Throughout the world today we have so many different cultural artifacts and many of them constitute stereotypes of racial identity. Many of these tv shows used racial stereotypes as a means of creating comedy, which did work to some degree, but it also offended those who the racial stereotype was playing off of.
One tv show that commonly does this is SNL or Saturday Night Live.
When watching this show we will commonly see a black person stereotyped by how he/she is dressed and how they are acting. This can be seen in SNL's skit called scared straight. In the skit a black man is talking to people and intimidating them. This plays off of a common black stereotype that they would be aggressive and intimidating. He is also wearing a du rag which is something that could be commonly seen worn by black or also many times associated with people who are in gangs. Either way you look at it, the du rag is definitely being warn to try and portray an image of toughness that would not be there had he not been wearing it.
Friends is another show that can be seen as racist but for an entirely different reason. If you look at the cast of the show, or just watch the show you will notice one thing, there isnt a black person. Now was this there for a reason or is that just how the casting went? A little known fact about the show is what the original theme song was drafted up to say. "Your job's a joke, you're broke, but you're white so it's okaaaay!" A clearly racist theme song and its not hard to notice why the song was changed for the show. So obviously the show was meant to be all white but for what reason? Well, when watching the show you see many images of wealth, whether it be fancy cars, or nice clothing. All these images would play off of stereotypes for white people. A stereotype would be that white people own nice things and that other races do not. So in a way this show was being racist for not including any black people because the show has other signs of wealth which would not be stereotypical of a black person.
Glee at first glance would seem to be the opposite of a racist show. With such a diverse cast it is obvious that they are trying to make the show appeal to all races and reduce the belief of all the standard stereotypes. However if you really look at the show you will notice is just as racist as many other shows. By paying attention to who the more successful people in the show are you would notice that they are commonly the white people. When looking at the other races you would notice how common stereotypes are played out in this thought to be progressive show. There are two asians in the show and the show stereotypes them by giving them a geeky persona. This is the common stereotype for asians that they are smart and are always using electronics. Also the black girl in the show has a very sassy attitude. This attitude plays along with the common black stereotype of being aggressive. She is always very easy to snap back at other people if they disagree with her.
One of the biggest offenders of the racial stereotypes would have to be the show south park. You cannot go one or two episodes without hearing something blatantly racist and many times it is coming out of the mouths of children. The black people in the show clearly act based on the black stereotypes that they are given and it is common for racial slurs to be heard Along with many different slurs in one episode the n word was uttered 42 times in one episode. Some may say it is bring light to the negative connotation of the word, but many others cannot get over the fact that that word is being used so lightly. When watching the show almost anytime a person of a different race is introduced they are almost immediately made fun of in some way shape or form due to their race. In a show where many people are made fun of for many different reasons, race is definitely one that stands out strongly in this blatantly racist show.
Many shows withing society today continue to include many racial stereotypes even though many believe that we are no longer a racist society anymore. Even though we may have come a long way from racist actions in the past, it is very clear that racist thoughts and ideas still exist and are very engrained in our society.
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