He's a good character but he's just a caricature of himself most of the time. I believe Jeff and Britta are actually the most well-written, because the writers focus more on who they are rather than making them comic reliefs (well they turned Britta into a comic relief eventually)
I really like the line "when you know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for others isn't such a big deal" because it shows that when you're healthy, sometimes fitting in isn't about the destruction of yourself, but the validation of helping others feel at home with you
That's why I like Abed, as someone who relates to him, but the difference is I am more of a coward, I want to be more comfortable and confident as he is.
yeah, when reading the quote, it seems like abed said the line as a way of saying that he didn’t feel like he was being a “chameleon” or being “manipulated” so that he could fit in. he knows who he is and is compromising with a loving friend group.
I've always found this to be quite backwards. When you know who you are, and what you like about yourself shouldn't you feel the need not to change yourself for others? Liking yourself to the point how others view you doesnt matter or make you insecure should lead to needing less to no outside source of validation, hence you should be more comfortable always being yourself in most situations and thus not change yourself for others
@@jesse9710 I suppose it's meant in a kind of trade of situation. If you're absolutely confident in yourself, you hold "absolute power" in a social situation, so changing is more of a kind of (for lack of a better word) merciful thing you might di for others. Like a king being merciful. Perfect metaphor for a king like abed :)
@@jesse9710 You're describing the dominant ideal in modern Western society today. I think Harmon is critiquing this idea here. I always thought it was a bit misguided in that it reflects a narcissistic and overly individualistic culture. I think we can learn something from other cultures that are more collectivist and therefore don't value never changing yourself for others as much. It assumes people are perfect and don't have room to develop and improve. People are always a work in progress. Of course you shouldn't change the core of who you are or change for some unreasonable societal expectation, but we all have toxic or self-destructive habits we can stand to change. And sometimes the motive for that change is people who we love who help us aspire to better ourselves and support us during this change; and we can do the same for them.
This was kinda groundbreaking for a sitcom. I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where the protagonist is a nerdy guy on the spectrum who is more confident and self-assured than any of the other characters, and who the show doesn’t belittle or make fun of for being nerdy.
I don't disagree with you on this but to clarify, i think he endorses his own nerdiness to the point where he shields himself with it from the world to the point of delusion (that one claymation[sp?] christmas episode). Each character, including jeff exemplifies one of the points of the show, which i believe in this case to be one of overcoming personal issues.
@@nichmeniana7015 for sure - I never said that being self assured means Abed is a flawless human being who has no issues to work with. He’s a three dimensional character, and that’s what I appreciate about him.
@@evey8178 the way I look at it is Jeff is the protagonist for most of the show but abed is the pov character telling the story from his perspective. So the its like how Luke Skywalker is the main character of an ensemble and from what I've heard is R2-D2 is the character telling the story.
@@MissInformationAcademy It is true But you could also come to the conclusion not to please others by changing yourself for them...just saying, it depends.
@@captainobvious8037 That's the whole point. We take it way too seriously who we are, but honestly, most of our personalities is interchangeable and unimportant and will change by itself without any attention just as the time passes. But if you know what parts of you you like to keep, and what parts of you are important to you, you can change everything else without any self-harm. It does not matter if its for pleasing other or for somehow getting free burritos.
"When you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn't such a big deal." No joke, that quote changed my life. I'm a much a happier person because of that philosophy. Thank you Abed, Community, and everyone behind it.
Abed is the kind of person that all of us on the spectrum hope to be. Comfortable with ourselves, and changing for others not because we feel like we have to, but because we've reached a place where we're secure with ourselves enough that changing for others doesn't feel like we're betraying our core self. For a lot of us particularly on the higher end of the spectrum, we often feel like we have to 'mask' our autistic traits in order to fit in with what society deems as socially acceptable. Doing that for years can sap us of our self-identity to the point where we exist and experience life in a perpetual feeling of emptiness. It's heart-warming to see that Abed is at a point where he doesn't have to hide who he is and that changing himself depending on the situation is a choice, rather than an obligation. He's lucky to have neurotypical friends that always accept him for who he is in the end :)
“Everybody wants to help me but usually when they find out they can’t they get frustrated and stop talking to me” I’ve met far too many people like this
This is the realest scene about "normal" people going out of their way to "help" someone with ASD, and it still handles "normal" people with kid gloves. If Abed wasn't so bulletproof, they might actually realize how shitty what they did was.
this. I have ASD, I love Abed's character because he's a perfect representation of someone who actually has ASD, most shows would have abed being like "i wish i was normal" but realistically Abed doesnt wish he was "normal" because ofr abed that just IS normal life for him.... it's not something HE'S uncomfortable with, he's 100% self aware of himself, it''s everyone else who's uncomfortable with him that's the issue.... Abed however is just too honest a guy to do anything malicious or vengful about it tho, he just wants them to understand as he does because he's not wrong.
I just discovered Community this year after being put on a waiting list for an ASD diagnosis, and this scene still fucking haunts me. My ex was always trying to 'fix' me, then getting angry with me for not magically being better. I'm still feeling pretty much all the emotions about the whole ASD thing really. I wonder if they had someone on the writers team who had aspergers, or whatever, or if they just did some pretty good research to hit the nail so square on the head in this scene.
TROY'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FROM STEREOTYPICAL JOCK TO SENSITIVE YOUNG MAN DEMONSTRATES HIM COMING TO TERMS WITH HIS SEXUALITY, AS DEMONSTRATED BY HIS PURPOSEFUL FAILURE OF A KEG FLIP AND SUBTLE ROMANTIC ACTIONS TOWARD HIS BEST FRIEND ABED. IN THIS ESSAY I WILL-
as an autistic fan, Abed is SO SO SO important to me!!! and he’s right!!!! everyone always worries about me and wants to help me, but then they get SO FRUSTRATED when it doesn’t automatically work!!!!! also: Abed is the only good autistic representation that I have ever seen. Which is kinda sad.
@@lucydoherty494 Have you seen Atypical? It's about a guy named Sam who is on the autism spectrum.. it's an underrated Netflix Original that has its next season coming out this year
Dont miss the perfect bit: *Conversation about a guy that is considered to be "white Abed"* Jeff: so does that make Abed brown Joey? Shirley: If you wanna get racist about it!
It also wasn't filmed in front of a studio audience. There's a difference between single-camera shows (i.e., feature film style) and multi-camera shows (i.e., live audience, à la theater).
I think that the best thing about it not having the canned laughter is that there are so many jokes on so many levels there would be laughter every half second. I've been watching this show for almost as long as I can remember, and I just noticed like 2 of the jokes today
I haven't actually watched community but I keep watching clips. Every now and then I find my self saying "that's the same episode??!!!" While watching these clips
I love how almost every Community episode has a "point" where take a moment to really hammer home why the little whacky situation they created applies to every person's life. It's such a cool show.
0:45 is "Lots of girls like me." So, as someone with ASD, could you please tell me what I'm doing wrong? Because that part has never applied to me. (Hmm. UNLESS he just means 'in general'. I've actually been told I'm 'lovable', but never in a 'so let's go out' kind-of-way.)
masternachos Part of it depends on age, part of it depends on your sundae bar of spectrum symptoms. No two of us autistic people are alike. As for age, in high school I would only get approached by guys who were... well basically starburns. Lots of starburns. Now that I’m older and my peers are more mature, there’s a more level field.
"Britta, I've got self esteem falling out of my butt. That's why I was willing to change for you guys. Because when you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn't such a big deal."
Aspies know a lot about masking to fit with other people. Knowing how to balance that workout losing yourself is important, and it seems this guy gets it! So wholesome
I think I was a little like Abed back when I was 13/14, then I started caring too much about what people thought about me, so I guess I forgot who I was in the process.
0:26 is one of my favorite jokes. It's very accurate as a brown guy because other people always run to my defense if someone calls me "brown" someone even if I think it's funny.
I need Abed's level of self everything
We all do
"Let's face it: I'm pretty adorable."
So true, Abed. So true.
troy thinks so too hahaha
Abed is so cute
Meh, I give him a 7.
Lol. No, he is not.
@@PerfectAlibi1 personally an 8, and the fact he reminds me of my dad adds up to a 10
i love Abed's almost inaudible "nice" after Jeff's proclamation
i love my inaudible “nice” reaction to the number of your likes
@@hailthegodofmlgsnoopdoggso9009 let me guess... It was 69?
@@studio2251 of course it was what else would it be
@@hailthegodofmlgsnoopdoggso9009 could be 420
Abed is easily the most interesting, well written character of this show, and top 5 of any sitcom.
Top 5? The only one who beats him is Charlie from sunny.
Curious to see your top five list.
TRUUE
Shelman, shelman, shelman, shelman, abed
He's a good character but he's just a caricature of himself most of the time. I believe Jeff and Britta are actually the most well-written, because the writers focus more on who they are rather than making them comic reliefs (well they turned Britta into a comic relief eventually)
I really like the line "when you know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for others isn't such a big deal" because it shows that when you're healthy, sometimes fitting in isn't about the destruction of yourself, but the validation of helping others feel at home with you
That's why I like Abed, as someone who relates to him, but the difference is I am more of a coward, I want to be more comfortable and confident as he is.
yeah, when reading the quote, it seems like abed said the line as a way of saying that he didn’t feel like he was being a “chameleon” or being “manipulated” so that he could fit in. he knows who he is and is compromising with a loving friend group.
I've always found this to be quite backwards. When you know who you are, and what you like about yourself shouldn't you feel the need not to change yourself for others? Liking yourself to the point how others view you doesnt matter or make you insecure should lead to needing less to no outside source of validation, hence you should be more comfortable always being yourself in most situations and thus not change yourself for others
@@jesse9710 I suppose it's meant in a kind of trade of situation. If you're absolutely confident in yourself, you hold "absolute power" in a social situation, so changing is more of a kind of (for lack of a better word) merciful thing you might di for others. Like a king being merciful. Perfect metaphor for a king like abed :)
@@jesse9710 You're describing the dominant ideal in modern Western society today. I think Harmon is critiquing this idea here. I always thought it was a bit misguided in that it reflects a narcissistic and overly individualistic culture. I think we can learn something from other cultures that are more collectivist and therefore don't value never changing yourself for others as much. It assumes people are perfect and don't have room to develop and improve. People are always a work in progress. Of course you shouldn't change the core of who you are or change for some unreasonable societal expectation, but we all have toxic or self-destructive habits we can stand to change. And sometimes the motive for that change is people who we love who help us aspire to better ourselves and support us during this change; and we can do the same for them.
This was kinda groundbreaking for a sitcom. I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where the protagonist is a nerdy guy on the spectrum who is more confident and self-assured than any of the other characters, and who the show doesn’t belittle or make fun of for being nerdy.
is abed considered the protagonist? I always considered jeff the protagonist.
@@maxwell9561 yea jeff’s the protagonist. i think they were looking for the word “main character.”
I don't disagree with you on this but to clarify, i think he endorses his own nerdiness to the point where he shields himself with it from the world to the point of delusion (that one claymation[sp?] christmas episode). Each character, including jeff exemplifies one of the points of the show, which i believe in this case to be one of overcoming personal issues.
@@nichmeniana7015 for sure - I never said that being self assured means Abed is a flawless human being who has no issues to work with. He’s a three dimensional character, and that’s what I appreciate about him.
@@evey8178 the way I look at it is Jeff is the protagonist for most of the show but abed is the pov character telling the story from his perspective.
So the its like how Luke Skywalker is the main character of an ensemble and from what I've heard is R2-D2 is the character telling the story.
Pudi deserved an Emmy
That's not enough. They needed to invent a Nobel Acting Prize just to give it to him
True. True true true.
Nah he deserves an award that actually means something
...and my aloofness unconsciously reminds them of their fathers. Lol
lmao his aloofness reminds Annie of Jeff who reminds her of her father XD
Sure explains a lot about the women that come to me
@@TheArcher101 Yeah, dream on
@@TheArcher101 seems like you caught another one ;)
"lets face it im pretty adorable" "mhmm" i love troy and abed :)
Pudi's acting here is low key brilliant. His delivery tugs at something within me
"when you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn't such a big deal."
This is one of, if not my favorite quote from the show 🌟
that's so wise for a sitcom
@@MissInformationAcademy It is true
But you could also come to the conclusion not to please others by changing yourself for them...just saying, it depends.
@@captainobvious8037 That's the whole point. We take it way too seriously who we are, but honestly, most of our personalities is interchangeable and unimportant and will change by itself without any attention just as the time passes. But if you know what parts of you you like to keep, and what parts of you are important to you, you can change everything else without any self-harm. It does not matter if its for pleasing other or for somehow getting free burritos.
This was the moment the entire world fell in love with Abed
Nah for me it was either his documentary about his parents or the eyebrow raise
for me it was when he called Jeff Micheal Douglass
Or the scene earlier in this episode where he flirts with Annie
The world fell in abed?
@@artypyrec4186 *The world fell in a bed
"When you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn't such a big deal."
No joke, that quote changed my life. I'm a much a happier person because of that philosophy. Thank you Abed, Community, and everyone behind it.
So great. Abed makes a concise and beautiful point, but also stares at Jeff as he makes it, because he knows it is exactly what he needs to hear.
Let me finish the video
Pierce: "Is that code for gay sex?"
Abed is the kind of person that all of us on the spectrum hope to be. Comfortable with ourselves, and changing for others not because we feel like we have to, but because we've reached a place where we're secure with ourselves enough that changing for others doesn't feel like we're betraying our core self. For a lot of us particularly on the higher end of the spectrum, we often feel like we have to 'mask' our autistic traits in order to fit in with what society deems as socially acceptable. Doing that for years can sap us of our self-identity to the point where we exist and experience life in a perpetual feeling of emptiness.
It's heart-warming to see that Abed is at a point where he doesn't have to hide who he is and that changing himself depending on the situation is a choice, rather than an obligation. He's lucky to have neurotypical friends that always accept him for who he is in the end :)
When Abed says he's adorable, Troy just goes "true dat, true dat." I'm dead!!
I will never get over Jeff's delivery of "Abed... you're a god." Perfect.
“Everybody wants to help me but usually when they find out they can’t they get frustrated and stop talking to me”
I’ve met far too many people like this
hundreds of mental health videos but this is the one that helped. ahh i miss community
This is the realest scene about "normal" people going out of their way to "help" someone with ASD, and it still handles "normal" people with kid gloves. If Abed wasn't so bulletproof, they might actually realize how shitty what they did was.
this. I have ASD, I love Abed's character because he's a perfect representation of someone who actually has ASD, most shows would have abed being like "i wish i was normal" but realistically Abed doesnt wish he was "normal" because ofr abed that just IS normal life for him.... it's not something HE'S uncomfortable with, he's 100% self aware of himself, it''s everyone else who's uncomfortable with him that's the issue.... Abed however is just too honest a guy to do anything malicious or vengful about it tho, he just wants them to understand as he does because he's not wrong.
and even at his most vulnerable points he's always at the helm of resolving it, no one understands Abed liek Abed.
I just discovered Community this year after being put on a waiting list for an ASD diagnosis, and this scene still fucking haunts me. My ex was always trying to 'fix' me, then getting angry with me for not magically being better. I'm still feeling pretty much all the emotions about the whole ASD thing really. I wonder if they had someone on the writers team who had aspergers, or whatever, or if they just did some pretty good research to hit the nail so square on the head in this scene.
rungus24 Dan Harmon, the creator of the show, has said that he has Aspergers. He found out while he was writing for Abed's character
Ah, I did wonder. Thanks for the info.
SKBSJSHSHS THE FACT THAT TROY NODDED WHEN ABED SAID HE WAS ADORABLE 😌🤚🏼
TROY'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FROM STEREOTYPICAL JOCK TO SENSITIVE YOUNG MAN DEMONSTRATES HIM COMING TO TERMS WITH HIS SEXUALITY, AS DEMONSTRATED BY HIS PURPOSEFUL FAILURE OF A KEG FLIP AND SUBTLE ROMANTIC ACTIONS TOWARD HIS BEST FRIEND ABED. IN THIS ESSAY I WILL-
@@mediocretriplethreat please continue
@@mediocretriplethreat - turn off caps lock I hope…
Interesting how Jeff calls abed a god, when early on in the show he says something like “either I’m god, or truth is relative”
in either case, BOYAA
He also calls himself a god in season 2
“Any of those people could be God.”
@@michelelandolfi1572 What does "BOYAA" mean?
@@debrachambers1304 Yes.
And the thing is, Abed planned out the entire thing, just to help Jeff
when abed finished talking i thought "woah, man is a god" then goku hairline said almost the same thing
brooooo
GOKU HAIRLINE HAHAHAHAHAH
That’s Vegeta hairline, not Goku
Goku hairline oh god, all I could think about with Jeff on the show was his hairline and you just 😂
Is my forehead really that big
It’s not small
as an autistic fan, Abed is SO SO SO important to me!!! and he’s right!!!! everyone always worries about me and wants to help me, but then they get SO FRUSTRATED when it doesn’t automatically work!!!!!
also: Abed is the only good autistic representation that I have ever seen. Which is kinda sad.
Have you seen Steven Universe? I feel that peridots charecter in season 3 is prety good repreantation. Not as good as Abed tho
@@serif3756 i love peridot but i feel like her autism is not as explicitly talked about like abed’s is
@@lucydoherty494 Have you seen Atypical? It's about a guy named Sam who is on the autism spectrum.. it's an underrated Netflix Original that has its next season coming out this year
@@V_A_V_A_V_A Atypical is extremely ableist and not at all good representation for autistic people.
Atypical was pretty good for that, I shared a lot of habits and symptoms
Founding member of the religion of Abedism, High Priest Jeff Winger
Praise the great Abed!
Abeeeed
abed abed abeeed
I'm sorry, but I think everybody know that Abed is brown Jamie Lee Curtis
If you want to get racist about it.
Pew!
Jamie Lee Curtis: *sees Danny Pudi win an Emmy* Man, I wish I were like Brown Jamie Lee Curtis.
Nah, definitely Brown Nicolas Cage
Anddddd, she’s trending today 😂
Jeff: “If you’ll all excuse me, I have a man to beat in pool while wearing shorts.”
Pierce: “Is that code for going number one, or number two?”
So technically Abed is the man Jeff wish he was.
yes, jeff is very insecure, old and a dumpster fire
and he is what pierce wishes he was
In some ways, yes.
This is by far my favorite Monologue in the entire show.
Dont miss the perfect bit:
*Conversation about a guy that is considered to be "white Abed"*
Jeff: so does that make Abed brown Joey?
Shirley: If you wanna get racist about it!
Then Jeff's reaction.
I laughed out loud
More evidence of why abed is the sane one in the group
Abed is a God
,Meta
ABED ABED ABED ABED
TV is my GOD!
I think I'm real.... unless in some other Timeline... I'm just a creation of a guy named Dan Harmon.
And a shaman.
damn this show had a knack for getting super deep out of nowhere
Abed is one of the greatest television characters of all time
This is extremely wholesome
I've never related to a character in a sitcom more than Abed. Kind of incredible, maybe I'm morr Troy but I definitely relate to his geeky knowledge
I don't even watch this show and this guy is already my favourite
“Britta I have self esteems falling out of my butt.”
I have self esteem falling out of my butt.
i did too. a while ago....flushed it
I have self estiarrhea
I love how community does not use canned laughter to force the joke onto the audience
It also wasn't filmed in front of a studio audience. There's a difference between single-camera shows (i.e., feature film style) and multi-camera shows (i.e., live audience, à la theater).
I think that the best thing about it not having the canned laughter is that there are so many jokes on so many levels there would be laughter every half second. I've been watching this show for almost as long as I can remember, and I just noticed like 2 of the jokes today
I haven't actually watched community but I keep watching clips. Every now and then I find my self saying "that's the same episode??!!!" While watching these clips
I love his character sm. His advice has always stuck with me
"Abed, you're a God!"
Self-Compassion is better than Self-Esteem.
CJusticeHappen21 self awareness is the best tho
Abed has both...
@@bbz232 *winks at the camera*
“When you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn’t such a big deal.”
Fucking wisdom
Abed is tooooooo adorable!!!! Ugh I love him
I like how Jeff goes from seeing abed as just like, useful to seeing him as a god of self confidence lol
Ive alway loved the Abed and Jeff dynamic. Probably one of the best dynamics in the show.
I see your value now
I love how almost every Community episode has a "point" where take a moment to really hammer home why the little whacky situation they created applies to every person's life. It's such a cool show.
I agree, Community is cool. Cool cool cool.
nice
0:30 0:45 happens to people with ASD all the time
0:45 is "Lots of girls like me." So, as someone with ASD, could you please tell me what I'm doing wrong? Because that part has never applied to me. (Hmm. UNLESS he just means 'in general'. I've actually been told I'm 'lovable', but never in a 'so let's go out' kind-of-way.)
masternachos Part of it depends on age, part of it depends on your sundae bar of spectrum symptoms. No two of us autistic people are alike. As for age, in high school I would only get approached by guys who were... well basically starburns. Lots of starburns. Now that I’m older and my peers are more mature, there’s a more level field.
“Or they trick me into buying them ice cream and then shove me into a clothes dryer,”
That’s an oddly specific scenario
One of the few moments of the show where Pierce actually seems to admire something another character said
Troy agreeing with how adorable Abed is.
"Abed your a God" Just looks down. He doesnt refute this meaning he could be
My favorite quote of the entire series
i love abed so so much
1:09 Jeff just summed up Abed in one sentence.
"Britta, I've got self esteem falling out of my butt. That's why I was willing to change for you guys. Because when you really know who you are and what you like about yourself, changing for other people isn't such a big deal."
Britta is so incredible attractive in this episode it blows my mind
Remember when danny pudi didn’t get any emmy award nominations for this role and then jim parsons won a bunch of them for playing bazinga boy
Aspies know a lot about masking to fit with other people. Knowing how to balance that workout losing yourself is important, and it seems this guy gets it! So wholesome
That shorts thing really cought me off guard and I don't no why
Such a wholesome episode. This and I CHOOSE SHORTS!
I think I was a little like Abed back when I was 13/14, then I started caring too much about what people thought about me, so I guess I forgot who I was in the process.
abed is the perfect person bye
I like community because I've always felt like Abed! But minus the friends
Abed is great in this scene and all but Troy is great to
1:09 ABED ABED ABED ABED!!
One of the realest scenes of anything i will ever see
Such true words
Nice
This show is so profound sometimes
"Abed...you're a god. "
An understatement
1:09 Jeff spittin facts
Abed was the leader all along.
p.s. because he's a Writer's Stand In for Dan Harmon
Abed is the G.
I am on the Spectrum.
"Let's hit balls around a table with tapered sticks....like men."
Anyone else getting this in their recommended coz its now available on Netflix
The end though, I got recommended the pool episode yesterday...
This is the Sheldon I wanted.
watching this clip out of context is probably sooo weird lol
This is why Abed is the only one of them who passes Britta's mental health test or whatever
Abed is pretty relatable.
Stormy " Oh Hi Black Debbie"
Scenes like this is why Community is unlike anything else ever made
0:26 is one of my favorite jokes. It's very accurate as a brown guy because other people always run to my defense if someone calls me "brown" someone even if I think it's funny.
Annie's sweater in uncharacteristically thick and loose
Watching this clip out of context, I get to feel as confused as the other characters by Jeff's last line.
that "nice" in the end when Jeff mentiones he's going to beat a guy in a pool in shorts xD
0:15 AHHH It did :(
0:52 that hand lol
They really didn't need to go there because I already love Abed
the small *nice* at the end hahaha
i relate to abed
This is the best lineup
Is it bad that I read the title as Changing as in senor chang