

The Problem With Big Bang Theory - andymboyle
http://butmyopinionisright.tumblr.com/post/31079561065/the-problem-with-the-big-bang-theory

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richardjordan
I have to agree with the part of this about Sheldon and his being scripted as
behaving like someone with a disorder on the PDD spectrum such as Aspergers
and this being seen as something to laugh at.

This acceptance of laughing at those with disabilities such as autism spectrum
disorders - the popularization of using the term "RETARD" as an insult -
pervades American society.

Yet when people do this they normalize the abuse and victimization of people
who do fit clinical descriptions of retarded, or who do have disabilities that
lead to them riding the short bus to school.

As someone with an autistic 9 year old I can tell you for a fact that
mainstreaming is the hardest part of dealing with his disorder, and as his
peers get older, they're increasingly aware that it's okay to use terms like
retard, short bus, and the rest as forms of insult - just a joke, just humour
- because they see adults and often parents and authority figures doing the
same.

Getting back to the BBT. I studied Physics at university. I work in Silicon
Valley. I'm now a 40 year old man and very comfortable with where I am in life
and who I am. I liked the BBT when I first saw it for the same reasons. It was
well observed in places and I enjoyed the playful stereotypes. But I just
drifted away from watching it for similar reasons to the OP. It is really just
laughing at nerds with lazy humour and makes it safe for dumbed-down
mainstream America to continue its anti-intellectual bent, and remain
comfortable in ignorance. This plays well for advertisers and those who want
us to not take science too seriously when it goes against the desires of
political or economic power-brokers, and people who want to stay tuned to TMZ
while their lives meander past them without them even noticing.

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BillGoates
The problem with TBBT is that the writing of the last season(s) is so bad and
lazy, that you are wondering why you liked it in the first place. Same thing
happened with Two and a Half men. The decline in the writing of both shows
coincidences with the introduction of their 3rd show, Mike and Molly.

It's a comedy show, you are supposed to laugh at the characters. None of them
should be taken seriously, they consist mostly out of randomly selected quirks
that change with each episode. The 'normal' people are just as silly as the
nerds. If we were meant to relate to someone, it isn't Penny, but Leonard.

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richardjordan
This happens with most sitcoms when they get big. They swap out the original
writers, who move on to more creative things, and bring in the stable career
sitcom writers who know how to run things in bland continuity for ten years.

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diminoten
It's a show _about_ nerds, not _for_ nerds. Can't forget this.

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theuiguru
I think you are going the wrong way with this. I mean who cares, right? It's
just a television program that viewers happen to enjoy. In fact, that's how
ALL tv shows are nowadays, including Community.

As some would say, "Life isn't tv!"

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ramblerman
I guess I'm the idiot for thinking this was about the actual big bang theory.
I'll move right along...

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Rickasaurus
In other news, television shows promote stereotypes

