Boston Legal Aspie

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This may have been asked before, if so I apologize. Does the characterization of the Aspie on Boston Legal bother anyone else?
I find Aspies are generally more of a hidden group, in that we looked fairly normal on the outside, especially if we've practiced our scripts. Does anyone do the Tourette's stuff he does, skipping, sqwuaking, etc.? I know that there is a co-morbidity with Asperger's, but it's not a primary condition, is it? I do get the body postures...slumped over and kind of stiff...but not the hands thing. Tell me more about this with regards to yourselves. Thanks.

I know for a fact that my b/f couldn't stand the characterisation. He was over at my place watching it with my mum and sisters, and was being very vocal about his displeasure...cringing loudly most of the time, flailing about comically...I think he got me with his elbow a few times too. XD

Thing is, only Mum knew he was an Aspie before then. Now the entire family knows (and probably half the street ) and I doubt he wanted any of them to know He totally owned himself with that...because they all saw a LOT of similarities between his behaviour and the BL Aspie's.

With the se TV programs, they only have a week or so to put it together. That's not a lot of time to properly research and sample what REAL Aspies are like. They would have researched as much as they could, drawn their conclusions, and created a 'caricature' of Aspergers for the show.

And let's not forget, he may have had other conditions mixed in there too. A large number of people here don't just have AS, they may also have ADHD, BPD, etc etc...who knows, this guy may have had quite a cocktail of interesting bits and pieces up there

Yeah, I saw that too. I just assumed there were other things going on there. I would not be surprised at all if there is somebody out there like that.

I've never seen that episode and it sounds like I definitely don't want to either. I absolutely hate false characterizations. And since it's prime time, that's what the majority of people are likely to think that's what AS really is.

I've been watching the show for about a year, I didn't know he was supposed to have AS. Great, now my grandmother has more Ammunition of Idiocy (TM) to use aganst me, she already tried to use an episode of ER she saw six years ago to try to disprove my self-dx, and I think she even mixed that up, sheeesh.

Viewing the situation from the outside world, I think I can say it's not a FALSE characterisation. I saw a huge number of traits in the character that I see in the Aspies I know.

I think what pisses a lot of Aspies off about the episodes is that it cuts uncomfortably close to the truth, but not quite. He's not a hero, and will never be characterised as such either - he's not a shining example to hold up the community, he's an average guy with problems and is presented as such.

Something I have noticed about many people in the community is there is a desire to put things into boxes. Draw conclusions based on similarities. Yet you are all so unique, so different. I wouldn't be surprised at all if I bumped into him on the street to find he was a real Aspie! He's obviously got something else going on under there though, not just AS.

But the fact is - he is an awkward, uncomfortable rendition of AS. It's painfully truthful yet at the same time, slightly fictional. Just enough to be abrasive to anyone that actually has Aspergers. (And I noticed in the US they say it 'ass-burgers'...my Aspie friends in NZ all say it 'ass-ber-jers'...)

...Even though he announces it to the world about ten times a minute.

I like Boston Legal. I wouldn't call that guy "false" so much, either. But he is such a textbook collection of stereotypes. And that IS annoying.

Apparently I wasn't paying close enough attention. The first episode I saw was where Betty White was robbing mini-marts.

Lmao. The number of times they say 'ass-burgers' in those two episodes...

Wish they'd have characterised him a bit more and stereotyped him a bit less. (Wish the writers had bloody read WP!!)

I guess they figure the comon traits most Aspies have are too tame and ones they can't really make a show out of. But MAN is it wierd! It is like the DSM manuals that say AS people have no imagination EVEN though it conflicts with other characteristics, people here and at ASDgestalt! WOW! I guess I should be happy they don't make generalizations about some of THAT!

Steve

I actually also have Tourette's syndrome. But my tourette's doesn't make me go potty mouth out of control. I do that with full knowledge that I am doing so. It just gives me certain tics which are hard for me to explain. I have however gone on cussing rampages and falsely attributed it to my tourette's.