Apparently my aversion to shows with laugh tracks has saved me from a lot of transphobia

I've seen "The Adorkable Misogyny of The Big Bang Theory", now this, now for the trifecta I need "The Quirked Up Ableism of The Big Bang Theory"

the adams apple argument is especially funny to me as a pre-transition trans man because i have a pretty visible adams apple

I assumed the writer of TBBT just hate everything. They hate nerds and geeks, women, anyone LGBTQI+ and especially the characters they wrote. Lenoard is abused his whole childhood by his mother and he forgives her whilst she is still abusing him. A women who only entered psychiatry to better break people. Anyone the show touches is only in an attempt to hurt them. Bad writing, no jokes, just insults that are meant to make you laugh.

The treatment of Raj Koothrapali and the guy who acts him was sad. The blatant racism disguised as "comedy" was questionable.

i cant believe nerds are more transphobic than characters deliberately written to be assholes

I gave up on the show in that episode where Penny had to apologize to Howard because she was tired of the harassment, lashed out n everyone was like "u bitch", that was disgusting

Correction: there is another gay character in the show besides Blayne - a woman with whom Raj discusses having an arranged marriage in a later episode. She reveals that she is a lesbian and is only doing this to get her parents off her back. Of course the joke is that she assumes that Raj is also gay and is doing this for the same reason, so it’s just another example of the “Raj gay maybe” joke that you discuss at length.

The autism representation is awful enough and their blatnent transphobia and homophobia only makes their situation worse.

Im SO GLAD you made this vid it always gives me the ICK and my mother still doesnt believe my autism diagnosis because "i dont act like sheldon" 💀

I used to binge TBBT when i was depressed as a teen. Eventually it all just clicked how disgusting it actually was. The racism, sexism, homophobia, the jewish jokes, how they were in awe penny could walk upright as she wasn't academic. Or how her deciding to not have children was something 'fixed' when she did become pregnant at the end. To say nothing of their blatent bastardisation of neurodiversity. It was all so bad it jump started critical thinking in me!

12:20 I dont understand how trans panic is a valid argument... like its litterally "I killed them because they were trans" but somehow people pretend its not just state sanctioned bigotry

19:10 It goes beyond that too when you consider the implications These characters are meant to be so desperately lonely they'll settle for any woman who gives them any attention and they still wouldn't date trans women. The implication being that trans women are both not women, and that even "beggars can be choosers" when it comes to trans women, that they're undesirable to the undesirable.

I think I remember another queer character you might have missed: Raj goes on a date with a woman because their parents set them up, and she turns out to be lesbian if I remember correctly, and assumed he was gay and that they could be each other's beards.

huh I always assumed the "you know I'm a dude right?" was more of a case of mistaken identity...like stuart just thought she was a tomboy and didn't realize the person he was out with was a dude

I got an ad part way through, and I got confused for a sec lol “Now, let’s get into the trans-SIZZLING BACON”

Growing up a queer nerd I always apriciated that my nerd friends were my safe space. Later others came out, but when we were kids we were safe because we shared a love for so much. I never got that feeling from Big Bang.

I was NEVER a fan of Big Bang Theory. I always had the feeling that the show was laughing AT the geeks all the time. Nobody feels like a real person.

You tried to watch the Big Bang Theory three times? Blink twice if you need to be rescued.

22:16 Can we also talk about the inadvertent racism of Sheldon mentioning a "skin condition", and when we finally see them there's no actual skin condition to be seen (24:42)? I'm gonna chose to believe it was an oversight, but it's a pretty terrible one at that. Another example that's seared into my mind is the Season 2 Episode 2 aka The Codpiece Topology: Leonard: Uh, what about that girl last year at Comic-con? Raj: Doesn't count. Leonard: Why not? Raj: What happens in costume at Comic-con, stays at Comic-con. Howard: You're only saying that because of what happened to you. Leonard: What happened to you? Raj N-n-n-nothing happened to me. Howard: It wasn't your fault, Raj, he was dressed as a green Orion slave girl. Raj H-h-h-how did we get on me, we were mocking Leonard for not moving on. [...] Technically it would only be rebound if he and Penny had actually engaged in physical intimacy. Howard: You mean like you and Richard the slave girl? Raj: I bought him dinner and we kissed once, that was it. (Leaving) And he told me his name was Kimberley! Just one more case of "haha man got trapped". This is why I'll never understand how transphobic queer people exist, from their view trans women are "just men in dresses", how do they not realise that that rhetoric pushes queer and gender-nonconforming men into the crossfire? Transphobes have never stopped to distinguish between a trans woman and an effeminate man (queer or straight) because they don't actually care about queer/GNC people either, trans people are just the lowest hanging fruit for them to pick on. It's just a rebranding of the "predatory homosexual" trope, transphobia is rooted in traditional gender roles which queer and GNC people are also targeted for. An attack on trans people is an attack on anyone who doesn't conform to those traditional roles.

"Women can have Adams Apples, too." Yup. And facial hair, and a receding hairline, and a low voice, and pretty much anything else that we have to deal with. Most cishet people have this idea in their head of "male" and "female" being these completely separate species without any overlap. I mean, I'm living proof sex isn't binary. AMAB, supposedly went through male puberty; got seen as a woman for a long time before I was even out to myself as trans. Even when I cut my hair short, people thought I was underage cause I looked so young. I mean, I tend to dress really masc most of the time now, I don't shave my body hair, I don't wear makeup, I don't do anything with my voice, I have a side shave haircut, and I have my hair slicked back and in a pony tail half the time, and STILL PASS.

I want you to know that your message is not falling on deaf ears. I truly appreciate your work here. I am a father raising a teenage daughter who is a member of the LGBTQ community and is in a relationship. I was a fan of the Big Bang Theory. I am always trying to educate myself on matters concerning the LGBTQ community with help from my daughter. I never stopped to think of the show on that level and thought about the issues you brought in the media I consume. Thank you very much. You have made a difference in my life from this day forward. I will like and subscribe for sure.

as a trans person i can confirm it is absolutely hilarious when i am in situations

There was a lot of psychological abuse from my moms ex husband when I was in middle school, but being told I should be flattered while he compared me to big bang theory characters still makes me want to barf

Screw you, teach! I'm not doing your lousy detention! *Skateboards away into the night*

As an autistic person, I really loved this show as a young kid. I saw myself represented in Sheldon, and my peculiarities (though fortunately I don't have the more toxic aspects). So it was pretty devastating when I realized that Sheldon was the butt of the joke, the show had him that way purely to laugh at him. Now that I'm an adult and have started transitioning as a trans woman, I appreciate your video because it lets me understand how I came to hate myself simply for existing as my true self.

I’ve not watched the whole video yet, you’ve mentioned how Rajesh was mocked for his femininity then on the other side sheldon always mocked and made jokes about penny’s masculine traits

I'm trans, bi, and autistic... I HATE this show bc I was never able to watch it without feeling like I was the joke.

I found it funny in my late teens with minimal understanding of a lot of social issues until someone pointed out how many of the jokes were "laugh at the autistic guy". It was then quickly obvious that *every joke is a stereotype joke*

They may have intended Louise to be a joke but the way he played her, if u take out the fake studio audience, was perfect. She had no reaction to Leonard staring n didn’t suddenly try to seduce him or anything, she was totally normal. N the way Sheldon talked about her in her 2nd reference showed he respected her for some of her qualities n we don’t know if she was a “bad neighbour” in any other way that could have set Sheldon off to not like her, hence his comment in the first reference. So my head cannon is she played her music too loud n has the singing voice of Whitney Houston that she uses to slay them drag shows before slapping on a badge that says Louis to go be an example of a good cop in L.A., a city known for shit cops. Keep keeping it real, Louise.

The guy interested in Sheldon is actually something I like for one small fact, if I remember correctly, he is played by Jim Parsons (Sheldon) real life husband!

Lily, I am a gender therapist working in the Pacific Northwest. I really enjoy your thoughtful, thorough, and engaging analyses of these shows. Keep it up.

Being both queer, a girl, and deeply into "nerd culture" (physical comics, sci-fi history, gaming, and microbiology, etc) during the rise of this show was SUPER uncomfortable. My parents were casual but enthusiastic fans and never really understood why I was so reluctant to join them. The show constantly references or makes jokes around the worst and the socially loudest problems of existing in nerd spaces with barely any criticism. If anything, the show condones these behaviors through deflection and victim carding. TBBT was also one of the stepping stones that helped modern pop culture appropriate a lot of these fandoms or interests by selling them as "wirky" and cool things to substitute for personalities, but heavily enforces that one should never do ANYTHING more than have a casual or surface knowledge because any deeper automatically turns you into a weirdo, emasculates you like the main boys, or for Penny's case when she got into MMOs, you lose all your feminine appeal and become completely undesirable. The show is shallow in all aspects, and the fact that it was so popular was disheartening.

I'm a straight cis guy, so not part of LGBTQ in any way, but I do like your videos. Not because I can relate them, but they're always well thought out and put together, look at different perspectives and are often quite informative at shedding light on aspects of shows sometimes overlooked, or appreciating progressiveness where it exists. Great work as always

I've noticed that in these shows the transphobia is almost exclusively just towards trans women, barely ever towards trans men. Because somehow we still live in a society where a woman in pants is seen as normal but man in dress is super funny and weird and emasculating. It's upsetting, really.

The worst part of this show was, for me, having friends I respect defend it. It made me super uncomfortable whenever they would mention enjoying it.

As a young genderqueer person I really admire the perspective you put on different corners of pop culture! It's very interesting and always cool to learn more about how the community is being portrayed in media through different years and decades.

I remember watching the Big Bang Theory with my family and we basically just spent the whole time talking about how it was steeped in toxic masculinity.

Why does the opening for such a terrible show have to go so hard

I used to love "The Big Bang Theory", because I related to all the nerdy characters, my shared interests with them, and the struggle to get a date. But when I realised I was a trans woman, the sexist and transphobic remarks made me feel alienated, as though women somehow can't enjoy geeky stuff, not to mention the homophobia and racism. It contributed to my thinking I was disgusting for being a trans woman, and made it harder for me to come out to myself. So much for the scientists and science-fiction geeks appreciating the beauty in our world.

I have no idea why but I used to watch this so much when I was younger. So much transphobia all around us is just baked into society.

You know what I hate the most? Amy being an intelligent woman .... who doesn't track her period?? She is a biologist on a high level?? Hell, I bet she could check her own hormone levels to exactly predict when her period happens. Also, she is very much portrayed as this asexual character when she's introduced. And then she has her .... sexual awakening in her 30s? Aphobic as hell. It's disgusting how they suddenly paint her as this sex-crazed lady. Also, there don't seem to be any female geeks on the show? And another thing, it seems like this show flipped the definition of nerd and geek so now I have to hear people tell me that a nerd likes comic stuff and a geek is smart. Even if it's the other way around. And you know what's the worst about this stupid show? It has such an impact that a coworker of mine told me after I tried to explain the plot of the wonderful book 'Activation Degradation' to her that she 'had to think of Sheldon Cooper'. Yikes girl. I do not want to be likened to a very bad trope character from a terrible show. (Also, read Activation Degradation, it's a great book about transhumanism with a non-binary main character.) And mind you, this coworker also reads books. But apparently the moment a book is in the science fiction genre, it's suddenly too geeky? And bad?? When there's many really great books that talk about human nature. Take Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness for example. Which at the time it was published was revolutionary on how it viewed gender in a fictional universe. Anyway, I'm rambling. But I hope you see what I mean. All of this great stuff just buried under 'eeheheh Sheldon Cooper' 🙄🙄

I interpreted "You know I'm a dude, right?" in a way that wasn't mentioned. Instead of anything being trans related, I thought the date wasn't a woman at all but was just mistaken for one. The date thought it was just a normal date between two men until he started picking up the signs that lead to the question.

The lowbrow joke on Louise's on screen appearance is so unfunny you wouldn't be able to tell they tried to tell a joke if they didn't shove an overly-long laugh track

Watching Big Bang Theory without the laugh tracks is so fascinating.

My mom watches BBT and ill join her sometimes and it can be so uncomfortable ;-; especially cause she already knows im trans

I'm as Cis as they come and I don't have an Adam's Apple. People are strange.

I don't remember any of these transphobic jokes, but I think it subsconciently influenced me into thinking that trans people were weird. At some time due to my love for video essays I came across to Contrapoints, Philosophy Tube and recently you. Now I'm grateful to see the problem of these types of "jokes" that were (and still are) present in the media

big bang theory was kind of my family's "spend time together" show. as i got older as figured more stuff about myself and my queerness, the more uncomfortable i got with it. even now, with reruns my mom puts on, i'm even *more* uncomfortable somehow, now that i'm an adult with a partner and a young child. especially with the parenting dynamic of howard and bernadette, and the fact that i'm sure that my own and my boyfriend's identities and our careers would be the subject of ridicule by the ""nerdy"" (i.e. fragile masculinity masked with entry level nerd shit) sensibilities of the show.

I loved BBT growing up. I was a little girl who wanted to be a physicist, and it made me feel like it was okay for me to pursue that dream. It still holds a special place in my heart because it made me feel seen at such a young age. That being said, I fucking hate this show. I hate that this was the thing that inspired me as a child. It's rife with bigotry and luckily I didn't internalize much of it because my family was constantly showing me different messages regarding women, queer people, and POC.

as a trans person that's hyperfixated on the big bang theory I am very conflicted about this 😭

looking forward to the always sunny episode! :)

I will say i find jokes in TBBT funny only when the women of the show are the ones making them. I found Penny to be quite a funny character many times because she punches back at the guys constantly mistreating her in very funny ways, and i also enjoyed Bernadette's witty humour and how evil she could be at times. Amy might be my least favourite tho, but i gen. think the women in the show made it funny sometimes. With that being said they got added much later in the show and they don't appear nearly as much as the men so the show still lacks humour, but it comes to show how the show could have been fun.

F🦆ck i just realize that shows like these were one of the reasons i thought being trans would be a bad thing for me(i never harrassed someone else, just felt shame for being this way). After my coming out, noone was hateful towards me or disgusted, everyone was pretty chill about it. Especially my general practitioner i knew since i was little. I was asking myself why i thought it would've been a bad thing since i never had a problem with others who were trans and i admired some people for their beauty...also no one in my area, ever expressed hate or disgust towards trans people....This thought ..the thing that kept me in my silly little eggshell, where shows like thebigbang theory, something i watched every day and could probably speak most of the episode as they aired(in my native tongue). I will always learn new things btw. in a week i get my hrt and I'm so excited. I tried to get on hrt for well over a year now...but it takes a long time in Germany. good video

I hate how nostalgic The Big Bang Theory is for me lol

Not to even mention the way Sheldon was like a mocking caricature of autistic people

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the parts where it’s implied that Amy secretly wants to be a man. In the episode where her and all the others are speaking at some kind of convention or something with penny tagging along, she randomly says to either penny or Bernadette that she often thinks about what it would be like to have a penis. Then again at the podium, when penny gets mad at Lenard and leaves, and Sheldon gives a concerning look at the camera. Also I don’t know if this is in the same episode or not, but I do remember a bit where Amy talks about what her name would be if she was a man and then pretends to have a mustache

One thing that's becoming more apparent as I'm watching these series is when they do push for these "jokes", they always have to find the most hyper masculine guy that they possible can to highlight the stark differences in typically masculine bodies compared to more feminine one's or else the joke would fall flat. It's always someone who's almost a bodybuilder with a chiseled jaw, and rippling muscles. And never someone with proportions closer to an overall average, or even feminine leaning. If they did that, then the joke would fail outright.

just seeing clips from big bang theory gave me brain damage

The way queerness was treated in the show in general was awful. We had 3 characters clearly written as Bi coded Raj, Howard and Amy but it's all used awfully. It's so bad. Like having Amy gift Penny a painting of them together whilst making loads of hints to her being very attracted to Penny whilst literally wearing a striped cardigan that has the colours of the Bi flag on it is so on the nose its cringe.

shows like this and other shows you've covered that i watched growing up really did mould my behaviours and my interpretation of queer people growing up, which sucks because looking back at some things in my past, i deeply regret being so closed minded back then. i think this also caused my internalised homophobia and transphobia, not acknowledging my bisexuality and even when i did acknowledge it, try to sweep it under the rug, and also struggle for so long to realise that i'm not cis. and now that i know i'm not cis, i'm hesitant to actually start living the way i want to because i know other people's mindsets are moulded from these types of shows and other media presented to them. i'm really glad i was able to overcome my closed mindedness from back then and also realise that i myself am queer, but sadly there's still a long way to go for society as a whole.

As someone who spent a large portion of their life in the gamer community the toxicity of the BBT friend group was one of the real things about the show. Social outcasts that group together are some of the meanest assholes you'll ever meet. Please don't think this is me glorifying this aspect. It took me twenty years to break free from my old friend group because of the fear of being alone is worse than being cut down all the time. Humans are horrible creatures and poorly socialized ones are even worse. I enjoy you channel thanks for everything you do.

Just engagin’ with the content here, Barnes

One thing about Howard's "joke" with his worst dating being robbed by a "pre-op transsexual" is that it was unnecessary, is being robbed on a date not bad enough? why was the trans person described in such a way?

Cheyenne Lin also has great videos also on the BBT! On the misogyny mostly, and also talked about Raj`s "girliness", homophobic themes etc, id recommend her videos for more examples of bigotry of the shows humor and the story in general

i am gender fluid and autistic, even when at a young age i knew to stay away from this show, it just repeled me in every way possible, but i dindt know it was THIS bad, holy.

A 200lb transvestite with a skin condition? Damn they're just like me fr

The funny thing is I did use "you know I'm a guy" two times in the past week when men were hitting on me as a trans guy so my first reaction to hearing that was "yeah that happens sometimes lol".

As a Cis male who wants to the the best Ally he can be, I appreciate these videos. They help me catch any Male Toxicity I may still have. So thank you.

Sorry guys, I can’t go out, the pretty pop culture commentary lady uploaded a video essay about transphobia in a show I never watched.

sheldon cooper would be the perfect name for a koopa troopa from mario too

If nerdy interests are mainstream now, why was i still mocked for having them in high school, which wasn't that long ago?

I used to rlly like the show when I was younger, becuz it was smth my parents would always watch, so i could spend time with them while watching it, laughing over the same stuff and bonding. But as I’ve grown older I realised how messed up big parts of the show are, including the autism „rep“

8:11 But what about your ten-hour Harry Potter video?

What's so funny about Blaine even? Like... he's just a guy who's into Sheldon. Like can you imagine how these characters would react if ANY woman was attracted to them, even if she wasn't their type?

your little jokes amidst the serious content made me laugh every time- great video!! 6:11

I'm glad I found this channel ❤ it's nice to hear someone talk about the blatantly transphobic TV shows I was forced to accept as comedy in my household growing up ❤ you Lily

Of course Big Bang Theory would do something like this. Literally one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen.

The fact that nerds are against trans and feminism really chaps my lips

This video just popped up in my suggestions and all I wonder is 'which mtg card is hanging there in the background?'

As someone who works in a nursing home and thus sees a lot of Young Sheldon on my patients' TVs (and occasionally Big Bang Theory), I am very here for this

Ooh ive been waiting for this one.

This is dredging up old memories for me, when i used to watch this show passively on TV. Icky icky.

The joke about Howard and Raj being in a gay relationship also isn't homophobic. It's funny because they're not in a gay relationship, and to imply they are makes them uncomfortable. You can be uncomfortable with the idea of someone suggesting you're in a sexual relationship with someone of the sex you're not attracted to, without being prejudiced against gay or straight people.

Thank you Lily, watching your videos gave me the confidence to come out as gender-fluid and express myself the way that feels right for me

I love that my distaste in this series is being validated over and over again. Im very nerdy and would realistically be in the same circles as the main group on big bang. So watching the series i was excited to see nerdy rep - and i wont pretend that the mainstream nerdy rep hasnt been beneficial to some people because it has - but as the show went on and as i watched, i found myself isolated further and further by the tired tropes, the sexism, and the fact that they were and are an outdated nerd. What i mean is, i assumed these guys were around my age when the series started, so dudes in their early to mid 20s. Dudes who would have had anime as they grew up and would have experienced the anime boom of the 90s... Except that the show treats anime like this hard to get, niche thing when the show first started, anime and manga was pretty common place and easier to find. But in all the show i can only recall them talking about anime once and it was essentally a super nerdy bit about how anime is so different and new and shiney... But Cartoon Network had their Toonami block in 1997, Sailor Moon, DBZ, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, were all dubbed or being dubbed and broadcast by then. Past that, there was never any mention of anime or manga fans or cons or... Anything. So not only does this show feature comedy stright out of the 1980s complete with its sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia, but it failed - in my opinion - to land with the people the show was attempting to showcase. Big Bang Theory failed to deliver actual comedy, as well as failed to showcase nerds in their many variations.

I don't know why your video ended up in my recommendations but I love it. Also love your hair. Subscribed

I'm very surprised at how I was able to be oblivious at some of the things commented on this video. Literally it never came to me that the neighbor calling Sheldon crazy had anything to do with their identity as a punchline. It definitely feels more complete now.

I tried to like this show years ago bc everyone talked about it but I couldn’t understand how it was funny since they just insulted and put each other down. That show desperately hung on to the terrible laugh track so it would “feel” funny I guess

I love the 10 hour harry potter video and wish you made more long form content Seriously: one of the best videos for when i have a 12 hour shift at the factory and need something to keep my mind occupied

"nerdy transphobia" sounds like a roblox username

just found this video, bookmarked the harry potter video right away and audibly said thank you when you mentioned 10 hours

I ended up watching a lot of BBT growing up, but I can't stand it much anymore when 1 in 10 jokes are actual good written jokes. (And now for something unrelated) I distinctly remember an episode of Two and a Half Men where Charlie meets with an ex and the ex had transitioned into a man (one of my first exposures to trans people as a concept), maybe that would be something looking into in terms of rep? I don't remember it being egregious, but it's also been /years/ and wouldn't have picked up on stuff as a baby child.

Huh. I always thought the nerd group being toxic, horrible people that we were meant to laugh at was intentional... It seemed so blatant that it didn't even occur to me that it was accidental. I thought it was a very clever parody of nerd stereotypes; meant to mock the common misconception that this is what nerd culture looked like. Apparently I was wrong?

You know, in retrospect its not surprising how sitcoms can so casually engage with male leads committing sexual harrasment. One of the key lessons in writing is to write what you know...

Your voice is great to my ears and your enunciation is so clear that it soothes my nerves. Please narrate everything in the world, thank you.

BBT aged terribly.

amazing video as always!!! also i gotta say that i adore your sense of humour lol!

It's always sunny in philidelphia is also transphobic, racist, ect. But thats the point of the show. To watch terrible people get punished.

Your videos are so comforting to me