd think Sheldon knows all about sex and stuff because hellooo, how the heck are you going to get the semen out if not by masturbation? Come on.
And hell, I hate what they did with Amy's character. Because she saw a 'hot' guy at a bar her sexuality suddenly awakens? I call major BS on that. I've seen plenty of aesthetically pleasing people and never felt 'the hots' for them after all these years of not having that sort of reaction. Wtf.

But something that really irks me is how the show deals with Leonard's lactose intolerance. Okay, just so you know, I'm lactose intolerant. I wasn't born this way but lost the ability to produce an adequate amount of lactase along the way (still can manage smallish amounts but it's getting worse).
AND guess what: When I meet people and they know this, they're all super polite about it and when there's food they ask if I can eat this and that and sometimes someone makes a milk-free dessert just for me and that's super sweet.
So, why are Leonard's friends all dicks about this? And why doesn't Leonard use lactase tablets? I'm serious. He obviously earns a good amount of money and is smart so why doesn't he use them when they go to ... yeah, I don't know, a place called 'Cheescake Factory' that already indicates that there'll be dairy products with lactose. OMG this annoys me SO MUCH. ):
Especially Sheldon's reaction in that episode the guys fight over his sister: he taunts Leonard because he's lactose intolerant. Now, no other animal and lots of people around the world can't digest milk so what Sheldon does is not logical here. And he's supposed to be a very logical character, right? Yeah. Bad writing.

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So, why are Leonard's friends all dicks about this?

Because they're all dicks (to varying degrees) to all of each other about everything. Not too uncommon as a concept for a comedy show, either.

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  • 1 month later...

Anyone here watches the show more or less regularly? I would like to know in which episodes Sheldon's asexuality is directly or indirectly addressed, like in this video when they refer it as a "deal":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYA5cZ__6-w

Or it is treated in nearly every episode? I don't watch it that often. Even if it's not the ideal representation I'm glad there's an ace character in such a "mainstream" and widely famous TV show, it's still entertaining for me to watch and it adds extra interest.

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Ms.Frankenstein

I love BBT. I actually really identify with Sheldon and I think it's hilarious. I'm usually sitting there thinking "I would do/have done that!" at least once in every episode.

That said, I poke fun at myself with regular frequency too.

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I still watch the show when I'm over at my parent's. I do want to say that as of currently, the writers won't say whether Sheldon is asexual or not. Sure, there's been speculation aplenty about it, but the writers won't confirm nor deny it. I don't know if anyone knows or not, but there was an unaired pilot for BBT, that cast Sheldon's character quite differently. The link can be found here for anyone interested. I don't know how it has bearing on his current character, but it seems that originally they never intended him to be asexual or to appear it in any degree.

I'm not really a fan of the show anymore. The writing seems a bit recycled now and I'm not really interested in the relationship stuff going on (since they all have partners now). When it was just Leonard and Penny, it was fine, but now it's all of them and it seems to be filled with nothing but relationship drama. Sheldon and Amy make me cringe because of Amy's dramatic switch in sexuality. Also, I'm of the belief that not every character has to be paired off with someone, and I think that's the only reason Amy exists.

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I used to like the show, and watched it every week for a few months, and was always got pretty strong second-hand embarrassment and even some first-hand embarrassment when watching with my parents just due to the sex stuff. I always kind of liked Sheldon's just not caring for relationships- he seemed to be adapted to where he liked having his friends, but that was enough- I could relate to that a little more than to most shows. Then they started the thing with Amy, and I figured- hey. Cool. Platonic datemates or whatever.

But lately (actually, this would have been a few months ago. I got so just skeeved out by the whole thing), the thing with Penny trying to push him beyond where he seems comfortable is so... gross? and scary? to me I just had to stop watching, even if the rest of the show didn't bother me so much (I love the references and the Klingon boggle (which isn't actually a thing yet?) and it was kind of funny and whatever).

I had identified with his lack of interest in other people, no matter what the labels, and the whole idea of someone being pressured by their friends- or anyone- into something like that makes me feel so uncomfortable and a little sick.

From a different perspective, the whole thing seemed a little forced. The whole relationship is unnecessary as romantic unless there's a thing that they're trying to make the characters 'normal' by pushing it so hard. Amy's 'character development' seems really weird to me, for reasons I can no longer quite pinpoint.

I had something else I was going to add, but I've rewritten this three times and I'm losing my train of thought, so. Yeah. Everything got a little foreign and creepy in my opinion, and characters are a little ooc

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