the big bang theory makes me furious and it’s for a reason not a lot of people bring up which is that it has a lot of really interesting and even important themes that get totally fucking turned around in its sexist, racist, unfunny bullshittery.
like, “HEY TUMBLR, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A SHOW WHERE THE CENTRAL CAST IS MADE UP OF”
- an immigrant poc
- two women who do not fit the mold of “conventionally attractive” (one is short, rotund, large nosed, and has a high, nasal voice, the other is extremely plain, dowdy dressed, has a monotone nasal voice) but are both portrayed as desirable romantic love interests
- actually, apart from one female character, none of the central cast are conventionally attractive
- one of them has a cognizant disorder (autism)
- one of them is an alternate sexuality (asexual)
- another female cast member is confident, self-aware of her own faults and shortcomings, unashamed of them, sexually confident and unperturbed by social labels deriding that (“slut, whore”), and the physically and emotionally strongest member of the whole cast
- previously mentioned conventionally unattractive women are two of the most intelligent members of the show and are leading in their field based on their own merits
- it displays an asexual romantic relationship between two of the main characters
- it had a run with a character with severe MI (crippling social anxiety)
like, don’t fucking lie to me, if i described this show to you before the big bang theory ever existed, you would be like, “what the hell that sounds great”
but then look at what we’re actually given, where all these great themes only exist to be used as punchlines. where the (sole) poc character regularly makes racist remarks about his own background and culture, and not in a “its my culture so i can do it” way, because you’re regularly reminded that he’s from an upper class family and lived in comfort and luxury and regularly makes derisive remarks about the destitution of his home country. and the strongest character of the show is regularly mocked and belittled. and the ace couple is regularly treated as a joke by both the shows and characters, and they’re aware of it, because at one point amy actually gets seriously upset and says, “they think our relationship is a joke [because it’s not sexual],” and that would be actually a really strong moment except that previously they set her up to be pushing for a sexual relationship because of her stupid lady hormones that make her all hysterical and emotional and she implicitly agrees that their relationship is less real and valid because of the lack of a sexual component because she uses it as a way to coerce her partner into pushing his own comfort levels and boundaries. and the character with severe social anxiety that drives her to having panic attacks in public situations like being at a shop or restaurant or generally interacting with anyone she doesn’t know? is constantly the butt of jokes and her boyfriend regularly shames her for her crippling MI (the boyfriend being raj, by the way, who is the most misogynistic character in the show, even more so than sheldon, which is amazing)! and the only time she stands up for herself is when she dumps him and then he’s positioned to be the sympathetic figure in the situation!!
the big bang theory is awful not because it’s just stupid and racist and sexist and terrible and unfunny. it’s awful because it has a lot of elements that could make it a great amazing show but they’re regularly trampled on and mocked and every time it even comes close to showing something actually really astounding and even ground-breaking, it turns around and spits on it. it’s one of the worst shows on television because it cock-teases you with its potential and then gets so mired in its own stinking bullshit. it’s fucking terrible and i hate it so much and i’m so mad at what it has achieved in terms of representation because it’s doing more harm than good.
the big bang theory makes me furious and it’s for a reason not a lot of people bring up which is that it has a lot of really interesting and even important themes that get totally fucking turned around in its sexist, racist, unfunny bullshittery.
like, “HEY TUMBLR, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A SHOW WHERE THE CENTRAL CAST IS MADE UP OF”
- an immigrant poc
- two women who do not fit the mold of “conventionally attractive” (one is short, rotund, large nosed, and has a high, nasal voice, the other is extremely plain, dowdy dressed, has a monotone nasal voice) but are both portrayed as desirable romantic love interests
- actually, apart from one female character, none of the central cast are conventionally attractive
- one of them has a cognizant disorder (autism)
- one of them is an alternate sexuality (asexual)
- another female cast member is confident, self-aware of her own faults and shortcomings, unashamed of them, sexually confident and unperturbed by social labels deriding that (“slut, whore”), and the physically and emotionally strongest member of the whole cast
- previously mentioned conventionally unattractive women are two of the most intelligent members of the show and are leading in their field based on their own merits
- it displays an asexual romantic relationship between two of the main characters
- it had a run with a character with severe MI (crippling social anxiety)
like, don’t fucking lie to me, if i described this show to you before the big bang theory ever existed, you would be like, “what the hell that sounds great”
but then look at what we’re actually given, where all these great themes only exist to be used as punchlines. where the (sole) poc character regularly makes racist remarks about his own background and culture, and not in a “its my culture so i can do it” way, because you’re regularly reminded that he’s from an upper class family and lived in comfort and luxury and regularly makes derisive remarks about the destitution of his home country. and the strongest character of the show is regularly mocked and belittled. and the ace couple is regularly treated as a joke by both the shows and characters, and they’re aware of it, because at one point amy actually gets seriously upset and says, “they think our relationship is a joke [because it’s not sexual],” and that would be actually a really strong moment except that previously they set her up to be pushing for a sexual relationship because of her stupid lady hormones that make her all hysterical and emotional and she implicitly agrees that their relationship is less real and valid because of the lack of a sexual component because she uses it as a way to coerce her partner into pushing his own comfort levels and boundaries. and the character with severe social anxiety that drives her to having panic attacks in public situations like being at a shop or restaurant or generally interacting with anyone she doesn’t know? is constantly the butt of jokes and her boyfriend regularly shames her for her crippling MI (the boyfriend being raj, by the way, who is the most misogynistic character in the show, even more so than sheldon, which is amazing)! and the only time she stands up for herself is when she dumps him and then he’s positioned to be the sympathetic figure in the situation!!
the big bang theory is awful not because it’s just stupid and racist and sexist and terrible and unfunny. it’s awful because it has a lot of elements that could make it a great amazing show but they’re regularly trampled on and mocked and every time it even comes close to showing something actually really astounding and even ground-breaking, it turns around and spits on it. it’s one of the worst shows on television because it cock-teases you with its potential and then gets so mired in its own stinking bullshit. it’s fucking terrible and i hate it so much and i’m so mad at what it has achieved in terms of representation because it’s doing more harm than good.