***BEVERLY HOFSTADTER: *Oh, that’s fascinating. Selective mutism is quite rare. On the other hand, an adult Jewish male living with his mother is so common, it borders on sociological cliché.
I didn’t see much of that, 'cos I was already turned off by the insulting, pandering concept of the show anyway. 'Course, I wasn’t sure why I would have expected anything else in a show from the Chuck Lorre Crap Factory.
Of course racism exists on a spectrum. Consider the old joke:
Q. What’s worse than a racist joke?
A. The Holocaust
That doesn’t mean there’s inoffensive racism; there’s just more and less offensive racism.
Another vote for this. I was hoping for an especially crazy discussion too…
Had a reply, realized who the OP is, thought better of it.
My sister loves this show, but she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. She doesn’t know science, but she thinks it’s pretty cool when they mix in some mention of a theory, I guess. I’ve watched the show only once or twice, and I was not impressed. Seems like a low-comedy show wrapped up in a science-nerdy package. Kinda like how “That 70’s Show” really was just raunchy trash using the 70’s to sound like a cool premise. But, I find the had little to do with the 70’s whatsoever.
So, is my take on the “Big Bang Theory” correct?
Rainier Wolfcastle: “That’s the joke!”
No, it’s hilarious and awesome and the only geeks that hate it do so because some of the jokes cut a bit close to the bone.
Tell me I’m being whooshed, please :).
Please… It’s not a misogynist joke, it’s a joke about a character’s misogynist view and how little tact he has and how little he understands about how real people interact.
I’m serious. There was a great quote I read once in Entertainment Weekly (I think) and it’s really stuck with me: “The characters of The Big Bang Theory are the geeks we are, while the characters in How I Met Your Mother are the geeks we wish we were.”
BBT seems very realistic to this geek/nerd. Even the constant sniping. That shit can get vicious.
:rolleyes:
No, you are wrong. Again.
Take any joke about greedy businessmen. That’s secretly racist because it’s really about greedy Jews, right?
Take any joke about stupid blue-collar workers. That’s secretly racist because it’s code for a Polish joke, right?
Take any joke about a spoiled young woman. That’s secretly racist because it’s really talking about the Jewish-American Princess stereotype, right?
Doesn’t it mean that not only should we investigate every joke for racist subtext, but that once we look we will find that EVERY joke has a racist subtext!
Well, on the one hand, if BBT made the sort of jokes about African-Americans that they make about Indians and Jewish mothers, Chuck Lorre would be crucified. On the other hand, the jokes are almost always made by Howard, who a) has been established to be an asshat who makes offensive comments, and b) is making them about his best friend and about himself. Context is important.
The real question about racism vis-a-vis BBT, as it is about most mainstream TV, is: why are there no black characters on the show?
Because the show centers around a group of friends, which even today in America is most likely to be mono-racial in make-up. This group is ahead of the curve with Raj.
OTOH, I seem to recall that the black characters that have shown up have all been one hell of a lot smarter and together than the nerds.
And while we’re at it, blacks are also sorely underrepresented at high-end research institutions. This fact is unfortunate, of course, but it is a fact, and it would be unrealistic to deny it.
Yes; true. Still a bit of a cheap laugh. They do better.
(emphasis added) Indeed. That and Sheldon’s attitude towards women in the above-referenced episodes are meant to be aspects of their characters, not a message being endorsed, and we the audience are expected to understand it’s foolishness.
Do you think they take that into consideration when hiring extras for scenes at the university cafeteria?
Absence of black/pretty much any type of person doesn’t really say racist to me. I think TV has grown beyond that these days, though that may just be wishful thinking or naivete.
Apologies got the OP confused with someone else. Carry on.
Wow, okay then. This geek couldn’t stand to watch more than a half-dozen episodes (i.e., the number that were on the single disc we rented), because of three factors:
- None of the jokes were especially funny. I’m thrilled to laugh at geeks, but these guys just didn’t make me laugh. Give me The Guild any day.
- Worse than that, the main woman on the show was a bimbo. “Geeks,” the show suggested, “are dudes. Dudes are smart. Chicks are dumb but pretty.” (I understand they introduced a smart girl in a later season; by then they’d lost me as a viewer).
- Worse than that was the laugh track. It made me cringe every time it came on. Seriously, sitcom writers, aren’t we past the point where laugh tracks seem like a good idea?
So, no, it’s quite possible to be a geek and to hate the show for reasons other than the jokes hitting too close to home.