Monday, March 08, 2010

Autism in the Media Continues Following Us

Not to be outdone by my experience stumbling on the media portraying autism last week, Linda had her own experience of autism deja-vue on Sunday. She had missed the whole experience I had with the Parenthood premier. "I experience autism in my REAL life; why do I have to watch about it in my entertainment?" she had lamented when I offered her the on-line episode to watch.

She has been experiencing a little cabin fever of late and the opportunity arose to send her out to the movies with her mother and my oldest daughter on Sunday night. After making sure that both girls were fully ready for me to just coast them into bed, they went out to the movies to see something called Dear John. It's one of those 'chick flicks' that a real man can't be caught dead in (probably because we're not supposed to cry in public); so giving them a ladies night seemed the apropos thing to do.

What she did not realize was that there were subplots involving the leading man's father possibly being Aspergers and one of the leading lady's friend's child also being on the spectrum. She gets home (after I scramble to get a sleeping Grace into bed just before the door opens), and exclaims "I just can't seem to get away from autism, it's just everywhere!" She enjoyed it anyway, and I got back a wife who was a little less stressed than when she left.

I guess I'll have to rent it when it comes out, just so I can critique the portrayals, mind you. Real men don't have to tell you that they cry at movies at home...except maybe when Old Yeller dies!

1 comment:

Lyn said...

This show when it comes to autism kind of annoys me.
Why are so many people obsessed with making autistic people normal? Half the time they have no idea what normal IS. URG.

Plus they simplify things a bit too much.