Introduction
Autism spectrum disorder awareness is increasingly being portrayed in the media. Often, autistic characters are portrayed as “autistic savants,” for instance, in “The Big Bang Theory,” “Loop,” and “The Good Doctor” shows. “The Big Bang Theory” is a Sitcom television comedy released in 2007. It concentrates on the “socially awkward” analysts Sheldon and Leonard and the obstacles that surface when the “normal” and “conventionally attractive” lady Penny crosses their path. Sheldon is an analyst employed at a local university, a role by Jim Parsons. Sheldon is the center of the debate for depicting autistic characteristics like deficiency of social skills, self-centredness, repetitive actions, and scrupulousness.
It is imperative for people to acquaint themselves with this topic to enhance transparency into the conditions, services, and treatments available to strengthen strengths and overcome challenges faced by autistic people. Even though some articles argue that Sheldon lacks autistic realism, Sheldon is on the autism spectrum in depicting autistic characteristics. Analysis and Summary of Sources Used
The article “Why Our Autism Community Loves Sheldon Cooper” is the first source. It is a section of Chapter 8 of a textbook by Kerry Marco. The chapter has an unnamed persona who is a self-advocate for autism. The persona suffers from communication issues overcome through therapy and appreciates the role played by Sheldon in the film. Sheldon is depicted as a hero and role model for autistic people. The persona idolizes Sheldon as an eye-opener to living with and embracing autism. The strength of evidence is depicted by knowledge of the subject matter by outlining other films like Joyful Noise and autistic characters like Steve and Albert (Marco). Just like in the last article, the author creates awareness by appreciating the role played by Sheldon. Further, Sheldon helps the autistic community to attain independence and embrace self-uniqueness to pursue their dreams.
The second source is “Big Bang: A Mom’s and A Child’s Differing Views On Sheldon Cooper.” It is a letter writing and journal genre written by Lydia Netzer, a mother to an autistic child. The narrative gives a motherly perspective on the character of Sheldon and the impact on the autistic community. Sheldon is not autistic but suffers from “cute autism” (Netzer). Netzer argues that the show lacks realism during behavior characterization. This is true because, in the film, Sheldon is never shunned by his friends despite being constantly annoyed and exasperated. The film mirrors Sheldon as an awful person, which is a high expectation in reality for autistic individuals. Ultimately, the blog creates awareness by discouraging cute autism. The latter only creates unrealistic expectations, sanitized reality, worsens stereotypes, and makes tolerance look easy, which is not the case.
Further is “The Big Bang Theory: Does Sheldon Have Asperger’s? Fans Have Their Own Theory”. This is a letter writing and journal genre written by Katie Palmer. The article begins by introducing Sheldon, gives the opinion of the producers of the show, and concludes by featuring comments from fans. It outlines the characteristics depicted by Asperger individuals and assimilates them with those of Sheldon (Palmer). The article has a solid basis for likening the behavior displayed by Sheldon to Asperger-like characteristics. Moreover, Palmer has included comments by fans from Reddit discussing other characteristics Sheldon shows. This article plays a pivotal role in sharing thoughts by fans. The comments given show that the audience has some insight into the matter.
“Popular culture and the (mis) representation of Asperger’s: A study on the sitcoms Community and The Big Bang Theory” is the fourth source. The article falls under the letter writing and journals genre. The journal considers ways “The Big Bang Theory,” and the Sitcoms group can depict Asperger Syndrome conditions (Rajan). Rajan utilizes the behavioral deficits of Asperger syndrome to create humor. In the journal, the author has incorporated thematic analysis to determine methods used by shows to portray and communicate Asperger syndrome to the audience. Besides, the author elaborates that unexplained behavioral changes and inconsistencies depicted by Abed Nadir and Sheldon Cooper lead to the misapprehension of the condition. The Sitcom Community does not conceal the indirect representation of the condition. Thus should be appreciated for creating awareness of the condition and spurring discussions with consistent and accurate methods to represent the condition.
The fifth source is a journal writing genre written by Sana Sharifi, an Autism Spectrum Disorder patient. It is entitled “Dr. Sheldon Cooper: Friend or Foe of the Autistic Community? The article is ushered by sharing when the author was diagnosed with the condition, its definition, and the challenges faced while growing up. It continues to highlight challenges faced by autistic women and the role played by The Bing Bang Theory (Sharifi). The author strongly shows how failure to find research disproportionately neglects women. Moreover, its stronghold is the experiences the author underwent and the positivity brought by TBBT. This article appreciates autism by associating it with success and optimism. Significantly, the author acknowledges the underrepresentation of ASD in the media.
Lastly is “On Sheldon Cooper, And Hollywood’S Failure To Portray Autistic People.” It was written by Ashton Stansel under the letter writing and journal genre. The article outlines the historical ineptitude of Hollywood in supporting minority characters and refusing to label them. It insists on legitimizing autistic characters and showcasing wider autistic perspectives (Stansel). This article pinpoints the heart of the issue and recommends the way forward. This aspect makes it stand out as informative, appealing, and intriguing. Giving autistic roles to normal people like Jim Parsons is a mockery. These characters fail to demonstrate the struggles and stigmatization overcome.
Information Synthesis
The six sources analyzed share several indisputable similarities and differences. For instance, every article is pivotal in creating awareness of ASD. They use informative, correctional, intriguing, and engaging tones to do so. Secondly, every writer has abundant knowledge about the subject matter and uses the introduction, body, and conclusion structure to write the articles. Besides creating awareness, every source seeks increased presentation of Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the film industry. Despite differing in some instances, Sheldon Cooper is hailed as a hero for helping many autistic individuals to embrace autism and pursue their dreams. Ultimately, the role played by The Big Bang Theory in appreciating the unique attributes of autistic people is respected.
The article by Katie Palmer undeniably states that Sheldon Cooper is not autistic. The condition depicted by Sheldon is described as “cute autism,” a condition only present in television shows and films (Palmer). This article argues that the picture created by Sheldon is too perfect for a naturally autistic person. This advices on the incorporation of real behavioral characteristics into these characters. The article by Ashton Stansel disapproves of the use of characters and advocates for the legitimization of autistic characters. The article by Sana Sharifi acts as an eye-opener into the inefficiencies of the industry. For instance, inadequate research funding on autism disadvantages women and advocates for their empowerment.
The discussed articles have acknowledged the role played by Sheldon Cooper in creating public awareness of autism. However, none of them has mentioned ways the government can be involved to reach a wider audience. The world has 8 billion people, whereby a ratio of 1 to 100 children are diagnosed with autism (Zeidan et al. 778-790). These statistics suggest that something needs to be done to lower them. Not everyone has access to the internet, smartphones, social media platforms, or films like The Big Bang Theory. Thus, the government needs to step up and allocate resources and formulate techniques to acquaint such an audience with insight into ASD.
Conclusion
Sheldon has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) despite lacking autistic realism. The articles discussed by Lydia Netzer, Kerry Marco, Katie Palmer, Benson Rajan, Sana Sharifi, and Ashton Stansel highlight the struggles undergone by autistic individuals. These range from communication defects to sensory issues that interfere with their normal functionality basing their discussions on the character of Sheldon and personal experiences. The article by Katie Palmer stands out as the only one refuting Sheldon Cooper as autistic. It gives another perspective on the topic and helps the audience identify the loopholes in Sheldon Cooper’s character.
Agreeably, film characters should be given more realistic roles to avoid misinformation and undesirable expectations from autistic society. On the other hand, the role played by The Big Bang Theory alongside other films like The Good Doctor and The Loop translates to infinite knowledge and autistic diversity. Through positive and realistic representation, issues such as cognitive health risks, autistic burnout, misdiagnosis, and racial bias shall be curbed. Consequently, personal and communal identity shall be achieved, promoting oneness and respect for different people.
Works Cited
Marco, Kerry. “Why Our Autism Community Loves Sheldon Cooper.” Chapter 8.
Netzer, Lydia. “Big Bang: A Mom’S And A Child’S Differing Views On Sheldon Cooper.” Allin.Guide, 2022. Web.
Palmer, Katie. “The Big Bang Theory: Does Sheldon Have Asperger’S? Fans Have Their Own Theory“. Google.Com, 2022. Web.
Rajan, Benson. “Popular culture and the (mis) representation of Asperger’s: A study on the sitcoms Community and The Big Bang Theory.” Normalizing Mental Illness and Neurodiversity in Entertainment Media. Routledge, 2021. 66-82.
Sharifi, Sana. “Dr. Sheldon Cooper: Friend Or Foe Of The Autistic Community? – The Mcgill Daily“. The Mcgill Daily, 2022. Web.
Stansel, Ashton. “On Sheldon Cooper, And Hollywood’S Failure To Portray Autistic People.” The Daily Campus, 2022. Web.
Zeidan, Jinan, et al. “Global prevalence of autism: a systematic review update.” Autism Research 15.5 (2022): 778-790.