The 3 Worst TV Stereotypes of the Week: 'All the Women Who Are Independent, Throw Your Hands Up'
Where would television be without stereotypes? There would be no Jersey Shore and no Real Housewives franchise, which means that American culture would be a little more respectable, Snooki would not have a book deal and Andy Cohen would be out of a job. Let's not spend a second longer worrying about those horrors though because television is an embarrassment of stereotype riches. Without any further hesitation, last week's boldest, brightest and most offensive oversimplified characters.
1. The Ball-Busting Career Woman (Parenthood)
Oh Parenthood, you give us new white, middle class problems each week and then you deal with them and the episode is over. Your kid with autism doesn't want to spend time with you? Make a father-son dinner date! Your mom won't stop annoyingly supporting your decision to run for class president? Yell at her! Sure, you could get the same advice from Redbook or YM, but does either magazine feature Craig T. Nelson? No.
This week, Parenthood's scribes focused on the strongest, scariest and most successful female in the Braverman clan: Julia Braverman-Graham. (Without going any further, you know that Julia Braverman-Graham is an empowered woman because she chose to hyphenate her last name.) She is a lawyer at a "top firm." She works long hours, misses her daughter's bed time regularly and emasculates her stay-at-home husband on a daily basis. She is what stereotypical career women in America aspire to be: the Everyballbuster. In this week's episode, Julia took her stereotype a little too far when she demanded that her husband fertilize her egg ASAP and put off his career goals for another 18 years. Before he could respond (for the record, he is not sure he wants to have a second kid), Julia contacted her family to announce the plans and further crush her husband's ego, all while wearing a smart business suit.
2. Indian Call-Center Employees (Detroit 1-8-7...Just Kidding...Outsourced)
NBC's controversial new Thursday night comedy is not as bad as people first thought. There really aren't any decent jokes (unless you think Diedrich Bader nicknaming an Indian employee "Roger Ebert" because he greets everyone with two thumbs up qualifies as decent). But the writers go to great length to differentiate the Indian characters. For example, all of the females are beautiful and shy. And all of the men are quiet, heavily-accented and subtly quirky. So maybe Outsourced writers still have some work to do but one way that they could really help America get over its Indian call center stereotype is if they showed call center employees outside of a call center. I'm sure these Indian employees have lives and families, right? Even The Office treats its Scranton employees to a dinner out at Chili's once in a blue moon.
3. Trashy Italians/Reality Stars (Jersey Shore)
This is the only time we will mention MTV's gorillas in this feature because their inclusion is a given. But in this week's episode alone, the Situation, Snooki and the gang reached new heights by calling each other ho's, engaging in a physical b*tch brawl, flexing juiced pecs, cooking sausage dinners, spray-tanning and sending their cast member (who is nicknamed the Staten Island Dump) packing with her metaphorical trash bag luggage in tow.
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Comments
I am one of those women. I am SELF-EMPLOYED in a man's industry.
I get called all sorts of names. Most recently I wrote a letter to my attorney that his employee was not doing a good job, when in fact, he was making many mistakes, and that I needed him personally to do the work. I was called a 'Freight Train'.
I've been called 'opinionated broad', about my own business, mind you. Of course, the "B" word has been used. I have found that these names are usually directed at me when someone is trying to 'get one over on me'.
Anymore, I take it as a complement.
The purpose of almost any story, TV show, or movie is usually not to offer up a world-wide educational course geared toward creating a politically, sexually, and morally apostolic homogenous future world. The majority of characters are created by the authors based on stereotypes or personality traits that are encompassed by a one-dimensional character world. That's just the nature of the entertainment business.
One can argue that all the characters should be multi-dimensional and should be developed to encompass every conceivable trace of humanity's potential for goodness, but let's be real, who would want to be entertained by that?
My issue with the stereotypes is that it is the easy way out. If you are using stereotypes you don't have to actually think about how to write your show. you just go for the easy joke. Which is why I can't watch sitcoms.
Well that and the annoying laugh track that never stops.
laugh track?? you mean its not real?!? *sob*
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here
by searching for Party Cruise