I tried watching a few episodes, but I got completely turned off because it seemed to me that they were simply disguising racism jokes as nerd jokes. In particular, I was turned off by the Jew and Hindi jokes. Is it somehow OK if they pretend the context is about making fun of nerds instead of being racist?
The jokes are all easy, lowest-common-denominator/low-hanging fruit humor, so race is going to be part of that. Don’t know I’d go so far as to call it racist, though. Just lame.
Not realizing this was CS, I thought you were wondering if the actual Big Bang theory was racist and I was a little disappointed.
Howard: Actually, Indian Monopoly is just like regular. Except the money is in rupees and instead of hotels, you build call centers. And when you pick a chance card, you might die of dysentery. Just FYI, that was racist.
[paraphrasing from memory]
**Raj:**Let’s hear you do an Indian accent!
Howard (in very affected, stand-up comedian Indian accent): I can’t sit on this elephant because my ass is on fire from eating all this curry.
I hate the show, but I don’t think it’s racist. Certainly no more racist than any other comedy show in the past two or three decades. Lot’s of stereotypes sure, but nothing particularly hateful or malevolent.
If nerds are a race, then yes.
Racial stereotypes ARE racist.
Using racial stereotypes to make a joke =/= racism.
Not necessarily. Racist implies that a certain amount of hatred is involved, and I don’t think that’s involved in the humor of this show. Making a crack about Indians eating curry isn’t on the same spectrum as, say, making a joke about blacks craving watermelon and picking cotton.
The big problem with BBT isn’t the racism, it’s nerdism. It’s NERD BLACKFACE!
Precisely this. Also, I somehow doubt the show has Hindi jokes. Wouldn’t leave much of an audience for them what?
Sheldon described women as being as moody bitches whose purpose is to breed, and showed no remorse, having his harassed assistant fill out his anti-harassment questionnaire. So it’s not just cheap racist jokes; there are cheap misogynist jokes, too.
Since this is a basic sitcom dressed up with geekery and pocket protectors, I’m not expecting much more. The same guy does Two and a Half Men, fercissake.
No, it doesn’t.
Of course it is.
If there’s no hate involved, why is the watermelon or cotton thing any different? Note that I agree with you (about hate being the important part), I’m just not sure why you made that particular distinction.
Raj’s character doesn’t include anything stereotypical “Indian immigrant,” like Apu from the Simpsons. The basics, selective mutism/wealthy family/astrophysicist/douchenozzle drunk, could have been any race or creed. The only thing “typically” Jewish about Howard is his mother, and compared with what’s been on TV and in movies for decades regarding Jewish stereotypes, that’s pretty much nothing.
The main characters all really like each other, and go to bat for their friends regularly. (Even Sheldon saved Raj from deportation by hiring him.) Any insult humor is realistic in such a group, even tame by real-world things I’ve heard. If the jokes border on the offensive, I wouldn’t make the leap to racism.
Colander,
when you say that there’s no difference between stereotypes and racism, are you saying:
a) There is no difference between someone telling a joke and a klansman
or
b) There is such a thing as inoffensive racism since racism exists on a spectrum.
?
Could the OP please give us some examples of these supposedly racist jokes? It’s kind of hard to discuss this when we just have to guess at the subject matter.
Well that, and his delight at violating Jewish dietary laws every chance he get’s.
Raj does the same thing with the Hindu equivilant.