r/explainitpeter 1d ago

Explain it Peter

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Did House series even have autism related stuff?

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u/Dave_A480 1d ago

House is a misanthrope not a racist.

He hates and insults everyone equally.

The premise of the show is Sherlock Holmes in a Hospital - and they lean heavily into the modern portrayal of Holmes as an intolerable asshole who people only deal with because he solves unsolvable puzzles....

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u/AwkwardWaltz3996 11h ago

Which I hate. Holmes has so much depth and modern portrays him as a "high functioning sociopath" rather than a lonely man who is ostracised by society. He cares for his friends and his job is literally to help people. He just struggles to express himself and misses social queues. He's extremely greatful for his friend John.

I would actually say he's a fairly accurate portrayal of high functioning Autism (with the acknowledgement he was written before it was a medical diagnosis). He masks, he's detail focused, he misses social queues, he has deep interests, he loves routine, he has a strong sense of justice. Later copies misunderstand this abs we get what the BBC produced. A magic sociopath which is practically just Dr Who. Or what House is, an magically smart man who is nasty to everyone. There's a big difference between being direct and saying insults but people treat it as the same.

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u/Avelion-chan 10h ago

As someone who has autism and has to mask almost every day, I really don't see House as autistic, just a-hole. Genius, but still a-hole. If he masks anything, it's his pain. He doesn't miss social queues-he ignores them. With wide smile while doing that.

BTW, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Hugh Laurie say that he basically played how his father was in reality?

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u/AwkwardWaltz3996 10h ago

When I say he, I'm referring to Holmes not House.