Blog Post #5

Blog #5

            A television show I am familiar with is The Big Bang Theory.  The show I’ve chosen reflects some racial and gender diversity.  The current main cast consists of four males and three females.  While the show does have some racially diverse characters, the main cast consists of all white characters except for one Indian character.  And, the primary focus of the show is on white male characters.  This lack of racial diversity can make other groups feel excluded and deemed less important, however subtle or not the message may be. The gender diversity on the other hand can be empowering.  As such, greater diversity is important in media because it can break down prior misconceptions and even maybe move people and society towards greater openness of mind and acceptance.  Positive portrayals of people of various backgrounds can positively affect society.  Television and film are very influential in particular as they are visual and audial expressions that capture a person’s mind.  They can also be shared across wide demographics and, in general, are pretty popular.

            There are various stereotypes present in the show I’ve chosen.  For example, the main female character is stereotypically portrayed as the dumb blonde from the country.  She is often shown as being intellectually and academically left out.  She is also shown as being obsessed with men and fashion.  In several shows she is seen being very flirty, overly emotional, and spends a lot of money on clothes.  Another stereotype example is the main cast’s Indian character Raj.  He is portrayed as many stereotypical foreigners/immigrants in television/film, as naïve and unaware of many American customs, as well as shy and goofy.  He also at times is shown struggling with American slang and words.  A further example is a character that only shows up once in the first season, an Asian kid who initially fits the stereotype of a super genius, academically smart, arrogant, and socially awkward.

            To prevent the portrayal of a female or ethnic minority character from being stereotypical, their backgrounds, history, and motivations could be further shown to give the characters more dimension. Their personalities could be further fleshed out and given greater depth, as in reality everyone is unique and has many layers and facets to themselves.