Yeah. Good Times.: The Onion does an autism satire

xmlns:og='http://ogp.me/ns#' Yeah. Good Times.: The Onion does an autism satire

Friday, April 22, 2011

The Onion does an autism satire

I love the Onion. Love them. LOVE. But I'm honestly not sure if this is funny or not. I mean....I want to laugh. I get this. But I don't really know... is this funny? Is it mean? What do you guys think? What do you guys who don't have any connection to autism think? (don't be afraid to tell me, please, I want to know your opinion).

Discuss....

Autistic Reporter: Train Thankfully Unharmed In Crash That Killed One Man

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@wondersndreams · 727 weeks ago

I dunno, I see where they were trying to go but it just comes off as insulting. Ds does have a train obsession but he still has feelings about people getting boo boo's, I'm torn, I think they just missed the mark a little.

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Tam · 727 weeks ago

wow that was in very bad taste ... it could have worked as a spoof idea if the man had only been hurt, but ... just wow

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thatsrightisaiditdotmom 30p · 727 weeks ago

Oh wow. I just don't know. Something about it is hilarious, but something about it is so wrong!! Is it OK to laugh if you're an autism parent and you honestly get the whole autism thing? Is it mean-spirited to laugh even if that's not your intention? I'm very conflicted. I hate people who take themselves too seriously, but I don't like the idea of our kids being the butt of mean jokes. I just don't know.
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@amandaaustin · 727 weeks ago

I really don't know much about autism, but like I said on Twitter, I feel like it was just a little insensitive. It's one thing to poke fun at someone who is really asking for it (some celebrity or politician?) but it was just..tacky I guess. But that's a knee jerk reaction.

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@LaurieMit · 727 weeks ago

Not funny. At all. Falls flat and is insulting.

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@ImproveAutism · 727 weeks ago

I think this is sad to poke fun at something that frankly as a parent I worry about. I think we all worry about how our children will understand things as an adult and hope that what is portrayed in this video is not the case, Not Funny :(

1 reply · active 727 weeks ago

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Sharon · 727 weeks ago

I agree. I'm hearing about too many autistic children getting lost and hurt lately. We worry so much about the future of our kids (even more so than our NT kids) that its hard to find anything funny about autism.

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Cheryl D. · 727 weeks ago

I kinda found it funny. Yes, people with autism aren't actually like that in real life. A lot of humor goes for exaggerated situations. My favorite part was when the reporter mentioned he interviewed the conductor and looked like he had just orgasmed.
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2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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jillsmo 103p · 727 weeks ago

I laughed out loud when the woman asked him "who ARE you?" and he said his name and then ran away

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@wondersndreams · 727 weeks ago

yeah, you could see where the funny was peeking through, I think they just missed the mark

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Happy Elf Mom · 727 weeks ago

I'm bugged that they announce him as the "autistic reporter." Do they announce "black reporters" or refer to Stephen Hawking as "wheelchair scientist dude?" Just saying. Of course it went downhill from there. It could have been WAY WORSE, though, yk? I've seen way worse from celebrities and whatnot and am thinking they weren't trying to be mean... it just fell a bit flat.
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1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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jillsmo 103p · 727 weeks ago

Well, actually, yes. In most satires they would announce the person like that. "Black reporter," "Asian reporter," "wheelchair scientist dude." etc.

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Melissa · 727 weeks ago

I'm not a particularly serious person. In fact, irony and sarcasm are pretty much my standby. That being said, I'm on the fence with this one. There was something lost in translation. It just wasn't really funny to me. And I really LIKE The Onion, usually.

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@pugariffic73 · 727 weeks ago

Hmm.. i'm usually so sarcastic people mistake it for rudeness lol And I am the FIRST person to laugh at the stuff we have to live with day to day (have you heard? Playstation Network has been down for 2 days and Tommy has been stimming not stop and im going CRAZYYYYY!!!!!!!!) *deep breath*
This.. im NOT a fan of. I think you're right.. it was ALMOST funny.. they missed the mark. I quit watching Tosh.O for the same reason. He decided some time back to replace the word "retarded" with "autistic" during an episode. Funny is one thing. Insulting is just mean.

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Ellen Cicconi · 727 weeks ago

A lot of what the Onion prints is both insensitive and funny. Autism got the same treatment as any other illness or issue. Sometimes you are more struck by the insensitivity, but sometimes the stuff thatbseems really funny to you or me might be offensive to someone else. The Onion doesn't have sacred cows. ~Ellen C

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Squatlo · 727 weeks ago

Glad you love the Onion... because this is exactly what they do. No sacred cows, nothing beyond attack or inspection. I can see how it would offend, but that's what they do.

If it had been a piece on someone reporting with a speech impediment (lisp?) or with crossed eyes, or with a debilitating case of OCD (repeatedly straightening and arranging items in the background during their report) we would have fewer problems with this, I guess. Personally, I like the fact that even the subject matter most near and dear to our hearts ALWAYS receives the same irreverent treatment from these guys.
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lhand0124 49p · 727 weeks ago

Not funny. But then, I very rarely find things funny that other people think are just hilarious. Someone mentioned Tosh O.? I watched him for like a second an a half. He makes jokes about child molestation. Really? That's funny? EVER?

With this, I think they took the "it's funny 'cause it's true" thing and crossed the line. I will say, however, that the actor did a good job. The script was the problem for me.

Likely I'm over analyzing it.
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Claire · 727 weeks ago

This would have been quite funny except for the fact that someone died. They could have done it just as well without that part. They went just a little too far.
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Sharon · 727 weeks ago

I tried to keep an open mind, but no, not funny. I don't think I'm being over sensitive because my son has Aspergers. I find a lot of so called humour isn't funny anymore. Some shows just go that little bit too far for the shock value.

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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

All I had to see was the caption "Autistic Reporter: Train Thankfully Unharmed In Crash That Killed One Man" to know that the video was going to piss me off. And it did.

It's not cool to continue the stereotype that we're a bunch of unempathetic robots who only care about objects. The fact that it's being done "in fun" doesn't change its potential destructiveness. If it were generally understood that we are full-fledged human beings with an acute amount of sensory and emotional sensitivity, I wouldn't have a hard time with a video making fun of anyone who is ignorant of that fact. But the video is making fun of autistic people; it is not making fun of ignorance about autistic people. It's just furthering that ignorance. That has a real-life impact upon how people see us and treat us.

Having been the recipient of an anti-Semitic slur on another blog this week, I've come to the conclusion that the right of free speech ends when the speech furthers stereotypes about a vulnerable population who may very well suffer because of it. And if we want to allow that kind of speech, we have a responsibility to howl about how wrong it is. I'm really surprised to see autism parents who are on the fence about this video, or thought it was funny. The kinds of attitudes expressed by the video have serious consequences for your children's lives. They're going to enter a society in which this kind of ignorance is pervasive, and trust me, it will have a serious impact upon them in a myriad of ways. It's time to fight it, not laugh at it.

1 reply · active 726 weeks ago

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Brayden's Mom · 726 weeks ago

I completely agree, Rachel. This is just furthering the stereotype that autistics are not capable of showing empathy or caring about the welfare of others. Like you said, it's one thing to have free speech, but it's quite another when that speech attacks or belittles a group who is all ready falling victim to the ignorance of society at-large.

I don't see how anyone could find this funny. As a parent, I don't think it's funny that people were looking at this "autistic" man like he was a weirdo or treating him like he was ignorant. Is that really the message we want out there about those with autism? Yes, it's a satire, but that doesn't mean the core message of it won't resonate with people and be detrimental to our kids.

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solodialogue 73p · 727 weeks ago

Perpetuating stereotypes can make you laugh but the question really is not whether it is "funny" but does the spot do more harm than good? And the answer is always going to be yes. Why? Because the world is full of ignorance and stupidity. People who are intelligent (and that would include everyone who comes here) can laugh and walk away knowing it for what it is is supposed to be - a parody. Others will not. Unfortunately, IMHO, there are more ignorant people in the world than enlightened, and so this just sets back every effort to move us forward. NOT cool and I agree 1000 percent with Rachel.
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Sarah · 727 weeks ago

Autism aside, I didn't find this particularily funny. I didn't find it insulting to autistic people.

My brother is (mildly) on the spectrum and we joke with him about his quirks as we do my husband, mother, father (not me, I'm perfect, smile).

Everyone is different. If you can't laugh at yourself...

I look forward to reading what others have to say.

4 replies · active 727 weeks ago

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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

It's not about being able to laugh at yourself. I can laugh at my quirks just fine; that's part of being a healthy human being.

What I can't laugh at is someone furthering stereotypes about autistic people not having human feeling, for the simple reason that it's dehumanizing and has utterably bad consequences for our lives. And I can't laugh at it because, frankly, I have an overabundance of empathy for what it feels like to be part of any group that has to endure these kinds of attacks on their humanity.
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lhand0124 49p · 727 weeks ago

Yeah, we're constantly laughing at our foibles around here too. That doesn't make this thing the Onion put out funny. And I'd like to point out that if this had been the "reporter with Down Syndrome" and the actor acted, and it was scripted according to that disability. NO ONE would have thought this was funny.

There's something different about laughing good naturedly at some of our quirks, and what was done in this video.
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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

Exactly, Laura. Imagine if you saw a caption reading "Retarded Reporter: Was There a Train Wreck? I Don't Understand." First of all, people would be all over the world "Retarded" (and I would be leading the charge), and the rest would be considered simply cruel and disgusting.

Apparently, we autistics don't get the same kind of consideration. That shows you just how deep the stereotypes are, and how many people wrongly consider them justified.
My recent post An Open Letter to Robert MacNeil Regarding PBS’ Autism Now Series

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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

Just to clarify, before anyone launches anything in my direction, by "the rest," I mean "the rest of the caption," not "the rest of the people."
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tulpen · 727 weeks ago

Not really funny. Not having a child with Autism, I didn't find it offensive, just sort of lame.

About as lame as this comment.
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@bbsmum · 727 weeks ago

Whether or not it's funny is irrelevent. It's hurtful to a group who have done nothing to warrant being laughed at. Innocent people's feelings hurt equals wrong. End of story.

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Cactusinyrpants 59p · 727 weeks ago

Yeah, this reminds me of that Phil Hartman "Anal Retentive Chef" skit on SNL. I thought it was funny, but "Onion funny", which is usually funny in different levels.
I am not in the Autistic community, nor do I really know any autistic kids.
So, this is kinda what I thought an exaggerated version of one would look like.
Frankly, it's adorable, but he is a grown man so that makes it disturbing and funny.
The trouble is when you try to personalize it, by thinking "my autistic kid is not like that" instead of picking one or two traits that ring bells and laughing at yourself.
Besides, the victim in the story was hispanic, so.... who cares right?!

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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

I'm very troubled by a lot of this discussion. I really can't see what being in the autism or autistic community, or having autistic kids, has to do with anything here. I mean, if the piece were engaging in stereotypes about black people, to the effect that black people lack some essential element of humanity, like basic ethics, would it matter whether you had a black child, or knew any black people? This isn't about personalizing it to be about anyone's kid. This is about personalizing it as being destructive to an entire group of people. Yeah, we can have quirks and all that, but the entire premise of the video was the idea that we intrinsically lack something that makes people human beings. How is that okay? Would it be okay to say about blacks or Jews or gay people?

This is really depressing.
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1 reply · active 727 weeks ago

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Cactusinyrpants 59p · 727 weeks ago

I don't think the "black" analogy is germane to autism. I've never seen an Onion piece where any of the players cared about human life or people in general. Autistic or not. It's kind of their thing.
I expect an Onion piece to be ironic. To involve autism brings it to the main stream, and out of the protected groups. I think if autism is to be part of general society and accepted as something some people just have and that's the way it is, then this is right on the money.

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autismandoughtisms 31p · 727 weeks ago

I think the outrage at it is a bit over the top.

It's purposefully exagerrating what an autistic person can be like - the passion for trains, the challenges of engaging with people and not picking up on the subtle social behavioural cues, etc. With this type of comedy there is always a chance people will walk away with their stereotypes confirmed, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us who are fully aware of the truths of autism, have to carefully not laugh and instead deeply furrow our brows and lecture others. It is so very important that we find a way to laugh at the challenges that autism poses - there's a time to be serious, and a time to just not take it all so seriously; we don't have to be deadly serious all the time. Whether this particular video in all its glory was funny or not - well it had its moments. My husband laughed out loud, and I managed a smile and a bit of a cringe, and that's just fine. No single form of humour appeals to everyone anyway.
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Brian · 727 weeks ago

I think, if you at all read the Onion, it makes fun of everything. Equally. So, I guess, if they make fun of religion, race, sports, and every other topic, why not?
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monicamarks 1p · 727 weeks ago

I thought it was funny. But you know, I didn't over think it or anything.

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Riki · 727 weeks ago

Finding this funny made me feel guilty. It is difficult for me to balance humor and privilege. As a middle-aged transexual hippy graduate student, I enjoy satire that makes fun of transexuals, the middle-aged, graduate students, and hippys - sans guilt. Laughing at marginalized groups (regardless of the accuracy of their portrayal) comes with guilt. I feel like my laughter comes easier because I am privileged. There is no personal sting involved (like when I read student loan jokes, then look up my student loan balance). Maybe givin' myself an extra helping of guilt is some sort of cosmic payback, courtesy of my psyche? Regardless, it is humor I usually avoid...

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Rachel · 726 weeks ago

You know, telling a member of a minority group, who has to suffer everyday with the crap people say about them and all its implications for life, work, love, friendship, medical care, understanding, respect, and quality of life, that his or her outrage is over the top concerning a pejorative stereotype is -- well, over the top. I mean, if you're white, do you say things like that to black people when they're outraged by stuff like this? Or do you just stop a minute, have some empathy, and think, "Well, you know, if I were a member of that group, and intimately familiar with what it feels like to be in that group, I might want someone to actually listen and take my point of view seriously, because, after all, how the fuck else will they understand what it means to have one's humanity under attack?"

It's all too easy to laugh at something that doesn't affect your life. I get that. But I'm not getting how anyone could be laughing when something furthers widely held and altogether disgusting stereotypes about your children's humanity. Do you really want them living in a world in which people think it's very, very funny to portray them as caring more about objects than people? Most people already think that about them. They think that your children's empathy -- and thus, their basic humanity -- is sub-par.

Does that not concern you? Do you think that somehow they'll be immune from it all? They won't. Trust me. They won't.

This isn't overthinking. It's thinking about consequences, and caring about the devastation that stereotypes cause to people's lives. Maybe if it doesn't happen to you, you can pass it off. But it happens to me, and to a hell of a lot of other people, and I can't pass it off. Not now, and not ever.
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Brayden's Mom · 726 weeks ago

I don't think I'm overthinking anything when I say this video is horrible and spreading ridiculous stereotypes about our kids (or really anyone with autism).

When items are put out there, even if meant to be "funny", they can still resonate with people. People who don't know better (which, let's face it, is a majority of society) will look at this and think "Wow! That's how people with autism are?" And when people think/feel this way and take this stereotype and apply it to every autistic person they meet, it's not so funny anymore. It's not funny when other parents don't want their kids around my "weird" kid because of information spread like this. It's not funny when employers won't give an autistic person the time of day because "well, you know, they can't have relationships with people/co-workers, etc. They can't have decent conversations, they can't focus on what needs to be done, etc." So, no...it's not funny.

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patty · 726 weeks ago

This made me very uncomfortable. Not funny at all, though I normally LOVE the Onion. I agree that it perpetuates stereotypes about people with autism. I guess they have the right to make fun of whatever they want to, but it annoys me nonetheless.

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pixelpixie83 · 726 weeks ago

I seem to be in the minority--I thought it was funny. I have a toddler I have suspected to be on the spectrum since 4 months old, so I am not completely emotionally-removed from the autism issue. In fact, lately, most of my day is immersed in autism research and worrying about autism. But I definitely saw the humor in it, and it helps to just have a laugh at it.

We live in an area of NYC where the subway runs overground, and every morning, my husband and I walk our son toward his daycare program. I have to take the subway into the city, so we say goodbye on the sidewalk near the station, and I have to tickle him to get him to stop drooling over the train and look at me to realize I'm saying goodbye. I can see that some people might find the video offensive, but it's just crude humor--the purpose of which is to make people chuckle, not to portray an accurate portrait of autistic people. So it cant be judged by those terms, IMHO. For THIS parent who is struggling to find the joy in life when she is realizing that everything in regard to raising her son is going to be way, way harder than she bargained for, this video offered a welcome chance to just laugh.

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Katherine · 725 weeks ago

ok. late weigh in. gotta say it's sorta funny. But then, I don't really get too worked up over anything. They make fun of every minority and every religion and every special group in the Onion. equal opportunity offenders. I just can't get upset about a comedy show known for their brand of nothing is sacred satire making fun of autism too.

I get that it might hit too close to home for some. But, shit, I'm used to dealing with stereotypes and prejudices and you know I'm a biracial woman adopted by a greek family raised with a gay brother and a single mother to a child with autism. So, yeah, I suppose I have developed something like a healthy immunity about this kind of broad character portrayal unless there malicious or hateful intent behind it. This is just really pretty tame in my eyes.

I liked the actor, actually. Thought he was sort of awesome. I am so f****** tired of hearing he same details about airplanes from my kid. They got that part spot on. missing the gestalt of things and focusing on random details, facts, and one sided conversations about perseverative interests. And running away from people. (!) My kid lays down on the floor and closes his eyes and plays dead sometimes when strangers try to ask him a question. I mean at one point you have to be able to laugh. It wasn't the funniest thing I have ever seen on the onion, but it certainly made perfect sense as a satire.

sense of humor aside, I have to say I have met many people who have gone through most of their lives in a lucky way and were never confronted regularly with stereotypes and jokes that feel personal to them or beloved family members. They didn't become intimately familiar what it was like to live as an outsider or a second or third class citizen until autism entered their lives. And frankly, I think it's good for this specific small group of people to get all riled up and offended and hope they can generalize their anger and use it to develop empathy for other groups who have been subjected to humor at their expense for their entire lives. You and your children are not the first people on earth to be portrayed with broad stereotypes for comic effect. I laugh if the humor is based in some broad basic truths and exaggerated to the point of ridiculous just for the hell of it. I don't laugh if it's mean spirited or hateful. Which I didn't find this to be.

What I find offensive, personally, is people who are angry and push for inclusion and acceptance for autism but not inclusion and acceptance for all people. i'm with the poster above who said being part of the mainstream culture includes such perks like being fodder for a stupid onion news story, just like everyone else.

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rickihorror · 669 weeks ago

I thought it was hilarious. It's THE ONION, people!

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ShesAlwaysWrite · 669 weeks ago

As the parent of an autistic child I assumed I'd be offended, but it totally made me laugh. I can see how someone who doesn't get satire wouldn't like this piece... I'm guessing they're the same sort of folks who go on The Colbert Report and think they're getting a real interview.

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Auntyjack · 609 weeks ago

I am autistic. As long as people know that this is satire, I see no more harm in it than a program like Big Bang. Hilarious. Present it as a credible portrait of autism and it would be insulting.

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