For what it's worth: I grew up around and as part geek of geek culture and I am not offended by the humor of BBT. I owned the first ever dungeons and dragons box set, read the Silmarillion all the way through at ten, was married to a sysadmin, gamed with MIT physicists and I code for a living, so please, no acting like I'm some wannabee, I have nerd cred to spare.

I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't be offended. That's fine. But don't act like I don't get it if I don't agree with you.

I get that nerds are a historically bullied group. That's a real concern. However, we're also funny. We just are! We need to be able to laugh at ourselves and our friends. My perception is that BBT is very rarely cruel or malicious in its nerd targeted humor. It's not always funny or original either, but that's a separate issue.

In some ways it all comes down to Sheldon, doesn't it? He's clearly on the spectrum, and is the central figure in many ways. One thing I will say about that is that in the last couple seasons the show seems to be trying very hard to humanize him without giving a specific diagnosis. But another thing is...well...I've worked and gamed with guys kinda like him and while it is a cartoon version it's not entirely off base either. Very gifted, socially oblivious, often grating, but also vulnerable and frequently confused by people's reactions...that's all real, and a lot of the time those folks really can be kinda funny.

If you're on the spectrum and you're reading this, there's one thing I want you to know: people love Sheldon. They do. We laugh, but not out of cruelty. We laugh because it's a silly comedy show and he does and says funny things.

Folks like him can be hard for the rest of us to relate to. BBT models that by showing us a very extreme case and then surrounding him with friends who do put in real effort to relate to him, and to take care of him, with jokes thrown in to maintain their sanity. Over time, the show has made the case that the effort it takes to be friends with a Sheldon is worth it. That despite his oddities, he is a good person.

Or that's how I see it.

It's also a very uneven show just writing wise. So that complicates the discussion but it's separate from what I'm talking about.