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[SalmonGod]

It isn't, I just let my suspension of disbelief slide.

Just suffice it to say that I have this internal mechanism where I feel for characters in shows and movies and once it triggers, it cannot be funny no matter how hard it tried.

This movie triggered that response where I started to feel like these characters are honestly being hurt and mishandled and the movie just continued and considered this a "good thing".

The last time this triggered so strongly I was watching someone pretend to be Richard Simmons during a "We make your dreams come true" (I don't know its official name) parody where this woman who had many children and lost more of her eye sight was constantly heckled and abused by Simmons and I felt SO sorry for her that it just wasn't funny. I actually wanted to cry because I just wanted the show to stop. I know exactly why the show wanted me to laugh, but... no.

I have this reaction to some movies.  The worst are those romantic comedies (like any of Ben Stiller's romantic comedies), where some some very sympathetic guy had tons of horrible things happen to him, but we're not supposed to feel bad about it because it's a given that he'll get the girl in the end, which will make up for all of it.   

[Skyrunner]

Why, thank you for dodging around nothing in particular. No, it's okay, you don't need to—oh, there's kraken there? Thanks for telling me.

Ugh, NO THERE IS NOTHING THERE DX STOP DOING THAT

Also, please stop sailing right through solid land like you were born there. You are not a flying ship, unlike what you may or may not think.

[Rose]

Skyrunner, might your pathing grid not be matching up with your land grid?

[Eric Blank]

That's what I suggested. After the kraken comment...

[Max White]

I think Japa might have the right sort of diagnosis.
Tell me Skyrunner, do you have a single array of objects, or multiple arrays containing information such as the cell color and impassibility?

[Vector]

Queerbaiting.

Moss and Roy (IT crowd).  Raj and Wolowitz (Big Bang Theory).  Abed and Troy (Community).

Fuck queerbaiting.  And fuck it especially because every single recurring autism spectrum character I have ever seen on television has been involved in it, from the mild (Sheldon) to the egregious (Moss).  Often, the queerbait relationship is the character's main relationship.  And it's treated as a joke.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissed.

[Max White]

Ok so to my understanding the term queerbaiting means when a homosexual hits on you and you play along because reasons. Kind of like every time Descan and I are in the same thread.
Is this particularly rage inspiring or did I miss something?

[Vector]

Queerbaiting is when two characters are explicitly shown to have homosexual chemistry or attraction ("to bring in the gays"), but it's played off as humor or otherwise not treated seriously.

What it means is that television producers are basically eating their cake and having it too.  They show a romantic relationship without any of the "icky" parts (or closure-involving parts, or whatever), always in the background, and then it disappears the minute a woman shows interest in either.

[Max White]

Oh ok. Wait, who in the Big Bang Theory was gay? Or at least pseudo-gay.

[Vector]

The "night the heat went out" has been played for gay subtext/humor for a few seasons now between all members of the primary male cast, and Raj and Wolowitz have, amongst other things, kissed onscreen.  It was by accident, of course.  But there's been a whole lot of things in that vein, many not so explicitly accidental.

[Max White]

Ok, I think I get it then. Anything 'gay' is a joke because of how absurd/immoral/unacceptable/shameful it is, or at least that is the premise we are working with.
Yea, I can see how that is a problem. I didn't know Big Bang theory had actually done this, but then again I don't watch it a lot.

[Rose]

I don't watch it because it's pretty much making fun of people like me.

[Bdthemag]

Really, I saw the whole "Queerbating" thing was just simply a way to poke fun at two guys having a close friendship, and since the average guy will get a kick out of a gay joke or two (Not necessarily due to insecurity, but just because it's a common joke nowadays. Most people just say it not because they're intended to offend or belittle gay people, but just because it's the "next thing" to joke around about.)

But seriously, if you're watching shitty TV shows and get angry over something offensive and/or stupid that happens in it, what exactly were you expecting in the first place? Big Bang Theory is simple, dumb comedy. You should be more angry that its jokes highly revolve around how people think "nerds" act, rather than shitty "offensive" jokes.

[Blargityblarg]

I'm not sure all the things you listed are queerbaiting; Abed and Troy, at least, are both portrayed (IMO, anyway) as fairly non-sexual entities; Abed has his whole aspergers-to-the-point-of-an-artform thing (which is probably problematic in itself, but for a different reason) and Troy is generally shown to be naive and idealistic, but mostly naive. Moss and Roy, too, I don't recall any particular 'relationship' between them; Moss has basically the same deal as Abed, and Roy is fairly explicitly displayed as heterosexual; 'I'm just going for a lecher on 5th' comes to mind. Granted, though, I haven't watched IT Crowd in a while, so maybe I'm misremembering.

[Vector]

I watch pretty much any TV show that purports to have autism spectrum characters religiously.

I even watch The Big Bang Theory pretty often, even though I hate it.  HATE it.

But seriously, if you're watching shitty TV shows and get angry over something offensive and/or stupid that happens in it, what exactly were you expecting in the first place? Big Bang Theory is simple, dumb comedy. You should be more angry that its jokes highly revolve around how people think "nerds" act, rather than shitty "offensive" jokes.

In orange: the shitty jokes you're offended by.

In green: the shitty jokes I'm offended by.

Thank you for informing me what I should be angry about and offended by.

I'm not sure all the things you listed are queerbaiting; Abed and Troy, at least, are both portrayed (IMO, anyway) as fairly non-sexual entities; Abed has his whole aspergers-to-the-point-of-an-artform thing (which is probably problematic in itself, but for a different reason) and Troy is generally shown to be naive and idealistic, but mostly naive. Moss and Roy, too, I don't recall any particular 'relationship' between them; Moss has basically the same deal as Abed, and Roy is fairly explicitly displayed as heterosexual; 'I'm just going for a lecher on 5th' comes to mind. Granted, though, I haven't watched IT Crowd in a while, so maybe I'm misremembering.

Let's see... a whole bunch of jokes about them being each other's romantic partners/"married", including multiple kisses in The IT Crowd which at first looked like an attempt to get out of a situation, but was then shown to be otherwise motivated.

I would agree with Roy being heterosexual other than the fact that all of the stereotypical heterosexual relationship jokes happen between Moss and Roy.  The other characters talk about it and notice it.  Roy checks some women out on-screen, deals with a couple of ex-girlfriends, and has a break-up off-screen.  But all of the relationship flags are between Moss and Roy.


As for Abed and Troy, I've only seen the first season, but again--same thing as above without the onscreen kisses.  Annie: "I thought Troy was trying to hold my hand, but he had just mistook me for Abed."  Jeff (leaving a message on Abed's answering machine): "Your girlfriend [Troy] will be at the flagpole in 10 minutes."  . . . Also, filming sex scenes together for an amateur movie.  And it goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and I won't mention all of it.