thom&bonnie
A Boy and his Dog.
My name is Thom: Bonnie is my service animal in training. This is my first post and I am simply going to start writing and let my words fall where they may.
It occurs to me that I have rarely, if ever really identified very deeply with any characters from movies or TV. However, many people have long told me that I would love The Big Bang Theory (henceforth to be abbreviated TBBT) because it was sciency and because one of the characters was kind-of-like myself, but I have never much enjoyed TV programming, much less sitcoms and so I presumed that TBBT would be much like most others I had glimpsed; less than worthwhile.
I have not actually watched a television since the summer of 2006 and now, when dining out, request seating either far enough away from the multiple TVs that seem to be popular in many contemporary eating establishments so that I cannot hear them, and facing away so that I will not be distracted by the sight or that the nearest one is turned off. It is probably redundant to state that we, my wife Renie and I, at my insistence do not subscribe to televised programming (TV) in our home.
However, that said, my Renie asked me to download TBBT to watch with her (I download new movies, mini-series [i.e. Vikings, Game of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale, Genius, et al], documentaries and lecture series [e.g. Human Behavioral Biology by Stanford's Robert Sapolsky] from YouTube and various peer-to-peer sites, often several weeks before they have been released into US theaters). Despite my misgivings I acquiesced (as I am rather fond of my Renie) and downloaded the first few seasons.
Upon my first exposure I could immediately and with no little surprise quite clearly see that the Sheldon character was an exaggerated caricature of myself in many ways, especially when I was a teen. I, in short order, became intrigued with both the character and the show. Renie and I watched episodes back-to-back for about three months (approximately 2.667 episodes/day if my estimate of 240 total episodes through the tenth season is correct). It was doubly enjoyable for me as three of the four main male characters are physicists, one actually an astrophysicist (one of my primary fields of study) and the technical advisors/consultants for this show were up-to-date upon the subject matter (at the date of airing).
What I found especially likable about the show is that there was never a mention of the Sheldon character having autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Asperger's or the like. I thought that particularly intelligent on the part of the writers for many reasons. As well, the Sheldon character is lovable, if not particularly adept at demonstrating his own emotions. I have found that although I sought love and understanding for myself, I was not demonstrably loving at all when I was younger. It was not until I was in my mid-thirties (suspiciously coinciding with the birth of my only progeny, my son) that I quite suddenly began noticing others' emotional needs and, as suddenly, became interested in, then rather adept at expressing reciprocally-nuanced altruistic behaviors.
Of late, watching the Sheldon character's idiosyncratic development and (albeit highly comedic) responses to life's challenges has definitely helped me to gain greater insight into my own challenges, foibles and strengths as well as to my responses both within and without. TBBT has, as well I think, assisted many other viewers (millions perhaps) to glimpse those of us that are epigenetically gifted the mixed blessings of autism spectrum disorder with, if only a semblance of true comprehension, more compassion, patience and benevolence.
OK, that is quite enough of me talking about myself. What do you think of me?
It occurs to me that I have rarely, if ever really identified very deeply with any characters from movies or TV. However, many people have long told me that I would love The Big Bang Theory (henceforth to be abbreviated TBBT) because it was sciency and because one of the characters was kind-of-like myself, but I have never much enjoyed TV programming, much less sitcoms and so I presumed that TBBT would be much like most others I had glimpsed; less than worthwhile.
I have not actually watched a television since the summer of 2006 and now, when dining out, request seating either far enough away from the multiple TVs that seem to be popular in many contemporary eating establishments so that I cannot hear them, and facing away so that I will not be distracted by the sight or that the nearest one is turned off. It is probably redundant to state that we, my wife Renie and I, at my insistence do not subscribe to televised programming (TV) in our home.
However, that said, my Renie asked me to download TBBT to watch with her (I download new movies, mini-series [i.e. Vikings, Game of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale, Genius, et al], documentaries and lecture series [e.g. Human Behavioral Biology by Stanford's Robert Sapolsky] from YouTube and various peer-to-peer sites, often several weeks before they have been released into US theaters). Despite my misgivings I acquiesced (as I am rather fond of my Renie) and downloaded the first few seasons.
Upon my first exposure I could immediately and with no little surprise quite clearly see that the Sheldon character was an exaggerated caricature of myself in many ways, especially when I was a teen. I, in short order, became intrigued with both the character and the show. Renie and I watched episodes back-to-back for about three months (approximately 2.667 episodes/day if my estimate of 240 total episodes through the tenth season is correct). It was doubly enjoyable for me as three of the four main male characters are physicists, one actually an astrophysicist (one of my primary fields of study) and the technical advisors/consultants for this show were up-to-date upon the subject matter (at the date of airing).
What I found especially likable about the show is that there was never a mention of the Sheldon character having autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Asperger's or the like. I thought that particularly intelligent on the part of the writers for many reasons. As well, the Sheldon character is lovable, if not particularly adept at demonstrating his own emotions. I have found that although I sought love and understanding for myself, I was not demonstrably loving at all when I was younger. It was not until I was in my mid-thirties (suspiciously coinciding with the birth of my only progeny, my son) that I quite suddenly began noticing others' emotional needs and, as suddenly, became interested in, then rather adept at expressing reciprocally-nuanced altruistic behaviors.
Of late, watching the Sheldon character's idiosyncratic development and (albeit highly comedic) responses to life's challenges has definitely helped me to gain greater insight into my own challenges, foibles and strengths as well as to my responses both within and without. TBBT has, as well I think, assisted many other viewers (millions perhaps) to glimpse those of us that are epigenetically gifted the mixed blessings of autism spectrum disorder with, if only a semblance of true comprehension, more compassion, patience and benevolence.
OK, that is quite enough of me talking about myself. What do you think of me?
Last edited:
Thank you.
