“The sitcom is a jumble of mixed metaphors: the repetition compulsion of eternal sameness conjoined to a desire to overturn the established order; a profound aesthetic conservatism bundled with an ingrained desire to shock. Every sitcom possess not just a routine that it perpetually seeks to overturn but also a particular style of fomenting that chaos.”
-Saul Austerlitz
The situation comedy, or sitcom, is a television programming genre that incorporates a narrative of humor within the context of a perception of domestic routine. In some cases the humor is associated with the dynamics of a relationship between a husband and wife, the neighbors, or friends (Roman, 93). The sitcom first appeared on radio and was embraced for its wit, charm,
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Many believe the purpose and application of these stereotypes further reinforce the standardized conceptions of various groups/communities; claiming,stereotype sitcom characters are Hollywood creations made to attract an audience rather than encompassing a true member of a stereotyped community. Others argue stereotypes ,used in the sitcom format, can be utilized as a method of exposure to the public to build familiarity or support for the community. The exposure would also enable the development of awareness for the group being addressed in the program. The purpose of the use of stereotypes in sitcoms created in the late 90’s through the 2000’s has changed from the sitcoms created in the 70’s through 80’s. Instead of being used as a source of discrimination and comedic relief, stereotypes in modern sitcoms are now employed to display diverse lifestyles to audiences; also to challenge and diversify the current traditional stereotypes. The use of comedy weaved into …show more content…
Ethnic humor has also had its successes with programs like Seinfeld, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Jeffersons, and of course All in the Family (Austerlitz, 105). CBS aired All in the Family ,a sitcom set in the neighborhood of Queens, New York during the 1970s, from 1971 to 1979. The Columbia Broadcasting System, also known as CBS, accepted and picked up the idea for the show despite all of the offensive and stereotypical references. All in the family introduced a variety of hot button topics previously prohibited on television including: gender roles, politics, and sexual orientation. Many of the stereotypes established in All in the Family derived from the show’s protagonist Archie Bunker. Archie is an explicit racist and sexist conservative, and seems to be prejudiced against anyone different from himself. He assumes the patriarchal role in the family and asserts his dominance over many of the characters he encounters. He constantly loses arguments because of his ignorance and prejudices. Archie embodies the stereotypical alpha male/man of the house character when he can not admit when he is wrong due to his stubborn attitude, instead responding to situations with his quick temper. Archie resorts to raising his voice to demonstrate he's still right no matter what anyone says. Patriarchy often uses stereotypes in order to differentiate between the characteristics of women and men. In All in the Family, gender
Family comedies have evolved throughout the past century. What was once revered as classic has completely changed forms and turned into the comedic experience we witness today. Family sitcoms in particular have been converted to show a broader picture of how family’s interact in today’s world. This greatly appeals to today’s audiences and is what people want to see. Modern family specifically has tapped into what nontraditional families are all about and even with being so alternative has resonated with every type of family, making it one of the most popular shows on TV at the present moment. The pilot episode of Modern Family uses hyper-irony, allusions and uses references to technology to enforce comedic impact.
The Boondocks is an animated cartoon series that premiered November 2005 and ended June 2014. The Boondocks is centered on the lives of two young brothers, Huey and Riley. The two brothers move away from their birth city to live with their grandfather in Woodcrest, a predominantly white upper middle class suburb. Huey, the older brother is very politically and socially motivated and is named for Black Panther Party co-founder, Huey Newton. Huey spends most of his time reading and getting involved with political ventures. He despises all stereotypes associated with his black culture. On the contrary, the younger brother Riley understands the stereotypes around him, yet he indulges himself in the gangsta rap and hip-hop
McCarthy, Tyler. “Sitcom success a reflection of changing society.” Daily Campus. 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Younger generations and the more vulnerable in society can be influenced in avoiding peer pressure, but for the individuals filled with wisdom, the shows can reflect based on American modern society. Everybody Loves Raymond and Full House are great shows who faces similar life obstacles a typical person living in the US has today. As a result, most modern family comedy sit-coms are reflecting our society’s generations and the more vulnerable. Based on the success of early family sit coms, American’s adapted to a fast pace lifestyle with the help of modern
The word sitcom is short for Situation Comedy. A good sitcom story idea places the star (or supporting character) into a situation in need of a resolution, which will cause the character to respond in unexpected, exaggerated, and hugely sidesplitting ways (Rannow, pg. 13). A comedy now days are different from how they were in the 1960's and 1970's though. Today directors use sexual content and foul language to make people laugh and do not usually have a purpose or point to get across to the audience with each show. In earlier comedy, such as The Brady Bunch, Director Jack Arnold tried have a lesson learned in each episode while still maintaining a sense of humor, minus the foul language and sexual content. Although the show is not extremely funny to most people it is still a classic show that deserves to be remembered.
The Secret of Seinfeld’s Humor: The significance of the Insignificant, an article written by Jorge Gracia briefly outlines what the author believes to be the origin of the humour with which the popular television show Seinfeld achieved such broad based success. A show that embraced the ordinary of everyday life, while atypically avoiding the mainstay of violence and sex of most of today’s popular visual media and culture. Gracia (19??) begins his article by posing the question “how, can a show that deals with ordinary, everyday occurrences have such wide appeal”? This is a very general question that could be analysed in any number of ways. The author however, suggest one possible answer. That a show such as Seinfeld is effective because its humour is based upon the dramatic tradition of the comedy and tragedy.
“The Proud Family” is a children’s program that runs daily on The Disney Channel and on Saturday mornings on ABC Kids. It is a TV-G rated program. The show is about an African-American family with the last name Proud. There is a mom, dad, three kids, and a grandmother. The main character of the show is the oldest daughter named Penny Proud who is probably in junior high. Also, some of Penny’s friends are in the show. All of the characters in this show are stereotyped by many things such as race and gender, including Penny.
Most teens tend to lean towards that particular someone that is well known and very attractive but in riverdale, the story is turned and quit surprising. The director of the show “Riverdale” breaks the stereotype of every pretty girl dating a jock. Betty Cooper, ‘the girl next door’ is slowly falling for her childhood friend; Archie Andrews, but when he receives the news their feelings don’t seem to unit. “You're so perfect Betty, I’d never be good enough for you… I’ve never been good enough for you..” (Riverdale 43:58). And Betty soon realizes that being with Archie isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
For many years, racial and ethnic stereotypes have been portrayed on multiple television programs. These stereotypes are still illustrated on a day-to-day basis, even though times have changed. Racial or ethnic stereotypes should not be perpetuated on certain television programs. These stereotypes provide false information about groups, do not account for every person, allow older generations to influence younger generations, create tension between groups, and affect people in many ways. To begin, racial or ethnic stereotypes on certain television programs provide false information about groups of people.
As a group, we believe that popular culture does in fact perpetuates stereotypes. Television is a main source of information of popular culture. Television has forever changed how humans have interacted with another and introduce a world of diversity and knowledge. But with this profit, television has also harbored negative aspects. As a group, we studied how racial stereotypes are portrayed in television. In the history of television, different racial and ethnic groups have been widely underrepresented and television itself has been overwhelming represented by white figures. And when racial groups are presented on TV, the characters are often played in limited roles based on stereotypes. A stereotype isn’t necessarily untrue, but it is an assumption based on an incomplete and complex ideas that are oversimplified into something that isn’t what it meant to be, and it’s usually negative. For example, African Americans are often depicted as violent or involved in some kind of criminal activity. Their characters often portrays a person who is always sassy and angry or that isn’t intelligent and won’t succeed in life and inferior to whites in some manner. Asian characters are
helping. Television is making the shows out to seem like one race is better than another. For
Media, even today, portrays many degrading stereotypes of women, and throughout the years I would simply watch any television show without thinking about the underlying messages being taught. Over the past few years the show Parks and Recreation has especially caught my attention. Being more media literate, I now see Parks and Recreation has a strong connection in my mind because I can positively identify as a woman through watching the show. The series conveys women being people rather than objects, and women achieving goals, which positively inspires my identity as a woman.
Popular culture is the artistic and creative expression in entertainment and style that appeals to society as whole. It includes music, film, sports, painting, sculpture, and even photography. It can be diffused in many ways, but one of the most powerful and effective ways to address society is through film and television. Broadcasting, radio and television are the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world, and they have become a crucial instrument of modern social and political organization. Most of today’s television programming genres are derived from earlier media such as stage, cinema and radio. In the area of comedy, sitcoms have proven the most durable and popular of American broadcasting genres. The sitcom’s success depends on the audience’s familiarity with the habitual characters and the situations
Since the first influx of Asian immigrants to the United States, Asian Americans were never treated as an integral part of the American population. Accounting for five percent of the US demographic, often times, they are still portrayed by provincial people as outsiders who do not belong in society. Over the years, this negative mentality has transformed into the way Asian Americans are viewed in media. Though there are many attempts of reversing the trend such as diversifying the cast members, stereotypical personalities such as “the human calculator” or “undesirable partner” are still utilized for writers to infuse racial slurs into comedy skits. However, in reality especially now that many Asian Americans are second generation, none of these stereotypes pertains to all them. As a result, directors and script writers have an ethical responsibility to best portray Asian Americans as human beings who can function normally without putting negative stereotypes as the primary focus of Asian characters’ personas.
It is also known that media impacts its viewers, modifying their judgments based on the information they receive. Substantial amounts of stereotypes broadcast through propaganda have similar effects. This essay will illustrate how stereotypes are generally portrayed and their function in propaganda. It will also further reveal how successful and well stereotypes can work when used in propaganda tactics. The media often uses and misrepresents stereotypes; however, they are significantly accepted by people throughout society.