Thursday 19 March 2009

Jokes and stereotypes in TV shows

After this rather hard topic about torture it is time for something more enjoyable.

We all watch some kind of TV shows or we used to watch some of them. Many of them are filled with jokes or stereotypes.

Fast example with reference to our previous topic: terrorism. In many tv shows there is always one super, mega, ultra etc. hero(like mentioned before Jack Bauer or Chuck Norris) who saves the world and terrorists are mostly Muslims… sometimes Russians or Asians.

But let’s stay away from terrorism now… let’s talk about stereotypes which are considered funny.

Let’s talk about… nerds. There are many shows in which we can see a school and two groups: loved by everyone sportsmen and cheerleaders and a group of nerds. Nerds don’t have “the ability” to talk with girls, they study and play video games and they are beaten by others in school or everywhere else :)

Do you think it’s adequate? Do you think it’s funny?

Some short videos from “The big bang theory”:







Well I think it is funny but I consider it as a tv fiction. This stereotype isn’t adequate today. “Nerds” in real life don’t act like nerds in tv shows. They aren’t so… different. I have seen some program lately in which there were some popular “nerds”. And guess what? Bill Gates was studying much, he was wearing glasses and he could have been considered as nerd… but now when we know what he has and what he did no one really cares about what was he like in school.

Another stereotype(or maybe it is just a joke?) might be harsh but let’s talk about “stupid and fat” kids… in many tv shows we can see that nowadays let’s say young citizens like to eat very much and they aren’t really… clever.

Few examples from “Two and a Half men”







Again I think it is more fiction than reality… but then again… I’ve seen many things and maybe I just want to believe that this one won’t become true :)

What about Jews or black people? Are there jokes about them in tv shows? Are there any stereotypes? For sure but are they funny? I won't say anything about South Park but in this show you can find almost every stereotype and many jokes about everything.

Do you watch House M.D.? In this tv show there are many jokes about Jews or black people(House vs Foreman). Do you think that kind of jokes are funny? Or are they mean?

I think that many of them are mean but also in some way funny. I like to laugh very much… even if a joke is somehow connected with me. For example I’m not offended when I hear a joke about students or IT specialists. Many of them are funny :)

There are more stereotypes and jokes in tv shows but I think that those mentioned above will be enough…

So what is your opinion? Are jokes and stereotypes in tv shows ok or rather not?
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16 comments:

  1. Marek s367123 March 2009 at 04:58

    Most people agree with my next sentence.
    Jokes and stereotypes in tv shows abut other nations or groups of people are O.K. but when screenwriters of a TV shows makes fun of us or our country or society it is not that funny.

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  2. lukasz.radomski23 March 2009 at 10:44

    I think people take life too seriously,
    and I know that sense of humor is an individual thing but if jokes based on stereotypes are not funny, then I don't know what is
    it's like those jokes 'a French, a German and a Polish guy walks into a bar' they could be out of date but I still find them funny
    so to sum up, why not?
    watch Russell Peters on youtube speaking with an Indian/Chinese accent and tell me you didn't like it

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  3. Kamil Wysocki23 March 2009 at 16:59

    I don't agree with you s3671 (I am sorry, I don't know your name, please extend your nickname). Poles like make fun of our society and themselves. The best examples are cabarets or TV serials like "Świat według kiepskich" or "13 posterunek" etc, which are very popular in Poland.

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  4. KM24 March 2009 at 01:14

    Actually in my opinion Poles not so neccessary like to make fun of our society. As for "świat wedlug kiepskich" i think that many peaople like it because they can rise their self esteem watching it.

    There might be some true in s3671 statement :)

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  5. Marek s367124 March 2009 at 06:31

    I've extended my nickname as U asked Kamil because I've felt like C3-PO;)

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  6. Kamil Wysocki24 March 2009 at 16:57

    yes, like Android C-17 from Dragon Ball ;)

    http://s4.tinypic.com/2zic4zr.jpg

    By the Way... What a move! When I was young I watched it everyday.

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  7. Bartek s370924 March 2009 at 17:37

    Stereotypes are funny, but they mustn't be for everyone. Personally I like jokes witch Jews and Black People, but I don't have to be rude to that people by telling the jokes in front of them. So showing something like that in a tv show can be a "war driving machine", and I wouldn't recommend that. Even if it's really funny, it can be misunderstood. About the nerds...I don't agree that they are purely normal. I've seen some of them and it's easy to tell that they are geeks :-)

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  8. Marek s367125 March 2009 at 04:44

    Yeah great movie! It's good subject for this blog;)

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  9. Krzysztof Wawer25 March 2009 at 07:22

    Good friend of mine told me about his trip to Israel with a group of jews and incredible fact was, that they made a lot jokes about their jewness. They had huge distance to themselves. Whole difficulty with making stereotype jokes is to sense whether your interlocutor has it or not. I'ts not cool beeing rude.

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  10. Chr26 March 2009 at 00:32

    (s3572)

    I think that poles have very limited distance to themselves. For example there are no shows in Poland where someone could sing something similar to famous "I fuck Matt Damon" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd4o_hUXbfs).
    Not everyone must like such humour but why there is no one brave enough to start such show like "Late Night" in Poland? I'd like one :-)

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  11. raspi0(s3635)31 March 2009 at 07:10

    Every country has own kind of humour. In US people have fun from nerds and fat people and for example in poland have fun from their own drawback (for example "Swiat wedlug Kiepskich". If TV SHOW is funny it must be overdrawn.

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  12. mbielsk6 June 2009 at 10:20

    I think jokes in tv, are rarely funny. As you have showed it is easy to classify them in few categories. In my opinion most jokes are redundant and exaggerated.

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  13. s36388 June 2009 at 12:33

    As Maciek Bielski said, jokes in TV are redundant.. Whole TV is redundant.. and that's why I have no TV.. Why I have to lose my time for such a crap.. It's a loose of money, they want us licence fee to be paid.. for what?:>
    But i have to admit, that I am watching Discovery, some times.. once a month maybe on my parents tv.. :]

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  14. S.K.15 June 2009 at 07:47

    As I watch TV i up my mind that I see always the same jokes in the new way, but not always. Telling the truth there are a lot of shows that are really funny. This is good way to spend enjoyable time. Besides people like to talk about jokes seen on TV.

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  15. s429717 June 2009 at 01:44

    I don't have a TV myself, so I don't know the sitcoms which are currently on air. Instead of TV I watch short films on youtube. I choose those films which other users tagged as "funny" and I try to find out what is funny about them.

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  16. s368018 June 2009 at 23:57

    I like to watch funny tv-shows but the jokes must have some sense, 'Two and a half man' is quite good, I also remember Jerry Seinfeld show, Drew Carey Show and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' great show! :)

    ReplyDelete

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