Case Study: Why Does The Big Bang Theory Make Lighthearted Fun of Ethnic and Gender Stereotypes?

"Comedy is not about showing us what's funny: it's about making things funny" - (Ben Pobjie 2013).

More than any other art form, comedy is subjective to what some deem as humorous or appropriate. The history of television sitcoms is littered with jokes and comedic scenes about serious issues such as war, murder and organized crime. However, the reason these topics were chosen as settings for comedic purposes was not because they were funny in real life, but rather assert that the art of comedy is finding a way to create humour out of dark situations. For example, the creators of MASH didn't find the Korean War hilarious, but they were able to create humourous situations rather than portray life as it was (Pobjie, B. 2013). The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom centered on five characters: geeky and socially awkward roommates Leonard and Sheldon; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress; aerospace engineer Howard; and astrophysicist Raj. Over time, supporting characters have been promoted to starring roles: Bernadette, Howard's wife and microbiologist; Amy, neuroscientist and Sheldon's girlfriend; and Stuart, the cash-strapped owner of a comic book store (Strauss, G. 2007). To its fans, the representation of the program's characters offers as a fun insight into the lives of themselves and their peers, albeit an exaggerated depiction for comedic effect. However, many of the show's jokes are at the expense of the characters and the subcultures they embody.

The program's premise, and many of its jokes, revolve around pigeonholing the representation of its characters, particularly with its depiction of sexist and racial stereotypes. With this in mind, the concept of representation holds a significant place in the study of culture. Through the use of language, signs and images, representation plays an essential part in the process of producing and exchanging meaning throughout different cultures. To represent it's characters, The Big Bang Theory uses the reflective approach as it creates meaning by reflecting on what already exists in the world of objects, people and events (Hall, S. 1997, pg.15). The three female leads each represent extreme and sensationalized characteristics placed on women: Penny is a beautiful, blonde, airheaded bimbo whilst Bernadette and Amy are unattractive, awkward, socially maladjusted nerds. In addition, the characters' mothers all embody undesirable traits such as invasive, uptight, nosey and overbearing, depending on their religion or ethnic backgrounds. Moreover, the racial and cultural stereotypes continue with the show's depiction of male characters Raj, who is a Hindu from India, and Howard, who is Jewish and lives with his mother. So, why does The Big Bang Theory make lighthearted fun of ethnic and gender stereotypes?

The use of political incorrectness in comedy has always been a controversial topic. Films, televisions shows and comedians are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is deemed funny and appropriate and what is not. The use of politically incorrect humour allows certain taboo issues to be aired in public often as a compelling vehicle for expressing controversial opinions. Political correctness is a pejorative term which signifies language, ideas, policies, and behavior aimed at minimizing offense and discrimination against politically, socially or economically disadvantaged groups (Lind, W.S. 2000). Consequently, humour has the ability to undermine or inquire about widespread beliefs whilst simultaneously reasserting them when they come under fire from others. While there is a considerable amount of debate involving political correctness and humour, there is very little discussion concerning the relationship between politically incorrect humour and trepidation regarding identity. The restraints of political science often neglects the politics of humour, despite the long standing history "between politics, humour and the expression of national and minority identities" (Rainbird, M. 2004 pg. 2).

According to Christie Davies, nationalistic or 'ethnic humour' is regularly about representing an "undesirable quality on a particular ethnic group in a comic way or to a ludicrous extent" (Davies, C. 1996, pg.4). By typecasting an actor with typical Jewish features and by displaying Howard's overtly dependant and close relationship with his overbearing mother, all jokes aimed at the ideology of this cultural identity reinforces the joke teller's sense of vicariousness and superiority (Davies, C. 1996, pg.312). In addition, the representation of Raj as a Hindu from India with parents who constantly interfere with his romantic relationships also emphasizes that "all jokes about others [...] must contribute to a people's sense of their own identity and character" (Davies, C. 1996, pg.312). Most studies of marginal humour focus on religious or cultural heritage, such as Hinduism or Judaism, and primarily feature the use of self-deprecation (Gilbert, J.R. 1997, pg.325). What's more, particularly with the casting of Howard and Raj, The Big Bang Theory exhibits a form of self-deprecating humour which is described as "a mixture of defiance and apology for being there" (McCallum, J. 1998, pg.207).

With regards to marginal humour involving ethnic groups, Boskin and Dorinson believe that "mocking the features ascribed to them by outsiders has become one of the most effective ethnic infusions into national humour" (pg.116-117). Although it is not always overt, the aggression in marginal humour may be discerned as cultural critique. When self-deprecation is strategic, its subversive effect sends a subtle double message, at times becoming a type of supplication and embodiment of the "power or powerlessness" (Gilbert, J.R. 1997, pg.326). With this in mind, the casting of Simon Helberg, who is Jewish, as Howard, and Kunal Nayyar, who was raised in New Delhi, as Raj, offers as a smart, tongue-in-cheek move to use humour as a means to overturn roles and positions. Furthermore, in this context, humour is able to challenge normative assumptions or reassert them, however, these national imaginings are by no means completely hegemonic but are rather delicate, vague and are in continuous need of reassertion. Although many racial and cultural jokes can back-fire, minority groups and identities often rely on humour as a means of getting their marginalized voices heard (Rainbird, M. 2004, pg.6).

Furthermore, in the context of the representation of female identity in popular culture and comedy, the use of self-deprecatory humour is unanimously condemned by critics who suggest that it reinforces stereotypes. Although humour is at times responsible for defying the status quo or hegemony, in many cases it can also reaffirm universally shared beliefs and identities (Rainbird, M. 2004, pg.6). However, humour and comedy are basic forms of communication that exude the possibility to make audiences more conscious and critical about "commonly held hegemonic assumptions" whilst fundamentally enacting political changes (Rainbird, M. 2004, pg.6). Feminists have described self-deprecatory humour as the antithesis of their cause and assert that it gives them a defense against sociocultural parameters (Gilbert, J.R. 1997, pg.318). The characterization of Penny represents her as aware of her lack of intellectual and academic knowledge, however she often displays the most common sense out of the all the main characters throughout the series. In addition, actress, Kaley Cuoco, who portrays Penny, is often typecast in other film and television projects to represent the 'blonde bombshell' character - and is also aware of this too (Strauss, G. 2007). Moreover, outside of acting Mayim Bialik, who portrays Amy, holds a PhD in neuroscience, thereby representing an exaggerated version of herself. This self-aware notion of "we can laugh at us, and this will disable you, by denying your authority, so that we can laugh at you" (McCallum, J. 1998, pg.207) attempts to assert legitimate identities for the female characters (Rainbird, M. 2004, pg.5).

The construction of identity is never 'accomplished' but rather a production constituted within representation. Media and popular culture are an essential part of forming and reflecting identity, as people "interrelate with their symbolic and material world to create identities as lived relations" (Carah, N. 2013). Popular culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes and other phenomena that form the mainstream of a culture. However, the notion of popular culture has come under fire by religious and countercultural groups who deem is being trivial and dumbed-down in order to find consensual acceptance (Storey, J. 2006, pg.4). With this in mind, the reason why these stereotypical representations of women exists is because these identities have constantly been constructed and represented in popular culture via film and television. Penny's 'blonde bimbo' character has been represented in other comedy projects such as the film Private Benjamin (1980) and the television series Married With Children (2001), whilst Amy and Bernadette's unattractive nerd characters have been depicted in Harry Potter franchise (2001-2011) and the series Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000). Knowing this, through the depiction of these characters, the writers of The Big bang Theory are not blatantly mocking racial and gender stereotypes but rather find lighthearted humour in society's views on these types of labels.

Knowing this, contemporary popular culture has moved into a terrain that anticipates and undermines the supposedly liberating effects of increased knowledge on behalf of the television viewers. As audiences become more savvy, they are less likely to be deceived in to a false sense of comfort of the media but rather see through the text (Teurlings, J. 2010, pg.351). According to Jan Teurlings, for the liberal media critic, "the mere fact of understanding how the television program is constructed is an act of empowerment because the viewer is not 'duped' into a naive belief" (pg. 368). Furthermore, The Big Bang Theory is among the highest rating television programs around the world and many of its viewers are females and of diverse ethnic backgrounds. By using gender and racial stereotypes, The Big Bang Theory creators plays with the savvyness of its audience and use these labels to create humourous situations rather than using them in an insulting manner. It's almost like they're 'winking' at their audience as if to say "we know that we use stereotypes to create humour, and we know that you know we use stereotypes to create humour" (Strauss, G. 2007). This is essentially what gives the audience a sense of power to challenge social parameters. However, this savvy attitude that modern audiences have adopted is ultimately a conservative one in which the media are understood but not challenged.

In conclusion, the television program, The Big Bang Theory, revolves around making lighthearted fun about gender and racial stereotypes, particularly with its depiction of the characters Penny, Amy, Bernadette, Raj and Howard. With specific consideration on the reflective approach of representation, the three female leads each symbolize negative female stereotypes whilst Raj and Howard each display cultural labels regarding their different religious backgrounds. Knowing that political incorrectness in humour has the ability to undermine or inquire about widespread beliefs, there is still a considerable amount of debate in terms of the expression of national or minority identities. Focusing on ethnic humour, the choice to use widely known stereotypes when characterizing Raj and Howard was to take advantage of self-depreciative humour that largely focuses on cultural heritage. This marginalized humour offers as a subversive double message that challenges hegemonic views and opinions whilst offering a voice to minority groups. Furthermore, feminists have described self-deprecatory humour as the antithesis of their cause as it breaks down sociocultural parameters. With the casting of Kaley Cuoco (Penny) and Mayim Bialik (Amy), the actresses are in fact playing exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek version of themselves which essentially gives them power over their character's respective stereotypes. Through the construction of the character's identity, these characteristics and stereotypes exist because they have been a part of popular culture - a culture that we as a society have created over time. The creators of The Big Bang Theory understood that the best way for the audience to grasp and understand the characters is to utilize the stereotypes that we have formed and engineered over the years. With all this in mind, the creators also knew that by using gender and racial stereotypes, they could play into the savvyness of modern audiences. Rather than insulting minority groups, they are ultimately 'winking' at the audience giving them a sense of power to challenge social parameters.

Reference List

• Boskin, Joseph and Joseph Dorinson, J. "Ethnic Humour: Subversion and Survival." American Humour. Ed. Arthur P. Dudden. New York: Oxford UP, 1987. 97-118Davies, C. 1996. Ethnic Humor Around the World : a Comparative Analysis. Bloomington, Indiana University Press.

• Gilbert, J. R. (1997). Performing Marginality: Comedy, Identity and Cultural Critique . Text and Performance Quarterly, 17, 317-330. Retrieved from http://www.asu.edu/courses/fms490bh/total-readings/L-4-Performing%20Marginality.pdf.

• Hall, S. (1997). The Work of Representation. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (pp. 11-74). (Original work published 1997). Retrieved from https://learn.uq.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-165084-dt-content-rid-396711_1/courses/COMU2233S_6320_22777/hall%20representation.pdf.

• McCallum, J. 1998. 'Cringe and strut: Comedy and national identity in post-war Australia'. Because I Tell a Joke or Two. S. Wagg. London, Routledge

• Pobjie, B. (2013). Offensive Comedy. Retrieved June 09, 2013, from http://meanjin.com.au/editions/volume-70-number-2-2011/article/offensive-comedy/

• Rainbird, M. (2004). Humour, Multiculturalism and ‘Political Correctness’. Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, 2-21. Retrieved from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/apsa/docs_papers/Others/Rainbird.pdf.

• Storey, J. (2006). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (4th ed.). Retrieved from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=SRN59zg9t9AC&redir_esc=y.

• Strauss, G. (2007, November 04). There's a Science to CBS's 'Big Bang Theory'. Retrieved June 09,2013, from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-11-04-big-bang_N.htm

• Teurlings, J. (2010). Media literacy and the challenges of contemporary media culture: On savvy viewers and critical apathy. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 13(3), 359-373. Retrieved from http://ecs.sagepub.com/content/13/3/359.full.pdf.

• William S. Ling, "The Origin of Political Correctness", Accuracy in Academia, 2000.

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