Daria Morgendorffer

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A few weeks ago, I downloaded and watched the complete box set of the cartoon Daria. I'd enjoyed it tremendously when it was on teevee (how old am I?), but was surprised at how my perceptions of the characters had changed on the second run-through. Helen the mom came off like a saint, and I liked Jane the pal even more. But Daria...man she was darker than I remembered. Not just aloof and sarcastic, but mean and towards the end even a bit unhinged at points. But there was something else I couldn't help thinking.

One of Us

Now, I know the objections. It's ridiculous to diagnose fictional characters unless the writers specifically insist that characters have a condition. Even then, with multiple writers characterization can change drastically from episode to episode. Also: just being antisocial and unpopular hardly makes you an Aspie; if that was the case, every valedictorian might be on the Spectrum.

Still,

I just couldn't get around some of the tells. Her monotone voice and (lack of) wardrobe choices, her limited social circle, and her extreme introversion. Her total commitment to a "special interest" (reading classic fiction). Her struggles with empathy and her near-total inability to connect with other people. Her utter failure at gym class, and her reluctance towards sex...where had I seen those symptoms before?

So just for grins, I grabbed a copy of the DSM and leafed through to the relevant pages. It's ridiculous, but bear with me.

---Impairments in the use of non-verbal gestures: Daria is stiff and wooden, coldly neutral.

---Failure to develop peer relationships: She has, and needs, one friend. Like Sherlock Holmes, she often bickers with them.

---Lack of Sponaneous seeking to share enjoyment: she was really introverted.

----Lack of Social Reciprocity: Daria treats everyone as an object, and is outright abusive at times to her family and Jane.

Abnormal Interest and Focus: try to pry the book from her hands

Non-Functional Rituals: Pizza, anyone?

Stereotyped mannerisms: I think so

Significant Social Impairment (check), No delay in language or cognitive development (she's waay ahead).

Now, it can be argued that Daria is actually more aware of the social rules than any other character, and just hostile to them. And her "executive functioning" seems fine...outside of gym class. But she seems to have a deep inability to perceive how others feel (theory of mind).
Plus she's gifted enough to "mask" any issues she has for a while, as she proves when she dons a Quinn outfit and plays the game.

But she finds it exhausting.

Could be.

She was a supporting character in Beavis and Butthead, and then they spun her off onto her own show. Saw a few of episodes of both. I didnt know what aspergers was when at the time I saw it. But I liked the character, and even kinda crushed on her. So maybe I was responding to her aspieness.

The episode with the refridgerator box struck home, especially.