The Use of Stereotypes to Create Comedy in Little Britain and Shameless
A stereotype is a reflection of ideas that people hold about others
that are different to them. They can be words or phrases, a picture,
or words and pictures. The picture created by the stereotype can be
recognised by others who share the same view. For example, “all
intelligent people wear glasses”.
Stereotypes are used in comedy because they provide a quick,
recognisable identity for a group or individual that is noticeable for
what they are, or what they believe in. Due to the short nature of
comedy sketches, stereotypes are excellent to use. They provide a
burst of instantly understandable comedy entertainment.
An example of film stereotypical comedy is ‘The Godfather’. All
Italian- Americans are gangsters. We think of Italians as having Mafia
connections or organised crime links. Another example of stereotypes
in media is ‘Eastenders’, which stereotypes cockney Londoners.
In British television comedy, ‘Kevin and Perry’ portray teenage
stereotypes. Such as teenagers being argumentative and not caring
about their appearance. In addition to this, a promiscuous teenage
stereotype is also used. ‘One Foot in the Grave’, is another British
comedy that uses many stereotypes such as old people. Showing the
elderly, for example as nosy and grumpy.
To demonstrate how British television comedies use stereotypes of
people and places to create amusement this essay will analyse ‘Little
Britain’ and ‘Shameless’. It will focus on specific characters and
situations to establish how stereotypes are used to create comedy.
‘Little Britain’ is a hilarious comedy ba...
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...e, Daffyd, “ the only gay in the village” and
Frank Gallagher the drunken Mancunian. Due to the general length of
comedy shows stereotypes give an instantly recognisable burst of
entertainment; this is a reason for a use in Little Britain. For
Shameless, stereotypes provide grounding for the whole programme about
Manchester, they also make the audience laugh because of the
shamelessness of it all and that really we know it is all exaggerated,
purely for comedy use. Conversely Shameless maybe a stereotypical
Manchester set comedy, but some of the comedy aspects do challenge the
negative stereotypes of Manchester. For instances the closeness of the
community. I am aware that all stereotypes are amusing as they are
usually exaggerated. Therefore I fully understand they are a harmless
comedy device used to create laughter.
that Fiona is willing to reach into a bin amongst the past few days of
New experiences shock and captivate readers consequently prompting a reassessment of their perceptions of respect, truth and friendship. Tim Wintons short story “Neighbours” confronts individual stereotypes through exploring the multicultural context in which the story is set. Winton explores the transition of a “young couple” into a new phase of life by describing their move to a lower socio economic suburb full of “European migrants”. The composer does not name the characters, rather calls them the “Macedonian Family” and the “Polish man”, in order to show their cultural differences and highlight multiculturalism. Through the development of the short story, Winton shows how the young couple transition and develop their societal perspectives
Racial stereotypes, the automatic and mental pictures that people hold about members of a certain race. Stereotypes can be found for any race or ethnicity and are typically generalized to a whole group of people, rather than to one individual and their differences. Although racism itself is not as common in today’s world, racial stereotypes do exist and are very common. The popular sitcom, The Office, addresses the serious issue of racial stereotypes by Michael Scott to its audience with different races of characters.
The movie “In and out” was first released in September 19th, 1997. To my opinion this film portrays our gender-coded society and I also noticed how open the characters were even if it was in 1900’s. I say that because our society has just started to adapt with the fact of having gay,lesbian,transexual,etc, amoung them without making a problem or treating them any differently.The movie used many different types of stereotypes especially for men. During the entire film, the protagonist was hesitant because he never explored his true sexuality, he was just following what his parents and what he thought would keep him away from all the drama and mistreatment from society.The movie is about a guy named Howard Brackett , he’s a middle class english
“Bringing Down the House” featuring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah is a clever comedy that creatively showcases the sociolinguistic phenomena covered in this course. The film is about a tax attorney named Peter, played by Martin, who stumbles into an online lawyer chat room and meets Charlene, played by Latifah. The two chat frequently, mostly about court cases, and eventually decide to meet in person. When the day finally comes, Peter is greeted at the door with who he thought would be a middle-aged Caucasian woman, but happened to be Charlene, a black woman who just escaped from prison. Thinking this was a mistake, Peter tries to kick out Charlene but is later convinced she is the one who he was speaking with in the chat room. Charlene was able to successfully impersonate a lawyer through speech, and along with a deceiving picture, able to convince Peter she was a petite blonde. During these chats, the two talked about court cases that happened to relate to Charlene’s predicament with the law. In attempt to clear her name from a crime she did not commit, Charlene researched the judicial system and similar court cases to hers while in prison. Now that she is out, she seeks personal assistance from Peter who has already through the internet, given her support. All throughout the movie the characters contrast in viewpoints, culture, and most importantly for our studies, language. Charlene and Peter represent different language backgrounds which we can analyze as the root of their character development and actions throughout the film.
The Ugly Truth, a film which was released in 2009, displays many particular stereotypes and gender issues which we find within American society. Gender is made up of socially constructed ideas which are reinforced by society in regards to what it means to be masculine or feminine. We first learn gender from our parents; however they too had to first learn it from their families and society. Within the American society, the media takes on a large role in creating gender norms. The media is made up of films, magazines, television programs, and news papers. The Ugly Truth, although a funny film, perpetuates these stereotypes and ideas of gender provided by our society.
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.
On television today you will see stereyotypes of male and female roles in society. These stereyotyps are exemplified in many tv shows and even childrens cartoons. Some shows which stereyotype sex roles include, the flintstones, the jetsons, and almost every sitcom on television.
Stereotypes are a side of our everyday life. We tend to hear stereotypes every day and everywhere. Frequently, we can find ourselves in a position where we make stereotypes for a big category of people. Every one of us, young or old, is characterized with either positive or negative stereotypes. Stereotyping is a method that people characterize each other. Each set is called by name, that doesn 't really able to everyone in that particular set of group. Stereotypes influence people’s public lives, emotions or mental state, and how people communicate with their community. Gender, sexual, and Racial traits are one of the largest stereotypes. Others may include ethnicity, religion, or other categories. These stereotypes can be seen in T.V Shows
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
The Others (2001) by Alejandro Amenábar is a horror film based around a family living on the small island of Jersey after World War II. Grace and her two children, who she claims are sensitive to light and must have the blinds always covered, live in an old house and are assisted by three new servants. Grace becomes very upset when she finds out that a family, perceived as spirits, has invaded the house because she was able to “avoid a single Nazi stepping foot in this house” during the occupation of Jersey during the war. Later, Grace discovers that the servants she hired died of tuberculosis and are haunting the house in a zombie-like way while the family that is perceived as spirits are actually living. The twist in this film is that Grace
At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into misconceptions. Usually, stereotypes are utilized to humiliate and degrade the person or group; they also do not provide any beneficial outcomes. Stereotypes focus on how a particular group acts because of the radical ideas and actions of the few, how a particular group looks, or how that group is physically lacking in some way. These stereotypes often lead to conflicts because the group does not appreciate the way it is perceived. Seldom are the stereotypes placed on a group of people truthful and accurate.
Every day black, white, and Hispanic men and women face many different stereotypes. Whether it is appearance based or his or her behavior. Brent Staples tells about a time in his life when he was viewed as a threat, and what he does to avoid coming across as a threat to the people around him. Throughout Staples’ work, “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders to Alter Public Space,” we were able to see how people perceive others, based on how he or she looks or acts. “Black men have a firm place in New York mugging literature” (Staples 239).
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...
British Stereotypes in America Let’s face it, in the United States, we do not understand cricket, we do not understand tea, and we certainly do not understand hidden emotions. Of course there is more to Britain than these cultural icons, just like America is not just made of cowboys from “Dallas” and loud egotistic tourists. However, in the year 2000, there are still several myths surrounding the British culture that are very much alive today. Many people in the U.S. and I am sure many other countries tend to think of Britain as a land full of rose gardens, cricket, Oxford, and people drinking tea with their little pinky in the air with the Queen.