*1508: Ass Burgers* Post-Air Discussion

[Big-Will]

If Mr. Mackey couldn't help Stan (well that Asperger's research center certainly did the trick, huh? ), what could Kyle do?

[NeuroHeart]

That's the thing, we didn't see Kyle try enough to get Stan some help. He only suggested he see a doctor in YGO, which Stan did, but that's when everything really went downhill. After he didn't offer anymore suggestions.

I have to give a little bit of a pass on that for being nine/ten years old. Most ten-year-olds aren't going to have a lot of good suggestions. Hell, most twenty-year-olds aren't. It's something that can take research skills and understandings that the average kid really isn't going to have. Kyle made the best suggestion he could, as a kid, which was "see a doctor." It always worked for him when he was feeling bad, so that's all he had in his tool box. While seeing a physician can be helpful to something like depression (if the physician has focus outside pathogens and such) it usually takes more than that, something a kid probably wouldn't know. I didn't start to have the faintest idea how to handle something like that until I was 25, so again I have to empathize a bit with Kyle. I totally empathize with Stan, too, I'm not taking sides here. It's even harder to be in that place than to be around someone who is. There was probably a point when Stan felt like his friends were just better off without him, because that's part of what depression like that will do. It's a massive strain on relationships, from either side, and I've had a few friendships fall apart due to this very sort of problem; both when I had depressed/negative friends, and when I was depressed myself.
They didn't handle it well. They're kids. Most adults don't handle it well, either. Neither was wholly wrong, though. There isn't much point in banging your head against a wall when it's clear the wall isn't going to break before your head does.
We also don't see all of Kyle's attempts to communicate. He listed off trying to call, going over, etc. but not getting a different response. He got tired of banging his head against the wall, and that's understandable. Stan did, too. And really, they were banging their heads against the same wall; they both really wanted Stan to be able to enjoy himself, and he wasn't. Nothing made him happy. In real life, I'd usually say that a chemical imbalance was likely responsible. Whether in the nervous system or the glands (glands would be most likely, since he's starting to push towards puberty) something went skewed and he was cynical and unhappy all the time. If the source isn't found and corrected in some way, that kind of problem gets to be a hell of a wall. I feel really bad for Stan, actually. And i feel bad for his friends who couldn't help him.

[jpotion]

I am a 26 year old woman with a high functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, and I must say that found the show to be insensitive, degorogatory, and demeaning to those of us with autism who struggle everyday to fit in with world, and being bullied and teased on national television does not help matters. I have been a huge fan of South Park since 1997, and after October 5th, I have decided that I will no longer watch South Park. Shame on you, Matt and Trey!

Come on lady,

I understand people don't like being made fun of. But that is what South Park does. If you have been a fan since 1997, you've seen them make fun of:
Jews, blacks, gingers, aids, , conjoined fetus mislexia, Muslims, mormoms, cathilocs, people with down-syndrome, scientologists, fat people, hippies, rob reiner, barbra streisand, gays, old people, christians, asians, Canadians, alcoholics, Disney, Native americans, the handicapped, Teri Shaivo, even Helen Keller.

I could keep going but I bet you get the point. They have hit pretty much everyone else, why not aspergers?

They make fun of everyone, and its hilarious. Don't be like Chef and get all butthurt when it happens to be you. If you don't want to watch anymore... fine, more for the rest of us

[Stanluv25]

That's the thing, we didn't see Kyle try enough to get Stan some help. He only suggested he see a doctor in YGO, which Stan did, but that's when everything really went downhill. After he didn't offer anymore suggestions.

I have to give a little bit of a pass on that for being nine/ten years old. Most ten-year-olds aren't going to have a lot of good suggestions. Hell, most twenty-year-olds aren't. It's something that can take research skills and understandings that the average kid really isn't going to have. Kyle made the best suggestion he could, as a kid, which was "see a doctor." It always worked for him when he was feeling bad, so that's all he had in his tool box. While seeing a physician can be helpful to something like depression (if the physician has focus outside pathogens and such) it usually takes more than that, something a kid probably wouldn't know. I didn't start to have the faintest idea how to handle something like that until I was 25, so again I have to empathize a bit with Kyle. I totally empathize with Stan, too, I'm not taking sides here. It's even harder to be in that place than to be around someone who is. There was probably a point when Stan felt like his friends were just better off without him, because that's part of what depression like that will do. It's a massive strain on relationships, from either side, and I've had a few friendships fall apart due to this very sort of problem; both when I had depressed/negative friends, and when I was depressed myself.
They didn't handle it well. They're kids. Most adults don't handle it well, either. Neither was wholly wrong, though. There isn't much point in banging your head against a wall when it's clear the wall isn't going to break before your head does.
We also don't see all of Kyle's attempts to communicate. He listed off trying to call, going over, etc. but not getting a different response. He got tired of banging his head against the wall, and that's understandable. Stan did, too. And really, they were banging their heads against the same wall; they both really wanted Stan to be able to enjoy himself, and he wasn't. Nothing made him happy. In real life, I'd usually say that a chemical imbalance was likely responsible. Whether in the nervous system or the glands (glands would be most likely, since he's starting to push towards puberty) something went skewed and he was cynical and unhappy all the time. If the source isn't found and corrected in some way, that kind of problem gets to be a hell of a wall. I feel really bad for Stan, actually. And i feel bad for his friends who couldn't help him.

I'm gonna stop playing the blame game now. True true, what could Kyle do? Mackey... isn't the best child communicator. While I still feel like he could have done more, whatever. I'm sure it was frustrating to try and cheer him up and it didn't help. But again, part of why Stan was so sad was because his friends walked out on him. I'm sure he wanted nothing more than to have them back but felt like they didn't understand enough of how he was feeling.

I still can't be too upset with Stan because I know just what he was going through. Parents divorced this year, I moved in with my dad (which sucks), and feel as hopeless and lost as ever. So I emphasize with Stan so much and wanted to see him get help in whatever form possible. It didn't have to be Kyle's doing, just as long as Stan did get his friends back somehow.

[maxbjr]

I'm going to hold off on making any judgement about what changes may have taken place in SP. After all M&T could easily ignore everything that happened in the last 2 episodes and go do something completely different. They've done it before.

[Luna26]

I have Asperger's as well, and I found the scene where the guy was blowing bubbles out of his and farting and the guy saying "hi," as he was peeing to be rather insulting. I don't like to be belittled because I am different, and I have decided that I will no longer watch South Park because of this episode!

[8shortfuse]

I'm going to hold off on making any judgement about what changes may have taken place in SP. After all M&T could easily ignore everything that happened in the last 2 episodes and go do something completely different. They've done it before.

Right there with you buddy. I'm just gonna wait until Wednesday and find out.

[cynthia325]

I am a 26 year old woman with a high functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, and I must say that found the show to be insensitive, degorogatory, and demeaning to those of us with autism who struggle everyday to fit in with world, and being bullied and teased on national television does not help matters. I have been a huge fan of South Park since 1997, and after October 5th, I have decided that I will no longer watch South Park. Shame on you, Matt and Trey!

Come on lady,

I understand people don't like being made fun of. But that is what South Park does. If you have been a fan since 1997, you've seen them make fun of:
Jews, blacks, gingers, aids, , conjoined fetus mislexia, Muslims, mormoms, cathilocs, people with down-syndrome, scientologists, fat people, hippies, rob reiner, barbra streisand, gays, old people, christians, asians, Canadians, alcoholics, Disney, Native americans, the handicapped, Teri Shaivo, even Helen Keller.

I could keep going but I bet you get the point. They have hit pretty much everyone else, why not aspergers?

They make fun of everyone, and its hilarious. Don't be like Chef and get all butthurt when it happens to be you. If you don't want to watch anymore... fine, more for the rest of us

you took the words right out of my mouth!

[NeuroHeart]

Yeah, I'm rather shocked at the number of people who seem to find this "offensive" to aspies. It didn't even really address Asperger's, despite the title. Yeah, the secret society of cynics said it wasn't real, but clearly showed their ignorance by the comment that it wasn't real because the name was mean. So they chose it as a front without really knowing much about it. End of story (oh, except Mackey is an idiot, because Stan was clearly showing classic signs of depression, not Asperger's.) I would think, if anything, the currently and formerly depressed would be upset by the message that the solution is to drink whiskey. That too, though, was something stemming from an organization that was clearly ignorant.

And, you know, taking anything in South Park personally is a really good way to spend all your time offended. Not something I would recommend to anyone. I've never once been offended by South Park. I have at times been disgusted, appalled, or incredulous, but not personally offended. (And they have ripped on plenty of things I could take personally )

[sorakairirikukh]

This episode was so sad
srsly guys you with aspergers syndrome getting all butt hurt over this episode
I've been diagnosed with a similar disorder and im not upset over it........... please...

I feel bad for stan a lot more now... he has a drinking problem now since thats the only way he doesnt see sh*t.............

Haha lets see all the the stanxkyle fans : Who fangirl screamed when stan was saying "i love you" to kyle?

[Brendle]

NeuroHeart, the message wasn't that alcohol CURES depression. The message was that alcohol makes it go away, temporarily. It numbs the pain. And that's true. Don't get me wrong, you're still awesome, but I disagree on that one.

Stan drinking the alcohol to numb the shittiness of his life...I do wonder if that's reflective of Trey.

What has happened here, is that the aspies on this board were SO nervous before this episode about their condition being mocked, that they jumped to conclusions without thinking about it. They let their anxiety get in the way of their rationality.

Get a sense of humor. You're watching SOUTH PARK. It must suck having skin that thin. Didn't you people even HEAR the interview where Trey Parker said something like "if we end up offending a group of people, we feel bad, because that's not our aim."

[JVM]

Okay guys, stop saying "They make fun of everything else" - it's true, but it's a sh*tty reason. People have all the right to be offended - telling them to "get over it" is just going to make them angrier.

I got over my anger, but I didn't get over it because a bunch of people told me to quit my whining. I got over it because I rewatched the episode and paid more attention to the dialogue and realized while they didn't seem to have much to say, they did have a point. It has always been about having a point with them - "Le Petit Tourette" NEVER made fun of Tourette's, in fact it showed the disease very accurately, over the entire episode. "Ass Burgers" discussed Asperger's but only showed it in a single scene, which makes it harder, though possible, to discern Matt and Trey's feelings - depending on your perspective on that one scene, it's more difficult to determine their point and if you see it one way, it's a lot harder to counter than with Tourette's, which discusses the disease in multiple scenes, which can be used to counter each other.

It's all about perspective.

Trey said in an interview earlier this year he and Matt DON'T want to offend people (anymore) and if they did that it means they screwed up.

I'm not saying people who are offended are correct, I'm just saying yelling at them isn't going to do any good. I didn't come to my senses because everyone told me YOU'RE WRONG, I got over it because I gave the episode another chance.

And I love how NOBODY really understands why Isaac Hayes left the show.

While I still feel like he could have done more, whatever. I'm sure it was frustrating to try and cheer him up and it didn't help. But again, part of why Stan was so sad was because his friends walked out on him.

You're correct. It kind of goes both ways - I've been in the exact sort of situation, but I made it even worse by trying to hang on to the friendship, which just really made things worse - the memories we had left were so old and we'd become different people and just couldn't enjoy each other the way we used to. We had nothing in common anymore - and we moved on. I think it's better Stan and Kyle spent their time apart and got back together when things went back to normal than try to force their friendship when it was strained.

ADDITION:

What has happened here, is that the aspies on this board were SO nervous before this episode about their condition being mocked, that they jumped to conclusions without thinking about it. They let their anxiety get in the way of their rationality.

And while I wrote my big gay speech, Brendle hit the nail on the head perfectly.

[kylekennypiptweek]

I HATE YOU not you JVM byt the little ass wipe that said a hurtful thing about Kyle! I'm talking about Stanluv! FUCKYOU BITCH!!!
I WILL FUCKINGKILL YOU YOU BITCH
*ahem* sorry I just don't like character bashing any character except Cartman I mean you wul be pissed if someone said somthing bad aboot Stan *walks away*........*comes back*...and

[spCockSuckr]

I was watching the documentary on SP and I just wanted to say the season opener was the best 30 minutes of TV I have ever seen.

I have never seen anything on TV that I could so closely relate to, and I just wanted to let you guys know that.

I've been watching SP since it premiered, and I love it. Keep it up!

CockSuckr

[LilianneKilledKenny]

I'm just wondering what will happen next. At the end, everything stopped being sh*tty to Stan, but then he still didn't look happy and took the bottle of tequila out of his drawer...
????
Will this be streched out further?
Please let it include Kenny!

1. Kenny 2. Stan 3.Tweak/Craig