Representing America - American Literature AP - Blog

She's Not the Stereotypical Girl

    She's the Man is a modernized version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.  When adapting Twelfth NIght the writers modernized the characters and the situation but also added a feminist viewpoint.  Instead of the using Viola's motive in Twelfth Night of wanting to be with the guy she likes, in She's the Man her purpose of dressing as a man is to achieve her own goals and prove that woman are just as good as guys at sports.  Society tries to force Viola into becoming a stereotypical woman but Viola objects to the role and breaks away from  the stereotype.  Viola's mother forces Viola into a Debutant ball to become a "lady" and the school she is at in the beginning forces her to not play soccer by canceling the girl's team.  However, Viola does not let herself be cast into those roles by not acting like a "perfect lady" at the debutant meetings and by dressing as a boy and moving to a different school.  

    Viola does not conform into the Debutant world that her mother wishes her to participate in.  When Viola is forced to go to a carnival and do the kissing both her ex-boyfriend and Duke, a guy who participates in the kissing both, get into a fight.  Instead of staying out of the conflict like a "proper lady" she tackles them and tries to break them apart.  This action gets her into trouble with both her mother and the leader of the debutantes.  At a debutant luncheon, Viola is in the bathroom with Olivia, who is talking about how she likes Sebastian. Monique overhears Olivia and since she still believes she is Sebastian's girlfriend starts to fight Olivia,  Again Viola joins in the fight and the leader debutant is very upset with her.  Viola does not act with the proper manners or that the leaders of the debutantes and her mother expect leading to anger from both of them for not fitting into the stereotype.  

    Viola is not the stereotypical girl that society wishes her to be.  These actions lead to many frustrations from society and her mother because she is not fitting into the box they have built for every girl to fit in.  But Viola still tries to be on her soccer team and not let what society thinks conform her.  In the end Viola dressing up as her brother to play soccer gets rid of the stereotypes people would think if she was herself.  When the school does find out she is really a girl that already know she is good at soccer and can play with boys.  The way that Viola does not conform to her mother or society's expectations allows her  talent to be accepted and the stereotype of girls not being good at soccer to not apply to her.  

Desperate Housewives: A Feminist Critique

 

The ABC series, Desperate Housewives depicts the lives of five women struggling to maintain the stability of suburbia. Wisteria Lane, where each housewives lives may seem to be a prim and proper neighborhood yet is full of deep and dark secrets these women hide behind their conservative facade. Throughout the course of eight seasons, these women have proven that they are capable of anything ranging from being a nurturing mother, to murder. Though at first I did not notice, this show reinforces the stereotypes made through the media to an extreme degree.

If you haven't seen this show before, some of the main characters are Lynette, Gaby, Bree, and Renee. Lynette who is a mother of five children is a stay at home mother. Bree like Lynette is an accomplishes business owner who prides herself on her home and cleanliness. Both of these women represents the stereotype of the domestic wife and mother. Gaby, who is a former model prides herself on her personal appearance and her outward beauty. She represent the role of the sex object. Finally Renee, the newest character to the show is a New Yorker who has recently moved to the suburbs. She recklessly sleeps around with many men and is known to be a cougar. She represents the stereotype of a seductress. The show presents three stereotypes of women: the wife/mother, the seductress, and the sex object. Desperate Housewives reaffirms to its viewers the stereotypes that have been implanted in contemporary media and lacks to show the true agency women have over their lives.

Both Bree and Lynette are stay at home mothers, who face the challenge of balancing the task of maintaining their social status and the welfare of their children. They portray the roles of the wife/mother by sacraficing their individual dreams to support their families. Throughout the beginning seasons of the series, Lynette could be seen to challenge stereotypes through successfully attaining a high management position at her job by hard work. Yet, when her husband needs her to be more for their children she is faced with the desicion to give up all her hard work for her home. Instead of showing agency and  defending her years of hard work, she surrenders her achievements for a broom and an apron and leaves behind her job. 

Gaby and Renee reaffirm the stereotypes of the sex object and the seductress. Renee who constanly reciceves criticism for her promiscuious ways. As an older women she dresses provactive, and is not afraid to speak her mind. Unlike the other women in the community she is constantly bringing home different men from bar and various other places but never acheives to have a stable relationship with a man, until later in the show. Once Renee has tamed her ways, and the viewers might actually think that stereotype has been broken, it is once again promted when Bree takes on those qualities. 

Desperate Housewives is not a feminist show. Its characters strengthen societies views on gender roles and stereotypes. By captivating its viewers through a male gaze, women are further encouraged to sustain their gender roles. Even before a person views this show, the name Desperate House wives objectifies women. Unlike, feminist films the women in this show do now show the freedom of agency in their lives. 

The Game's Heroine

WARNING: If you haven't read the Hunger Games there might be some spoiler alerts in this blog, they are marked in parenthesis before the sentence containing them.

The Hunger Games is a popular book series in our modern day culture. When one takes a first glance at this all they see is a story about 24 kids fighting to the death, an entertaining plot. But if one would look closer they would notice that there is an underlining feminist argument.

Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games trilogy, uses the primary character, Katniss, to present her feminist argument. Katniss is the heroine of the story. She is put into an arena to fight to the death, and is motivated purely on returning to her family.

When we first meet Katniss, although she is not a mother, she has many characteristics described in The Cult of Domesticity. Katniss strives to take care of her little sister, due to her mother's absence, and take care of the house. This shows Katniss's domesticity aspect, she is the caretaker of her home. While Katniss takes up the role of the stereotypical "mother" in our society, her real mother fails to do so. Thus, Collins is making Katniss a stronger character than a women is expected to be, beginning her female empowerment plot. 

Although Katniss does posses the domesticity values, she is nothing similar to the rest of the ideologies in the cult. Katniss is the farthest thing from submissive, with her relationships between men Katniss is not afraid to speak her mind and challenge them. In the novel Collins uses the area of the Capitol to show the norm of women. Women usually are extremely submissive to men, especially President Snow. The Capitol is also an extremely patriarchal structure of a society. No women are in any position of major power, and if they are in some position they are under the rule of a man. 

But in the Capitol women are not the only submissive ones. Due to the extreme stratification, the lower your district (class) the more submissive you are to the Capitol and the men in charge of it. For example, (spoiler alert) in the end of the first novel Katniss stands up to the Capitol's rules of the Hunger Games when she and Peeta almost kill themselves at the same time.

Another example, (another spoiler alert) is when Rue dies Katniss decorates her body with flowers and sings her to her death to show respect to her life. Katniss ends her song with kissing three fingers and raising them to the camera, an old symbol from district 12 to say goodbye to someone you love. This symbol is unwelcome by the Capitol and especially the games because it defies the brutal image that the Capitol wishes to get from the games. This displays the overall agency that Katniss has in this patriarchal society. Although this action came with major consequences, Katniss stood strong like a true heroine. 

Katniss is also empowered when she defies the expectations of purity and piety in the Cult of Domesticity. Some might say that the Hunger Games world could not expect the women to be pure when they put them in an arena to fight to the death, but if one focuses on the pre-game interviews of the tributes they can see how purity is still expected. When other women go up to the stage they have an image. Glimmer is the "seductress" and captures the audience by being blatantly against purity and piety.

Although this captures the viewers attention, the viewers do not gain respect for this tribute. Unlike Glimmer, the youngest tribute Rue plays the innocent pure little girl for her image. This makes her extremely loved by the audience but she also looks weak to the other tributes. Thus, (spoiler alert) when Peeta declares his love for Katniss, she is angered because he made her look weak. 

Katniss's lack of desire to be the perfect woman is the base of Collin's feminist empowerment. In the beginning of the book Katniss seems powerless, just another pawn in the Capitol's games, but by the end of the novel she is holding all the cards. Collins makes sure to make the main aspect of the book to be Katniss and her heroine aspect rather than the men. The strength of Katniss's character makes this feminist argument strong. Every little detail that Collins puts into the female characters, especially Katniss, is to defy the norm of the Cult of True Womanhood. The stereotypical hero is finally, and successfully, portrayed as a woman.

Maybe SHE'S Just Not That Into You Response

While reading the "Maybe SHE'S Just Not That Into You" post on FBomb, I caught myself shaking my head and agreeing with Fiona L. and her input that men and women can both be jerks when it comes to relationships. There are plenty of men and women out there who misconstrue the feelings of a significant other. People always assume that the man is always the one being a jerk in the relationship, which is not always true. This stereotype is unjust and should be put to rest. Women may come off as the victim in certain situations, but in some instances they are the attacker. Different people have different feelings. It is wrong to say that all men are only after one thing in a relationship. Men have feelings too and can be hurt just as easily as women are. Recently, I saw the movie "The Vow" which is about a woman who looses her memory in a car accident and can not remember that she's married. Her husband tries to make her fall in love with him again, but he is continuously shut down. Her feelings changed uncontrollably and this makes the wife seem like the jerk in the situation because the husband tries to do everything in his power to reconnect their love, but she does not feel the same love. Some people don't mean to hurt their significant other, but end up hurting them anyways.  You don't really see a movie like this often, because the stereotype is all about the men being jerks. The way people handle their situations is what shows their true colors.

Gender roles and body image

after looking at some of the articles at Rookie, I noticed this article called "The Year of My Eating Disorder". The article talks about how this girl, who was a sixth grader at the time, was anorexic and how she overcame it. My initial reaction was that no sixth grader should ever be that self-conscious of their weight or how they look. However, this got me thinking about the discussion that we had about body image in class the other day. I never realized that the media was starting to affect kids at such a young age. I mean I've seen the Tyra episodes and the Dove commercials that talk about how little girls get depressed about how they look, but I never really believed them. Looking at the article made me think about how much this particular stereotype has shaped the way women think. There are so many advertisement that show women with thin bodies and sex appeal and other images where they are well toned and have defined muscles. I realized that there are so many of these ads that feature women, who are models, that fit that description. It's strange to think that a picture or a video can make someone think that you aren't pretty or that you aren't unique in your own way. i think that this article really opens your eyes as to how thinking about women as sex objects and pressuring body images can change the female psyche.

Rookie Feminist

These days, everyone is talking about equal rights for everyone. Whether is predjudice against race, sexual orientation, or gender, the world is always at war with what is considered to be the "right path" to take down these roads. The beauty of this age, however, is that there are online blog sites that can help troubled people through these times of inequality and injustice. Blog sites like Rookie. Rookie was created by Tavi Gevinson when she was only 13 years old, and even then, she had a different view on the world. She saw feminism as something fun. Something that was to be celebrated and shared with everyone who cared to stop and read. And if you didn't care to read, so what? The point of Rookie is to be whatever it is you want to be with yourself.

Rookie is based around the "be who you are and say what you feel" motto, encouraging Tavi's friends and fellow bloggers to partner with her and write the amazing stories of embarassment, hilarity, seriousness, and all around truthfulness. The blog gives women a place to read about other women who don't strive to be what society sets them up to be. It showcases the importance of being yourself, no matter what the rest of the world wants you to be. 

Rookie, and the online blogs like it, are a beacon to all women who call themselves feminist. You don't have to be the stereotypical feminist that are often poorly portrayed as being crazy. The idea is to break that stereotype and showcase a new kind of feminist. A feminist people will be proud to call themselves. A feminist that can say what they truely feel without being judged or harrassed by anyone else who has the idea that women are inferior to men.

Feminist blogging sites give feminism a whole new meaning by translating it into something that almost anybody can relate it to. The world of feminism is changing all around us with a little help from the Rookies.

Who Is the Real Jerk?

So I was reading a post on the F-Bomb that was talking about how men and women react to relationships. There's a movie out that's called "He's Just Not That Into You" which shows how men can act like complete jerks when they're not interested in particular women. However, this post on the F-Bomb explains how women are just as guilty as men which I agree with. There are women out here that act like jerks towards nice men but people never really pay attention to it. It's only seen when a man does it which is an unfair stereotype to men. According to this article, there was a line in the post which states "maybe we can just make a couple of movies about her not being into him, and cast Ryan Gosling as the weepy, confused reject instead of Jennifer Connolly." and I find that to be a great idea since it will show the audience how emotional men deal with women through their perspective of things. I can understand why the post is titled "Maybe SHE'S Just Not That Into You" because women can act the same way as men and do the same thing that men do when they're not really interested in someone. As a result, their actions is what labels them as being a jerk.

30 Rockefeller Parody

Most people today have seen at least one episode or part of an episode of the wonderful NBC show, 30 Rock. As both the creator and the lead of the show, Tina Fey uses her witty sarcasm and perfect comedic timing to make this show one of the best on network television. But if you're like me (which you probably aren't because I'm super imperceptive...) you may not have taken the time to realize that 30 Rock is actually a parody in itself. Every character, every incident, and every sketch is dripping in satirical gold. 

For example, characters like Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan, Liz Lemon and Jenna Maroney are all perfect parodies of the television business class. Jack Donaghy is portrayed as the quintessential business man, always wearing a suit, in a big office, getting everything he wants no matter how ridiculous. Tracy Jordan is the portrayed as the innapropriate, simple-minded, illogical black guy who tries to play the funny man, but usually just ends up being offensive. Liz Lemon is the typical hard-worker who gets absolutely nothing in return. Still single because she's too invested in her work, Liz is the perfect portrait of what we see to be the "nerdy" woman in the workplace. Finally, Jenna Maroney portrays the "dumb blonde" kind of character who is invested in herself and her work, giving some time, but not much, to her friends. Often getting into trouble with Tracy, she is seen as the naive, conceided type of person.

The entire show is a parody of what working at a TV studio is like. Everything from the ridiculous sketches (like the accidental Nazi fireworks...) to the crises that befall Liz and Jack, all add to the ridiculous parody and satire of the show. 

Sure, Its Not Another Teen Movie........

"Not Another Teen Movie" came out in 2001 and is a parody of a lot the teen movies made from the 80's-2000's. Some of the movies they criticize are, "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty In Pink", and "Bring It On".

This movie takes scenes from the original movies, and makes of parody of what happens. For example, The main guy has to make the unpopular girl in school the prom queen. Before an important party, he goes to her house with his sister so his sister can make the unpopular girl "sexy".

The two girls go upstairs and the sister takes a close look at the main girl. She then preceeds to take off the girl's glasses and takes down her hair. The unpopular suddenly gets beautiful hair and looks good.

Another example is from "Bring It On". The cheerleading squad needs one more person so they have a try out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAK9AZlptx8&feature=related

This is a praody of Bring It On and also of how they have the nice 50's girls who are innocent. They show use the parody to make fun of cheerleaders by making them seem like idiots. Also, by giving the innocent girl terrets that makes her say dirty words, they are making fun of that kind of character.

 

Racisim on the Chappelle Show?

Many people criticize Dave chappelle for his style of comedy and skits he performs because a lot of his skits and jokes are based on racial stereotypes. For example the clip from the show that we watched in class with white people dancing to electric guitar, black people dancing to drum beats, and Latino people dancing to a mixture of beats gutar and keyboard.

Why are sterotypes like these funny? Well first of all, stereotypes would not be funny if there was absolutely no truth to them. Also, the majority of people find dave chappele's style of sterotypical comedy funny because they are so exagerated. For example in the clip when the white people where eating dinner and then all of a sudden once they hear an electric guitar, they all get up and start moshpit style dancing. Ofcourse nobody believes this would ever happen, but that is also why it is funny because it is so ridiculous.

Many people believe that even though these racial stereotypes are put out their in a comedic way, these distorted images eventually become a reality and you start to percieve other races in deifferent ways. I believe this to some extent, but mainly when it comes to racist cartoon images that distort the faces and bodies of people of different race. Like in certain old cartoons where they would show black people with big lips. This distorted image gets into peoples heads, and subconciously alters their perception.

I don't believe that Dave Chappelle does this. I dont believe that he projects sterotypes. I believe that what he did was a good thing and that is that he put all the racial sterotypes out on the table and stripped them of their power through comedy. Becuase when you can truly laugh at something like that you dont take it seriously anymore, and I believe that we shouldn't take them seriously because as dave shows, they are just over exagerated generalizations.

Comedy Central Presents: Why Racism is Funny!

Mike Birbiglia, a comedian on Comedy Central, is, in my opinion, one of the funniest comedians on television today. One of my favorite sketches by him, entitled "Goals," is all about how people of different races treat each other. 

He starts off his sketch with a jab at the different nicknames people of different races give each other. He makes fun of the way white people are constantly called "cracker" by making it into something that doesn't even register as an insult, but just as a type of food. From this, he moves on to how white people make fun of themselves for being white. A white man himself, Birbiglia only perpetuates the stereotypes that he makes fun of while he makes fun of them.

One of the best parts of this sketch is Birbiglia's rendition of the "white guy doing a black guy doing a white guy" voice. With this voice, Birbiglia explains that everyone makes fun of everyone else no matter what. Different races always find something within another race that is easy to imitate. This voice fits the Zip Coon stereotype where a white person is imitating a black person imitating a white person, but managing to sound ridiculous and silly while doing it. 

The Naming Stereotype

"Obamaniqua, Koolaidria, Watermelondrea" are all names from a very popular Youtube video that was made to make fun of stereotypical black names. These names are not only names that are meant to sound like stereotypical names but also take common stereotypes and fit them right into the names as well. With over 22 million views, it is obvious that there is an amazing comical reaction to the video and seems to be just harmless fun. But with more analysis of the video, it is clear that this is not just one over all stereotype but many different stereotypes mixed within. This video sums up the trap that society puts on black stereotypes and almost forces society to conform in the idea of only looking at stereotypes comically. 

I do realize that the majority of the 22 million people that watched this video found it very funny and a slim amount of people actually found it offensive. I even laughed when I watched it the first time but that is precisely the problem that society has caused. Stereotypes, these days, are being accepted way too easily in the community we live in and are even being accepted by the very people that the stereotypes are focused on. 

Many of these names are two stereotypes stacked on top of each other as well. The most ridiculous names such as "Obamaniqua and Koolaidria" are stereotypes that are being pulled from the black community and then even further stereotyped to sound like stereotypical black names. It is actually quite disheartening to think that a stereotype has formed around the President of the United States and made comical in a "ghetto black name."

I believe that racism in America has decreased to almost non existence, but the stereotypes are just getting worse. It wont take long until the line is crossed from being comical to being very hurtful and no one can really predict how society will even react when that moment comes.

 

Pocahontas: The story of Romeo and Juliet or a Story of Racial Prejudice

Disney's Pocahontas was written as a love story between two star-crossed lovers.  While the intent of Disney was probably just to put a Romeo and Juliet story in a different historical context, on the way, the writers managed to depict two stereotypical visions of Whites and Native Americans.

 

The English settlers come across in the movie with the stereotype of greedy, selfish, and dim whites.  Governor Ratcliff sings multiple songs about how much he wants wealth and glory.  He also very easily tricks all of his crew that the trip is for them and that the Indians are out to get them.

On the other side of Jamestown's fence in the forest you have another stereotype.  The Native American tribe is portrayed as wise, connected to nature, and honest.  Pocahontas has a loving relationship with a willow tree and her father.  The tribe is also willing to be convinced to negotiate with the settlers.

Oddly enough, for both of these visions of the two different races there are times when they act the opposite.  There are definitely white people who love nature far more than they value money and fame.  There are also definitely Indians who have embraced capitalism in their casinos.

The Bride of Blackenstein

Due to many stereotypes that have developed in society, the image of many races, has been corrupted. These racial stereotypes that began towards African- Americans in the pre civil-war era, have continued to develop and mature into the minds of everyday Americans. Snl is commonly known for spoofing, and over exaggerating this stereotypes of many races, especially in the skit below featuring Nikki Minaj.

 

A few months ago when female rapper, Nikki Minaj was the musical guest on snl she poked around with many racist stereotypes of African-American women. I must admit the first time I saw this clip on snl I laughed because it is such an exaggeration of the African- American women. However, this clip further embeds stereotypes that black women are bossy, demanding, and obsessive with their physical attraction.

When the Blackenstein character asks his bride a simple question, she responds in a bossy and harsh attitude towards him. Also using the stereotype that black males cannot find a job. This part exaggerates that black women have no tolerance, and are are demanding. Further throughout the video, more of these stereotypes are portrayed. These examples of stereotyping are funny because they partially are true, but these stereotypes cannot be used to fully define any race. 

These stereotypes of not only the black race, but all races have been around so long that we no longer know the truth of an individuals character. Instead, of actually getting to know the character of a person we "judge a book by its cover" and categorize them with the different images society has formed for us. 

 

Won't You Be My Neighbor

There are many stereotypes that were prevalent within periods of U.S. History, which have survived into the modern era. These racist views can be highly damaging to the population that they are directed towards. Eddie Murphy in this skit shows an exaggerated version of a stereotype for comedic effect. 

In this skit Eddie Murphy parodies Mr. Rodgers as done by a poor African American man. The setting is Mr. Robinson’s apartment in a poor neighborhood. This is gathered by the decayed state of apartment, the wallpaper is peeling and the paint is faded. He uses poor grammar and bad language in order to make a point about the stereotypes of African Americans. He is poor which is another part of the stereotype he is trying to parody.

When the white landlord comes to the door it presents a portrayal of the stereotypical white man. He is well dressed and has no compassion as he blows cigar smoke in his face and yells at him. He’s greedy as evidenced by his displays of wealth and his harsh treatment of Mr. Robinson.

When he does the puppet show he shows the African American population talking to the white president. The president puppet’s back is turned the entire time and he is completely apathetic to their needs. The questions they ask are related to government support which they receive which is another part of the stereotype.

This skit’s exaggeration of a stereotype serves as a commentary on its ridiculousness. The stereotype portrayed may be a variation of the racist views that became prevalent during the reconstruction era. 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4189/saturday-night-live-mr-robinsons-neighborhood

Wierd Al's Take On Stereotypes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw

Weird Al Yankovic did a spoof of the song Ridin' Dirty. His spoof is making fun how Americans think of white and black people in today's society. His song is basically a white stating how cool he thinks he is and how he should be hanging out with the gangsters with everything he can do, when really he is just a total nerd.

Happy days is my favourite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I'm fluent in Java Script as well as Klingon

The video is making fun of how people are stereotyping white and black people. It opens with a white nerdy guy mowing his lawn when some gangsters drive in a car that is slightly bouncing. He waves at them and tries to talk to them, but they lock their doors and drive away. The white stereotype Weird Al is making fun in his video is that all white people are super smart and nerdy, are obsessed with Star Trek, and wear fanny packs. The stereotype for black people he is making fun of is that all black people are gangster's who think that white people are too nerdy to hang out with.

Weird Al's video is basically a comedic way of telling society that all of the stereotypes are dumb and irrelevant and that people need to look through them when they see or meet a person.

The Idiocy Behind Racial Stereotypes

Last year a show called Outsourced aired on NBC. The plot of the show is that the company a man named Todd works for is being outsourced to India. He is then sent by his boss to train the new Indian employees. Todd and his employees go through many situations that involve the differences between life in America and India. Throughout Outsourced the stereotype that Indians are ignorant is highlighted and then satirized. .

One character on the show is named Gupta. Gupta depicts the stereotype that Indians are ignorant through all of his dumb actions. One example is that Gupta yells at customers while on the phone and lacks any talent for a call center. This example shows his ignorance because he does not know how to act with a customer. Another example is that he lacks self-awareness. When the employees are learning about how to fake being American Gupta sings and dances crazily and when the other employees ask him to stop he doesn't.. The way Gupta dances shows how he is ignorant to what others feel or that what he is doing is embarrassing. Although most of the situations Gupta finds himself in are very funny they all show the stereotype of the ignorant Indian.

Outsourced highlights many other stereotypes such as knowing little about America. In one episode the employees have to learn to fake American accents in order for customers not to hang up because the company is outsourced. Not only does this situation reinforce this stereotype but it also is comedic.

Outsourced shows that no stereotype can be true for everyone and how stereotypes are very wrong about the different races. When people see Gupta or the other employees on screen they realize how wrong the stereotypes are about Indians. Overall, Outsourced uses the stereotypes people think about Indians to make everyone laugh about the idiocy behind them.   

 

 

Michael Scott and Diversity

The subject of diversity and race have been prevalent in American thinking for many years. Certain stereotypes have been created about certain races as evident in this episode of the Office. Race has been a central part to American culture dating all the way back to the times of slavery. During the times of Slavery certain stereotypes were created about African Americans that simply were not true. These stereotypes were created because race is a social construction. People make it up. Race in America is not just about the color of your skin it deals with education, careers, and even politics. These stereotypes were evident in this segment of The Office.

This episode of The Office was about diversity. The employees were asked to have a meeting to discuss diversity in the workplace. Michael Scott being the branch manager decided to make a video to show his opinion. Of course he used humor in his video as he quoted President Abraham Lincoln terribly. In fact he did not even quote him, he made up an opinion about him. After showing the video Kelly one of the employees who is indian has to leave to take a call and Michael says,"Well if you leave then will only have two of you left". He was referring to the color of Kelly's and Stanley's another employees skin. This stereotype is that of skin color. Michael beleived that since they had the same skin color they were of the same race. However he was incorrect like many Americans today. This episode shows how race is brought into comedy and how it is twisted to make it funny.  

SNL's Portrayal of Hispanics

 

    Race is a very important issue in America and is used to define and categorize people. In many ways, race is a social construction based on the dominant stereotypes of a culture. This is seen all the time in culture, whether in a stand up comedy routine, movie, song, or TV show like Saturday Night Live. While many people to take a humorous approach to dealing with race issues, race has more effect on people than just portraying them in a stereotypical light on TV. Race comes up in important national issues like education, crime, gang violence, immigration, and affirmative action. While we are watching and laughing about funny racial stereotypes on TV, we should take a minute and sit back to think about what message the program is sending.

   In this episode of SNL, the cast performs a skit making fun of Hispanics, specifically Dominicans. The men and women's looks alone tell a story: the slick, black hair and mustaches for men and big, curly hair with bright colored, tightly fitted clothing for the women. Of course not all Dominicans look like this, and having Dominican family I can tell you that most don't even come close. The dancing is also a reflection of common misconceptions about Dominicans; not all Dominicans know how to salsa or merengue, nor would they break into dance every few seconds. Finally, SNL portrays Dominicans in an almost soap opera-ish light. The affair and accompanying drama is typical of a Hispanic soap opera. 

    I think that SNL was ultimately making fun of Hispanic stereotypes, not Hispanics. If the actors' behaviors hadn't been so over the top, viewers might have called it racist, but the ridiculousness of it made it funny. Additionally, SNL was making fun of parts of Hispanic culture that really exist: dark hair and bright clothes, salsa dancing, and soap-opera drama are definitely exist in the culture, but they are sometimes just over-emphasized by outside races. While I don't think that SNL was necessarily sending a good message, they were only playing up stereotypes that already exist in American culture. It is also nice to see a piece of culture humorizing something other than "white" or "black". While racial profiling is never a good thing, there is some fairness in all races being subject to it. 

30 Rock Stereotypes

 

For those of you who have not seen this episode of 30 Rock, the context is that Tracy is having issues dealing with his father so he is brought into Jack's office to see a therapist for help. Jack is soon asked to impersonate Tracy's father and, based on a few simple clues, is able to reconstruct his character apparently very well.

With only the facts that Tracy's father was from North Philadelphia, worked in a Campbell's soup factory, and had a droopy lip, Jack somehow drew that his father also enjoys collared greens and gambles away welfare checks. How was it that Jack "knew?" Simply because society constructs the way people typically act based on their race.

This clip plays off of the idea that we find it safe to assume that black people bust up chifforobes for a nickel and white people are nasally etiquette-nazis. We formulate stereotypes everyday even without thinking about it, and 30 Rock turned it into satire.

Color or Culture?

Today, the accepted understanding of race is that it is a synthetic idea created by humanity as yet another way to define people we don't know very well.  That makes for a pretty negative connotation.

While I won't say I disagree with that definition, I must say that I see race as more complex than a vague, bad idea.

Race, to me, is the combination of your biological family's place of origin and your family's culture.  Contrary to the original definition I gave, race does have to do with your biology.  If I, a very pale blond-haired, blue-eyed girl, grew up in a Mexican family, immersed in the culture, when placed in a room of strangers, I would still be seen as a short, white chick.

The way we talk, walk, and act--three characteristics mainly influenced by our cultural upbringing--do shape society's understanding of our race though. 

That makes things even more confusing.  If a pale guy (with a skin tone that would normally be associated with a white person) is brought up in a predominately African American community and you saw him hanging out, fooling around with his African American friends, talking, talking, and acting just like them, would you consider him Black or White?

Which is more factored in, color or culture?

Seeing Glee in a Different Light

The celebrated television hit, Glee, has won the hearts of many because of its relatability and "great messages".  Although many view Glee as a show about the underdog coming out on top and the importance of individuality, the topic of an undying social hierarchy remains one of its main themes.  The ultra popular TV show ends up reinforcing the overrated ideology of a high school social structure instead of encouraging deviation from the status quo.

In one episode, Rachel, one of the "outcasts" decides she wants to influence the popular fashion at her school.  To do that, she recruits one of the popular girls in glee club, Britney, to promote her fashion.  In no time, everyone in school is copying Britney's outfits.  Rachel never gets credit for her "fashion genius" simply because no one cares about what she wears because she's not popular.

In another episode, popular couple, Finn and Quinn, are struggling to stay on top of their school while in glee club.  They even try wearing sunglasses in school as a solution to the ridicule.  It goes so far that Finn quits glee, and even though he ends up back on glee and football, the idea comes across that it could only happen on a TV show.

MANswers- demeaning to both men and women

Manswers is a show about common questions that an average guy would ask. This, however, is implying that the average man is sexist, likes to drink a lot of beer, loves guns, loves junk food, like huge explosions,  are obssessed with money and the majority of their thought process is devoted to sexual thoughts and questions.

If you have ever seen or even heard of this show, you know exactly what I am talking about. The show is jam-packed with explosions, girls, guns, and practically any sexually related question you can think of. This show is portraying american men as closed-minded and perverted. There are a lot more things going on in the minds of men then just this stereotypical garbage.

Although I admit that I find the show is entertaining, in the back of my mind i feel that all it does is reinforce the negative stereotypes. It portrays men as greedy, lustful, and overall just plain stupid. 

On the other hand, as it reinforces those negative stereotypes of guys, it portrays all women as if all they will amount to is just trophy wives. Every girl on the show, in my opinion, basically all look the same. The only girls that are chosen to be on that show are skinny, big-breasted, and almost all of the time are wearing a bikini. Also, not a single woman on that show isn't making some sort of sexual hand gesture and/or body movement with sexual condentations.

Only in America do we have the audacity to create a show like this. This show is so out in the open with its ignorance and stereotypes it is hard to take seriously. In the end, however, it's all about entertainment, and if that means extremely exaggerating stereotypes and playing off of men's attraction to bimbo-like women, then so be it. This is America, and whatever ignorant/sexist tv show idea there is out there, that you can legally air, you can bet ur butt its going to be on the air until it sucks up all the money it can. That is just how corporate america works.

On a lighter note, it is just a televison show and if it makes you laugh, it makes you laugh, but if your offended, just let ur frusrations out on a blog or talk to someone who actually cares about the garbage that is on tv. I watch manswers and I am entertained because i think it is funny, it is as simple as that. There is no need to take shows like this seriously just like how you shouldn't take life too seriously. Just chillout and laugh while you are still alive and healthy. There are a lot more sinister fish out there to fry. For instance, things that physically impact our lives, not mindless entertainment on a television screen.

 

Tide Commercial: Satire or Sexism?

 

When seeing this currently airing Tide commercial, I was immediately offended. The reasons are obvious: Why should girls have to wear pink? Why can't they play with blocks? Why are we pushing gender roles on such young children? The commercial seems so overtly sexist and dated that I was distracted from what Tide may have been trying to do.

After re-watching this commercial, I realized that Tide may be making fun of this stereotypical perfectionist housewife. The elaborately decorated living room, the pink cardigan, sensible haircut; it all fits. Is this commercial trying to present satire? If so, I don't think that they were obvious enough about doing so.

The satire presented is also sexist in its own way. The mother is portrayed as uptight, reserved, and repressed to the point of (maybe?) being humorous. However, society does expect women to control their emotions and perhaps be a little less sensitive. If women cry they're being drama queens; if they get upset they're PMSing. So why is Tide making fun of the controlled, pleasant, put-together housewife that many women strive to be?

Either way you look at it, this ad is probably sending the wrong message.

 

A Gleeful Look at High School in America

Over the past two years, the Fox television show, Glee, has skyrocketed to being one of the most popular and most watched television shows in America. Highlighting the lives of seemingly 'misfit' teenagers in the show choir ("glee club") in their Ohio school, the show takes on a different theme to sing about every week to display the dramatic twists and turns that high school has to offer. 

I'm as much of a fan of the show as any other teenager in America, but even I can admit that the stereotypes can sometimes get unrealistically out of hand. From pregnant teenagers to cheating couples, the show touches on all of what Americans envision as a stereotypical high schooler's life. This isn't to say that these stereotypes don't exist in the world, because they certainly do. But believe it or not, not every high school girl in the world is pregnant, and not every football-playing jock has a tendency to cheat on his girlfriend. There have been times while I've been watching the show and I have to utter a small scoff at what the adult producers seem to think high school these days is like. The show seems to go above and beyond the call of duty in making every teen in America feel like they can be accepted. And they do it very well. The themes of the week constantly differ from one difficulty to another in the lives of all the different characters. Everything from weight issues, to sexual orientation, to self image is brought up, sung about, and reassured in the end. You'd think, like most shows, that the general theme of "feel good about yourself" would start to get old, but it never does. The show continues to chug along on its course, with more and more viewers every week, stereytypes and all. 

The stereotypes don't necessarily make the show hard to watch, but it definitely gives it an extra does of cheesiness to go with the singing and dancing brought in by the show choir aspect. The stereotypes do, however, reassure non-Americans about what they already think they know. To any foreigner, our high school systems tend to seem a bit out of control, mostly due to the shows and movies that promote the same ideas that Glee does. The show's stereotyping ways tend to go a bit too far in the relms of reality, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the ratings of viewers all around the world. 

Pink Is Standing Up To The Stupid

 

The artist Pink has a music video for her song "Stupid Girl". Her song is saying that girls in today’s society are not being themselves, but rather following what everyone else does, and if you do what everyone else is doing you might be popular.

 She is talking about how girls think that being themselves isn't good enough anymore. An example is some of the lyrics from the song.

     The disease is growing, it's epidemic. I'm scared there’s not a cure.

 Then she goes on to say that she wants girls to stop being that way and to just be themselves.

       I’m so glad I don't fit in, that will never be me.

 Her video is saying how whenever she tries to fit in she ends up looking like an idiot because that is what they are showing the world they are when they get spray tans, or try to look pretty for a guy.

Pink's work help's girls, in a sense that she is telling them they don't need to be stereotypical hot bimbo to catch a guy or to be popular, you just need to be yourself. She is trying to reshape how girls see themselves and how they are seen in the world.

In the end of her video she shows and old woman who is very wrinkly and has bleach blonde hair, and is trying to be sexy, but just looks scary because she did so much in her youth to try to be “pretty”, she ruined her body.

Pink is trying to say that you should just be yourself and everything will be ok.

In America, Beer Equals Manly?

Commercials for beer reinforce multiple stereotypes of what American men are supposed to enjoy. The first, of course, is beer. In some commercials for light beer, the man is considered not manly if he settles for a beer that is not from the brand that is being advertised. In one commercial a man is shown wearing women's jeans and in another he is shown hiking in the mountains with a knapsack. These two commercials believe that men are supposed to enjoy beer of a certain kind or they are not manly.

Another stereotype that these commercials reinforce is that men enjoy watching sports, specifically football. Many beer commercials are centered on groups of men gathered around the TV watching football while drinking their beer. It is reinforcing the belief that to be manly, you have to enjoy watching football. Another way that these commercials reinforce this stereotype is that beer commercials are only on during sports games.

Teenage Transformation Stereotypes

Katy Perry has been a rising start for the past 2 years in the music industry. With her quirky style, and spunky personality nothing seems to get her down. Yet some may wonder where all her confidence comes from. After listening to one of her older songs "One of the boys," she strips down her outer persona to a more delicate side of her personality. The well known story of a girls transformation ranges from Cinderella to The Princess Diaries, and now is found again in Katy Perry's song. She starts the song saying:

"I saw a spider I didn't scream, cause I can belch the alphabet just double dog dare me, and I choose guitar over ballet, and I take these suckers down cause they get in my way."

As a tomboy she is fierce, and let's nothing stand in her way. Yet with all her "confidence" she is crippled by her lack of male attention.

"So in don't wanna be one of the boys, just give me a chance to prove to you tonight, I just wanna be one of the girls, and not one of the boys."

Her transformation takes her from an undesirable girl to a hot teenager. After that she seems to dedicate her life to the artificial world where girls who read seventeen can get a boyfriend. But why does she need to change herself to become pretty. Her song may seem to be empowering by breaking free of her old ways and taking on new challenges, yet she is still weakened by forcing all attention to her male counterparts. Even though Katy Perry seems to conquer the American stereotype of being a tomboy, she portraits many more by transforming her self to realize she is beautiful.

Equality: Is It Even Possible?

I think most people would agree that women still have reasons to be discontented with the supposed equality between the sexes.  It seems to me that the typical woman's role- the idea that women are weaker and that they raise the children, clean the house, etc.-  is something that was created hundreds of years ago.  The fact that this ideal is so long lasting has led me to wonder, will women ever be able to move past it?  Even today with a growing trend of stay-at-home dads and working women, housework still takes on feminine connotations.  Is it possible for women to ever truly be equal with men? Or was the damage that was done centuries ago to much to overcome for the female gender? What do you guys think? 

The Protruding Nail Gets Hammered- A Reflection on Individuality

Throughout this semesters reading, I (and, evidently, my peers) have noticed a strong theme of individuality in each of the texts.

However, I feel like you can interpret this individuality in two ways, strange as that may seem. Each of the strong characters of our readings, prime examples being MacNolia, Hester, Douglass, and Holden, all seem to both benefit from, and be absolutely destroyed by, their individuality.

Hester, who is able to grow stronger under the weight of the blazing "A" and the scathing eyes of the village, is also worn down by the very existence of Pearl, and by Dimmesdale's untimely end. She retreats back into the edge of the forest, the most distant possible place while still being "inside" the town. Hester is able to assert her individuality, but it leaves her old, weary, and alone.

MacNolia was able to express her originality by being a highly intelligent black child, and an intelligent, strong, and capable black woman. However, by standing out, she draws the fear, disregard, and hate of her racist world. 

Douglass is much like MacNolia, a brilliant black individual with an insatiable thirst to gain a higher education, and to be free. But though he had proven himself to some Northern abolitionists, he still causes fear and anger to strike deep into the hearts of Southern slave owners. No one really knows what to do with a slave, former or otherwise, who can think for himself. He becomes an oddity.

Holden, whose brash and oftentimes irritating personality isolates him from his peers, is certainly a unique individual. His life views are so different from those of everyone around him, and he seems to simply slip through life without a set destination. But this also means that he has virtually no one and nothing he loves, and almost no one or anything to love him in return.

So I wonder- is being an individual such a good thing after all, when it often times seems to be tainted with loneliness and isolation? Should we follow the American ideal that individuality is the thing to strive for?

What about the Asian idea that interdependence is the way to go? That individuals are to be contained is the common way of thinking, and there are two sayings which translate this sentiment well: "The Protruding nail gets hammered", and "The Crying bird gets Shot".

So, which is truly better? A unique lifestyle, no matter how lonely or isolated you are? Or is it best to keep your head down and work with the group to a goal which benefits everyone?