Dan Harmon talks about Asperger's syndrome - Why Abed is a shaman [SubEng] [SubIta] 

Abed was a great portrayal while Sheldon is a terrible portrayal.

Abed’s existence made me so happy. Especially the whole “relating to people through tv” thing, heck, I wonder how happy it would make Abed to know that so many people on the spectrum have learned to understand and accept themselves better because he was on a TV show!

I like how when they take Brittas tests it turns out that abed is the most sane out of all of them

I am a journalist who is autistic and writing a book about autism in popular culture and I always HATED Sheldon (I see him as autism blackface). For book research I saw clips of community and was like "DUDE! THAT'S ME!!!" Thanks, Dan for creating a great character.

-"The character of Abed was being well responded to by the...kind of...call it the...spectrum community" -"Sure. The audience" Lol

"A-B-E-D Connoisseur of Christmas On the spectrum? None of your business"

What I like is, dan puts passion behind his characters. Sheldon, like many here point out, is a stereotype. Abed is an actual person. He didn't just make abed to make him, he crafted the character and learned something about himself. Dan's real good at his work and I hope he keeps up the diversity of what he does. I personally keep reflecting on this and see similarities. Aversion to eye contact, conflict, interests that never lose their grip and internal dialogue along with over thinking every goddamn interaction. I think I'm on that spectrum too, at least to a minor extent.

"The last person to figure out a social norm." That hits too close sometimes.

Didn't Jeff accuse Abed of having Aspergers in the series opener?

That "six candles" film Abed made was so emotional

Dan: I didn’t want to diagnose him on camera. Jeff in the Pilot: Oh yeah? Well you have Aspergers.

I love all the episodes that explore Abed’s mind. He is so interesting and his development in the show is truly beautiful. Episodes like the Hot Lava , dreamatorium, chicken fingers, Abed’s uncontrollable Christmas episodes (etc) get me so emotional watching him and learning about his mind. One of the best written characters I’ve seen

Community first came out when I was in middle school and I was immediately drawn to Abed as a character. Im autistic and seeing someone that was so much like me was so important. He's a character who's ability to Feel empathy is rarely questioned. Hes constantly included in his friend group and his friends genuinely care about him and do not treat him like a burden. He is seen as talented, capable and intelligent and his abilities are never questioned. While the other characters do have misconceptions about him, they are quickly challenged. Hes got an incredibly committed and loyal friendship that much of the show is centered around. And he his behaviours are never mocked or controlled. Hes able to maintain a variety og healthy and complex relationships and quickly aknowledges if he makes a mistake. Hes extremly self aware. Im mentioning all these qualities because i have never seen another character have them but Ive also never been told an autistic person could have them. He is such a well written and multi layered character. This show was ground breaking for a lot of reasons, but the portrayal of Abed is one I'm probably never going to forget. The amount of compassion that was put towards the writing of his character is something that i appreciate so much. I know having proper representation in tv won't solve the world's problems but it did help me feel less alone as a kid and I love this show to this day because of it.

I was just diagnosed with aspergers this year, at an age of 29. I can't tell you enough how much I love this clip. These small humiliations and horrible feelings of alienation I've had for most of my life suddenly have some soft of.. if not answer, then an explanation. It's so much more than just being socially awkward and nerdy. Dan bringing up the point of it being a "so-called disorder/affliction" just gives me such a profound feeling of validation it moves me to tears. Thank you so much for this clip.

"There is no disorder that makes people want to be alone" Schizoid personality disorder has left the chat.

References to pickle products and eating poo...this guys mind was on rick and morty years ago

"It's the new autism" This interviewer sure knows a lot about Aspergers...

My god I love Dan Harmon. I have ADHD and, while different from Aspergers, I experience the world similarly. The fear of being found different and more specifically SCOLDED for being different can be paralyzing. I love it when people celebrate being weird with me and as a social creature, I seek out those people who do. I have a tough time staying focused on things which don't immensely interest me, so when I zone out, start tapping on things, making noises for my own entertainment, etc. people think it's weird. I hate annoying people like that, but sometimes the sheer boredom is deafening and I unconsciously begin to preoccupy myself. THAT is why I get distracted, because I get bored to an incredible degree. I don't mean to turn people off with fidgeting, but in my natural state I inevitably do. Thank god there is a medication to curb my attention span. I love what I do (software developer) but without the medication I would be far less effective at work.

'I've got self-esteem coming out of my butt.'= best tv line ever.

My dream is to have Dan Harmon create a rom-com with the leading lady being a woman on the spectrum. Female Aspies are so rare! He could do us justice!

I love Dan Harmon, in the gayest and least appropriate way possible, stay weird and wonderful

This guy needs to do a TED talk.

'weird indian kid' did you forget that you wrote him as half arabic and polish?

I was very attached to Abed when I started this series before I knew I had autism because we both have the same special interest (tv and film) and post awareness brought me even closer. As much hate as the sixth season got I also appreciated Paget Brewster's role because I felt she was female representation which is so much harder to find.

Aspergers is the new autism Real bruh moment

Freakin' DAN HARMON dude, what a guy.

Reminds of when I realised that I probably have ADHD after having worked close to a decade with kids and teens with autism and ADHD. The "My god why is it that I seem to be the only one who understand what these kids think, feel and want?!! Am I a NDD whisperer? Do I have superpowers? Is that why I fail at schoolwork and when I try to listen to people för longer than 5 seconds...wait a minute...fakk!" :D And in the case of Mr. Harmon, the lack of eye-contact and the amount of time he spends trying to explain simple things give it away. Awesome Dan!

3 years ago and he mentions both pickles and people who eat poop. I see the seeds were planted very early on.

"Abed was well received with the uh.. spectrum community" "Sure, the audience" Sick burn

"People like to eat shit." Seems the inspiration for Pickle Rick has been there for quite some time.

The part about fear of alienation hit hard. It reminds me of the episode where Annie and abed go in the dreamatorium and abed imagines himself in a locker as a metaphor for being afraid of being cast out. He feels like that’s where he belongs because he’s always eventually alienated when the people around him finally get sick of him. I relate to that so heavily. Thank you Dan for writing a character that I can confidently say accurately represents the autistic community without being a lame stereotype.

at 8:30 when he started listing fucked up things, it was like that stand up bit by John Mulaney about Ice-T.

It's seriously fascinating to hear Dan talk about, like, anything. He seems especially passionate about everything social and psychological, which I guess makes sense considering this is what Community is all about. I wish I could see him talk with and bounce off someone on his level, that would be truly satisfying.

It is really hard to take this interviewer seriously with his odd hat. Also Dan Harmon’s a really insightful guy, I could hear him talking about this for hours.

You know. I've been diagnosed as someone in the "autism spectrum" a year ago. I don't find Dan Harmon's words here offensive. I don't think the video isn't negative as well. He's talking straight to the point and with care. He seems to be aware of the topic and it's great. I agree with many things he said, specially how someone that is diagnosed at adult age can feel lost because we already adapted (some better than others) to society's standards. The feeling of isolation and being apart is real. People telling you things like "WTF?" Is real also. The eccentricity is a big part of it as well. But contrary on what I was told when the doctor gave me the diagnosis, I don't believe it's a gift or a good thing. It's incapacitating if you do not have the means to cope with it, and specially if you do not have someone besides your family to "show you the way" things are outside of your house. We do not need people taking care of us, but you know that protective mother, the overly caring girlfriend, the job that sometimes need to understand a specific situation? Unfortunately, these are kind of essential. Regarding the many difficulties, bullying, I think, is the worse. But the feeling that you're unwanted, the silence every time you talk and the segregation - it's what keep us from having a normal life. I do not have watched Community yet, but I guess it's good that someone that writes for TV has the sensibility to portray the problem in a humanistic way. Another thing essential when you've got Asperger is being real. We live in a world we're people lie for diversion, and aspies are very literal. So my advice to aspies out there and people in general is: laugh, be responsible, do not hide behind a diagnosis, take care of yourself; but, specially, be nobody's fool, because there a lot of people that want you to be their idiot and they don't deserve you to meet their expectation. You can be bad at your worse. But at your best, you're amazing...

I'm a huge fan of community but always thought Dan Harmon was kind of a dick and just stumbled across the Abed character almost by accident. Little did I know he was literally creating the show for people like me from the second season onwards.

For those who don't know, "Asperger" is Autism. Autism is not one thing but an spectrum, and Autism 1 was called Aspergers but now it is just Autism like all of the other "parts" of the spectrum, it is not a different thing, it only has a different name.

I always feel smarter after hearing Dan Harmon talk about nearly everything

Abed made me learn a lot about myself. It started making so much sense as to why I always related to Monk. Yeah, it was obvious as a kid.. not so much now. I learn to interact "better-ish

You can call it a disorder. These definitions exist for a reason. No need to pretend it's not a disorder just because you don't want to hurt peoples feelings. I have Aspergers, and the classification of disorder never bothered me. I always thought it would be a fun challenge to try and overcome the difficulties that come pre-packaged with my condition while keeping the advantages. If you're worried about other people treating you differently because of your disorder, then simply don't tell them until after they've gotten to know you. In my experience people are usually surprised when I tell them. I guess it just goes to show how far I've come. I would never have made the effort to improve myself if everyone told me that I was fine just the way I was.

The thing about Dan Harmon thats crazy is that his self identification with Jeff sounds so pretentious when he says it but if you really listen to his points the man can TRULY talk his way around anything

This is why I love the internet. I had no idea I wasn't the last person to figure out how to use a urinal until this video.

I have Aspergers. I was diagnosed the week after my 40th birthday. Most people don't realise that the real problem with Aspergers is the anxiety. While I respect his regard for Aspergers, I hate the term Aspie. Feels really patronising.

"on the spectrum community." "...the audience" lmfao

Aspergers is widely diagnosed as a general social awkwardness or inability to respond to social cues, but if you want to be a powerful person it helps to not be so suggestible, and one may choose to not respond to social cues because the vast majority of social cues are just people trying to manipulate you.

You can tell that Harmon identifies with Abed just from the writing. Abed is the character that is usually shown to be right, wise, etc. He gets the last word. He was the one character to show up as sane when they all took the psych tests. The character of Abed is Harmon's way of glorifying himself through his story. Writers do this all the time.

Most kinnies: kinning characters who's creators never know them Dan Harmon: *kins his own character*

This video led to my self-Diagnoses and now official diagnosis of Asperger's... It was 3 am.. what a night

Notice how he lets him finish talking, no matter what kind of setup he requires, or digressions he goes through. That's how you can tell you are not watching Larry King.

Some people like being alone. Hermits. Though argueably they could just like being away from other people and find company with nature.

In the latest DSM they dropped Asperger's. It's actually just ASD or autism spectrum disorder now. I think they did this because two labels for the same condition is just kind of redundant, and ASD is a neat umbrella term for everyone on the spectrum.

As someone on the spectrum, I can say pretty confidently that Dan Harmon is as well. Just look at how he never makes eye contact.

I don't have Asperger's as far as I know, but I do have AD(H)D and that has caused me a lot of social awkwardness and shame when I was younger. So for me personally Abed was still a great role-model for how to be comfortable in my own skin even when I didn't get all the social cues and customs and I am very thankful for that

"Are we just...diagnosing being weird? Being exceptional?" I'm not autistic, but that's refreshing to hear and I think Harmon's right.

at the moment, the only shows who i think portray people on the autism spectrum as people are atypical and and community

Abed is the best character ever written in a TV show, period

The host of the show has absolutely zero charisma next to Harmon. After Dan explains his points lucidly and succinctly, the show host goes on to ramble about some nonsense that either completely undermines the point and or utterly misunderstand what part of what Harmon is saying which interesting

They were called eccentric in another day. There are no normals, just some wear masks better than others.

It's taken well over 20 years for me to come to the conclusion (with help of specialists of course) that I have Asperger's, It drives me up the wall to think about the difference It would have made if I found out while still in school. I love the Abed character because he makes it easier for others the understand that the weird behavior he shows often is a reaction to things happening around him. For the longest time I automatically adjusted my speech-patterns and behaviors to my environment to gain some semblance of control over my life, never fully realizing that that meant never really being myself. I'm a grown man now so I can deal with the reactions I get when I say or do "weird" things now (and actually often revel in the weirdness because it can be fun, and if I get to talk long enough about it suddenly it isn't so weird), but I really hope that kids with similar personal issues get better guidance in school nowadays so they don't feel the constant pressure to adjust themselves to others that more-often than not don't do the same for you.

I have long struggled with the fear of acceptance and being weird. I have A LOT of social anxiety and there was a time when my parents thought I might have Asperger's, but the therapist said I was normal. Watching this video, I think about a coworker of mine. Although I can't be sure, I have suspected he has Asperger's, and though there are many times when working with him has been frustrating, this video reminds me that I am probably very similar to him, and if I'm right out him, he has a lot of frustration, too, and in any case I need to be more understanding.

Actor guy: Do you have aspergers? Dan: *talks for seven minutes straight*

Isn't Abed Arab? Dan described him Indian.

Lol I’ve know I’ve had Aspergers since I was 6 and when I learned what it was called I thought it was funny. I’m glad is throwing respect towards the community.

Abed is hands down one of the best and well written characters of the last decade.

"There are people who like eating poop" I think Dan may like to eat poop

I used to think I was Jeff, too. Now I am quite comfortably Abed. Trying to be Jeff, I was always guessing. As Abed, I have confidence out the wazoo! (And I don't have to be Don Draper if I don't want to.)

I hate how we put people in boxes because they think a certain way, when we have little to no idea what goes on in our own head.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was 5. I've been getting therapy and been put in rubber rooms until I was closer to normal since then, but I still come off as cold, callous and absent from my physical space sometimes. The funny thing about that is that it's almost always just me internally fighting with myself about how to seem like less of a freak, and the answer is usually just "mind your own business, keep interactions brief and only talk to people i know or people they know. But even then I'm still filled with trepidation about how I should act or what I should say. I was also diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (a serious terminal illness that comes with chronic pain, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) and I can really confirm what Harmon said about how Aspergers is different than a real condition that ruins your life. Aspergers causes (in me) a lot of anxiety, self-doubt, over-empathetic responses to other people's problems and while getting your jaw popped back into place at the E.R., borderline-obsession a with something that I'm interested in, fear of rejection, and a seething hatred for eye-contact, pickles, canned vegetables and olives. I've also got depression and existential dread that makes it so that I sleep 10 hours a week of I'm lucky, but that might be a different problem. But it also makes me think in a way that the people closest to me seem fascinated by as they always ask me to describe my thought-process for any idea for a certain shot I want to capture and just put in whatever impressionist experimental short-film I want to make that day. But since I was literally crippled by EDS, I see how different Aspergers is when compared to something legitimately debilitating. I was always embarrassed or trying not to get embarrassed by staying away from any human interaction. I've even noticed that my pet monitor lizard seems to think in a way that I can understand better than most people. But that didn't make me want to die to escape agony, just quiet and awkward. But when you sneeze and notice that you've just dislocated 3 ribs, or wake up with both shoulders dislocated and are forced to make your friend (who is grossed-out and appalled by my condition, sometimes she'll see how crooked my clavicle is and react to it like a disturbing moment in a John Carpenter film) put one back in so that you can put the other shoulder, elbow, kneecap, wrist and 3 fingers back (when I sleep i sleep restlessly, so I often wake up with dislocated joints). That's a disability. That's what really gets in the way in life. I cant worry that I'll fuck-up social interactions if I hurt too much to leave the house. This probably seems like a self-indulgent sob-story, but I really don't need any "you're so brave" bullshit. I'm not brave, I'm just living with what I have. I wrote this to hopefully get people to see Aspergers as less of a disability (at least on my side of the spectrum), and see the physically retarding condition as more of a disability. I'm not saying us Aspies won't occasionally need some special treatment when we don't understand something, and I've needed people to explain that I need to look potential employers or interviewers and that I'm not supposed to turn a light and fluffy conversation into a serious talk about why Trump is a monster or why humans as a species should start slowly and painlessly stop reproducing until we're extinct or close to it. I still don't see why I need to conform to those ideas, but you don't need to talk to us like human interaction is an entirely foreign concept to us. It's not, it's just overwhelmingly complex and full of body language that's too subtle; and sometimes we need someone to act as a social skills compass; not an insultingly slow annunciation in an explanation of why you're not supposed to say love isn't real at a wedding (but to be fair, why shouldn't we say that at a wedding? People can get married and live happily together even if the initial infatuation wears off, I don't see why people hate the fact that the pheromones that make-up love usually wear-off after 4 years).

Fun fact: morty smith also has asperger's syndrome

i was never diagnosed with anything on the spectrum, instead i was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (which is another social disorder) but honestly, the level to which i relate to abed suprises me i feel like i should see a psychiatrist again because i've been through the same journey of somehow not being able to understand the social cues and somehow feeling like socialising happened so easily to everyone else and everyone else just acted and reacted while i analysed and chose what i assumed was the appropriate response and then slowly learning how to act and behave in order to get the best response out of people just knowing that others (the other commenters) have gone through the same thing its just so relieving anyway thank you dan for creating a character like abed who i can relate to on such a fucking spiritual level

I love Dan's writing, I really do, but some of his references aren't quite correct. Chimps actually *do* display a high level of compassionate capability and concern for other group members. For example, if a baby chimp dies for some train, the mother may fall into a very deep depression, and stay cuddling the baby and resistant to moving on with the group. They don't abandon her and in fact demonstrate understanding, patience, and support of her grieving. There are observable expressions and behaviors between them that comprehend her sadness. They don't move on till she's ready to abandon the baby's corpse, though they also cue her that it's time now to get moving. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to reference chimps to explain Human dynamics. We are far too many generations removed from them to keep doing that.

Dan Harmon projects a lot.

I haven't been diagnosed, partly because of my sort of fear of doctors. But I still always really related to Abed. I can empathize with the mind jumping around to different variables and references all the time while trying to still stay grounded in reality. I'll always make tons of weird inside jokes that I don't think people always get and then I'll realize I've said something weird way too late, or sometimes not at all. Anyways, a really great character and I loved a lot of Dan's writing on the show. It was truly streets ahead.

I think Abed is a fair portrayal of someone with Aspergers. Although there is a lot that the media ect still get wrong about it, things like not understanding humor or sarcasm or having no emotions. If anything the people who I've met that have Aspergers tend to be more caring and empathetic and have a better sense of humor than most people. Although they were all definitely still weird :p

If you’re watching this video but you haven’t watched the show a lot, know this - Abed’s condition is addressed many times in many different ways. Although it’s not said by name (besides Jeff thinking Abed has Aspergers right at the beginning of the show), it’s a HUGE plot point for not only Abed, but his friends. It shows not only how difficult it is for him to live with it and the problems it caused with his own family, but it also shows how it makes him uniquely him and is his greatest strength. As someone with a brother on the spectrum, I can say that Abed touched me emotionally later in my life when I really understood what his character was going through. Dan Harmon is not perfect, especially at this time when political correctness wasn’t as prevalent as it should have been, but this show made great strides in many ways, especially with this character.

im frustrated that dan didn't get to finish his point about aspies and solitude

Being alone in the sense of an outcast like you're talking about and solitude are two very different things, Dan. People with Aspergers, which you are talking about, love solitude. Neurotypical introverts love solitude. But that is not the same as having no friends, belonging nowhere and to no-one. Or wanting to. And as others in the comments pointed out, Schizoid Personality Disorder is exactly that.

I really wish having aspergers was just being "different" but it's more than just that..

4:44 is that a real think because i have autism( aspergers to be exact) and i love pickles and other brine based snacks like olives and capers. though to be fare i just really love salt so....

This explains why in the pickle rick episode he eats poop

10:50 I have never related to something so hard. I have never felt so seen when he articulated that feeling

@5:40 it make sense now what happened with Rick and Morty. If you talk long enough, you can get what you want...but that's not really true, is it?

When we started this show my wife insisted Jeff was just like me. She actually started it first and wouldn't leave me alone till I saw this guy and how much he's like me. I start the show and immediately lock onto Abed. Jeff was cool, but he wasn't me. Abed though, I understood him from the first moment he spoke. I just got swept up in Abed's journey, and have no shame confessing he made me cry more than once over the series. Abed is my favorite fictional character, full stop.

You do not need to doubt your self-diagnosis. I am watching you and you are definitely ASD,

not gonna lie... i truly treasure my solitude and loneliness in life...

i am seeing where Rick comes from...

It is a disorder. We can't handle being around people. I have horrible issues with movement and noises. Yes, I don't want to be 'normal' but I want friends and a job like other people in society but whenever I'm around people I don't understand or feel connected I make them confused and upset. I have to pretend to be what a person should be and I fail. I am always frustrated with myself and others. Dan Harmon is my favorite writer and I love Abed but I found this pretentious. We don't choose to be like this. I'm not wise beyond my years or right all the time. I'm an idiot with a disorder. I'm somebody who's never had a friend and won't fall in love or have a great job and it's because of my disorder that I need help functioning. I'm not a character you can relate to and say "Maybe I have autism/aspergers too because I'm quirky or an introvert!". Sorry I'll delete this if people get pissed off. I love Abed but he is written to be a self insert and sexy version of an autistic person.

Damn, Dan was a lot healthier writing for Community than he was writing for Rick and Morty

Kevin and Dan in the mooooooorning!

This is why I continue to watch community to this day. Gives me the sense I can belong somewhere

im really high and harmon looks like a cartoon, when he moves it looks animated like an old simpsons episode

I love how the actual name of the show and what network it's on isn't mentioned whatsoever in this interview or in the title or the description of this video and I'm totally lost.

Just hearing “what are you DOING?” in that tone really hit a nerve

Also by 2014 Asperger's was included in ASD so couldnt be 'the new autism' as it's part of ASD.

watching this has brought me new meaning and vigor in my life. Thank you, Harmon :p

No wonder Abed was the best character lol

I think the point about this is that Abed is a role model because he accepts who he is and doesn't allow other people to change him, he doesn't pretend to be normal and doesn't adjust his behavior because people might call him weird. He likes people and wants to be around them, but isn't willing to lie to himself or to others about who he is. Fuck being normal and fuck changing your lifestyle because someone tells you to, be who are you. If we were all the same then nothing would ever change and we'd all still be slinging rocks at people on different hills then us.

Dan Harmon such a humble legend

I would say there are drug addicts who just want to be alone. But I get what he's saying. Cool interview. cool cool cool

i wonder if the end of this conversation is what lead to the 'cold shoulder punishment' on gazorpazorp in rick and morty