Sitcom Stereotypes

One of my favorite sitcoms (and guilty pleasures) is "The King of Queens." Kevin James plays a working class delivery driver named Doug Heffernan who lives in Queens, NY. Doug leads a relatively simple life, enjoying sports, food, and the company of his wife and friends.

Doug's best friend is Deacon Palmer, an African American delivery driver and married father. The episodes often poke fun at Doug's attempts to secure his friendship with Deacon by acting "black." I've mentioned this dilemma before--the quagmire of defining what is meant by acting "white" or "black" or any other race.

This topic arose in a specific episode when Doug deals with an employee at a Chinese restaurant. The employee has a British accent, and Doug is noticeably taken aback. The employee is receptive to Doug's pause, and he becomes sarcastic with Doug, suggesting that maybe he should use an "Asian" accent in order to authenticate the situation. Doug becomes embarrassed but still seems surprised.

When we deal constantly in stereotypes, we react in ways similar to the way Doug did. Of course, there are British Asians, French Africans, and Australian Greeks, just as there Irish Americans and African Americans. We cannot forget about the beautifully rich and complex cultures that comprise the rest of the world, not just our own American land.

Oprah can't escape the news.

I saw a headline today about Oprah Winfrey's weight. I immediately chose not to purse the article. Yes, Oprah did choose to reveal to the public her new weight, so her privacy was not invaded. Moreover, she seems embarrassed by it and possibly want sot use the issue as a means to informing the public about proper diet and exercise, but I still fail to see how this revelation is newsworthy. The media is using Oprah's weight gain as a means to "educating" the public of the dangers of obesity. However, the media exploits Oprah by doing so. This is utilitarian journalism at its worst!

I wonder how the media would treat a male celebrity's admission of weight gain. Would such a male be ridiculed, pitied, or used as an educational example? Of course, by not reading the article about Oprah, I did not learn how her issue was handled. The headline was enough for me to direct my attention elsewhere.

A cool link

Here is a link to a site that has provided the basis of my final paper:

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/default_archive.asp?fpArchive=110508

It shows the front pages of all the major national newspapers from November 5, 2008.