Michael Falk interviews new prison inmate, disgraced financier, Brian Wasserman, and becomes spellbound by the repetitive monotony of daily prison life.
Stimming, echolalalia, desire for routine, hyperfixition, rambling. This character is a better example of autism than some serious TV dramas. Fair play to the onion.
If you're interested, and even tho it is not described as so, the movie "Punch Drunk Love" is also a formidable depiction of autism (trust me, I could almost entirely relate)
True but one of the best examples is Sheldon Cooper in "The big bang theory!" When they wrote the character they did not think of autism but with pure chance it became spot on autism! Sheldon Cooper is the very definition of autism! He is autism personified. He IS autism!
@@johansmith4764 I would disagree. Autism is nothing but a basket in which "a range" of symptoms are put into :) There is not ONE autist for me. For exemple, I'm asperger, and I can relate to Adam Sandler in PDL very easily, when Sheldon seems like a gross caricature of some of my "things".
stacking them shouldn't be too hard if they're either dead or in a deep sleep, but stacking conscious people can be quite difficult if they're not willing to cooperate. But boxes are the easiest to stack.
Not really. Instead of just repeating certain words or phrases it would have been more realistic if it came out more of a stutter than a random fixation
An incredibly nuanced performance. He must have done a lot of preparative research for this which is crazy for a 2 minute skit. But he knocked it out of the park.
@@knotshure8806 A 5% variability plus-or-minus center is within acceptable tolerances. Watch out for slivers and protruding nails - they’re usually rusty. Lift from the knees with ease, not with the back. Rinse and repeat in any given situation.
this is how you make fun of autistic people im on the spectrum, a lot less severely affected with the stims and the fixation but i absolutely love this sketch, because it takes real behaviors and presents them in a "cute" and funny way. not as annoying and overdone as sheldon and while TECHNICALLY the butt of the joke, the humor comes not from his misbehavior but from the contrast between what he likes and what other consider a punishment
Sheldon Cooper was never imagined to be on the spectrum. He has His quirks and OCDs and never learned to properly socialize because of these. His issues stacked and made him the person he was at the beginning of the show
Ive looked it up out of curiosity while watching "young Sheldon " because of the fact he was able to hear an electric ringing quite loudly that no one else could hear. It said the writers never meant to portray him as autistic, just "sheldony"
Cashier: "Well, you're not allowed to kill me." M. Falk: "Why not?" Cashier: "Cause it's against the law. You'd be breaking the rules." M. Falk: "I don't want to break the rules." Cashier: "It would be really messy, too. Look how neatly everything is stacked here. Imagine that in disarray." M. Falk: "Oh no!" Cashier: "And think of the amount of eye contact the investigators would force you to make." M. Falk: _collapses_
Omg I do that too! I used to know exactly how many tiles were in the classroom in 1st grade and I loved how I could count up to that number over and over again lol, I don't remember how many it was now, but when I learned multiplication it made it so much easier to get to that number lol
There's plenty of human contact in prison, if you mean being around people and talking. Inmates, COs, counselors, etc. Of course, you could also be a problem child and wind up in confinement all the time, so there's that too.
I’m really suprised and pleased at how many Autistic people have watched and enjoyed this and been supportive of its portrayal. The comedy of it breaks the barrier and stigma and has encouraged Autistic friends to speak out instead of locking in which better helps us all understand eachother better. That’s a real plus!
Thanks, it wasn't perfect portrayal but better than 99% of them, even while satirizing us. Comedy has always been a forerunner of opening dialogs and creating understanding. People get butthurt at being mocked, and don't take the opportunity presented.
It's impossible to be offended when it really feels like how I think, just dialed up. And seeing it as a joke makes it easier to digest and think about.
We used to bully one in high school. Made their life a living hell every single day. Now I am starting to feel we may have done something wrong. On the other hand, he acted like this, can't put all the blame on us.
I am autistic and today my husband said unironically “you know where you’d do great if you hate your routine getting disrupted? Prison.” He did not know about the sketch but now he does! Michael Falk asking the real questions “can you stack your family?”
@@samp2651there's a lot of shit clowns on RU-vid comments, why did you have to accuse OP of being one, they didn't deserve that. Ever wonder if you're the shit clown?
I love how he plays with the chair holding his excitement as much as he can. I'm autistic and everything about it is so relatable. I'd love to wear the same clothes everyday, have a strict routine, everything predictable.
You know, I always find that stuff funny. I just grab whatever clothes I put at the top before and wear them for the day. I don't plan any part of my day, because I hate when things don't go perfectly, so if I don't plan, everything is perfect then, eh? But yeah, never caught the understanding that knowing what to wear was taxing or difficult.
Srithor "Their" can refer to a single person or a group. It is to attribute possession. But that's beside the point, I'm not trying to insult you and I don't think the other guy was either. Keep it lighthearted.
"I finished speaking with Brian Wasserman 26 minutes ago and have been standing her since then waiting for you to talk to me. Watch that interview now" is so much clearer than how people usually talk
Oh damn, this guy has actually acted in some pretty big things. I've done some research on other recurring Onion characters, and a lot of them have next to nothing when it comes to acting roles in higher caliber things.
I had to go look him up! I thought he looked familiar. Law and Order as the ME. This guy has has been on and off Broadway as well as writing award winning plays- very talented indeed. He apparently did this after he was well known. I saw Stiller was in an onion video the other day "shaken man child". It was after he became well known too. Maybe the onion pays well or the artist was up for off the wall fun?
@@deemueller6470 I think for some comedians, because The Onion has been around so long as a publication and has had so much influence on modern American satire, they probably did it for fun. I'm sure the paychecks from The Onion are pretty damn small, but they garner a lot of great writers.
Sheldon being autistic is actually not Canon. People have labeled him as autistic because he has some stereotypical traits. But you are right that it doesn't represent autism very well, I'm just pointing out that his character was not created with that intention.
people have explained this but it makes no sense because there’s no context at the start and even if they did shoot it outside a convenience store, there’s a lot of things to keep in mind like the time of day, people walking in the shot, etc. It’ll eventually be hard to even get the reference and it’ll just be a pointless easter egg.
I'm genuinely baffled at how accurate this is, though. I'm autistic with many autistic family members, and a lot of these mannerisms are dead-on. Especially him repeating parts of someone's else sentence to affirm it to himself - I do that constantly
Brilliant comedy manages to illustrate people’s idiosyncrasies without mocking or demeaning. I think this piece does that extremely well! In fact, I think it helps make autism more relatable to people who may not be familiar with it. Comedy can break down barriers and help us see that we have more in common than we might have thought. Well done, Onion!
@@constantinosschinas4503 okay and? my diagnosis was validating for me. i’ve always felt i was different and it felt good to know why. maybe that’s not your experience, and that’s okay. but you have no idea who i am or what i’m doing with my life. i don’t know how or why you would interpret that as a personal attack.
As a person with autism, I really see parts of myself in Michael. (Before reading, please keep in mind that every case of autism is different, and not all of us have all of these traits. These are just my personal thoughts and experiences) -His love of stacking is known as a "hyperfixation", which is when we completely focus on something and disregard everything else. It's difficult for us to switch between different topics, so if we find one thing that gives us joy, we find ourselves continuing to draw from that same well for what seems from the outside as an unusual amount of time. I'll often find myself searching for the slightest excuse to start gushing about mine, since it can be difficult for me to follow along with (or care about) conversations that have nothing to do with it. -His love of a rigid routine is another trait. We can find it hard to cope with unexpected changes, so knowing when change is coming in advance is advantageous. If my mom would tell me she was gonna cut my hair immediately, I'd be pretty distressed about that, but if she tells me that morning "I'm gonna cut your hair tonight", I'm perfectly calm. -The routine also helps us because we thrive on repetition and are terrible at managing time. If I don't have a preassigned task that I should be doing right now, I can find myself standing in a corner thinking of what I should do or waiting for someone to tell me what to do. If I have a preassigned task, I will immediately and efficiently perform it without issue because That's What's On The Schedule, and I'll enjoy it. The more scheduled my day, the better. -His emotional detachment comes from autistic people thinking more logically and less emotionally from neurotypicals. That's not to say that we don't or can't care about others or have emotions, but we tend to think of things from a "numerical" perspective. If I hear about someone doing a bad thing in service of a good thing, I will decide whether it was worth it by trying to quantify how much bad was done and how much good was done. -The language he uses when he speaks reflects our "poor" conversational skills. We can tend to be quite literal and direct with our word choice, and can become confused when someone else is not. -His inflection and speech patterns also come from this, as we often speak somewhat differently from others, and if we say the same phrase we will repeat it with the exact same delivery every time. -He wants to be separate from human contact because neurotypical people tend to find us annoying, and we tend to find neurotypicals loud and hard to talk with, so we don't really enjoy being in others' company all that much. Michael is honestly some of the best representation I've ever seen. I'm not saying I want to kill a cashier, but given the incomplete information Michael had on what prisons are like, I can't blame him for thinking it looked enticing.
The actor playing the prisoner doesn't get enough credit. The way he looks at our beloved reporter like a child and is concerned about him while being in a very unfortunate position. Like how a father talks to a child.
Honestly, yeah. While infantilization isn't that great, I don't think that's the intent since it's not done in a mocking tone, which I appreciate. It's just how the guy approaches someone like Michael Falk. In all honesty I'd rather have someone talk to me like the prisoner than have someone talk down to me like I'm 3 and don't know how to do anything.
@@lambybunny7173 he's just concerned that a nice young man wants to be in there with lunatics. It's more protective bc he's a good guy, not bc he's autistic.
Is it? Satirical news sources aren't subject to the same pressures to regurgitate propoganda that mainstream news experiences. If no one takes them seriously, what's the harm in letting them represent reality?
Ahh, yes, factual news sources typically have people pretending to be autistic. Bro what are you even saying lmao. I swear you can format any opinion similarly to mock big establishments and get likes from the NPCs on the internet lmao.
Nathan Ricketts I will tell you friend, the passion for stacking is real. I am on the spectrum, working for FedEx, and I cannot express the amount of joy I get from moving boxes around.
As someone who is an adult-diagnosed Autistic - and who has spent most of the past four decades working as a broadcast journalist - I consider this to be comedic GENIUS and I love it. Kudos to everyone involved in this production! If you’re Autistic and you’re offended by this? You have every right to feel how you feel. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially if they’re not also Autistic. If you’re not Autistic and you’re offended by this? 🤷🏻♂️
I love this. They’re not just saying, “oh he’s autistic and therefore he’s dumb.” They take actual, realistic autistic traits and ruthlessly make fun of those.
@@cammykins5813 autistic people are known for needing a rigid schedule so it's funny that this reporter likes prison (this is satire btw, everything The Onion makes is satire)
Prompt: he spends years planning increasingly stupid heists in order to get sent to prison, fails to get caught everytime and now he's the most succesfull and frustrated gang leader worldwide
The funiest bit for me was at the begining where she introduced him as “autistic reporter”. Idk why imagineif new readers just introdeuced all the autistic news reporters as “autistic reporter” lol. Also im autistic myself and I love this, it’s done really well.
As someone with Autism I find this to be very accurate as well as a perfect representation of the disorder. I have aspergers, so I have learned to keep most of this in my head. However, I still do these, and sometimes, I don't notice that I have these tendencies.
Did you know the American psychiatric society removed Asperger’s as a diagnosis from the DSM-5 handbook in 2013? We’re all qualified as Autistic Spectrum Syndrome now 👍
@barneymiller7894 yes I did, but not many people understand how ASD works so I still refer to it as aspergers, unless I know that person understands. I found that way people don't say "You're not autistic"
Not every autistic person is the same. There isnt really a way to "accurately" portray autism. You just want to cancel people and find reasons to trigger yourself.
@@reshmakhan1302 you are so stupid. Putting restraint in the movie doesnt mean she supports it. Bad shit happens in movies all of the time. Should we cancel every producer who made a slavery movie because that means they support slavery? You just want to trigger yourself and cancel someone
@@him1019 fyi no, it wasn’t even portrayed as something that happens but is actually bad or anything(like most movies that tackle slavery and heavy subjects do and to that aim to show exactly what is wrong with it), his exact words were ‘I am crushing her with my love’ not to even get started with the movie’s use of sudden vibrant colours which would allow a big part of the autistic community that have hypersensation might be able to watch comfortably not to mention the movie was backed by autism speaks an organisation known to demean and dehumanise autistic children on many occasions.
I think this is the only comment where "intensifies" was used as a meme and also correctly. It actually makes sense instead of being a dumb phrase. Good job :V
I'm autistic and think this is hilarious! Other autistic people might not find it humorous. But it's not insulting in any way that I can see. "Person with (not bad) condition has endearing stereotypical traits that lead to humerus misunderstanding." Great writing and execution.
Thank God, I've rejected so many videos that yt offered to me through the algorhythm, they had no choice then to offer me something good. I love this so much.
He's (the character's portrayal) stimming and dropping in functionality due to excitement. This is wonderful. Edit 1: His eye contact immediately "gets better" when he hears something he likes it's adorable. Edit 2: I am also autistic Edit 3: He's gonna kill Ryan at work to go to jail
What they need to do next is portray somone with autism after they have taken acid. Shits a show to watch. They go full blown retard trying to be normal. Shits cringeworthy and funny as fuck. I’ve seen it happen to my little brother.
Honestly as an aspie, I'd probably be a bit stunned at the word "see," try really hard to find a different word besides "see" in response that still makes sense to the viewers, creating several seconds of awkward silence, and end up going into the topic without saying hello back.
"Well- you wear the same clothes every day," "Yes" "And you live in this tiny little box," "Yes! Yes-" "And there's hardly any human contact," "How do I get to live here?!" As someone on the spectrum, I can absolutely agree with Michael Falk.
@@kMegalonyxhe said he finished the interview 26 minutes ago and had been standing there waiting for his since then. There's no knowing what he did after the cameras turned off but we know he didn't do anything immediately after the interview.
@@Stormwern They literally sold out. Under the new ownership, all the great parodies vanished overnight, to be replaced by woke powerpoint slides and bullshit.
Man, if I am referring to something I wrote in a text/comment, I won’t type “I said..” - I’ll type, “I stated..” Because I didn’t, technically, verbally SAY anything. However, I did STATE a point. The second I hear that line, “I cannot see you, Brooke. I can only hear you” - all I could think was “Me.” Also, the excitement over wearing the same thing, everyday - also, me. I wear the same outfit, every damn day.” -‘or a variation of it. I have 6 of the same shirts, 5 of the same leggings, 7 of the same yoga pants, over a dozen layering tank tops and socks, 2 long-sleeve button up cover shirts, 3 of the same lounge dresses, 3 pairs of the same gloves, 3 pairs of the same aviator sunglasses - all black; as well as three variations of army green grunge-style rain jackets). I do enjoy spontaneity, though I, definitely like and require routine within such.
Sometimes I think that if I were a kid today, I would have been diagnosed with a light form of autism too. That second sentence is definitely something I would have said. I've always had trouble picturing things that aren't literal. It's much less of a problem today because now as an adult I can understand these. Just don't ask me to write any kind of fictional piece (I have language studies and text exercises are the worst)
As an autistic man, this is both an accurate and satirical representation of what my life is like. His stims are accurate and his hyper fixations are as well. I don't know if he's neurotypical, but this is still a very accurate and oddly respectful way of poking fun at our tendencies.
