girl meets ableism (who allowed this to air??)

[@lulaloopsey]

instagram: instagram.com/lulaloopsey/ twitter: twitter.com/lulaloopsey second channel: youtube.com/@lulapoopsy?si=hXjdx7jivP32txbc youtube has turned off my comments like 3x since posting this video 👎👎 i will keep turning them back on though

[@SarmadTechLab]

Ikr that happens to my videos all the time

[@Pukeprincess]

Screw the KZbin algorithm!

[@makemesomecoffee7821]

Off topic but, that clip in the beginning was so cute! It reminds me of how I had my tablet and barbie dreamhouse and staged little parties in my room with my stuffed animals. I miss those times.

[@nerdgeek9797]

I 😂this 😊😊

[@Sunnyflower24]

⁠I completely understand your reaction, however I believe it was aimed to raise more awareness about autism as the show was made ten years ago or more ( I think cuz they were like 14-17 and Sabrina’s 25 or 26 now) and obviously back then it wasn’t thought of as much and no one really knew how to handle situations like that in a respectful way. 😊

[@SquirmieWormington]

Theory: he lied about not being autistic so his friends would stop being weird

[@riddlersongs8544]

you’re so real❤

[@Heretowatchvideos123]

Bro deserves better friends 💀

[@PebblePot]

that makes so much more sense

[@hai2a]

You just know he’s immediately gonna stop talking to them once he goes to college

[@notme-fy7xe]

He shoulda went to that private school…

[@glutenfreemuffincake4267]

I hate how Riley’s core personality trait around smackle was “I know she doesn’t like hugs, BUUT I am going to hug her until I am successful at forcing her to adore them just as much as I do.” It’s like Riley is autism speaks around smackle

[@wardarcade7452]

Not to mention that it gives the warped message to the tween/teen viewers that anyone who doesn't like hugs must be a total freak and/or ingrate who deserves to be bullied and shamed for their tudes in front of their peers! EGADS that's a VERY toxic tude to encourage- regardless of whether or not the hug dislikers are neurodivergent! Of course, this all fits in with Riley's tude of constantly wanting to overwhelm and destroy others' boundaries (all her peers but especially Maya's and Lucas's) instead of trying to respect others' boundaries which true friends are supposed to do even if they don't like or understand the reasons for them!

[@RB-vo4gi]

There was a girl in high school who treated me exactly like Riley treated that girl in this scene.

[@wardarcade7452]

@@RB-vo4gi That's AWFUL! I hope you've been able to have other folks respect your boundaries despite that one's attempts!

[@KingOfGaymes]

She would wear a puzzle piece shirt

[@Natalie_Anne21]

There was this one girl in elementary school who would literally ambush me with hugs, we would make eye contact, she'd get super excited, and then run up to me and hug me, despite knowing I was extremely uncomfortable. It had gotten to the point I was terrified of seeing her.

[@trinitythompsontt]

They acted like he told them he had stage four brain cancer .. like he was going to die and they couldn’t believe

[@lulaloopsey]

refuse to believe that this didn’t have a role in how people treat autism like it’s a disease

[@glutenfreemuffincake4267]

100% agree

[@oooh19]

People tend to be very ignorant

[@KingOfGaymes]

Fr this would look awful in the 2000’s let alone the 2010’s 💀

[@Chronal-Rend]

Want to say this is why I use language like "is autistic " versus " has autism ". Cuz I feel like if you say somebody has something it comes across as a disease. Rather than they just are the way they are.

[@Josh-wu7kz]

It would’ve been somewhat helpful if he was diagnosed with autism, the fact they went back on it and were so happy he didn’t have it is the worst part.

[@kissarococo2459]

They could have educated teens WHY the diagnosis is often helpful: to help better prevent workplace discrimination, to help recover from past labels like "lazy" "crazy" "unfriendly" etc.

[@emmablack1230]

I feel like the reasons they didn't was so that they wouldn't have to factor that into the writing of a main character. For example, if Sheldon from Big Bang was said have ASD in the show people would be more knit picky on how he was written

[@katarinachiogna-solovey3560]

And the reason they decided he wasn't autistic was because he loves his friends like huh 😭😭

[@jasperwisecarver]

I feel like they just wanted to keep making fun of him for being "weird" and if he had a diagnosis it'd seem too ableist 💀😭

[@BlueShadow7777]

I was giving disney way too much credit and thinking "oh, maybe at the end of the episode they realize that they reacted badly and then apologize or something", but uhhhh...

[@royal6659]

The fact that Maya and Riley told Smackle, “it’s okay to be different 🤗" when she told them she had autism…as if they weren’t treating autism like it was something horribly fatal the entire episode

[@lulaloopsey]

EXACTLY if that was the lesson of this episode then why did you guys treat farkle like that & treat smackle badly the entirety of the episode

[@makaita6070]

@@lulaloopseyexactly

[@NotWhatIamMadeFor]

Exactly! Of all people Maya should have known better. She (and Shawn) have had the biggest mental health struggles out of all the characters in the BMW/GMW universe. Maya should have been the one saying "Hey guys, no matter what the results of the test say, he is still Farkle and he is always going to be a weirdo!"

[@sparkyblue7016]

@@NotWhatIamMadeFor I think they messed up a lot of maya's character on purpose. Not just for this but for other things as well, like she liked Lucas, had great chemistry with him, she was growing as a person, she misbehaved due to family issues, now she has a dad and is getting better, doing her homework and studying but wait, it isnt character development Maya is trying to copy Riley cause that is what it should be. Everyone should be like Riley and she is the strandard. A lot of times, Maya's character setting, her previous actions and current ones didnt match. They progressed her but degressed her again, because they werent developing Riley in that way. So to me even that reaction from her didnt seem genuine and out of character to treat Farkle that way.

[@wardarcade7452]

@@NotWhatIamMadeFor I know you meant well but calling someone a 'weirdo' isn't an automatic term of endearment. IMO, it would have been better had Maya said something like 'Hey guys, no matter what the results of the test say, he's still Farkle and we'll always like him for who he is!'

[@scollaceyuri]

farkle deserved better friends tbh

[@wardarcade7452]

As did Maya,Lucas and Zay!

[@caitlingill]

@@wardarcade7452so basically Riley is the problem 😂

[@wardarcade7452]

@@caitlingill NAILED IT!

[@EditedAF987]

⁠@@caitlingillthe girl met the world, and the world suffered for it.

[@The-Busy-Beeeee]

@@EditedAF987fr fr she could have been such a cool cute character if she was written better. Like she could’ve been the cute innocent type of girl who has a wonderful heart of gold. Like if she was more empathetic she could’ve been such a great character. For example she could see Smackle was uncomfortable and be like would you like an invisible hug or a high five or fistbumb or something. That’s honestly what I did with my autistic friend WHO HATED with a deep passion she hated hugs.

[@jellygirljude]

I love how they attempted to make the moral of the episode "labels are limiting and don't define you!" but then go on to make the autistic characters walking sterotypes

[@lulaloopsey]

LITERALLY

[@trumanbadra8003]

named farkle and schmackle. Im dying this is so wild

[@doefarris2189]

"Labels are limiting and don't define you!" = "you being x is uncomfortable/inconvenient for me, so I'm just going to pretend you're 'normal.'"

[@zyqa]

@@doefarris2189 YUP they were SO uncomfortable with their friend just CONSIDERING he was autistic... as if getting a diagnosis would've made him a different person or something

[@broadwaybaby8914]

Yeah… right message… WRONG demonstration

[@imnotfunny2]

as a kid watching this episode i legitimately thought that autism was this deadly brain disease which is insane since i was diagnosed with autism years later

[@Tw0Dots]

did you survive

[@imnotfunny2]

@@Tw0Dots yes… but at a cost 😓

[@zyqa]

I never watched a lot of Disney channel as a kid and had NO idea what exactly autism was until I was in high school and later found out I was Autistic. The whole time I knew Autism affected how people behave and that was about it, I never saw it as a disease or anything, just a different kind of person. I'm kind of glad I never saw this show as I would've had a terribly misguided view on Autism.. I found out about what Autism was when one of my friends in high school told me he was diagnosed. He had a lot of odd traits similar to me, but I had long suppressed them to fit in.

[@da9tailslayer747]

@@imnotfunny2 ur funny, ima subscribe to you and hope i see your comments in other videos lol

[@nai8079]

Honestly I would have thought the same thing too, but I went to school with a huge special needs program and I have a cousin with Down syndrome. I think being around people who actually have it at younger age made me understand more about the kids in the program. Especially, being around my cousin and the stereotype he’s placed it because of something he can’t control.

[@giothesailor]

The way that girl said ''let's go tell them you don't'' is legitimately disturbing everytime i watch it

[@lulaloopsey]

it’s so unserious

[@everettlovesmen]

literally like girl are you the doctor?

[@Ang3lic-P]

DUDE IT GENUINELY WAS SCARY LIKE THOSE GIRLS WERE SCARING ME .

[@veronica_sawyer_1989]

and then five seconds later "it’s okay to be different" ☺️☺️

[@smashedmelon3156]

I felt so threatened like It when really culty sounding?

[@writteninthestars02]

I think their negative reaction *could've* worked if Farkle had actually been autistic and their reactions could've been a learning moment. Like Farkle telling them, "autism isn't a disease. It's just who I am. I'm still Farkle. Now you just know a little more about me." and instead they went "psych! he's not autistic he's just WEIRD." like come on.

[@hannahnicold7455]

right. it could’ve been a commentary on how autism is perceived and treated in our society but they ended up just reinforcing that negative narrative surrounding autism. such a shame.

[@sarahthomas8670]

Right

[@anniej844]

10:47 the thing that annoys me is that, (I’m assuming this Farkle kid is the “weird” one of the group) is that they call him weird all the time, literally joking about how he’s so odd, but the second he says he’s autistic they’re all “but you’re so normal????”

[@cupio-stardust]

Unfortunately that’s my family right there. They’re always saying, “you’re so weird” “the odd one out” but when I said I might be autistic they switched up super fast. “But kids with autism can’t do the things that you can do, you’re too smart and normal to be autistic”

[@Groggle7141]

@@cupio-stardustTo be fair, there are specific signs in people with autism than just being “weird.”

[@cupio-stardust]

@@Groggle7141 but I show literally more than half of typical autism symptoms.

[@onettaviator5396]

​@@Groggle7141 That's a pretty big part of it, though. Speaking as someone who was diagnosed as a baby.

[@lxmesoda]

"but you dont LOOK autistic.. 🤨" typa shit

[@MadamPigeonx]

If this school was real and I was in this class, I would dread going every day. These main characters are insufferable and they would give me social anxiety

[@lulaloopsey]

STOPPP THATS SO TRUE

[@louyou6614]

​@lulaloopsey In real life we would be complaining about her dad favoritism , like parents would have been involved , they often dont study or he change the lesson to fit his children

[@mentalish9417]

@@louyou6614In real life they made it so that the teachers kids were never placed in their parents class

[@louyou6614]

@@mentalish9417 idk about it , last year my physic teacher had his son in his class , but ngl , that teacher was competent and preoffessional , and like , we all loved him , so i dont think anybody felt like there was favoritism , and his son was good at physic so he didnt interact in class that much

[@halatiny6537]

My eyes would roll out of my head

[@MM-dw5ir]

I was expecting them to be in denial about his diagnosis and then learn more about it and embrace and accept it at the end, i was NOT expecting him to be like, “uh nevermind lol”

[@lazarus_reversal]

why would he embrace and accept it? this was back in the day lol, people treated it like a death sentence back then (even moreso than they do today) lol

[@bluewolf2708]

​@@lazarus_reversal 2014-2017 was not the stone age.. it's not that different, and anyone who knows about Autism knows that. This comment is very disrespectful.

[@joshraid1550]

@@lazarus_reversalI was autistic in 2017, what the fuck are you talking about?

[@SamSeth1996]

Anyone diagnosed before these years?

[@katarinachiogna-solovey3560]

What's worse is the reason they decided he wasn't autistic.....it's because he loves his friends 🙃

[@granautismo69]

As an autistic person myself, this just fucking hurts to watch. I'm not a prodigy, I'm a dumbass who's terrible at maths but can play instruments and draw anthro animals. My autism isn't a disease, it's part of my identity.

[@granautismo69]

I can also infodump about My Singing Monsters til the cows come home, as you can probably guess by looking at my pfp. Like how Bellowfish is mostly a Breaking Bad reference.

[@gaolen]

@@granautismo69 ive never even heard of it, please summarise it for me

[@granautismo69]

​@@gaolenBellowfish's reveal poster resembles the breaking bad logo, its elements are crystal + mech and its default names can be Heisenberg, Jesse, Skylar, Walter, Mike, etc.

[@gaolen]

@@granautismo69 i see, sounds interesting. maybe ill look into it

[@KingOfGaymes]

It’s so upsetting that autism is only shown in media when it’s the “good kind” like being super smart. It sucks

[@vampireinsomniac2251]

When I was diagnosed, I felt relief knowing what was up with me. Seeing these characters act like autism is a death sentence genuinely hurts.

[@introusas]

I literally cried tears of joy when my diagnosis finally sunk in, and since that day my quality of life and self worth has increased exponentially. Neurotypicals should not be allowed to write autistic characters, END OF.

[@littlemoth4956]

@@introusasBro what? That’s such a far claim from what anyone was talking about here. Autistic people can only be hurt by gatekeeping the writing of characters on the spectrum. Neurotypical people should definitely confirm their writing with neurodivergent people if they are writing such characters, that’s a given. But barring them from writing neurodiversity altogether? That’s just bizarre and unhelpful.

[@m.htruth8880]

​@@littlemoth4956Autism isn't the only type of neurodivergence

[@m.htruth8880]

Honestly accepting lables can be pretty bad. I don't really understand why ppl do it.

[@lexiatel]

Does that mean abnormal people shouldn't write normal people?

[@smolson8471]

Gotta love how how they explicitly show how not to react to a friend being autistic. even with Smackle, as someone with autism who usually gets overwhelmed by touch I would hope that a decent friend who knew that wouldn't take every opportunity to hug me while shrugging off my discomfort.

[@wardarcade7452]

Riley practically spelt out that Smackle not adoring Riley's hugs meant that Smackle was ungrateful and/or there was something wrong with Smackle. And let's not forget that not only was Riley's tude not called out but viewers were expected to adore and ID with Riley! BOO!!

[@ssscout]

i hate that i grew up thinking that part of being autistic was not fitting in or being perceived as "normal" - we live in a disappointing world

[@lulaloopsey]

ableism is truly taught

[@ssscout]

real@@lulaloopsey

[@woobiefuntime]

@@lulaloopsey I never totally cared after a while. I knew I wouldn't fit in .

[@AyshaLovesYou]

It’s so funny to me because I really “fit in” in high school. I was part of the “popular” kids crowd. I was late-diagnosed at 25 and it’s because I am amazing at masking and “fitting in” with the crowd.

[@Tw0Dots]

wait so its not??? idek anymore

[@BlinkOfAnEye1331]

Idk why, but I always took him saying “I’m just Farkle.” As a ‘I do have it but you reacted weird so I’m lying and reacting how you want me too’

[@avinatine]

SO TRUE

[@joshraid1550]

I hate when they refer to him as “farkle-y” like they literally acknowledge that he’s different from other people, but in like this patronizing way, then they deny that it could possibly be a condition.

[@n0b0dy--]

This is how I've been treated my whole life, since I'm not diagnosed I talk about my own autism-ness this way. Of course this is offensive for other people but I quite like it, especially when I see it happen to other people like I'm not the only one. Like when I was younger everyone thought I was just weird but that's just the way I was. I've been trying to tell people my whole life THERES A REASON FOR IT AND ITS NOT ALWAYS FUN FOR ME

[@TECH097]

Autistic here, was gonna say if this episode ended with Farkle saying he wasnt autistic and everyone cheering and the audience clapping that would've been the funniest shit ever. Absolutely TASTELESS for sure but man it would've been ridiculous haha

[@katarinachiogna-solovey3560]

They decided he wasn't autistic because he loves his friends....🙃

[@TECH097]

@@katarinachiogna-solovey3560 "Don't worry we cured him with hugs, that's how we'll cure Smackle uwu"

[@Darkstalker1012]

@@TECH097 🤣🤣🤣

[@Bee-rt5qf]

⁠@@TECH097 not the uwu 😂

[@gaolen]

i mean tbf the threatening tone in which the girls tell him hes not autistic is pretty relatable to being called agressively "but youre nothing like my 5yo nephew"

[@thealmightybipper3381]

That's what I was thinking. It sucks, but it is kinda accurate to how some people react. Whenever I'd mention thinking I might be autistic, my mom would react just about as badly as the girls in the show. I was hoping maybe the lesson would be for the girls not to tell people how to feel. But no...

[@_bebeboudeur_]

@@thealmightybipper3381 exactly what i was thinking, it's not a good reaction but it is something that happens in real life unfortunately

[@kyletheanimator8911]

“Y-you don’t… 😟” “you DONT have autism… 😢” bruh 💀

[@feliperoa5821]

"No, you don't have canc- I mean pneumonya- I mean autism"

[@comicsans3537]

My mom, circa 2024:

[@adr3nal1ne_rush]

the amount of times I’ve had people respond to me this EXACT way when I tell them I’m suspected AuDHD. “no you’re not” or listing all these things “disproving” as to why I couldn’t be neurodivergent. and the more upsetting thing is they think they’re being helpful because neurodivergency is treated as such a disease

[@Jade.051]

You’re weird until you brought up the possibility of being autistic, then you’re the most normal person in the world😂

[@Jade.051]

@Irishmando155 That type of reaction is why I’m reluctant to tell people i’m getting an assessment next month, yeah maybe it’s nothing but their attitude may change regardless. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, I hope the diagnosis gave you at least some peace of mind, people suck

[@ctrl_cira]

Disney has somehow managed to have both Girl Meets World and Andi Mack and it makes no sense how both aired around the same time.

[@gimmefeedback]

Andi Mack would’ve handled autism MILES better than GMW. The more I hate GMW the more I miss and appreciate AM.

[@deinodinosuchus]

is andi mack good? i’ve thought about watching it (and i can’t totally tell if you thought it was good or bad by the comment TvT)

[@awaywiththefaeries9464]

@@deinodinosuchus don’t remember much about Andi Mack but the main character found out early on that her sister was her mum and her parents were her grandparents. I think there was a gay character too.

[@deinodinosuchus]

@@awaywiththefaeries9464 i do remember that much, i just don't know if it's actually good/well done 😂 i might check it out

[@awaywiththefaeries9464]

@deinodino I do think there was a controversy around one of the actors. Cause I remember wanting to watch it on Disney + and the entire first season was missing.

[@moikeycroikey]

me and my brother watched boy meets world last summer and, though it has it’s faults and arguably controversial moments, boy meets world handles topics way better than girl meets world. boy meets world could honestly handle autism better than girl meets world did for a show made in the 90s lol

[@lulaloopsey]

this is what i’ve heard now i watched girl meets world even though i’ve never seen boy meets world so i couldn’t really mention this in my video cause it wouldn’t have made sense but i easily can agree

[@Cinderspider]

@@lulaloopsey girl meets world is written by the a lot of the same team iirc so I don’t know if that’s true that they would have handled it better

[@lulaloopsey]

@@Cinderspider yeah i meant more like i think the topics were handled better but maybe i shouldn’t say that since i haven’t seen it

[@mrggy]

I grew up watching reruns of Boy Meets World and never saw Girl Meets World. Based off the description of GMW in this video, I’m surprised to hear it was made by the same people as BMW. BMW centered around very realistic plot lines. I think a lot of 90s sitcoms tended more towards hyperrealism. The communist episode of GMW that got referenced where they dress up like communists(?) would have never happened in BMW. It seems like GMW took a lot of nods from 2000s Disney shows that leaned more into absurdism. Based off how BMW went, I was expecting the episode to circle back to Maya and Riley’s ableist reaction to Farkle being autistic and turn it into a life lesson from the adults about neurodivergence and not being ableist. BMW was big on showing kids having problematic reactions and then turning that into a teachable moment

[@nihilism1652]

BMW is great honestly it’s so close to my heart. Every show has its faults but damn it gets so much right

[@clay333]

Another thing to note is the only two kids in the episode who might have autism have the strange names “Farkle” and “Smackle” while Maya, Riley, and Lucas all have typical names. This decision is very intentional, it’s like an additional step to show that they are quirky or weird, and that’s obviously what autisim is (when it’s really not!).

[@mangata.]

i was just about to mention this. major red flag from the start

[@eddardgreybeard]

Not really, considering the genius in boy meets world was named "minkus."

[@acoelomate2984]

you KNOW they “consulted with” autism speaks on this one holy shit it’s so bad but then again, the good doctor is still running after first airing around the same time that episode came out and from what little i know it would seem that they’re still weirdly obsessed with sean’s sex life so :/ we live in hell

[@AbedulTG]

No? Yes, there was this arc about Shawn (or Sean idk) discovering how he felt about sex and that stuff, but it actually ended, and it happened in between of (I think) season three. It was just for some chapters ^_^

[@cupio-stardust]

@@AbedulTG exactly, I think an arc like that would be good even if Shaun wasn’t autistic, since discovering how you feel about it is important for future relationships.

[@katarinachiogna-solovey3560]

I wanted to watch The Good Doctor so bad, because I heard it was a good show....I couldn't get past the first episode with how they talk about autism :/

[@demo2823]

​@@katarinachiogna-solovey3560Same, but I couldn't get through the opening scene where the rabbit gets killed. Speaking as an autistic person with a comfort rabbit.

[@sydneyknobloch4095]

​@@demo2823what's your rabbit's name

[@namechangermcgee]

i'm older gen z so i never saw girl meets world, but wow. wowww they screwed that up so bad. that's so raven would've bodied an autism plotline wtf was this 😭☠️

[@jellygirljude]

Same here; I never watched this show so I wasn't aware of this episode but god they just felt the need to pack every single autistic sterotype into one character in 25 minutes 💀 I'm tired of autistic people always being the "quiet genius bookworm" archetype in media.

[@katarinachiogna-solovey3560]

I'm older gen z and i watched it 😂 i watched disney til i was like 17 lmao

[@Tw0Dots]

so am i? But I watched it Plus since it was a BMW spin off, my mom watched with me :)

[@hnichole]

I was young enough to still be interested when GMW began, but kind of phased out of Disney in later seasons. But even back then man, I knew GMW was trashhhhh. I remember turning the TV on for background noise for a few hours (I do homework to TV, not music lol) and this was one of the episodes that came on. Even then, as a minor, my jaw DROPPED, I could not believe this was something that was actually permitted to air.

[@wyatt778]

Fr 😭 thats so raven is so good at handling serious topics, the most famous being the racism episode (where raven isnt hired for a job because shes black)

[@glutenfreemuffincake4267]

The entire episode is literally Farkle and Smackle being like “it’s okay to have autism” And everyone else being ableist and literally the same as autism speaks and treating autism like he is being diagnosed with a form of cancer

[@steffy23456]

The thing is, the way his friends acted, the specialist and even Farkle acted was realistic. I related to some of the aspects of that, as an autistic woman myself. The problem is that the show portrayed this as good and desireable. No, Maya and Rikey invalidating Farkle's experiences and saying that he won't do his "ha" s anymore is painful. It wasn't something funny, it wasn't something good. If they made a point about those attitudes being bad, about the invalidating, the gaslighting and the disrepects being called by their name, it would have been much better

[@Jade.051]

That’s what I say, their reactions and attitude towards the possible diagnosis could have been used to show how that’s not how to treat autism and bring awareness to it, real awareness, pointing out hiw those behaviors were horrible and learning to embrace it

[@KANGAXRUU]

"F-farkle... this isn't you!🥺"

[@charliecat2948]

When Farcical says “They think I might have autism” the was Riley and Maya stood up and like started moving towards him was so intimidating it’s weird

[@yellobanana6456]

why is it so scary

[@jadeshepherd8627]

So intense for no reason

[@charliecat2948]

@@jadeshepherd8627 fr

[@videobirdshow]

How the heck is the episode of Suite Life Of Zack & Cody where Cody pretends to be dyslexic banned for ableism, but This episode is ok? That’s beyond me

[@amakichou]

It wasn't Cody, it was Zack. Cody was mad at him entire time, because he knew that what he was doing was bad and not fair for their friend, who really had it.

[@spntageous5249]

i think it was banned because they thought that kids would start pretending they had dyslexia because they saw it work out on tv....... and not that much because it was insensitive

[@stellamariss3335]

@@spntageous5249that’s what I would assume as well. Because in the show they made it out to not be a good thing to fake so they didn’t like make it okay to fake it. It’s just kids might get ideas just suppose. I would say the message of it was pretty okay since Cody was telling him it was wrong.

[@melissamurray8307]

@@spntageous5249People like to self diagnose themselves as autistic all the time.

[@Groggle7141]

I don’t get it. When you are diagnosed with autism, that means you have always had it. Nothing about Farkle would change if he got the diagnoses. Would his friends treat him differently if he was diagnosed?

[@gaolen]

somehow people will start acting diffrent once they know yeah. either in a positive way because it all makes sense now, or they start paying more attention to your autism traits and suddenly find everything annoying or weird. and of course theres the good old infantilization

[@imbluedubbadee]

8:31 I *think* the joke is that sometimes we misread social cues, a lot of us nuerodivergents don't realise we're being hit on, and some of us overcompensate with setting boundaries worrying that anyone might be hitting on us without us knowing. Idk if that makes sense to anyone else 😅

[@snowikitt1558]

That’s what I thought too? But I’m not really sure

[@mebii3830]

Honestly that is probably the intention but also the whole "stop hitting on me" bit does feel like something an autistic person might joke about, although nobody else probably gets that it's a joke. It's just a silly little hc/theory for me

[@witchassbitch3]

@@mebii3830that’s exactly how I always interpreted it. It was a bit she had with herself

[@catbatrat1760]

Oh, maybe!

[@catbatrat1760]

The only thing I could think of was maybe since she was asking Farkle a question and then that other guy replied for him, maybe "Stop hitting on me" was, like, a sarcastic way of telling him "I wasn't asking you" or "Stay out of this".

[@haveagoodmourning]

this is a very Glee style of show-writing and I mean that as an insult

[@lulaloopsey]

this is my favorite comment

[@tillyyy444]

man i loved this show as a kid :/ never realized how weird and ableist it was…

[@lulaloopsey]

you are definitely not the only one i think people give this show a lot more credit than it deserves because of not only nostalgia but the fact it had the chance to have good representation & a good storyline but completely fumbled that chance

[@nanaisalwaysbored]

same I didn't realize that maya and josh's relationship was weird :(

[@lemonadec0re]

Me too

[@MagicalGirlFia]

This is a good video. I’m so glad someone’s finally alone laying how strange this is. Like seriously, when I got my autism diagnosis the doctor was just like “yeah, you have autism” and gave me a peppermint. It wasn’t like he was sitting me down to tell me that I had cancer or anything. Also unrelated but I have subscribed to your channel.

[@lulaloopsey]

i’m glad you enjoyed! :D & yeah people online like to treat it so weirdly when we are just human beings like anyone else

[@nebulamarshmelon21]

ik I'm a year late but it varies. luckily I think we are getting treated more equally as time goes on but my doctor somberly said I have Autism (used outdated term tho) and I kid you not my grandma gasped so loud and started crying??? I was only 9 or 10 so I literally thought it was some sort of deadly illness💀💀

[@catbatrat1760]

"the doctor was just like “yeah, you have autism” and gave me a peppermint." This made me laugh in a good way. 😊

[@mimoa769]

as a kid i related to farkle heavily like i never felt so seen even though I was AFAB and a POC i just felt seen personality wise. A few years before i remember "Aspergers" being brought up by a teacher so i decided to research it myself and i related to it i thought it was just a descriptive word so i'd tell people i had it i was really happy they brought it up in the show then I remember not bringing it up for years after that episode i wouldn't even say I had it i'd tell people that "they said i might be but don't worry" i was ashamed after this episode I'm so glad I now am proud of my diagnosis

[@lulaloopsey]

i related to him too even without realizing why & i’m glad you are too!

[@artsyhoodies]

Watching Farkle and Smackle interact near the end of this episode was great. I love that he actually asked if he can hug her since EVERYONE knows that she does not like to be touched (cough cough *Maya* cough cough). The interactions between Smackle and Farkle were the best representations of how someone should treat someone with autism and the best way to react to someone saying they might be autistic. Anyway, Girl Meets World was such a fever dream sometimes, I swear.

[@catbatrat1760]

That whole "Yeah, I know you don't like to be hugged, but I'm gonna do it anyway because screw you" schtick really pissed me off.

[@moon_rose4437]

i feel like, if they had made this an entire arc over several episodes, it could have brought awareness to what ableism looks like, and how it actually effects autistic people. imagine if farkle had lied about not having aspergers because of how badly his friends reacted to hearing the news, and he wanted to please them and stop being diminished or told that he's wrong. maybe at the end of the episode, there's a scene implying to the audience he actually does have it, then, over the next few episodes, we see the toll of how hard he's trying to mask, and hoe much it effects his mental health and relationship with his friends. we see how frustrated and increasingly angry he gets at how they treated him, and begins to resent the fact that he has to hide who he is just to cater to their perception of what autism is. eventually, theres another episode dedicated to exploring his autism, but this time, his friends see an institutional or outward example of ableism, and get mad at the mistreatment, acting like theyre better than whoever was being ableist, only for farkle to finally snap and tell them thats exactly how they act and have treated him, and he reveals that he lied about his misdiagnosis, and has had to pretend to be "normal" to be treated the same as he was before it. this causes the rest of them to actually reflect on who they are and how they veiw autism, and pushes them to change their perspective. then, they have a heartfelt scene, where they apologize to farkle and tell him they love and accept him, and that they dont see autism as a bad thing. this way, we see the friend group actually grow as people, and the audience gets to learn that maybe their pre-conceived notions are also wrong, and that even if you think you are a good person, you can still mishandle situations. of course, this would require competent, non-ableist writers, which girl meets world clearly lacked. it's unfortunate that we got this horrific episode and resolution instead.

[@naiyadyani2466]

Dang, that would have been so good!

[@afellowpotato]

That'd be great!

[@catbatrat1760]

Yo, I LOVE this!!!!! :D FIX-IT FICS FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hannahstacy7948]

The thing that drives me insane is that the writers KNEW how a normal reaction should go, like smackles, and maybe slightly like lucas(we don’t see it here but from what I remember he wasn’t judgy or freaking out, he said something along the lines of “okay can you tell me more about it” And yet the writers CHOSE to have Riley and maya be like that

[@stellamariss3335]

Lucas’s response is what it should be, and what is natural for me. But I feel the only reason they made Lucas so nonchalant is cause his character is written to be aloof. Which sucks cause that’s the best way to respond.

[@benissopopular]

ok this show had such a big opportunity with the characters and dynamics they set up +storylines from bmw and they fumbled it. this show would do SO well with more progressive writing. (i mean as a kid i questioned a couple times whether riley and maya were about to kiss...)

[@lulaloopsey]

i definitely agree this show had the opportunity even in this case to have genuinely good representation with farkle, smackle, & potentially riley (no way she wasn’t at least neurodivergent) but absolutely fumbled it in every way with the bad writing/acting which eventually led to its cancellation for a reason.

[@wardarcade7452]

@@lulaloopsey Whether or not Riley was neurodivergent, having her peers and even her parents treat her as though she was a flawless saint with no need to try to change for the better wound up doing Riley no favors.

[@sapphic-emi]

growing up as a girl with undiagnosed autism, i was already going to autism speaks fundraisers set up by family members for my cousin, and this episode certainly did not help my view of asd. i was only just diagnosed a year ago, and looking back at one of my favorite shows growing up and how it handled this issue was severely upsetting. it makes me feel a bit better though that the whole show was really bad when it comes down to it lol. riley and farkle definitely have autism as well as smackle, and smackle was honestly the only good character in this show. thanks for reading my essay lol

[@rampion1228]

Sorry to be replying to a year old comment, but this just made me think of an absolute perfect twist for the episode: say if Riley got her hands on the test and started reading through it in a sort of "see how ridiculous this is" and then realised slowly that it all applied to her, leading to her being diagnosed with autism and having to have in depth conversations about it with an autism specialist and learn to accept that it's part of who she is. They had an absolute slam dunk lined up 😭

[@petreasupagain5036]

I feel like the most accurate thing about this episode is farkle’s friends reactions to the possibility of Farkles diagnosis. The negative reactions to the idea of their friend being their idea of “too different” being so bad they try to deny and police his behaviour is sadly something that many people in the autistic and ADHD community have to tolerate and deal with on a daily basis. I also think it’s incredibly telling when they turn around in the last scene and say “there’s nothing wrong with being different” after we just went through an entire episode showing how “different” people are actually treated. I’m not saying everyone who isn’t on the spectrum behaves like this but this happens so much that the writers have even had to include it, I just wish they could have handled it better.

[@Jade.051]

Yes and they could have used those reactions to step by step them learning to embrace the boy’s diagnosis, it would have been a good episode of showing how it’s not a death sentence to have it

[@AerynKDesigns]

I, as an AuDHD person (unlike the creator saying that it'd only be typicals that didn't track with them), agree with you more than the creator. The kids' reaction didn't shock me at all, it's the common denial that there's anything medically different about the boy, because being different is (still) seen as wrong or worrying. Being "a little weird" is drastically not the same as a medical/psychological diagnosis that they have to accept. Then as the children learned about the spectrum and that it's nothing bad or to be ashamed of, they could have recognised the boy's traits and happiness with his diagnosis. The first part wasn't the problem for me, it was the lack of follow through, and I think it had to do with not wanting to "deal with" writing an authentic character when they were only getting paid for one awareness episode.

[@petreasupagain5036]

Thank you, This is what I’m saying I feel like this could have been an amazing “special episode” about how people who know absolutely nothing about Autism and adhd can be frightened by it to the point of unknowingly treating their friend on the spectrum with prejudice and how to overcome that from their perspective while also telling kids on the spectrum that it’s not a death sentence and they can look at it as complicated but not all bad. Instead we got a “oh thank god he doesn’t have the *ASPERGERS*” and a sob story from the actually autistic character and no accountability from the main characters about how they acted about a POSSIBLE diagnosis. I really feel for any child on the spectrum who saw this on TV and I’m a little disappointed by the writers but not surprised.

[@bella-gx4uq]

I have autism and I remember watching this show repetitively, I just forgot about this episode until I finished watching this video. The clips made it feel like such a vivid memory, it felt so off and I didn’t realize what autism really was until way after but imagine if I did have more insight on my autism and have more knowledge on what it means that could’ve really made me feel bad about myself. Wow

[@videobirdshow]

UPDATE: I saw the ACTUAL ending of the episode. Farkle and Smackle were talking to each other, Farkle tells Smackle “I might have Asperger’s”, Smackle responds with “I have Asperger’s”. Riley and Maya were sitting RIGHT THERE and didn’t do crap about it. Have you seen that part?

[@gaolen]

(sorry for possibly dumb but this is a made up alternative ending right?)

[@videobirdshow]

@@gaolen no, it was the REAL ending

[@TheProxy066]

@@videobirdshow What about what was shown in the video?

[@videobirdshow]

@@TheProxy066 🤦‍♂️ watch the ending when Farkle and Smackle meet each other

[@Breakfast_at_]

Most people just don't like the show so they won't bother. I watched it myself and i can vouch for you

[@isabellapeterson599]

When I watched this. I remember thinking “why is that bad?” Looking back it’s like 😃

[@lulaloopsey]

i couldn’t even comprehend what was happening if you asked me what this was about as a kid i wouldn’t have been able to tell you it was beyond confusing

[@Pukeprincess]

This episode made me basically stop watching this show as a kid. I was already insecure about being autistic as a child, I tried to make sure no one would find out, after this episode I referred to myself as beast like and even said that I was “always acting like a drunk person” because of my diagnosis. I couldn’t see the show the same after they treated me like this. I’ve seen the majority of people dislike the episode for but never seen anyone talk about it. Autism is often portrayed in a two dimensional high school stereotype way, especially in unfunny sitcoms (thanks Sheldon), and I thank the gods that we have characters like Julia. Thank you for this video.

[@Jayforeman3047]

OI always felt like Girl Meets World tried so hard to be a meaningful young adult but forgot that it was a Disney Channel original sitcom with only a certain amount of jokes they could use. I just felt like every time Mr Matthews opened his mouth there was just a waterfall of pretentiousness coming out. I swear they never just did a history lesson where they learned the facts and it was always just Corey directing some overblown profound lesson at only 4 of his students.

[@sailor.neptxne]

each day was only one class, history. and each class was a few one liners from corey, then rebuttals from riley, maya, and farkle

[@Anonymous-rs1ue]

​@@sailor.neptxnealso side comments to the rest of the students which were hurtful.

[@SoupBoi96]

​@@sailor.neptxne to be fair that IS the formula of all sitcoms that feature kids going to school lol.

[@decodas]

This show always felt so weird and...empty to me? Like the school environment was so awkward, like it was just an empty backdrop for the main characters to exist in. And the girls always felt so rude and uncomfortable to be around. Especially side characters and teachers. Like no one would act like this Irl? This show was always on the background when I was a kid, the only real thing I got from it was the teacher explaining how Iceland got its name. Really not surprised any of its “actual messages” they tried to teach flunked HARD.

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

As someone that did actually like this show when it aired, it’s amazing to me just how badly it’s aged since. It’s far more shallow than I thought and the scripts are juvenile. Compare it to the original Boy Meets World and there’s literally no contest.

[@Eliaskip]

tbh as a child, i only watched girl meets world because i thought sabrina carpenter gorgeous (i still think this lol). as an adult, i went back and watched boy meets world and oh my gosh. what a masterpiece. girl meets world couldn’t even compete

[@BratzRockAngels]

Love the Jinx pfp. 💗

[@anastasiabennett4854]

Not at all, they completely ruined the legacy with girl meets world

[@kevinballerino426]

Idk why but when I first saw this episode I was convinced that I was dying, they talk about autism like he’s got cancer then the “happy ending” is that he Dosent have it….

[@oliviarose7108]

the way the girls react to him saying he might be autistic is so aggressive jesus :')

[@adultishgambino1]

Imagine a 90s episode of a kid questioning their sexuality and his friends do everything in their powers to convince him he’s straight then the episode ends with him figuring out he is straight but they bring in another random character that is gay and tell her they’re accepting of her and want to be friends only to never see that character again.

[@johnh.mcsaxx3637]

To be fair, the girl that had autism at the end did become a regular character in the next season. Then again, that season was the worst season, so it wasn't the win for representation Disney thought it was.

[@BlackCherryLimonade]

18:22 this scene actually made me cry cause why is Farkle so sweet and amazing

[@DistantCircusMusic]

I really wouldn’t mind an episode about internalized/systematic ableism, since it sadly is a very realistic reaction. But the way the show doesn’t even try to act like the way they’re acting is wrong…

[@izzysolo8962]

I grew up on boy meets world and never rlly got into girl meets world, but holyyyy shit that’s horrendous 😭 the way they treated Farkle reminds me of how I got treated when trying to tell people I was autistic

[@wowsports8800]

I was the entire tome like "why are they being such bullies and acting like that's a sad thing??" About the diagnosis, this episode got me so pissed as a kid

[@cami_triz83]

Damn this really got me. I used to be in this friend group... Recently i had a friend say "bring cami from 2019 back", which was a period of intense masking and lots of thoughts about ending it all. I used to make messed up dark humor jokes just to fit in with them, which eventually caused me so much shame and led them to mock me and make me feel guilty for being sensitive and "soft" (now I know I struggle with hypersensitivity). Someone else in the friend group would also laugh at me by calling me "special" whenever we disagreed about something. This ain't even half of it but man am I glad I finally cut ties with them. It hurt but it's such a relief now

[@jadeshepherd8627]

The friend group really sounds like a friend group I was in -_- fucking jerks, hope you have better friends now

[@wardarcade7452]

Very interesting observations! Let's also not overlook how Riley constantly told her bestie Maya that she didn't think and was a bad girl while telling everyone she herself was smart and a good girl. This would culminate in Riley sabotaging Maya's progressing by claiming Maya was copying HER when Maya was getting good grades and staying out of trouble (and no one called Riley on it). So no surprise that she (and annoyingly Maya) would treat the possible autism diagnosis as though Farkle had a doomed, forlorn existence if he got diagnosed with it! Oh, yeah, too bad that neither Cory nor the counselor attempted to tell Riley to butt out of Farkle's biz when the counselor approached him to talk to Farkle. And, yeah, Maya was not as likable in this episode as she usually was.

[@esokalis]

giggling so hard at the way farkle is like "yeah they think im autistic" and the FEAR FROM EVERYONE WHEN THEY'RE LIKE "U DONT ‼️‼️ THIS ISNT REAL RIGHT ⁉️⁉️⁉️"

[@jadeshepherd8627]

The girls were like that meme where I think it's the character Punisher, he says "NO NO NO NO WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!" 🤣😭 Those girls were acting like being autistic is the worst thing in the world

[@solong_abigail]

I think even Sabrina Carpenter hated it, she was told to list all the shows and movies she was in and she said she purposely forgot GMW 😭

[@jadeshepherd8627]

😭🤣 when, where??? I love her so much

[@anxiousmessbugg]

As a person on the savant end of the autism scale who, i hate how they make it seem like a terminal illness. It took me years to convince my parents to get me tested and whenni git my official diagnosis my friends were si exicted because they knew how annoyed i get when i cant explain things even my own tendencies

[@realangelabaker88]

this was so interesting! you should make this a series (talking about controversial girl meets world episodes because ik there’s more😭)

[@lulaloopsey]

i love myself too much to do that to myself but i do plan to make some future videos on disney shows from this era probably andi mack for sure since it was suggested

[@kristen8052]

This episode was the first place i remember learning what autism was and i had a really inaccurate idea of what it was until I was in high school and learned that I actually was autistic

[@stephendexheimer7914]

As a fan of Boy Meets World when Girl Meets World came out I was excited to see a continuation of that story through learning about the the world of Cory Matthews daughter but immediately I hated it as the humor felt so forced, I loved that Boy Meets World had episodes that tackled dark issues such as when Shawn joined a cult or when Topenga was being harassed by a professor but Girl Meets World did not tackle these issues and then when they did try we had episodes like this

[@DazaisCrustyHair]

I struggle significantly with human touch, with only letting two specific people touch me(some people aren't even comfortable with one person) so Riley hugging that one girl made me so upset because I would feel like throwing up in her her situation

[@jadeshepherd8627]

I only let my friends touch me that way. I remember in uni, my best friend at the time was chatting to a really extroverted dude who she only met a few minutes ago then, and he hugged her. I was so anxious, wondering if he would force a hug on me so I got all nervous. Thankfully he didn't try, he noticed I was anxious so he carefully asked me smth, idk what it was but I just said no and got out of there as fast as I could.

[@whispypuffs4670]

I was a kid when i watched that episode and was undiagnosed autistic not knowing i was masking for my entire life, Maya saying Farkle will "stop doing that" when referring to his symptoms is like genuinely upsetting looking back after being professionally assessed and diagnosed because that's exactly what children who fly under the radar when it comes to diagnosing neurodivergence hear a lot of the time, it's seriously sad and i feel like the episode may have reinforced other undiagnosed people on the spectrum that their behaviour is abnormal and something that causes upset to their friends and family like it did to Farkle's friend group (which are all pretty much assholes in their own right)

[@snoozersnail]

I don't remember watching this show ever, so this is news to me on how this could possibly air. I have ASD diagnosed. I'm also pretty stereotypically autistic; meltdowns starting at the age of 2, watching spinning objects or flickering lights, hand and finger flapping, jumping around, poor eye contact, awkward movements and walking, you get the picture. However, there are plenty of people who aren't exactly "stereotypically autistic" ie, they mask frequently, they symptoms aren't displayed as bluntly, or they simply have less symptoms (for example, they have just 2 out of the 4 symptoms listed in the DSM-5). Which is completely okay, and very sad that they can't be represented often. I don't think that there's inherently a problem with having "stereotypical autistic" characters AS LONG as they are respected and represented properly with research put behind it. It seems the Smackle as a character is not the problem, but the problem is that she is being written for laughs, and to make fun of her social awkwardness. Had she simply been an autistic character, that's fine. As for Farkle, it's quite sad they wrote him off as "just being Farkle". He probably could've been a great autistic character. Disney appears to have a certain reputation with these things. Hopefully one day they won't be common.

[@lulaloopsey]

i 100% agree! you worded this perfectly

[@snoozersnail]

@@lulaloopsey Thank you so much. Good to know someone made a video on this. I was bullied and called derogatory names by peers and family my whole life for being autistic, and these shows 100% contributed to these behaviors. Sucks being called "autistic" as derogatory when that's simply just the condition I have. I'll be subscribing :)

[@th4nky0uf0rth3ven0m]

he definitely is autistic. i would have gotten a second opinion if he was my son. disney was clearly just trying to avoid having to add farkle having autism. i’m sure making it a plot point in one episode was much more convenient,disney. congrats.

[@hng966]

It is also strangely realistic because a lot of people have been misdiagnosed as not having it because they didn’t do certain things. The doctor in his care might have been wrong too. This aired quite a while back so the awareness isn’t nearly as vast as it is now.

[@JourneyThroughTime]

Deserves so much more views. This is very well covered. I used to love this show as a kid, I never thought they'd do something like this.

[@lulaloopsey]

thank you!

[@unicorn_teeth]

i never watched this show but i remember seeing clips of this episode years ago and was so bewildered. as a feminine creature with autism, seeing it be portrayed in this way is a sure fire way to instill this type of ableism in people, both internalized and externalized. the way his "friends" reacted to his diagnosis, the way they invalidated him repeatedly, and everything was so upsetting to see. plus the whole "i actually dont have it" is so baffling to me. i was fully prepared for "i dont have aspergers, i have autism" or SOMETHING but we got "nope im just weird teehee" like. that is surefire tism in that boy. i feel it. plus how they treat the girl (shmackle or whatever her name is) is frustrating too. i had to learn the lesson of respecting personal space and such at a young age and have it specifically laid out for me, so seeing them not respecting it specifically to her is so. STOP IT!!!!!!!!!! like thats rude af!!! she doesnt like hugs, dont force them on her!!!! its so simple ARRRGGGHHHH

[@wardarcade7452]

I agree! Riley's 'still have a problem with hugs' toward Smackle was uncalled for! It targeted Smackle as though she (and all those who dislike hugs) are supposed to be ungrateful freaks and prudes while shaming them for not eagerly being hugged by Riley [who the show endlessly tried to compel the audience to adore as a flawless saint]. This ignores the reality that folks who dislike hugs could be SA survivors, have neurodivergent issues and/or just dislike the intended huggers as people [which may be for good reason].And, oh yeah! Riley was VERY rude to virtually everyone not just this episode but the whole show!

[@aminaa5824]

Smthn also weird is that Riley was also clearly autistic coded throughout the whole show too, except was written that way very accidentally so she doesn’t line up with all the stereotypes

[@gloomy_glamour]

Smackle was the only one who really treated him like he was a person after being diagnosed. It makes me so sad that he is friends with them 😞

[@wardarcade7452]

Yep! Farkle was friends with those who weren't acting like friends of his- and why did his parents think it was such a hot idea to have his 'diagnosis' be revealed in front of them instead of just the immediate family?!

[@RinneAvicula]

The bit where he asks permission to give her a hug and the laugh track plays made me want to punch a concrete wall. One of my favorite memories is from the first time I attended a Social Support group for young adults with ASD, and at the end one of the other members asked if I “did hugs” and waited for me to say “yes” before hugging me goodbye. I was 19, recently diagnosed, still in the process of untangling my ingrained “masking” behaviors from my authentic self, and she gave me the opportunity to realize that, yes, I do, in fact, “do hugs”. And they made a joke out of it. Screw them.

[@catbatrat1760]

Same. :( Heck, even if someone isn't autistic, it never hurts to ask for consent. Come to think of it, most shows I've watched are pretty horrible about that in general, acting like it's okay to get all up in somebody's personal space to a ridiculous degree.

[@stellamariss3335]

There should’ve been an awww sound instead. Cause it was sweet

[@christinehurley2487]

Gonna be real here, kinda wish someone had yelled at Riley about the hugs, it's crazy how much people talk about consent and then completely ignore that it goes for more than just sex and that women are just as guilty if not sometimes more guilty for thinking they can ignore someone's no

[@lilybolanos9301]

It felt like a drastic twist from farkle which might have it to the way they treated smackle who did almost like they refused to accept it until they knew someone had it then they were fine??? As if they were always cool with it when clearly they weren’t. I do think that they keep smackle in the loop and treat her fairly well for the remainder of her time there but idk the episode is weird. Plus Riley had so many traits that could be explained with her be autistic I’ve seen ppl bring up

[@mmarceline3]

youtube kept pushing this video to me like straight up was on my feed every time i tried looking for videos so i’m finally watching 😂 you’re slay, this show not so slay!!!!

[@boywithhairlikethis]

i love the part where he asks permission to hug her ☹️ i’m autistic and my boyfriend always asks before touching me, he’ll usually say can i kiss you and where and have me point or tell him no, he never acts offended or dismisses me. it’s important that disabled or not you respect your friends and others boundaries!!!!!!

[@Imjustshrimp]

As an afab person who wasn’t diagnosed with autism until I was an adult due to things like this. Not getting tested for not fitting autistic stereotypes. I was a smart child but got burnt out, I wasn’t obsessed with trains or random things but I was really obsessed with dogs. It’s frustrating how they’ll dismiss all his traits and then still be like “oop if he doesn’t have autism”. Feels like how growing up with undiagnosed autism feels

[@marumaru2105]

I think he has it, he just said he didn’t because his “friends” were total weirdos about it

[@wardarcade7452]

Farkle may or may not have autism but he needs to find new 'friends' FAST because he doesn't need enemies with the 'friends' he's got!

[@x.s5162]

I hate that he "doesn't have it" now when clearly they made his character hit every (even stereotypical) bullet point. But I mean kinda rings true to some drs being like "you have friends, can look at eyes, get good grades. So I don't care if you have all the actual symptoms I'm not diagnosing." I hate Disney for doing this BS!

[@elliart7432]

I've never seen this show in my life but the one autistic win is that Smackle (what is up with these names-?) holds her hands the same way I do

[@ASoggyFrootLoop]

10:46 honestly hilarious how absurd this response is, my reaction to my brother’s diagnosis was “yea that tracks”, because 1: it’s not a bad thing, just like me having ADHD isn’t a bad thing, and 2: it DOES track

[@kenm.a.d.7196]

It really sucks that this was one of the first times Disney Channel featured Aspergers and this is how it went down

[@wardarcade7452]

6:12- It was most infuriating (instead of funny or cute) how Riley refused to respect Farkle's privacy via not only attempting to intrude in on his counseling session but not letting him consider what the counselor believed she needed to tell Farkle without Riley's butting it! Of course, not only did no one attempt to tell Riley to back off or butt out(or even to to scram) but it was treated as something the viewers were expected to adore! Riley TRULY needed someone to spell out that she needed to respect others' boundaries- especially those she kept claiming were her friends! Alas, show kept ramming down the viewers' throats that Riley was always a perfect sweet saint so how were the teen and tween viewers expected to understand that her behavior towards Farkle in this episode was NOT cool or even nice?

[@mayabutlikebetter2345]

This reminds me of the dyslexia episode of shake it up. I remember being so angry as a kid at how they made it seem like something the characters were ashamed of. I was never ashamed of my dyslexia. This episode really made the whole thing a huge deal that I never felt like it was.

[@juliesigtuna04]

Yea .. probably to you but all that has the same disabled don't mean we are all gonna be the same while with Bella made sense

[@captainhook4258]

i have this video open in a separate tab on my laptop while i play minecraft nd i heard farkle ask if he could hug her and i literally teared up and was so stoked (despite the entire episode being shit lmao i just got so excited abt the PRESUMED normailzation of asking permission to touch someone) and then the fucking laugh track ruined it so much ohhh my gods

[@wardarcade7452]

IMO, that show's laugh track is intrusive and annoying- and often pops up at the most inappropriate times (and has anyone met another human being who does machine-gun laughs at two second intervals).

[@TaKOart]

I don’t really remember this episode maybe I didn’t watch it? But many years later turns out I’m also autistic 😂 and it’s probably intentional but the fact that they name the clearly autistic characters the most… non human names?? Like even if it’s not addressed in the show the “comic relief character” usually has a lot of autistic traits and then always has such a weird… non name

[@annaconigliaro2907]

I got diagnosed at 18 months. I literally was in denial about it for years because of the social stigma. Honestly I'm glad the community is upset about this show because it is helping people like me feel more comfortable about that diagnosis

[@neebling]

ive only just started the video but the star septum jewellery with the matching star earrings is a slay

[@boxprophet]

Watching the way they treat him, trying to aggressively deny he's autistic, telling him he's gonna stop doing those behaviors, is giving me war flashbacks to the way my parents treat me. I am autistic. They don't even Know That, and they still act exactly the same. Also the fact that the two autistic characters are named silly shit like "Rumple" or "Fleeby" is. Insane. Like they're cartoon characters compared to the rest of them.

[@themostfrenchratchef]

this could’ve been so great if this show was competent. autism is so incredibly misunderstood

[@piemonstereater]

I feel like they were so close to making something great. All they had to do was make it so that Farkle did have Autism and the other main characters realize their mistakes and grow from the experience. Then the story could have had a message that could actually help people.

[@shau.naaaaa]

came from ur tiktok just now

[@lulaloopsey]

YAY! this is the first time one of my tik toks is actually helping promote this channel im so excited

[@krispykreme6082]

* I did 2

[@-wukq-]

Same

[@nanaisalwaysbored]

same

[@orisimi7595]

real

[@brisket_the_autistic_woofer]

I REMEMBER THIS EPISODE. When I was real little watching this, I always related to Farkle and Smackle and didn't understand why they would always call him weird. And this particular episode, I didn't even know what autism was, so I was so confused during it. Also, anyone notice how they gave the supposed autistic characters strange ass names? Like, that in itself seems pretty abliest to me..

[@brisket_the_autistic_woofer]

I was diognosed later in life btw

[@4xmakeout]

I hate how at the end of the day despite how horribly ableist this is its so extremely realistic and relatable to me. Like ppl treating it like a disease and horrible horrible thing to the point you have to force yourself to mask and lie about being neurotypical to get treated like a person again and keep having friends i hate how its portrayed like a good thing when it's such a real and terrible experience honestly

[@batgirl.with.glasses5281]

When Farkle left with the counselor the whole class looked like he was getting news that his dog died. Bro, when I was in middle school everyone would be like “What did you do this time?” or “Don’t take him, I volunteer as tribute!”

[@Piiiiiiiiit]

i only saw a little bit of this show in passing when i was younger, but the way every character was acted and written made it feel like i was watching a bunch of aliens roleplaying a children’s sitcom. Everything felt so slow, sickly sweet, and unnaturally stilted. It was…. uncanny. That’s probably the best word to describe it. Kinda freaked me out tbh, or at least it did when i wasn’t too busy cringing into the back of my skull to pay attention.