# What the fuck is going on with this Big Bang Theory shit being shoved down my throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717 "2011-11-22T04:38:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/121 "2011-11-22T21:49:24Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Man, you were in such a blinding rage that you literally couldn’t past the first 2 sentence in my 6 sentence post. That’s how far you were from dispassionate and calm - you had to rush to reiterate the exact same points you made in the previous post instead of, you know, reading my other four sentences to see that I addressed that. > > Calm down, bro. Take some anger management classes. I jumped the gun. That’s a far, far cry from being in a “blinding rage.” I was getting agitated, but that’s hardly the same thing as overflowing with fury. Earlier, I said that you were only considering two possible extremes – that one is either perfectly calm or seething with rage. I can’t help but note that you’ve continued to do so. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/122 "2011-11-22T21:50:58Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > At the very least, **SenorBeef** certainly appears to have very strong feelings in regards to his beliefs about the show. I actually don’t, really. Almost the only context I actually care about the show is that it’s up against Community, which is an actual smart show that no one is watching, and because I generally despise all instances in which people essentially feel smart for reasons that require them to be dumb. I have no particular reason to hate BBT otherwise. It’s just as dumb as a hundred other dumb formulaic sitcoms. If, for some reason, everyone who watched According to Jim suddenly thought they were all clever for watching it, and the reason you don’t like it is that you aren’t smart enough to appreciate it, I’d probably hate that too. People say BBT is a smart show, and it’s not - it’s like saying Star Trek is a smart show because it has technobabble. It’s as dumb as every other 3 camera sitcom out there - probably dumber than average even - but I don’t people who watch The George Lopez show are convinced that the only reason you don’t like it is that you’re too dumb to get it. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/123 "2011-11-22T21:51:40Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > You think that’s caustic? > > New to the Internet, are you? I said “almost caustic.” 🙂 Oh, there’s definitely a lot worse stuff on the internet, so please don’t get me wrong. Either way though, **Senorbeef** ’s words were a tad harsh, especially for someone who admits that he’s never seen more than just a few brief snippets here and there. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/124 "2011-11-22T21:57:10Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > I jumped the gun. That’s a far, far cry from being in a “blinding rage.” I was getting agitated, but that’s hardly the same thing as overflowing with fury. > > Earlier, I said that you were only considering two possible extremes – that one is either perfectly calm or seething with rage. I can’t help but note that you’ve continued to do so. DUDE, CALM DOWN. By continuing to post to this thread, you are clearly indicating that you are raging so hard that I’m concerned you are at risk for a stroke. Please watch some youtube clips that make reference to schrodinger’s cat so that you can laugh and calm down again. > [@JThunder](#): > > I said “almost caustic.” 🙂 > > Oh, there’s definitely a lot worse stuff on the internet, so please don’t get me wrong. Either way though, **Senorbeef** ’s words were a tad harsh, especially for someone who admits that he’s never seen more than just a few brief snippets here and there. Am I wrong about the show? I mean, it’s one thing to say “oh, you’ve got it all wrong, you’ve only caught the show during poor moments”, but no one has. Is the youtube clip I linked to with the SUPER HILARIOUS shroedinger’s friend joke subpar and the rest of them are much better? Is the quote that Bryan Eker’s stated earlier in the thread (“As Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the 18th century French nobleman and the Father of Modern Chemistry said as he being guillotined: ouch.”) not typical of the show? Anyway, I’ve seen it in real life a million times. Let’s say two smart people are talking about some obscure academic subject and a third person barely understands what they’re saying, but when something is clearly a joke, the third person laughs a little too hard. Because hey, I’m smart too, I get your smarty jokes hahahhaa!!!. You’ve never seen that? Only this is worse because it’s not even in-context jokes between two educated people - it’s just sort of scattershot references to things that people vaguely know to be sciencey-type things. As per my “Schrodinger’s friendship” example, the joke is so painfully lame that the only way it can get a laugh is from people who say “oh! that’s like, a smart person reference, I better laugh cause I’m smart too!” ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/125 "2011-11-22T21:59:01Z")
And the continued depiction of only two possible extremes continues… No wonder he thinks that intellectual smugness is the main reason why people watch the show. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/126 "2011-11-22T22:01:58Z")
I’m not even sure what the other end of the extremes I’d depicting would be. But it’s pretty easy to invoke the fallacy of the excluded middle instead of addressing my points. Which is exactly what someone who needs to calm down would do. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/127 "2011-11-22T22:11:52Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > The show doesn’t offer a diagnosis for Sheldon’s quirks. The speculation that he has Aspergers comes from outside the show. All Sheldon has said on the matter is “I’m not crazy. My mother had me tested”. I don’t think it’s fair to criticize the show for inaccurately portraying Aspergers when they’ve never claimed the character has Aspergers. I did not realize this. Still, for as little of the show as I’ve seen, I would guess that such a diagnosis is not too off-base. The character is clearly someone who has more going on than some run-of-the-mill social awkwardness, and that seems to be source of amusement in a way that strikes me as unpleasant and actually mildly offensive. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/128 "2011-11-22T22:12:48Z")
I like the actors in this show (mostly). But, I don’t care for the writing or the laugh track. I guess they go hand in hand. I don’t mind the laugh track on Seinfeld, because I am laughing along with that ghost laughter. But, for the most part on BBT I am not laughing along. I agree with those who say they were sold a false bill of goods by others. I got the same speech “This show is perfect for you!” Until, I watched it and realized it really wasn’t. The first episode had joke punchlines that invovled strident opinions on the order to watch the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon. That’s it. No joke, just being opinionated about what order to watch things. Here’s the thing, though. I can find a laugh or two when I watch an episode because Jim Parsons is a very funny performer. For example, in that youtube link that SenorBeef provided the Schrodinger Cat joke was lame. But, after the joke was over when Parsons angrily throws the water bottle away was a really funny bit of physical comedy. So, when I do catch a show I can find something to laugh at. But, I also find a bunch of jokes that are so lame that it negates all of the positives. The faceless Mother? That character just about sums up how trite the show can be at it’s worst. I’m not deriding anyone for liking the show. I just don’t like it very much. It’s not the worst sit com to ride into syndication (According to Jim) but, I don’t go out of my way to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/129 "2011-11-22T22:29:37Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > I think BBT is the funniest 3 camera sitcom on TV today. That’s damning with faint praise. Try this; watch the Val Kilmer film _Real Genius_ (an actually smart geeky comedy) and then watch an episode of _The Big Bang Theory_, which will make you aware of just how painfully unfunny the latter is. _The Big Bang Theory_ is what a bunch of sit-com screenwriters think that geeky people would be like; whereas my coworkers and people I know at JPL are more like the characters in the former. Chris Knight: “Do you ever have a dream in which you are standing on top of a pyramid in sun god like robes with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?” Mitch Taylor: “Uh…no.” Chris Knight: “Why am I the only one who has that dream?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/130 "2011-11-22T22:52:40Z")
Ice is nice! I love _Real Genius_. I also like _Community_, _The Simpsons_ and _The Big Bang Theory_. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/131 "2011-11-22T23:42:08Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Ice is nice! \*Kent: “What is all this?” Chris Knight: “This? This is ice. This is what happens to water when it gets too cold. This is Kent; this is what happens to people when they get to sexually frustrated.”\* Humor is subjective, but the humor on _The Big Bang Theory_ isn’t especially smart, clever, or subtle. Nor is it supposed to be; they are, after all, pandering to the wider audience of television viewers, most of whom would not understand a joke like, “Let us consider the spherical cow.” It is a standard issue sit-com with nerdish trappings, not, as someone else described, “A show for smart people.” Personally, I think _Gilligan’s Island_ is intellectually more stimulating, but if it rings your bell, go for it. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/132 "2011-11-22T23:56:08Z")
> [@pricciar](#): > > I agree with those who say they were sold a false bill of goods by others. I got the same speech “This show is perfect for you!” Until, I watched it and realized it really wasn’t. That’s similar to my experience - except with “Real Genius”. It was hyped up as something I’d adore, and I thought it was so-so. I’m not a big fan of “The Big Bang Theory”, but I think it’s ok. Some of the criticisms of the show that have been listed in this thread are spot on; others overreach. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/133 "2011-11-23T00:01:12Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > I did not realize this. Still, for as little of the show as I’ve seen, I would guess that such a diagnosis is not too off-base. The character is clearly someone who has more going on than some run-of-the-mill social awkwardness, and that seems to be source of amusement in a way that strikes me as unpleasant and actually mildly offensive. I always thought he just saw himself as being like Spock. And certainly wanted to be. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/134 "2011-11-23T00:02:14Z")
It’s one of those shows that I really liked for the first season or two, and then suddenly I was sick to death of it. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/135 "2011-11-23T00:04:31Z")
See, it isn’t a show for nerds to laugh at because they relate… it is a show for people who laugh at nerds like are depicted in the show. The characters in the show don’t think they are funny… quite the opposite. But us cool kids who aren’t nerds do think they are funny. So, if you don’t think they are funny… I guess that indicates you may be exactly like the characters 😛 Mind if we all laugh at you? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/136 "2011-11-23T06:17:56Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > So, if you don’t think they are funny… I guess that indicates you may be exactly like the characters 😛 Mind if we all laugh at you? Be my guest, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to watch a show about ME. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/137 "2011-11-23T11:23:42Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [Still the best](http://xkcd.com/386/)by a country mile. > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I can see that being an exchange between Sheldon and his roommate. I could see that being a permanent fixture on the front page of this very messageboard. It \*\*is \*\*kind of our _raison d’etre_. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/138 "2011-11-23T18:20:25Z")
I enjoy it and it sometimes makes me laugh. I have never understood the attraction or popularity of The Simpson’s, however. It does nothing for me. Sometimes you just find yourself on the outside of something widely popular. _Shrug_. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/139 "2011-11-23T18:25:20Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Sometimes you just find yourself on the outside of something widely popular. _Shrug_. Again, not the point. The point is other people trying to tell you to get “on the inside”. Have you ever had people encourage you to keep watching “The Simpsons” AFTER you’ve told them you don’t like it much (I imagine this actually has happened)? Because that’s what happens with TBBT for some reason. With regularity. And persistence. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717/140 "2011-11-23T18:41:28Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Humor is subjective, but the humor on _The Big Bang Theory_ isn’t especially smart, clever, or subtle. Nor is it supposed to be; they are, after all, pandering to the wider audience of television viewers, most of whom would not understand a joke like, “Let us consider the spherical cow.” It is a standard issue sit-com with nerdish trappings, not, as someone else described, “A show for smart people.” You do know that the “spherical cow” joke was featured on the show, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-going-on-with-this-big-bang-theory-shit-being-shoved-down-my-throat/603717.md?page=8)