Television Stereotypes

There is no doubt that television has found its way into the lives of the everyday, average American. Television has become our go-to. It’s our stress relief after a long day of work; it fills voids that our actual lives cannot; and it has become the framework of the world we know today. A popular, if not the most popular, type of television that has filled the hearts of its viewers would have to be Situation Comedy- or Sitcom. Sitcoms tend to involve lovable actors, playing even more lovable characters, with an idealized family, friend group or social set-up. With the role we allow television to play in our lives, our ideals, maybe without notice, are influenced. Sitcoms such as That 70’s Show, Parks and Recreation and The Fresh Prince of
While everyone is dressed black tie appropriate, Will is wearing a neon snapback and has a napkin tucked into his shirt. He is making music with the fine glasses. The guests’ stare in horror, his family looks around in embarrassment. The show works in a give and take manner, as Will’s family works to shape him up, he also begins to rub off his street side on them- this is depicted especially in his easily impressionable, younger cousin Ashley. When it comes to race, this program overturns some stereotypes, as his family is taking over the role that typically whites would be playing. This program suggests that because Will has a poorer background than that of the Banks, he is less educated and mannerly and often uses black voice. Because the target audience of The Fresh Prince is young adult, African Americans, Will’s background in hip-hop and street-credit offers a sense of hood. In fact, Will’s character is seen as a form of “contemporary minstrelsy” through his wild and deviant behavior and his social background (Coleman 1998). I have found that The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air uses racial stereotypes of both blacks and whites to create a sitcom unlike any other before its
Within the main cast, the producers use the race of the minority characters and give them the opposite stereotypes, all for comedic effect. April Ludgate is the youngest of the employees; she’s gothic with a morbid personality and makes sarcastic jokes about her vivacious Puerto Rican personality. Tom Haverford is a small, narcissistic Indian from South Carolina who embodies the character of a teenaged