The Special Needs Fanbase of Db

[TheGmGoken]

This goes to all 3 series. Ok I hope the title don"t offend no one. In my school experience over the past 13 years(k-12) I notice the Special Needs people love Db. Everytime I walk to their section as the bathroom is there I hear them quoting Db. From Kid Goku to Freaking BoG. I was shocked to hear them speak Japanese only cause of Vegeta bingo song. They even say Bills like Beerus.

When I see them walk to class they say...well power up the Solar Flare. They know ALL the steps to the Muten Roshi kamehameha. Their clothes is style like Db as well. Very cool imo.

Anyone else see this before? I was in shocked honesty.

[Bullza]

Just picturing that happening makes me laugh.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

This goes to all 3 series. Ok I hope the title don"t offend no one. In my school experience over the past 13 years(k-12) I notice the Special Needs people love Db. Everytime I walk to their section as the bathroom is there I hear them quoting Db. From Kid Goku to Freaking BoG. I was shocked to hear them speak Japanese only cause of Vegeta bingo song. They even say Bills like Beerus.

When I see them walk to class they say...well power up the Solar Flare. They know ALL the steps to the Muten Roshi kamehameha. Their clothes is style like Db as well. Very cool imo.

Anyone else see this before? I was in shocked honesty.

Well, no...but I don't go to the same school as you.

Honestly, the way you've described it makes it a little difficult to believe. This is the internet, man. We need evidence. VIDEOS. I also see that you're living in Baltimore. Come on, the general American fan-base isn't well educated enough for random kids at your school to be referring to the God of Destruction as 'Beerus'.

[DragonBalllKaiHD]

Should I feel bad because I laughed a few times at what he just described to the kids at his school?

[Big Momma]

This goes to all 3 series. Ok I hope the title don"t offend no one. In my school experience over the past 13 years(k-12) I notice the Special Needs people love Db. Everytime I walk to their section as the bathroom is there I hear them quoting Db. From Kid Goku to Freaking BoG. I was shocked to hear them speak Japanese only cause of Vegeta bingo song. They even say Bills like Beerus.

When I see them walk to class they say...well power up the Solar Flare. They know ALL the steps to the Muten Roshi kamehameha. Their clothes is style like Db as well. Very cool imo.

Anyone else see this before? I was in shocked honesty.

Are these actually kids from the special needs class?

[SaiyaJedi]

Well you know, just because they have special educational needs doesn't mean they can't like things other people like, or be knowledgeable fans of those things.

In fact, I dare say that the nerdier side of fandom tends to cater to people with certain conditions. Autism-spectrum people, for instance, can be an incredibly deep font of knowledge for whatever it is that interests them, because they are driven to know absolutely everything about it. They may also care less about what other teenagers think about them for it, because they're already un-cool in their eyes.

Plus, you know, you could go up and ask them about how they got into it and such. Just be friendly about it, as a fellow fan. No one with any sense about them will judge you for it. (Though I also realize that, in high school, such people might be in short supply.)

[samuraix123]

One of my best friend's Girlfriend has a brother that's a special needs kid and he's like in his late 20's? but when the characters start powering up and yelling, he thinks he has too do it as well and he starts yelling really loud and acting like he's powering up It makes his sister soooooooooooo mad! but hey...he doesn't know any better and he seems to be experiencing Dragonball in a whole other way compared to us lol so I say right on man. I will admit it's hard not to laugh when it happens lol and it makes you feel like an asshole for laughing

[Blade]

As someone whose father has taught in special needs for over 20 years and is acutely aware of the daily challenges faced by people with severe autism I find this topic seriously abhorrent.

I mean, what is this topic actually attempting to achieve? To become some sort of repository for people to crack jokes at the expense of Dragonball fans with special needs that they know in real life? What the hell? Has the quality of discussion on these forums really dried up that much?

There's no more reason why people with special needs would be more likely to gravitate towards Dragonball than Star Trek, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Marvel Comics or anything else for that matter - they're people just like you and I.

To make sweeping generalisations about the preferences of those with special needs and speak about them as if they're some sort of collective herd is to dehumanise them, and I find that really, really offensive.

[rereboy]

As someone who's father has taught in special needs for over 20 years and is acutely aware of the daily challenges faced by people with severe autism I find this topic seriously abhorrent.

I mean, what is this topic actually attempting to achieve? To become some sort of repository for people to crack jokes at the expense of Dragonball fans with special needs that they know in real life? What the hell? Has the quality of discussion on these forums really dried up that much?

There's no more reason why people with special needs would be more likely to gravitate towards Dragonball than Star Trek, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Marvel Comics or anything else for that matter - they're people just like you and I.

To make sweeping generalisations about the preferences of those with special needs and speak about them as if they're some sort of collective herd is to dehumanise them, and I find that really, really offensive.

Its only offensive if you view in a bad light. The only real problem with it might be the generalization that all special need people enjoy DB, specially because, besides every single one of them being different, their special needs also vary. Besides that, its actually great that at least some special needs people enjoy the show so much.

Anyway, your conclusion that this topic is trying to be some sort of repository of jokes and discrimination seems, to me, rather exaggerated and rushed.

Should I feel bad because I laughed a few times at what he just described to the kids at his school?

Depends on why you are laughing. If you are laughing because you find it uplifting to see someone so enthusiastic regarding a show that is actually makes you laugh, or some reason similar to that, its fine. Otherwise, ...

[Blade]

Anyway, your conclusion that this topic is trying to be some sort of repository of jokes and discrimination seems, to me, rather exaggerated and rushed.

Are you serious? This topic is only a few posts long and there's already two blatant examples, along with a number of posts with people saying they find said examples humorous or that they demand video evidence! I don't think that's premature, it's a more-than-fair analysis of the nature of the discussion thus far.

[rereboy]

Anyway, your conclusion that this topic is trying to be some sort of repository of jokes and discrimination seems, to me, rather exaggerated and rushed.

Are you serious? This topic is only a few posts long and there's already two blatant examples, along with a number of posts with people saying they find said examples humorous or that they demand video evidence! I don't think that's premature, it's a more-than-fair analysis of the nature of the discussion thus far.

You are assuming that they want the video to make fun of them or something similar. It doesn't have to be just because of that reason, you know? Personally, I would actually like to see such a video just to see them happy and enthusiastic with Dragon Ball and NOT to make fun of them, and I would probably laugh and smile watching it (but not because of any malicious reason, only because I would find their reactions to Dragon Ball great).

Anyway, I was talking about the topic itself, not about individual answers/posts. I honestly don't see malicious intent in the opening post.

[Blade]

I honestly don't see malicious intent in the opening post.

Something can still be incredibly ignorant or misguided, even when not intended to cause offense.

[rereboy]

I honestly don't see malicious intent in the opening post.

Something can still be incredibly ignorant or misguided, even when not intended to cause offense.

The intention is all that matters in this subject. Otherwise, we might as well just consider the whole subject taboo and never speak of it.

[sangofe]

This goes to all 3 series. Ok I hope the title don"t offend no one. In my school experience over the past 13 years(k-12) I notice the Special Needs people love Db. Everytime I walk to their section as the bathroom is there I hear them quoting Db. From Kid Goku to Freaking BoG. I was shocked to hear them speak Japanese only cause of Vegeta bingo song. They even say Bills like Beerus.

When I see them walk to class they say...well power up the Solar Flare. They know ALL the steps to the Muten Roshi kamehameha. Their clothes is style like Db as well. Very cool imo.

Anyone else see this before? I was in shocked honesty.

I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time understanding the message you're trying to convey?

[samuraix123]

When I said that I find it hard not to laugh I wasn't meaning..Haha while pointing the finger and laughing because they don't know any better.
I meant that I crack a smile and chuckle a little bit because they're so into it unlike us. I have a cousin that's practically a vegetable and I never make fun of her nor would I ever laugh at anyone with a disability. but sometimes people who aren't all there do things that make us smile or laugh a bit. that's not making fun of them. but I don't see anything wrong with the topic. I knew two brothers in school who where crippled and they loved Dragonball and Goku's hero-ish qualities and it gave them inspiration to not give up on their lives because they got dealt a bad hand. that's an exact quote.

[Sin]

I honestly don't see malicious intent in the opening post.

Something can still be incredibly ignorant or misguided, even when not intended to cause offense.

The intention is all that matters in this subject. Otherwise, we might as well just consider the whole subject taboo and never speak of it.

I kind of agree, though I can see where Blade is coming from. It's a good discussion, and one that should be able to be made on a forum, but it's a sensitive issue and people react differently to it. Personally, I don't see an issue with discussing people with learning disabilities (the term 'special needs' is politically incorrect in the UK), as long as the content remains tasteful.

Here is a video of an older man with autism & cerebral palsy watching DBZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4NTzYLQXSg
Personally I envy him, because of his condition he seems so lost in DBZ, like a child, and I don't think I'll ever be able to recapture how I felt as a child watching DBZ.

[samuraix123]

Which is exactly my point. these people get so into Dragonball unlike us anymore that sometimes it is funny. When I see my friends girlfriends brother jump up and start powering up it is funny because of how into it he gets. I just had to throw it out there that I'm not making fun of any person with a disability. If someone said something to my cousin, I'd beat their head in the wall. but if she was like the guy I knew and we started watching dbz and she started screaming and powering up yeah I will probably laugh not going to lie.

[Weejus]

To be honest, I'm kind of happy for the guy. As long as he's enjoying himself, he's not doing anything wrong. And just like Sin said, I'm slightly envious as while I'm not going to be acting out the power-up sequences any time soon, I wish I could get as engrossed as the people mentioned in this thread do.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

or that they demand video evidence!

OK, I'm gonna jump in here and say that the whole video thing was just an example of something that would be needed to make what TheGmGoken's describing more believable. This has got nothing to do with laughing at anyone. I just feel that what he's describing, I dunno, conforms (am I using the right word here?) too much with what we'd want to hear on Kanzenshuu and that he's doing this simply for making his story sound more interesting.

[SSj_Rambo]

Like Sangofe said, I'm having trouble understanding the purpose of this topic. Is it to just sound off on who has had the same experience as you? Or to contribute material analysis like Julian did? Because if so I can't really see anywhere further for this to go.

This just seems so much more appropriate for a personal blog post than a forum discussion.