Embarrassing Media phobia

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Ever since I was a kid, I could not stand embarrassing media (TV shows Movies, anykind of scripted visual media)

I'm not really sure how to explain it. I am a high functioning aspie, and I do not have any oversensitivity problems like aversion to bright lights, or constant noise like I have read other aspie's have, but this issue seems to illicit a simmilar reaction in me. Whenever I watch an embarrassing TV show or Movie, I have an allmost uncontrolable need to block it out or run from the room

I might not be explaining this clearly enough, so here are some examples

Like I said in the poll, I simply cannot bring myself to watch the show, "Curb Your Enthusiam"
I had my hands clamped firmly over my ears for about 98% of the movie "Bad Teacher"
I was even uncomfortable watching Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Although I never heard of this type of behavior in any other Aspie text I've read (ex: temple grandin or John Robison's books) I never really gave it much thought until deciding to write this post. Looking back on this issue after my diagnosis with AS I think it might have something to do with social pressure.

Thoughts?

Do you mean watching a character humiliate himself through some social gaffe?

I have always had the exact same problem, so you are not alone, no...

I have no idea what "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is, but the problem you describe I do know. I've always done that, too, but it's hard to determine when it's going to happen. I don't have a problem with shows like "Candid Camera" or bloopers reels, but farcical movies will force me to try and escape. I'll have to cover my eyes or ears, leave the room, or just quickly turn it off. It feels like embarrassment, but I think it might be an over-stimulation thing.

Yeah, I can't stand watching awkward or embarrassing situations on TV, movies, stage, etc. This also includes painfully cheesy scenes, moments where you can tell the writers are trying too hard to be funny, and basically any scene where there is a sort of "plan" set up by the characters and that plan fails miserably.

It's like I am a part of the scene and a part of the joke and it's all on me. Usually I'll just walk out of the room or distract myself with my phone if I can't leave. When the awkward moment passes, I will return to watching the show.

I do not follow what you are saying about embarrassing media, however I do know that I cannot sit through an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". It may just be an overload issue, but the constant bickering and yelling between characters on the show puts me completely on edge to the point that I have to leave the room to avoid becoming too stressed.

Ok I'll give an example

One episode of Curb your enthusiasm I dont remember quite what it was about, had the main character, larry david, at a movie theatre. He is thirsty, so he gets a water bottle from a vending machine. he stuffs it in his pocket. sometime later, he needs to go to the bathroom, but for some reason I cant remember, (clogged toilets or something) he cannot use the men's room. so he carefully sneaks into the girls room because he really needs to go, but after he is done, he is washing his hands when a little girl walks into the bathroom. she notices him, and unfortunately, the waterbottle concealed in his pocket. she then screams, mommy theres a strange man in here, and theres something hard in his pants.

You can then HEAR the gasp from the crowd in the theatre outside, as can larry. he turns white as a sheet, and then tries to escape through the vent in the wall, and the episode ends.

I had nightmares for a week.

Yes, yes, I know that situation was completely off the wall unlikely unlikly and just plain stupid. but there are far more situations like that which arn't necesarilly so blatant.

I don't watch candid camera, but blooper reels are funny. I'm not quite sure what you mean by farcical movies. If you mean movies like "meet the spartans" or "dance flick" or the "scary movies" I don't have this problem with them, I just find them obnoxious and stupid.

For those of you who don't really follow this because youve never heard of Curb your enthusiasm, a more modern example would be that I have a hard time listening o the elvis Duran phonetap, on radio station Z100's Elvis Duran morning show. or as I said before, the recent movie "Bad Teacher"

As for covering my ears or eyes, I found out long ago that covering your ears dosen't really help at all. you can still hear what is being said. I find it far more effective to quickly cover my ears with my hands and remove them, and do that very quickly.

th eocill at ingef fect softh epres ssur ewil lren derth eso un din com preh ens ible.

Translated: the ocillating effect of the pressure will render the sounds incomprehensible

Yes, I've always felt this way about Curb... and certain Seinfeld episodes, too.

I also have a hard time watching Breaking Bad for this reason. Not the gory parts or anything just the awkward moments.

I get it watching live shows or interviews the most. I never really thought about it being linked to AS (i'm pretty slow sometimes though so...)

I've never heard of that show. There's a school picture of me that my mother literaly has to hide from me because I find it so embarasing, I will destroy it if I ever find it. I was never really good at posing for my school pictures, but this one in particualr from the third or fourth grade really takes the cake. I have really short hair and look like a boy more than a girl. I actualy often got confused for a boy becuase my hair was so short. Even if I was wearing a pink My Little Pony shirt, people would refer to me as "him". When people found out the truth they were so remorsefull and would appolgize profusley. I guess they thought I was going through chemo or something. I also have this really weird expression on my face. It's like I am dead inside, but considering all the bullying I had to endure during that time, it shouldn't be a surprise.

Last edited by MagicMeerkat on 29 Dec 2011, 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

^ My mother has a picture of me, I think it is 3rd grade, where I look completely psychotic. I mean like someone who's seeing a different reality. It's not just a freaky picture, it's who I was at the time. I was really out of it. They were giving me meds for anxiety back then, so that could be it.

I am embarrassed and distressed when watching shows like Jerry Springer. I used to cynically laugh but I read something once that made me realize that people suffering because of their ignorance and baser emotions isn't funny. It's just sad.

I'm reading this thread, nodding, because I get what you mean. Both nuances -- what the OP said, yes... the shows where someone is mortified or humiliated (or should be...) make me cringe, and I can't stand to watch... and also what someone said about Jerry Springer show, about all the yelling... I don't like the Orange County Choppers for the same reason-- the yelling and drama. So... yeah. Things that other people find funny, to watch someone in a movie be humiliated, I cringe and try to escape. I don't watch movies much in the first place, but those kinds of scenes are every bit as bad as gore and carnage... I never related it to autism.... just maybe that it's sympathy or something... for being akward myself? I really dunno...

It is never more apparent, than when my husband and I are (rarely, actually) trying to watch something on TV together ... he actually LIKES jerry springer show, but then again, he is a retired cop, so maybe he is used to the stupid loud redneck things humans do... but he thinks something is funny -- and I have to leave.

Can't explain it any better than that, but I do believe I know what you mean, and you're not alone-- there would be a bunch of us wrong planet people leaving the room in droves with you

Wow. just so you know, I never really related this whole thing to AS either, I'm just new, and posting all my weird Quirks on threads so that I can get to 1k posts.

This is actually kind of cool. I believe we may have found a new symptom of AS