What portrayals of autism in the media AREN'T annoying?

[Nervous Rex]

There are so many on-the-spectrum or close-to-the-spectrum characters in the media that are just plain annoying. It's like Hollywood doesn't want you to like them - instead they want you to feel sorry for the other characters around them.

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is a good example. From the few clips I've seen, I know I wouldn't be able to watch that show just because of how annoying Sheldon is.

Rainman is another one. Almost everyone else's reaction to him is to be annoyed or disturbed. It's a good movie, but I feel like they fell short in that area.

Monk kind of walks the line. Everyone Monk encounters is annoyed and exasperated by him, but they put enough into his character that you can care for him and his story. And some of the characters around him do love him despite his behavior.


Are there any portrayals of autistic people in the media that aren't annoying? Characters that the audience can actually find endearing and care about?

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

I don't really stress over that so much. If I don't like a show, I don't have to watch it. That said, it does bother me some when ASD characters are presented as dangerous or something because I get concerned that people will distrust us if they watch too many such shows. I like the ASD presentation of Matthew on The Chosen and I think Nathaniel is ASD as well even though it has not been verified as far as I am aware of. I know some people probably think that Matthew is too "stereotypical", but I like the character and the stereotypes do exist for a reason. There are people who fit the stereotypical version of ASD in real life so I don't see anything wrong with presentations where the character is a socially awkward savant type.

 

[Nervous Rex]

I like the ASD presentation of Matthew on The Chosen and I think Nathaniel is ASD as well even though it has not been verified as far as I am aware of. I know some people probably think that Matthew is too "stereotypical", but I like the character and the stereotypes do exist for a reason. There are people who fit the stereotypical version of ASD in real life so I don't see anything wrong with presentations where the character is a socially awkward savant type.

I forgot about Matthew from The Chosen. That is a very good portrayal of autism that is not annoying!

 

[Outdated]

I haven't seen it yet, but Upright is supposed to be very good. The main actor Tim Minchin is autistic, and he helped with the writing as well.

Upright (TV Series 2019– ) 8.4 | Comedy, Drama

 

[Jumpinbare]

There are people who fit the stereotypical version of ASD in real life so I don't see anything wrong with presentations where the character is a socially awkward savant type.

I was/am (if you throw in clumsy too).

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

I was/am (if you throw in clumsy too).

I relate to several stereotypical traits myself.

 

[Richelle-H]

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is a good example. From the few clips I've seen, I know I wouldn't be able to watch that show just because of how annoying Sheldon is

I completely agree with you, and I also find most representations of autism to be off from my perspective, even the reality shows that feature autistic participants. Of late there were only two that didn't make me mental about how autism is portrayed, as if we are all incapable of dealing with the world on our own.

My personal favorite is "Extraordinary Attorney Woo". While the actress portraying the lead character is NT, her nuanced performance is quite resonant and I wish there was more than the one season. It is a Korean series on Netflix, but it has many dubbed audio tracks -English included- if one does not like reading subtitles.

 

[UFO]

My memories of Adam (2009) are vague, but while he was a stereotyped Asperger-case, he wasn't portrayed as an annoying or comical character. Only realistically hard to get on the same frequency -kind of guy. Please be free to correct me, I really don't remember the movie that well.

even the reality shows that feature autistic participants.

In my country they had one reality show about autistic people. During first season they thought they were doing goodhearted (but heavily scripted) documentary, but ended up actually portraying characters as stereotyped weird, socially awkward, simple-minded and cute freaks. Second season improved much when they increased the variety and picked even some only mildly autistic persons that were very hard to distinguish from NT:s.

 

[Alexej]

I have found on NEtflix a Korean series about an autistic advocate - Woo.
An intriguing portrayal.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

There are so many on-the-spectrum or close-to-the-spectrum characters in the media that are just plain annoying. It's like Hollywood doesn't want you to like them - instead they want you to feel sorry for the other characters around them.

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory is a good example. From the few clips I've seen, I know I wouldn't be able to watch that show just because of how annoying Sheldon is.

Rainman is another one. Almost everyone else's reaction to him is to be annoyed or disturbed. It's a good movie, but I feel like they fell short in that area.

Monk kind of walks the line. Everyone Monk encounters is annoyed and exasperated by him, but they put enough into his character that you can care for him and his story. And some of the characters around him do love him despite his behavior.


Are there any portrayals of autistic people in the media that aren't annoying? Characters that the audience can actually find endearing and care about?

Well, all I can say is that it is fiction. It is entertainment. Another example might be medical dramas, how medical equipment is used, how hospitals are run, etc. My wife and I literally cannot watch any of them without thinking, "That would never happen in a million years.", "Doesn't work that way.", "A doctor would not have those skills." "That piece of equipment doesn't belong and why is a mechanical ventilator hooked up wrong, attached to a suction catheter, making a noise that a med pump makes?" "Who is the medical advisor on this shoot?" "It's like they aren't making any attempt at reality."

So it is with these pseudo-autism-like characters. They might get one or two characteristics correct, then throw in other characteristics that throw you off because they aren't autism-related, but presented as such. Again..."Where is the medical advisor on this shoot?" I have a difficult time with a lot of fictional characters, stories, and premises for the simple reason that the writers didn't make any attempt at presenting enough reality to make it plausible...as if it could really happen.

I guess I don't see the characters as annoying, per se, but more or less unrealistic and misrepresented...and that's what throws me off. The thing is...there are a lot of ignorant people out there that view these characters and situations and think these are some representation of reality because it fits within their cognitive biases. Granted, not a lot of us would be great actors on popular network series and in the movies...some of the high-intellect, skilled masking, ASD-1/Asperger's variants perhaps...but probably not others. I think autism, in the raw, as it were, is represented accurately in documentaries, but I am not sure it is the substance for entertainment.

 

[Judge]

That's a good question. Yet the first thing I think of when it comes to media and entertainment is that likelihood of casting and direction. Whose perception of their own possible experiences in interacting with autistic persons may been considerably less than cordial. The challenge being to move beyond such perceived stereotypes.

Though I have to also draw one considerable "parallel" here. That those in charge of casting are forever responsible for stereotyping so many exclusively based on past performances. Regardless of neurological distinctions. I'm also guessing that if there are autistic persons employed in such a capacity, that there are very few of them.

To put it simply, it's what they do- regardless of an actor's range or ability. Often unfairly restricting them to a specific genre. So it doesn't come as a surprise as to how such persons may be cast for a role that seldom goes beyond other considerations of stereotyping.

That while a few "top drawer" actors have the ability to transcend stereotyping, most have insufficient notoriety and acclaims to avoid being "pigeonholed" professionally speaking. Though it also helps to have well-paid agents who protect their client by avoiding such roles as well. A process that inevitably may perpetuate all kinds of stereotypes well beyond autism.

 

[Dagan]

"Reacher" is quite respectable. Most Sherlock Holmes are done well of late.

 

[Nervous Rex]

To put it simply, it's what they do- regardless of an actor's range or ability. Often unfairly restricting them to a specific genre. So it doesn't come as a surprise as to how such persons may be cast for a role that seldom goes beyond other considerations of stereotyping.

I think you're right. I think everything needs to be good for a good character. If the actor's performance is bad, the character will be shallow and wooden. If the writing and story is shallow, there will be no way for the actor to put anything into it.


And sometimes I think that maybe there actually was more to a character, but it went over my head.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

The brother from There’s Something About Mary, Warren, seems to be autistic and even though he’s being portrayed by a NT actor, the writers did a good job at making have some of the classic symptoms but he isn’t treated like some sort of burden or punchline.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

My wife went to visit her buddy in convalescents home she told him his brother a fellow Aspie and friend of Mine lost his so because their mother, sister and brothers girlfriend colluded to have son removed from their care. now same sister, is in good faith helping get into long term care. Wife told him good faith does not always work in your favour. My wife's buddy just saw older brother as weird. Rest of family concurs. Either way older brother passed brain tumour. I did not know at the time both of us are on the spectrum. Real life is usually more interesting than made up stories, usually sadder Wife's buddy is 6 months older then me just passed inflection point 71 now bothers me how accurate my stats are.

 

[Vesta]

It’s hard for me to name works with likeable autistic characters. The only example I know is Lisbeth from the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She is the main character, but I didn’t like her. How about you?

 

[UFO]

It’s hard for me to name works with likeable autistic characters.

It is enough that you name characters that are not annoying, no need to consider them likeable

The only example I know is Lisbeth from the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

She had traits? I saw both Swedish and American movies of the book and never paid an attention. That alone qualifies of not representing her as annoying, because that I would have noticed. But she had such attitude problems and the movie's style was so flat (typical to Nordic productions) that it didn't make her likeable (to me) either.

 

[Vesta]

It is enough that you name characters that are not annoying, no need to consider them likeable


She had traits? I saw both Swedish and American movies of the book and never paid an attention. That alone qualifies of not representing her as annoying, because that I would have noticed. But she had such attitude problems and the movie's style was so flat (typical to Nordic productions) that it didn't make her likeable (to me) either.

In my opinion, the book doesn’t stand out much compared to the movies, although at first the characters seemed quite interesting. Unfortunately, my impression was spoiled by the harsh treatment of the main heroine and her romantic affair, which I found off-putting. I can’t stand love stories or anything of the sort, so I think such plot lines are better avoided. Overall, the book didn’t leave a strong impression on me.


On the other hand, I really liked Grenouille from Perfume. It turns out he also has autistic traits. Perhaps he has already been mentioned earlier.

 

[Judge]

It’s hard for me to name works with likeable autistic characters. The only example I know is Lisbeth from the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She is the main character, but I didn’t like her. How about you?

What I noticed the most was Mikael Blomkvist's reaction to her. Slowly and awkwardly, yet moving towards a kind of understanding with Lisbeth. Until the mystery was solved, and suddenly he was back in his NT world as if she never existed.

He essentially ghosted her, which took away the thrill of seeing her being so responsible for bringing about a positive outcome. But then I suspect it was meant to be depicted as such. A very "bitter-sweet", yet very real ending for so many of us on the spectrum of autism.

While some accounts of the film claim it as a commentary on abused women, I like to think they went a step further, citing the plight of autistic persons struggling to exist in an NT world. A message not easily understood much as autism itself is not often understood.

Reflecting something I have posted many times in this forum:

* Those few who want to understand and succeed.
* A few more who want to understand and will fail.
* Leaving the remainder who are largely indifferent and default to expecting or demanding that we conform to the neurological majority.

 

[Dagan]

The brother from There’s Something About Mary, Warren, seems to be autistic and even though he’s being portrayed by a NT actor, the writers did a good job at making have some of the classic symptoms but he isn’t treated like some sort of burden or punchline.

Did you ever watch the show, Deadwood? He's the bartender. EB was also in movies like Scream, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky and random others. He's been a chameleon of a character actor for a long time. Solid dude.