Vexcalibur wrote:
- Avoiding issues: It could as well be the writers just don't want the trouble that would come from officially calling him AS, this is probably also the reason they are avoiding to officially call him asexual. Because then they would have to deal with people like autism speaks and also some AS people that don't agree that they are portrayed by such an "annoying" character - Since they probably don't get what an spectrum is -.
I'd put good money on this. I mean consider this, people are asking these writers of a comedy show if the character they often portray as petty, rude, prone to temper tantrums and childish behavior and betraying his friends over seemingly minor issues and who is at times downright unlikable... has what's regarded as a very severe condition that's perceived as affecting mental state. I'm sure you guys all know what it's like when someone knows of your condition and they can't stop talking to you as though you're 6 years old who's slow and hard of hearing, right? And they think they're being really understanding, kind and standing up for poor poor disabled you since you can't speak for yourself. That's the people I so would not want to deal with getting letters from, those people are crazy!
So long as they refuse to give him a label he can just be quirky weird Sheldon, and they don't have to worry as much about angry letters and can take him in whatever direction they want to as a character. For a TV show to go out on a limb like that I think they know if they want to avoid bad press they need to spend a lot of time showing positive sides as well and not seem disrespectful. In a comedy like the Big Bang Theory, not being disrespectful is gonna be very hard considering how varied people's outrage tolerance is.