Serving up an autistic take on Thanksgiving traditions!
Here’s what’s in store for this episode:
Thanksgiving isn’t always the easiest time for autistic people, with our senses of justice triggered by the holiday’s problematic origins and the need to mask during family gatherings - in this episode, Matt and Angela talk about both navigating Thanksgiving as an autistic person and Mystery Science Theater 3000, a beloved autistic Thanksgiving tradition.
Matt and Angela explore the origins of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and how interactive TV serves as a beacon for autistic people.
Our hosts discuss how MST3K emphasizes the concept of found family, a theme that resonates deeply with autistic folks.
In this episode, we dive into the original Turkey Day marathons on Comedy Central that cemented MST3K as a Thanksgiving tradition, along with the show's turbulent journey across networks, Kickstarter campaigns, and different media platforms.
Matt and Angela also discuss how MST3K’s bottom-up processing style of comedy makes it especially appealing to autistic folks.
“For 24 hours, you watch really bad movies, you eat some stuffing, they had some new interstitials in there, and you get together with your friends and watch bad movies. Or, if you’re alone, you get together with your friends on TV and watch some bad movies. So you still have some community. You are like Joel, keeping your sanity with the help of your robot friends. And to this day, this is the only Thanksgiving tradition I have.” - Matt
“They just need more funding because, again, they don’t have studio backing. They’re doing it all completely independently. Just like we do it. We are often forced to be independent. We are often traumatically independent because we don’t have that support system around us.” - Matt
“I would rather do something small and funded myself than be beholden to explaining my creative ideas to these people that will never get it. It’s not a problem to explain it. It’s explaining it to people who are gonna drive you crazy.” - Angela
Did you catch the whirlwind of emotions that come with the holidays? In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into Matt and Angela’s autistic take on Thanksgiving and how Mystery Science Theater 3000 offers a perfect comfort break during it all! Thanks for tuning in! Share your thoughts in the comments, and use #AutisticCultureCatch to connect with fellow listeners on social media. Which moments or insights resonate with your own Thanksgiving traditions?
Resources:
https://www.gizmoplex.com/browse
https://shoutfactory.com/collections/mystery-science-theater-3000
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