# Is the Big Bang Theory racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243 "2013-01-06T07:14:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/141 "2013-01-07T19:27:56Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > There is no such thing as a “fake” geek and it’s really getting tiresome that this is a thing. Hot girls go to Comic-Con and your meathead college roommate plays Minecraft. I’m not sure what these two sentences are supposed to have to do with each other. I think the first is false. I don’t understand the relevance of the second. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/142 "2013-01-07T19:32:13Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I’m not sure what these two sentences are supposed to have to do with each other. I think the first is false. I don’t understand the relevance of the second. To be fair, that shitty webcomic strip someone linked to above evoked shades of “false geek girl” ideation. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/143 "2013-01-07T19:35:20Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I’m not sure what these two sentences are supposed to have to do with each other. **I think the first is false**. I don’t understand the relevance of the second. Wrong. Both Felicia Day and my wife go to Comic-Con. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/144 "2013-01-07T19:53:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wrong. Both Felicia Day and my wife go to Comic-Con. 😛 That’s the second sentence. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/145 "2013-01-07T20:07:23Z")
Well, then the second sentence is relevant because! \ I don’t need your help in looking stupid around here. I do that quite well enough on my own. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/146 "2013-01-07T20:27:17Z")
“The first” refers to the first sentence of the two that I quoted. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/147 "2013-01-07T20:43:44Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I disagree on the loser part (although the Jewish stereotypes in the show are kinda cheap). The “loser” works for the JPL on the International Space Station engineering team, went to space, and married a very smart/very hot woman (admittedly a shiksa, but then that was not one of his criteria). Losers can only dream of such achievements. FTR I will volunteer to be exactly this loser if anyone cares to arrange it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/148 "2013-01-07T20:56:40Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I’m not sure what these two sentences are supposed to have to do with each other. I think the first is false. I don’t understand the relevance of the second. There is an idea making the rounds of geek culture that “fake geeks” are pretending to love video games and comics and sci-fi movies to get a piece of that sweet, sweet geek action. I’m pointing out that it’s moronic because we geeks won the war. Being a geek is mainstream now because everyone loves Batman and everyone plays video games (quite literally in fact, a study of today’s teens found that 98.7% or so play games regularly, men and women). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/149 "2013-01-07T21:23:39Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I have been trained by the sitcoms over the years to ignore the laugh track. I was like that, too, but then the recent trend of track-free comedies have opened my eyes (and unbruised my ears) so now I find BBT (and even some episodes of _Seinfeld_) to be torturous. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/150 "2013-01-07T22:10:05Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That said, there was a moment that stuck with me as proof that this show does more than pay lip service to geeks. Sheldon has set up an N64 emulator on his computer to play Super Mario 64. Penny walks in and starts talking to him and he has to pause the game… and the sound guys actually got the correct pause sound. They didn’t just reach into the public domain video game sound file. They pulled out an N64, hooked it up, got a copy of SM64, and recorded the pause sound. > > In the words of Sheldon, that’s fascinating. Yes. There are a lot of little things like this that really make the show so good to peolpe that are or were like those guys. My brother and I are in our mid to late 30’s and we still love all things Mario. It is a pretty typical sitcom except it’s set in what used to considered Nerddom. But like you said it’s so common for people to play video games or be into comics. (The Avengers movie for instance.) That they’re all pretty common tropes these days. Mostly at it’s core it’s a relationship show which everyone can relate to. That annoying guy who always has to be right. The chick next door who you think is too hot for you. The guy who thinks he’s gods gift to women. And I could go on but since most who don’t like the show only saw 5 minutes to a few episodes you probably wouldn’t recognize the sterotype. Also Penny was never a bimbo. She played the ditzy blonde because that’s how she learned to get her way. They show pretty early on that she can hold her own once she learns she doesn’t have to play that role with the guys and that they actually prefer her to not be one. She is the social butterfly to the guys’ academia. They show and explain to each other their different worlds. There was an episode where the group played a trivia game of some sort and it was mostly social stuff and the girls totally kicked the guys asses. Also Penny pretty much owns Sheldon now. In the beginning Sheldon annoyed her and pissed her off because he wasn’t acting socialy as expected. She’s grown as a character. Now when Sheldon does his Sheldon thing she uses that to annoy him. Example: (You only need to watch the first 35 seconds. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/V9YtBR1m7aE/maxresdefault.jpg "Bernadette sits in Sheldon's spot - The Big Bang Theory") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9YtBR1m7aE) Leanard: “It upsets Sheldon when you play with The Sheldon.” She owns Howard in 2:25-315 of the above clip. Howard used to be a skeevy girl chaser and it skeeved Penny out but now she puts him back in his place. Penny owns Sheldon again at 4:10-4:30 of the above clip. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A thread about Big Bang stereotypes that hasn’t mentioned Mary Cooper? Sheldon mother’s is the biggest southern Christian fundamentalist that ever has been on TV! Prais Jesus! Thats a fun character. > [@Superhal](#): > > My impression was that their inability to drink was based on their race, not their nerdism. Well your impression is wrong. Maybe you should actually watch the show a few times so you’d know how wrong you are. The only one who doesn’t drink is Sheldon because he’s a teetotaler. Most episodes where they are sitting around eating there is aclohol involved. And Raj probably drinks the most because of his psychological condition. Which according to Lorre is based on the fact that a friend he had was exactly like Raj. He could only talk to women if he had been drinking. Damn this was way longer than I wanted to spend replying to all you Silly-Sallies who don’t like the show. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/151 "2013-01-07T22:16:07Z")
Also WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! the clip in my previous post apparantly contains a racist joke. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/152 "2013-01-07T22:24:11Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > It may lack engineers looking down on other types of engineer, but it has the theoretical physicist looking down not only on the engineer, but also on the experimental physicist (not to mention all branches of science apart from physics). > > And I think you probably do have to be quite a nerd to really get the joke in that. The general audience probably only understand it as an aspect of Sheldon’s pervasive narcissism, but it really does reflect (and humorously exaggerate) something real in nerd culture. Yes, exactly. I meant to put that part in too. It’s pretty hilarious (to me, having seen this attitude in real life from people who weren’t going for laughs but essentially thought that this was the way things really are :p). I’m surprised that so many 'dopers don’t seem to like the show, as the few I’ve seen seem pretty funny from the perspective of highly vertically specialized nerds in what looks like an academic setting by and large. I didn’t detect any racist type vibes except those that are mocking how a lot of nerds are clueless about racism or just don’t have the social skills to care…and, well, that’s the point of the jokes. To underscore those attitudes and preconceptions in the nerd crowd, and how they interact and inter-relate. I mean, obviously all of this is being exaggerated for effect…it IS a popular TV comedy series after all, and has to appeal to a wider audience than just nerds. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/153 "2013-01-07T23:20:01Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > An Aussie retard, a British faggot, and Irish Jew walk into a bar with a boomerang. Wait, you’re talking about my flatmates and I circa 1994 on a Saturday night, right? Although I don’t remember the boomerang. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/154 "2013-01-08T02:00:48Z")
Y’know, _most_ of the bimbo-type women I’ve known have actually been above-average intelligence and just putting on an act. I can totally buy Penny doing the same. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/155 "2013-01-08T02:53:22Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Yes, exactly. I meant to put that part in too. It’s pretty hilarious (to me, having seen this attitude in real life from people who weren’t going for laughs but essentially thought that this was the way things really are :p). I’m surprised that so many 'dopers don’t seem to like the show, as the few I’ve seen seem pretty funny from the perspective of highly vertically specialized nerds in what looks like an academic setting by and large. I didn’t detect any racist type vibes except those that are mocking how a lot of nerds are clueless about racism or just don’t have the social skills to care…and, well, that’s the point of the jokes. To underscore those attitudes and preconceptions in the nerd crowd, and how they interact and inter-relate. I mean, obviously all of this is being exaggerated for effect…it IS a popular TV comedy series after all, and has to appeal to a wider audience than just nerds. Another aspect of this idea is the character of Barry Kripke – only among this particular peer group could someone like Barry, with his oh-so-mockable speech impediment, be a bully. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/156 "2013-01-08T02:58:46Z")
Was “All in the Family” racist? BBT’s nerds are geek lite. The show is inconsistent in many ways. As to what is funny, well YMMV albeit obviously it tickles some well enough. But racist because it mocks the cluelessness of one of its main characters and because it resorts to some old sit com tropes, albeit sometimes in ways that actually do get me to smile? No. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/157 "2013-01-08T15:40:14Z")
Two clips on YouTube, without the moronic yuks, [**here**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg4s2-zRAT4) and [**here**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzSTQMx8vSs). They illustrate how unfunny the show is and, especially in the second clip, why the Sheldon character would be shot. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/158 "2013-01-08T17:24:24Z")
> [@colander](#): > > Changing the subject a little: What do people think of the new season of “Ow, My Balls”? I’d watch “Ow, My Balls”. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/159 "2013-01-08T18:48:20Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > I’d watch “Ow, My Balls”. You’re in luck, it already exists. > **[Jackass: The Movie (2002) ⭐ 6.6 | Documentary, Action, Comedy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/)** > > 1h 25m | R ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243/160 "2013-01-08T19:13:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > You’re in luck, it already exists. > > [Jackass: The Movie (2002) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322802/) … I don’t want to watch “Ow, My Balls” anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-big-bang-theory-racist/646243.md?page=9)