CMV: "X character is Y-coded" is just a socially-acceptable version of stereotyping.

Steelman attempt: To some extent, I kind of get coding. For example, in plural communities, you might see someone say something like "I think Naruto and Kurama are plural-coded. They weren't written with 'DID character' in mind, so Kishimoto didn't draw on 'DID character' cliches like 'hero has an evil alter' or 'happy ending sees all alters destroyed, evil or no.' I'm plural, and I see myself in them." I get that.

When I hear statements like "Sheldon is autism-coded" or "the gorillas in Sing are black-coded," that sounds like stereotyping to me. Maybe that's because I'm not a member of the demographic being...uh, "encoded?" into the fictional character. IDK.