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Archive through December 07, 2005

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Dec. ~ 2006 Feb.: Need help with TV question for College class: Archive through December 07, 2005 users admin

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Curious1
Member

08-31-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curious1 a private message Print Post    
Ok everyone, I'm at a loss here. I've got three final exams this week and an 18 page paper due by friday...so I'm a bit overwhelmed! I just got this assignment for my Media class and I'm having a hard time coming up with the 10 examples she wants. I can only think of about three. Anyway, the assignment is listed below if you can think of anything please post your ideas. I just haven't had time with going back to school full time and still trying to raise a family to watch very much TV lately. Anyway, any ideas are welcome...Thanks I really appreciate it!

Assignment: Identify five of the most troublesome stereotypes on TV today. Explain why you think they are stereotypes and why they bother you.

Then make a list of the five most accurate TV stereotypes. Explain why you think they are most accurate.

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
Curious, can a stereotype fit both? (can an accurate one be troublesome?)

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
Oh, and where the 3 you came up with, so we don't give those to you again?

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I know one is that they always have the irish guy being a blue collar mild to hard drinker.

Kearie
Member

07-21-2005

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kearie a private message Print Post    
I think news is always biased...you can tell what new shows and newspapers slant which way. Fox News is Right...New York Times is Left. I think we expect bias. Sterotypes of a political orgin based on which media source you get your news from.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Curious, we've talked about one and joked about it quite often. Ya know the stay at home mom, sitting on the couch watching the soaps while eating bon bons. Just as bad imo is the portrayal of the perfect stay at home mom, hair, makeup and clothes absolutely perfect as she slips on her little apron to whip up some muffins for the new neighbor. Why they bother me? It irritates me no end to run into someone I haven't seen since I was 12 and who when they find out I'm a stay at home mom comment how nice it must be to sit around the house and not have to work. Uhm, ok. And I'm far from being perfect and most stay at home moms I know aren't either. Perfect hair, make up and clothes? I'm lucky if I have time to brush my hair and put on a bra before I take the kids to school. (Always gives me a giggle to pull up in front of school on those days and wave and grin at the other mothers like me who refuse to get out of the car cuz we didn't have time to get ourselves dressed before it was time to take the kids to school!)

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 3:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
I'll throw two out while waiting for Curious to reply--in hopes I don't think of the same ones.

Italians being in organized crime. Examples of shows: Sopranos and Growing Up Gotti.

Gay men being portrayed on reality shows as insecure, over the top and emotional: Survivor with Rafe and Brandon

Big Brother with Bunky.

Along with that is the generality that being gay is of some importance with the game. A number of times in BB and Survivor, a lot of times is given to who might be gay--as if it matters at all to the game being played.

Curious1
Member

08-31-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curious1 a private message Print Post    
Sorry Lance, but I have no clearly definition of what she wants other then what I copied and pasted from her assignment. (This is an online course). I've already read some excellent ideas here and am so happy I posted the question! My three ideas were the stereotypes of young blonds being stupid (e.g. Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton etc) and how they are making it seem cool to be dumb. Also rednecks and how all people from the "hills" are big drunks who sit around and watch Nascar all day while having IQ's lower than the average 3 year old. The last one was how shows like MTV's Real World always cast young black men who have anger issues and get in trouble with the law. (all three of these bug me).

I'm having a really hard time with the five that I think she wants us to agree with and find most accurate.

As you can see none of my ideas have been mentioned and that's great! Now I have fresh ideas, just can't think of five that actually are accurate!

Secretsmile
Member

08-19-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Secretsmile a private message Print Post    
ROFL, War, I responded with the same exact answer as you did.

Kearie
Member

07-21-2005

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kearie a private message Print Post    
True WARGOD...moms and women always portrayed as perfect...thin, beautiful...heck, women on tv wake up with their make-up on. It's not real...

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Gay men as being effeminate. Reference; Will and Grace

Exceptions to this include Richard Hatch on Survivor I (who admittedly had other "issues" going on) and Karomo on Real World (can't remember which season), both of whom were much more traditionally masculine.

Stereotypes of women include the ones mentioned already, plus the career woman as cold and b1tchy or being required to appear that way (as in Martha Stewart saying, "Women in business don't cry.") Or, you have the stereotype of women doctors/nurses who are either completely wrapped up in their career and have no ability to maintain a decent relationship (Gray's Anatomy, ER) or are so distracted by their desire to have a relationship that their work suffers (same shows occasionally).

Not to mention, the stereotype of doctors in general who manage to pull miracle diagnoses out of mid air and save the day in 60 minutes or less, even if they never see a patient (House, ER, Gray's Anatomy, etc.).

And then we have the cop stereotypes. If they're Irish, they drink and/or fight. If they're Italian, they have mob ties of some sort. They draw their guns every five minutes (which, despite what the media shows, is not usually the case for real cops), they move constantly from one terrifying situation to another (again, not the norm), and they have dialog that is so stereotypical it can't even be classified except to wonder if Elmore Leonard wrote the lines.

Oh, and don't get me started on stereotypes of computers in movies and TV! I'm usually so busy laughing at the way they screens display, the speed in which information (exactly THE RIGHT information) is displayed, and so forth, that I miss the point of the scene. Sometimes I think they throw it in there for comic relief (as in Scotty talking to the computer mouse of a Macintosh SE in Star Trek III: The Voyage Home followed by complex mathematical calculations zooming into various windows on the small screen of a computer with no math co-processor in it), but most of the time, it's just done for effect on the assumption that most of the viewing public doesn't know the difference.

I probably should stop now, because I think most of what you see on TV is stereotypical and I don't view stereotypes as good, so I'm not going to be helpful on that side of the equation. :-)

Kearie
Member

07-21-2005

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kearie a private message Print Post    
Is it just me or are Jessica and Paris also shown as "loose" women. They ooze of beauty, stupidity and sexuality. It's cool for women to be dumb if they're sexual.

I guess it could be accurate to some degree if you think about all the sex games played in Jr. and Sr. High Schools. The bracelets of different colors showing what sexual things you are willing to do. Oral sex on buses to and from school games. It's cool to be slutty.

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
Taking the perfect woman thing one step forward -- the schlubby husband/man always has the perfect, perky, thin wife/girlfriend/date.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 4:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
The incompetent, all-thumbs father and man in the kitchen/household. True maybe for our fathers' generation, but not nearly as much nowadays.

Jagger
Member

08-07-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 5:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jagger a private message Print Post    
How about the minority, whether it be the AA or the Hispanic with the tatoos always being the bad guy on most crime shows.

Secretsmile
Member

08-19-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 5:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Secretsmile a private message Print Post    
It looks like there are alot of ideas for the first part, I could add to that list, with lawyers, law enforcement, doctors, young professionals.

Hmm.... I dunno, does TV portray politicians in the right light? Self serving and incompetent, LOL!

I'm trying to picture some shows with nurses, are they usually hard working and well meaning, I believe most nurses are.

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 5:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
The Law and Order and CSI shows on these days--they show all always and cops always bringing a bad guy to justice. I think it's a great thing if it really could happen--unfortunuately all too often it isn't the way things really work. (I think I covered 5 or 6 shows with just those 2 general titles)

I think stereotypes are typically a blown out of proportion partial truth. It is true that folks in the south have had certain types of foods in their diets. Not always the case--but at some time in history it was common to see certain foods on the table, for instance.

So a stereotype ends up being a part of what happens being taken ot an extreme. I don't know if it's possible to have "true" stereotypes, because by definition a stereotype wouldn't be accurate in all cases.

I'll have ot work on that second part of the assignment.

Curious1
Member

08-31-2002

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 6:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curious1 a private message Print Post    
Lance I totally agree with you about not knowing if "stereotypes" can be truly accurate in any case. That's why I'm having a hard time coming up with FIVE stereotypes that I do feel are accurate. Secret brought up a good one though with the nurses. I don't watch alot of the medical shows but I do watch ER sometimes and the nurses do always seem to be hard working, yet not held in as high of status as the "all knowing doctors" (which is an untrue stereotype). I just can't come up with FIVE accurate stereotypes that are being portrayed on TV.

Personally I think that asking for that is a bit "off the rocker"...most stereotypes aren't true and only really really sheltered or unexperienced youth would truly believe that the characters they see on TV are an accurate representation of real life segments of our population. But hey it's my assignment and I have to think of something! (sure am appreciating everyone's help though!) :-)

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 6:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
I'll agree with Secret about the politician issue--I do think most that have climbed the ranks are self serving, don't care about the people who voted them in as much as they do 1) they money they get after they are done serving and 2) the big money special interest groups.

We see that each day not only on fictional shows but also in the news. We also see it in real life across the nation (but that isn't TV)

Kearie
Member

07-21-2005

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 6:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kearie a private message Print Post    
Very true Lancy-poo!

Jimmer
Member

08-30-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 7:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Maybe the second part is a bit of a trick question and the answer is that there aren't any very accurate TV stereotypes?

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 7:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kaili a private message Print Post    
Or that you shouldn't stereotype at all because everyone is different.

Oh...in a lot of shows, high powered women are ruthless and mean.

There are a lot of bumbling, dumb men shown also. it depends on the channel/show and who the target audience is though.

There are a lot of regional stereotypes on TV- southern hicks, midwestern people being so clueless, etc People from Chicago being a certain way, New Yorkers being pushy and rude, Californians being bubble headed and self obsessed.

Hippy style kids being stoned all the time and stupid, the trench coat, black makeup kids being obsessed with death, etc

I agree about the crime shows and police portrayals....

I'm sure there are Canadian stereotypes- in their parkas all the time like they all live in igloos and obsess over hockey.

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 7:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
They don't obsess over hockey?? <ducking>

Karen
Member

09-07-2004

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 7:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karen a private message Print Post    
Us Canadians are always portrayed in American shows as beer drinkin', hockey lovin', snow shovelin' people who say "eh" a lot.

Does that count as 1 of 5 of your "positive" accurate stereotypes? lol.

ETA: Dang, Kaili, you beat me to it!!

Kaili
Member

08-31-2000

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 7:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kaili a private message Print Post    
Ahhh...I forgot the "Eh"! I remember after "Fargo" came out I was up at my mom's (near Duluth, MN) and I went to the little video store because she wanted me to pick up the movie (she hadn't seen it). I asked the woman if they had a copy and she was all indignant saying that the movie was such an insult that they wouldn't carry it. She didn't even live in North Dakota! This was northern Wisconsin!

Those Yoopers have a certain charm that's stereotyped, but I don't think so much on TV. They don't bother making shows about them. Just low budget films like "Escanaba in Da Moonlight". They're the deer huntin', beer guzzlin', flannel wearin', wood choppin' ones.