Issues I Have with King of the Hill

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Don't get me wrong, I'll watch the show and it IS well written plot wise (when it's NOT about football, beer, or Hank's strained relationship with his dad). I just find many things sickening about the show. Hank is a big arrogant self-centered jerk who has an unnatural obsession with propane, football, and beer. He called propane his "mistress" and he was "pimping propane." WHO does that?! He also never gave up the unwinable attempt to be respected by his dad, who is even WORSE, and keeps sucking up to him even when Cotton continues to abuse Hank. Hank also never supports Bobby and he is a hypocrite. The hypocrisy is the WORST thing about Hank Hill. He tells Bobby fat people "do not deserve respect and should be ridiculed" but yet Bill is "fat" and Hank demands Dale respect him. And Hank isn't exactly thin himself either. Hank is constantly talking about his high school football days WHICH happened THIRTY years ago when the show was on and calls breaking his ankle the worst day of his life. Really? The WORST day of your life was BREAKING your ankle? Not almost losing your wide during a skydiving accident?

Cotton is even worse. He abuses everyone except Bobby and his illegitimate son and he constantly demeaned women ALL THE TIME! His eldest avoided it due to him being in Japan. I was actually glad when Cotton was killed off.

And why is everyone so horrible to Bill? It's because of his so called "friends" he mostly wants to kill himself. Bobby and Luanne are about the ONLY people who have ever made Bill feel worthwhile.

And that's my issue with this show. Any thoughts?

[glash101]

I feel the same.Bill has problems.You should contact the studios of adult swim to alert them.And yes,everyone does get pwned by Cotton a lot.

[Lord Raven]

I think the experience of this show is slightly enhanced when you watch it as if Hank Hill has Aspergers Syndrome and Peggy has Narcisstic Personality Disorder

In terms of plot at least.  It makes it cringe worthy if you're looking for a laugh.

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I think the experience of this show is slightly enhanced when you watch it as if Hank Hill has Aspergers Syndrome and Peggy has Narcisstic Personality Disorder

In terms of plot at least.  It makes it cringe worthy if you're looking for a laugh.

Hank having ASPERGER'S?! I find THAT offensive! I have Asperger's and have friends with it and we DON'T act like Hank!

[Lord Raven]

Probably because your personality is different

He was shaped by a more negative/abusive experience than you were as well, so obvious you're not gonna act like him.  He's also a grown-ass man

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Perhaps my personality IS different but Hank does not have ANY of the symptoms of Asperger's. He has no sensory issues and he has average social skills. Both are classic signs of the disorder.

I still think Cotton is the worst because of his idea that just because he is a WWII vet, he can do whatever he wants and no one has the right to stop him. Let's count the many offenses he has done, shall we?
1. Constantly abuses those around him.
2. Says REALLY racist things to people of other ethnicities especially Asians.
3. Actually made his second wife light a cigar and puff it so it would be ready for him.
4. Calls Peggy "Hank's Wife".

[Lord Raven]

He's pretty socially awkward at times and he is very prone to obsession.  Seems to give a very aspie-like feel at times which makes it hard to stomach him at times.  I know Aspies that have average social skills btw, and you would think by 40 he would actually have average social skills.  It's not a very well-defined disorder in the first place, so you can't necessarily classify all Aspies as people with one particular set of symptoms.

Cotton is also your prototypical american old man.  I dunno where you're from or how old you are but I know for a fact that many old people tend to be like that.  Cotton's obviously more extreme about it, but in general people tend to tolerate their old grandparents despite all of that because nothing's going to get through to them lol  Probably was more abusive earlier, but I don't think Hank particularly cared overall.  The entire series is a jab at the "standard american lifestyle" with lots of simplicity so the fact that you really don't like the football/beer/father relationship episodes really shows you kinda miss the point of many things in this show.

[Captain Jigglypuff]

There's NO excuse for Cotton's actions. There is NEVER an excuse for abuse. Abuse is abuse no matter who the perpetrator is. That is the source of Hank's issue. In the flashbacks on the show that show Hank younger, he clearly has social skills in that he is on a sports team which many Aspies don't like to do. And except when it came to personal issues, Hank never had problems talking to people. I have better communication skills than many Aspies (people with Asperger's) but I can't do it all the time. Hank can also recognize body language and facial expressions very well all the time WHICH no Aspie can do. That is why I KNOW Hank is NOT an Aspie and it is an insult to say that he is. I mean Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is more Aspie than Hank ever WILL be.

[lets all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes]

what do you think about dale and his paranoias about the government

I mean Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is more Aspie than Hank ever WILL be.

[sylar]

I mean Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is more Aspie than Hank ever WILL be.

what the heck is wrong with you

[Joeno]

Hank can also recognize body language and facial expressions very well all the time WHICH no Aspie can do. That is why I KNOW Hank is NOT an Aspie and it is an insult to say that he is.

Having had the clinical diagnosis and having been through the mill for it, I can clearly and definitively say that you are incorrect here. As well as when you claim anyone who has Aspergers has no social skills.

I actually find categorically stating that quite offensive.

True, it might be more difficult. But they're things you can develop (something a lot of people do anyway). You can get better at them, develop social skills, and function quite normally, diagnosed or undiagnosed, and Hank's behaviour in King of the Hill is - considering his environment - understandable in that context. If anything, his response to change and difficulty with anything not fitting in with his view of the world reinforce that.

If anything, that's probably a better path than what you claim anyone with Aspergers should have followed. By choice or not, he would have done his best to learn how to fit in and live a normal life. Throwing up your hands and saying 'I've got Aspergers, I don't need to know how to do this and don't try, just let it be' seems less worthwhile... in a way lazy and entitled. Striving to change that enriches your life and makes it easier to accomplish more. See it as a challenge, not just a handicap you will always have to live with, as the world usually won't care.

I mean, for me personally, I went from write-off to moving to a different country, getting my dream job and living a good life - something few people would expect me to ever do. Based on your description, that could never happen, with the restrictions you place.

They're skills that you can develop and teach yourself. Hank's awkwardness and stubbornness point towards him quite possibly having done so, in part because that's just how things were. To say that's impossible and insulting is an insult to everyone who has - knowingly or unknowingly - actually done so.

Rant over

[Lord Raven]

There's NO excuse for Cotton's actions. There is NEVER an excuse for abuse. Abuse is abuse no matter who the perpetrator is.  That is the source of Hank's issue.

I can't recall if there's childhood flashbacks of him abusing Hank.  Either way, Hank's adulthood has him pulling a blind eye to Cotton's actions because he's old and he won't listen to other people.  It does not excuse it but it is something that happens quite a bit in real life.

In the flashbacks on the show that show Hank younger, he clearly has social skills in that he is on a sports team which many Aspies don't like to do.

It's not hard to go undiagnosed.  I highly doubt Cotton would go out of his way to diagnose him.  I'm not saying he does have Aspergers but I wouldn't rule out the possibility.  It definitely does add somewhat of a layer to his character.

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I never said aspies have no social skills. I said we have FEW social skills. Hank just doesn't fit the diagnosis of Asperger's. Dale on the other hand does and Bill in a minor way. Hank is just plain arrogant in that he ALWAYS introduces himself as "assistant manager of Strickland Propane!" Peggy did something similar but it wasn't ALL the time! And I don't care if people turn a blind eye to their abusers but everyone who has been abused will eventually get so fed up that they'll fight back and tell their abuser off so much that the abused actually feels better. Hank made excuses for Cotton all the time and if he DID go off on his dad, he felt bad and had to apologize to COTTON. This isn't right and no one should have allowed someone who served in the military act that way. If you are a vet, you should be setting examples of how a true American should be. No arguments about it.

[lets all go out for some frosty chocolate milkshakes]

i'd say mike judge would be spinning in his grave but he's still alive so he's probably spinning around in big piles of money instead


listen captain jigglypuff how about i phone up hank hill so you can tell him off how does that sound

[sylar]

idk i dont really watch koth. its a funny show from what i have seen and i havent rly seen cotton but it sounds like hank is dealin with some form of battered person syndrome or something similar? you cant get angry and blame someone for psychological things like that. people who are abused tend to have different mindsets toward their abusers than people who werent victims of abuse from the abuser in question.

also like everyone else is saying theres no set criteria for aspergers. some people with it have bad social skills, some are actually pretty decent around people.

i think the introduction of ASSISTANT MANAGER OF STRICKLAND PROPANE is just a running gag

like obviously its interesting to think of him as someone with aspergers and adds depth to character like muhed said but uh
i think youre takin the entire show a little bit too seriously here man