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.