Sarahjane Blum at The Brooklyn Rail recently wrote a very complimentary piece on T:SCC, saying that the “Sarah Connor Chronicles has begun to emerge as a positive voice for marginalized communities ranging from the autistic to transgendered forms a powerful argument for the revolutionary possibilities of a cyborg culture.” Thanks Sarahjane and make sure to check out her whole article, “Not Like Ours,” online.
What a load of psychobabble. I’m glad she likes the show but trying to relate her causes to it is a huge stretch.
I’m not seeing the similarities…perhaps I’m just blind but I thought this show was about saving the world, John and Cam getting together and lots of awesome action in between…
Simply my opinion…
This is an interesting post. Granted I wouldn’t have made many of these direct comparisons myself, I respect her viewpoint and anyone who happens to find a positive and relatable character within the show.
I like the article. I think Sarahjane Blum made some interesting points that are worthy of further consideration. I have never seen a show other than TSCC portray a transgendered individual without appealing to our prejudices; however, I think her arguments promoting TSCC as a voice for the autistic community is a bit of a stretch, especially when she relates it to John’s behavior.
To me, Blum’s most intriguing point is when she speaks of John and Sarah’s relationship:
“her methods bleed all compassion and sanity from the boy. The distinction between nurturing and indoctrinating continually fades, as does the normalized understanding of how we relate to each other and ourselves”.
This characterization of Sarah’s methods and their effects on John ring true to me.
I think it absolutely makes sense, and from the second episode and on I’ve always compared Glau’s Terminator to an autistic child.. The way she interacts with the world. I always said to myself, that’s the cover story they should use.
I think the dynamic where John is accepting of Cameron as a person and the others view her as a thing, a disposable tool, is very telling and might tell us how some will view the world when we inevitably face intelligent machines.
Actually, Logan, she brings up a good point. John does act like he’s in shock most of the time, distracted and not quite connected to present time goings on around him.
This shock is brought on by both his battles of the past and what he knows he will have to face in the future. The only thing that snaps him out of it is his impeding peril that can come at any time in the form of a Terminator assassin.
It was good when he spoke with Derek at the military school and let him know that he was really on the ball most of the time, even when it doesn’t look like it - and has excape routes and supplies at the ready should the need arise.
I personally would like to see more of John being an effective operative: he already has a unique skillset with computers - and cyberetic iiving organisms!
It’s an interesting essay but the author is definitely reaching. The comparison between Cameron and a person with autism is interesting but her conclusions require her to divorce dialogue and scenes from any sort of narrative and critical context.
@Logan - I agree that the author’s description rings true but she ignores Sarah’s awareness and anxiety about the nature of her relationship with John. And far from fading, Sarah’s awareness of how disassociated she and John are from the “normal” world is ever-present. Rather the point of the what’s happening between them this season, I would have thought.
I like it. It’s a great article. I see many of these themes within the show, in addition to many others (such as anarchism, anti-imperialism etc) that make for great pop-culture analysis within the scholarly realm.
I never saw it before reading the article, so I never would have noticed. But it’s still pretty cool. And I liked the article. I’ve worked with people with varying degrees and types of Autism (never the severe types) so it’s good to get the word out. And I’m glad she agrees that TSCC is so underrated, because it is.
OK, I agree with some of the article, the rest I’m not so sure about. Whatever, maybe she can get more people to watch.
Nice article.
And guys, Dr. sherman agreed with Sarahjane as well… He say he thought Cameron to have Asperger’s. Which is rather on the autistic side of the spectrum. I see the comparisons as well!
I agree that Cameron could be considered somewhat autistic, but John Conner exhibits symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), not autism. So I don’t think TSCC gives voice to the autistic community through John. That’s a bit of a stretch for me.
This article is very interesting.
Congrats to the author.
Logan,
I think John is showing symptomatic signs of *idiocracy* and *moronitis*, not PTSD. At least, I’m not seeing a real medical condition. LOL!
And I agree… interesting article, but quite a bit of a stretch to come to some of these conclusions and connections.
WOW!! That was a fascinating article. Thank you for posting!
Guys: What you can see beyond the surface, the connections you can establish and the conclusions you can elaborate are directly related to your very personal experiences and the different fields of knowledge you have cultivated.
Personally, I think that if all of us could see what the author suggest there is under the narrative surface, no matter if it was or not on purpose, if we can see that message, then it would mean that the show has a philosophical/sociological/anthropological that make it even more valuable due to its relevance as it turns into a subject of reflexions about the different issues regarding the process of cultural and social changes.
That was a great essay!
Congrats to Sarahjane Blum
PS: Excuse me in advance for any grammar mistakes.
After “a philosophical/sociological/anthropological” I should have written the word “sense” - Oops!