OttoVonNoobThis is an apology, I hope whatever healthy thing you do brings you some joy in these dark times.
skankhunt42Live and let live man. I don’t care what everyone does in their own time, have fun, live your life and be happy.
Where I have a problem is when someone forces me to do something. You NEED me to watch this show? No. Watch it in your own time.
Watch out for the misogyny though. I haven’t seen much myself to judge, but this video essay makes a pretty good case. Just be careful.
The Adorkable Misogyny of The Big Bang Theory
MermaidsGarden
Basically the entire show boils down to “they’re bigots but it’s funny because they are nerds who are supposedly also oppressed by society”
SpaceCowboyYou could “prove” any long running show is misogynistic or racist by combing through it and taking things out of context.
You really should be more be careful of youtube videos. Many of them just invent controversy for clicks. A silly TV sitcom is far less likely to propagandize you than a youtube video.
JackbyDevMy father in law said the same thing about Rush Limbaugh after he died. He said that Rush had a good heart and people were just using cherry picked examples of his bad behavior. The problem is that it’s just such casual misogyny and the constant portrayal by media that nerds must be given a chance with attractive women despite any flaws the nerd has or lack of attraction to the nerd.
Yeah and Bill Maher said Justin Trudeau was a dictator because he called some protesters disgusting. He left out the part where the particular protesters he was referring to had Swastika flags.
So would you say the Bill Maher took Trudeau’s words out of context? If so you’re no different from your father in law. Therefore you’re a fan of Rush Limbaugh!
See how easy it is to take things out of context and use specious logic to form a narrative about anything?
This is why critical thinking is important. The point Justin Trudeau was making was the Nazis are disgusting, therefore Bill Maher was taking things out of context. The point of Rush Limbaugh was right wing grifting, so him saying shitty things isn’t out of context.
Applying even more critical thinking, how are fictional stories different from political commentators? Stories often have character arcs where a character starts out as being wrong, they learn something, improve themselves and are no longer wrong. So you can easily make many stories appear to bad in a political context by giving examples from the earlier part of a story (where the character was wrong) and leave out the part of the story where the character learned they were wrong and why.
Political critiques of works of fiction are fertile grounds for grifters to create false narratives. They should always be taken with a grain of salt. Did you see Ben Shapiro’s critique of the Barbie Movie? Really convincing if you never saw the movie.
I haven’t watch all of BBT but I’ve seen enough that I can tell you that in the beginning they were losers with misogynistic tendencies. Women are disgusted by them and rightfully so. Over the course of the show they learn to respect women and because of this they are able to form healthy relationships. Yup, you can pick out examples of misogyny, but how do you tell a story about misogyny being bad if you cannot portray misogynistic tendencies out of fear of “video essays” taking it out of context to create a false narrative?
It seemed from the video that they were including the context. Do you counter examples of how bbt especially respects women? Or mitigating context for the examples in the video?
Several other people here mentioned the same thing. You’ll need to provide some examples to show your point.
Since it’s apparently fine to demand things from strangers on the internet, you will need to provide me payment for the research you’re asking me to do to provide you with these examples.
Or not. You can go on living your life believing whatever random video pops up on your youtube recommended list without ever questioning it. Why would you think I should care if you believe in weird shit? The onus on you to question the content you get on the internet, not on other people to debunk every single video an algorithm shoves in your face.
I’m just saying to believe you you need to provide evidence. I’m much less likely to believe a relatively low effort comment than a well produced video essay.
I did question the content of the video. I hadn’t seen much the channel, so I was skeptical. But the examples they gave were convincing, the comments reaffirmed what was being said, and it lined up with what I remembered about the show. There are certainly sensational YouTube channels with click bate that thrive on controversy. But the tone of this channel seemed very different from those, very academic and professional.
Do you think I should just give the show the benefit of the doubt because it’s on TV rather than YouTube? I don’t.
Why do you give youtube the benefit of the doubt? You believe youtube to be a reliable source of information?
BBT is a popular TV show, I’m certain you are capable of finding it on a streaming service somewhere. If not there is the possibility of pirating it. You are capable of watching the show yourself to verify the claims coming from youtube. Or you could trust people who have seen enough episodes that tell you the youtbue video is false.
Or you can go on being a “I did my own research on youtube” type of person. I’m not your mom, do what you want to do.
I gave neither the benefit of the doubt. The argument won me over with convincing evidence from the show. I have absolutely no interest in watching sitcoms, especially probably one of the worst.
Also, you admitted the first season was misogynistic. Even if the latter ones weren’t as much, or even at all, wouldn’t the warning against the show still be valid?
You didn’t watch the video did you?
Pop Culture Detective is a channel with videos that take months for him to painstakingly write and produce. They are not lazy cherry picked videos for clicks and likes. He is a very intelligent, thoughtful, thought provoking, detailed, kind, and well read man who cares a lot about the way we portray many toxic and attitudes in video media, and in particular, toxic masculinity.
The writing of BBT is far more lazy and unintelligent than the videos made by Pop Culture Detective. He cares about context, and he cares about accuracy.
Did you watch the entirety of BBT?
I’ll watch your video after you’ve watch BBT an analyzed it yourself. Otherwise what’s the point of discussing anything with you rather than whoever made the video you linked?
I haven’t watched the entirely of BBT, but I’ve seen enough episodes to know the thesis of the video that you’re repeating (without doing any verification yourself) is false.
Are you paid by the person that made the video? Why do you feel the need to defend something that’s discussing something you’re unfamiliar with? We aren’t talking about some arcane secret scrolls that are locked away under guard that only a few are allowed to view. It’s a popular TV show that you could watch yourself to check whether the video is correct. Why won’t you do this? Why do you trust a random youtube video that has a profit motive in promoting a false narrative over people that have actually looked at the source material under discussion?
Why do you feel the need to defend something that’s discussing something you’re unfamiliar with?
Because it’s harmful. The whole question is whether you should watch it, and the answer seems to be no. Why would I dedicate tens of hours of my life just to be able to say with complete confidence that you shouldn’t watch it? I’m okay only dedicating half an hour for medium confidence that you shouldn’t watch it, or at least you should be careful about it’s misogynistic messaging.
Why the fuck would I spend like a hundred hours to a show that I already know is objectively bad? I’m gonna actually die one day, I’m not wasting my life on a shitty show I already know I don’t like based off the two episodes I have seen because someone on the internet is butthurt that people are pointing out their fav show is misogynistic, homophobic, and shitty.
You want to know who watched it in it’s entirety though? Pop culture detective, 3 times.
I haven’t watched the video yet, but it always strikes me as odd when people call this show as a whole misogynistic.
The first season definitely was though, but the other 9 seasons constantly made fun of the male “nerds” and depicted the women as superior in almost every joke.
You should watch it
As I expected, a lot of the scenes where from Season 1 and/or taken out of context.
After watching the video I’d still argue that calling a show misogynistic that has has 90% misandristic jokes and 10% misogynistic jokes is misleading at best. Yes the show definitely has misogynistic jokes in it, but singling out that aspect of such a train wreck of a show only harms any real discussion about the topic.
🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 🏆“These aren’t real nerds! They make us all look dumb!”
Other than Sheldon’s quirks, I’ve always felt like the characters were just like my friends and I and this sentiment that permeated Reddit always just felt like people who very much are like Sheldon were the ones taking the most offense at the show.
Bazinga!
Later seasons really flanderized some aspects of the characters, but I always fondly remember one scene where The Gang is assembling a new TV stand for Penny’s apartment and someone questions the airflow it offers. So they immediately start designing a water-cooling system for her TV.
I know people like that. I am people like that.
NeroreroYour friends are sexist homophobes?
While they have done some pretty unsavory things involving Penny being the butt of many jokes that border on sexist, I can’t think of a single example of homophobia from the show.
That’s kinda surprising.
The trans episodes are usually a double whammy on trans and homophobia
This reeks of projection. You can’t dislike this thing I like if you do you are like that weird guy that is sexist on the show you don’t like!!!
You sir sound like Sheldon.
Good for you that you think that way :). Fuck that show though. I can’t stand the unfunnyness and misogyny in it
DessertStormsProblem is the misogyny (and racism, and queerphobia, and ableism and so on) in it doesn't stop when the show ends, it makes the people watching think it's ok, or worse - funny, normalising it. Hell, even this post is defining it as "healthy", which is so fucked up, because who exactly is that content "healthy" for?
So while I'm all for letting people enjoy what they enjoy, doing so uncritically, and/or refusing to hear when people tell you that something you enjoy is harmful to others (which misogyny, racism, queerphobia, ableism, and so on are) is when you go from "enjoying" to "supporting" and even "actively contributing", no longer "harmlessly" enjoying something, and I will judge you for that.
NeilI’m not a fan at all of BBT and was a ‘hater’ at one point, but you seem to miss the point that the negative points you listed were placed in the show ironically. I don’t mean offense by this question, but do you have autism?
FARTYSHARTBLASTNah, this show is terrible and if you disagree I'm not so sure you deserve happiness.
Who hurt you
OrbituaryOh, stop. It’s a sexist, homophobic, unfunny shit pile.
The show writers by helping to perpetuate ableism, mysogany, transphobia, etc…
Uriel238 [all pronouns]To be fair, every corporate enterprise I engage with by any terms regards me as an antagonist it must catch and parastize and engages routinely in dark patterns to trick me into its barbed snares.
A better question is, who doesn’t hurt you?
It’s a shorter list.
sheldon bazinga’d my dog
DrCatfacebazooka
It was Big Bang Theory.
HubiBazinga
DreamButtAs someone who lived with people who fetishized intelligence and used it as an excuse for toxic behavior the show is an uncomfortable reminder of that period in my life. Not just because of the characters themselves but due to the people I knew back then that would watch it
°˖✧ ipha ✧˖°It’s still trash, but some people like trash I guess.
UltragrampsBefore I enjoy my next guilty pleasure song, show, whatever, I’ll try to remember this and think to myself:
Time to commune with my inner raccoon.
Boy you could have chosen any other example, hahaha.
SeraphNo it's perfect. That way if you like some other show and are worried you'll be judged about it now you can think "well at least it isn't the Big Bang Theory"
Ah, solid take. “Well, if he’s saying this could apply to the Big bang theory, then of course it forgives my black sheep media.”
Haha, fair point
Altima NEO2 and a half men?
I read this as “2 and a half mom” and now I want to see that show.
I have never watched an episode and assumed I was in the right? But I know they made that funny meme where Charlie Sheen says. If it’s important than you wouldn’t have forgotten it, and that is a joke, which is a phenomenon I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or seen from the big bang theory
As long as you remember that Sheldon is a sociopath and not autistic, it’s fine.
At the start of the show, he could have been autistic too…
To be fair, I have this attitude regarding those friends who drink, smoke or try to kill themselves with fentanyl.
This world drives us to terrible, monstrous copes, and better these than fascist pogroms,
VioletteReiNah, I can’t stand people destroying their lifes with drugs when they have people they have to take care. My father was a fucking addict and he ruined my childhood because of it
I get it. When someone’s a caregiver like a parent or a personal assistant they need the capacity to be responsible and give care. So if someone has to rely on harsh coping mechanism like booze or cannabis to the point it impairs their ability to give care, maybe they have too much responsibility.
So when we have a society in which 80% of the population live in precarity, I suspect that means there’s more of us who need care (e.g. kids) than there are caregivers. Also people don’t get points (money) for parenting, which means it’s not regarded by a capitalist system as an essential responsibility. All our adults are expected to work full time which leaves them too exhausted to parent (or, for that matter, spend energy engaging in civic activity).
Both of my parents were heavy drinkers, and I suffered for it. But the attitude at the time (1970s-1980s) that each household was responsible for how they managed their kids, and any symptoms of abuse (sounds of violence, kids exhibiting dysfunctional) were willfully ignored. It’s an intergenerational problem that perpetuates mental illness.
But those people I know who overused their various chemical copes didn’t have kids, and often were disabled enough to question whether they could manage their own lives. (Adults needing caregivers are also underserved, and are not covered by healthcare programs.) So it’s much like living in a post apocalypse where society doesn’t really work anymore.
You know a show is trash when a character saying some jargon is somehow a laugh line
nah im a certified hater
Same, it’s an objectively bad show.
Bojangles
Rozaŭtunolaugh track
Default_Defectlaugh track plays for way too long and too loudly
actors awkwardly stand quietly, waiting for laugh track to end
I am neutral on the show. I don’t hate it, not do I love it. can you explain to me what’s so bad about it? it seems like a generally unremarkable show to me
The thing that always put me off on it is it’s effectively a “nerd culture” show aimed at making fun of extremely over the top caricatures of nerds.