Could Fry actually be smart?

[#80 :]

Fry is not lacking in cerebral capacity, rather, he is unskilled in the manners by which he can put his capacity to use. He is not an idiot, thank you very much, he is simply a great deal ignorant and naïve concerning his surroundings. And no one, ever, seems to want to assist him in rising up out of the rut that his twentieth-century society had become ever so acceptive of.

He's not dumb, his neurons are just "alternately networked." 

Fry has many intelligent moments...like Bill and Ted of the most excellent adventures, he HAS a brain in there, but it spends most of its time in a blissful state of non-activity.  This is indistinguishable from "stupidity" on the surface.

But, like King Arthur who sleeps in Avalon, in moments of crisis it will rouse itself from its slumber to burst forth upon the foes who menace his home and friends and save the day; and then, its quest complete, it retires again to its sleep of aeons and timeless dreams.  Naughty nerdy dreams, no doubt, but eh, I'll bet Arturius Rex has the odd mental romp about Guinivere and her handmaidens from time to time as well.

[#81 :]

I think Fry is rather smart, but he just noticed how he acted got him through life and I think he likes his life, and so he doesn't change.

[#82 :]

Since a lot of people who wrote in here that Fry might be an idiot savant.  But maybe Fry has Asperger's syndrome. 

[#83 :]

As Lars, Fry was smart enough to become a Cetacean... 'care worker'? And also smart enough to be placed in care of the preserved heads of important historical figures. Lars was also intelligent/suave enough to woo Leela, intelligent enough to put her needs above his, and intelligent enough to use self-destructing Bender (he froze himself, "decades" ago (from his POV) as an offensive weapon.

[#84 :]

like most have said, fry's a decently smart dude, he just doesn't put his thinker to much practical use.

Since a lot of people who wrote in here that Fry might be an idiot savant.  But maybe Fry has Asperger's syndrome. 

he's far too socially active to have a form of autism.

[#85 :]

True that. I've cared for a lot of people with Autism and Aspergers (real Asperger's, not emo teenage wannabe Aspergers). Compared to them, Fry is very extroverted.

[#86 :]

Aspergers is a autism spectrum disorder but it's a bit crude to call it a "form of autism". Someone with aspergers can have apparently normal social skills and they're often hard to spot as long as they've got themselves a nice routine to work in. What they don't like is change or anything that disrupts their protective world (which would rule out Fry being aspergic right off the bat). The thing about aspergers is that it leaves the mind capable of learning to mimic social behaviour. They're very rules-based, so given a sufficiently thick book of rules they can learn how to behave exactly how a "normal" person would in most situations. Just don't throw them into something unfamiliar without warning if you value your life.

</lecture>

[#87 :]

Someone with aspergers can have apparently normal social skills and they're often hard to spot

At least from a distance.

I used to have one who was scarily attached to his routines to the point where he would go outside in the pouring rain to sweep the driveway of the group home because that was his chore for the day. And if the service car was in the driveway, he needed to get down on his hands and knees to sweep under it.
He would become violent and destructive whenever a routine was thrown out, and a couple of times I had to stop him attacking other clients with a steak knife.

[#88 :]

Is that how you got stabbed?

Plus, I have a mild case of autism. Nothing serious, just bad socialising skills and apparently I cant read body language. Plus I get spasms in my hands mainly when I'm exited. However this does not effect my brain, in fact I am actually smarter than most people in my school, although I do lack imagination in some cases.

[#89 :]

Did a professional diagnose that, or have you just decided it? Because a lot of socially awkward people like to label themselves autistic or asperger's as an excuse or in an attempt to appear more interesting. They're usually emo teenagers without any real understanding of the disability who are actually devaluing the struggle of people who have the real thing.

Because see, 'mild autism' 'nothing serious' sounds to me like you're just a shy introvert. Which isn't a disability, just a personality type. An inability to read body-language could mean you spend too much time on the computer.

And all of those things are easily attributable to the fact that you're 14 years old.

[#90 :]

Ouch.

My wife is an aspie. She has a very personal grudge against people who claim to be aspergic based on the fact that they can't get along with people.

Spasms aren't a symptom, nor is lack of creativity. In fact aspergics have a very high creative drive in a lot of cases, it just expresses in different ways. Physical contact is a biiig problem for them - the neurological differences tend to make it hard for aspergics to filter incoming information and many sensory inputs are magnified and duplicated in the brain, which means that they're easy to hurt; don't like physical contact; can't concentrate when there's a lot of noise and visual stimulation, or when things are "different" in ways beyond their control; and have raging orgasms.

There's always a silver lining...

[#91 :]

You know, I've been a professional in the field for seven years and I didn't know that last one.

Didn't really want to either, but thanks Arch - you're always informative.

[#92 :]

I try.

[#93 :]

First of all I hate emos and therefore am not one. Second of all I didnt know I had autism until my mum went to a meeting about learning about autism in children and found out that I had been showing signs of autism. The hand spasms for example was one of the things mentioned at the meeting as well as talking very close up to people and by not being able to spot body language I mean not being able to pick up signs, for example in facial expressions, that I am not being careful about what I am saying.

[#94 :]

Sorry for posting twice but I have more.

Lastly of all my mum took me to a specialist who checked me and told me I had a mild case.

I just want to make a point that I was not trying to be offensive in anyway and like I said I only got diognosed with it a few years ago and as it is only a mild case I have not looked into it any further. I am not trying to be someone I am not. Also I do not have aspergers I have a mild case of regular autism.

[#95 :]

Your Mom got an excuse for her lackluster parenting. My Mom took me to a specialist too who diagnosed me with mild Autism. She took me to twelve others who never mentioned it. Being an introvert and being autistic are not the same thing.

[#96 :]

Sorry for posting twice but I have more.

Autism these days is really used as more of an umbrella term for a spectrum of different intellectual disabilities/psychological conditions, of which Asperger's Syndrome is one. The other main one is PDD-NOS, though others are sometimes included.

Without meeting you, I cannot say if your Mum was being a panicky loon or if the specialist was just humoring her by saying "Yes, you're right - your kid is special  ". (I happen to know a few specialists in the field of developmental disorders. They can't find their arses with both hands, thinking they can diagnose via a textbook when they actually don't spend any time with the people.... anyway...)

Yes, what fistful said. Sadly this happens all the time. And introverts are frequently mistaken for Autistics. I think you'll be fine. Your Mum has probably put something silly into your head and you'd best just put it out of your mind.

[#97 :]

Where exactly does "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" come into all this?

[#98 :]

I think it puts in a cameo apperance at the end of the credits.

[#99 :]

Where exactly does "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" come into all this?

[*SpaceCase leans into thread*]

... And on the eighth day, God invented the Internet...

[#100 :]

Where exactly does "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" come into all this?

[*SpaceCase leans into thread*]

... And on the eighth day, God invented the Internet...

I've always suspected you were God, SpaceCase.

[#101 :]

I've always suspected you were God, SpaceCase.

First, (unlike Bender) my ego isn't big enough.
Second, (unlike Al Gore) I didn't invent the Internet, and:
Third, were I God, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY MISTIFIED by your arrival at that conclusion from the given statement.
it's confusion over the conclusion...

[#102 :]

I've always suspected you were God, SpaceCase.

First, (unlike Bender) my ego isn't big enough.
Second, (unlike Al Gore) I didn't invent the Internet, and:
Third, were I God, I wouldn't be COMPLETELY MISTIFIED by your arrival at that conclusion from the given statement.
it's confusion over the conclusion...

You can still be my god.

[#103 :]

Your God is pretty cute. Is she single?

[#104 :]

You can still be my god.

Pass.

Your God is pretty cute. Is she single?

Why don't you ask her?

Meanwhile, can we please get

   
    If anyone cares, I'll be under my rock...

[#105 :]

In conclusion, Fry could actually be smart.

Close topic now.

[#106 :]

Well thanks for the reassurance Coldy, like I said it isn't very serious and I hope I have not caused much of a disturbance.

By the way I couldn't edit that post because I had ran out of space. (I was writing on internet browse on my PSP.)

[#107 :]

I don't know what that is. I'll stick with my trusty IBM 407 tabulating machine. Valves are okay by me.

[#108 :]

Isn't the only reason he was able to save the world from the flying brains because he is really dumb?

[#109 :]

Isn't the only reason he was able to save the world from the flying brains because he is really dumb?

No, its because he lacks the delta brainwave, therefore is immune to the brains psyonic attack. If anything his lack of intelligence would be a hinderence as it would prevent him from properly utilizing the weapon of having the only brain that was immune from their attack.

[#110 :]

I'm pretty sure someone already wrote something similar to what I'm about to write and much better too.

Fry isn't dumb so much as he is mentally lazy. He doesn't use his brain a lot other than for the relatively easy tasks of day-to-day affairs. When he does get stuck in a hairy situation he rises up and usually knows what to do (like when he tricked the Big Brain or re-wired the Omega Device).

[#111 :]

I think he's just an idiot with moments of insight, albeit a likable one most of the time.

[#112 :]

Maybe Fry has everything wrong with his brain!  Maybe that's why he has no delta brainwave.  Like maybe he's part learning disabled, part retarded and the whatnot. 

[#113 :]

I like to think that Fry is smarter than he lets on (or is aware of).  He obviously has never exercised his brain much - referring to ideas as "a headache with pictures," but when his life or someone he cares about is on the line, he has shown that he does have the capacity, he just is too lazy to train it.  He can also be remarkably intuitive at times.

[#114 :]

sure be could be. if you notic in the episodes. and also in the dvd movie's. he's got alot of idéa's. some better then the other. BUT. that is what makes him smart. i think he dosen't just standing and do nothing (mostly). he come's up with new idéa's . not all of them a great but he is trying. so yea i think he is smart. but what the hell im just ash smart ash he is