The Big Bang Theory: Summary

The most typical aspect found in The Big Bang Theory is stereotypes. Every character on the show has a stereotype of some sort, whether it be the guys who are nerds, Penny the hot/dumb blonde, Amy is the typical nerdy girl, and Bernadette is your sweet girl who gets loud when angry. It's very interesting to see how this show plays on all of these aspects of stereotypes, and incorporates myths, icons, and heroes as well. Through this show we learn to laugh at these things society as accepted as true. We find humor in the way these characters interact. But by being more aware of these types of things we can learn that everyone is essentially the same as we are. Everyone is insecure in some manner and we all need to laugh at such stereotypes in a good humored manner. I hope that you guys have enjoyed my analysis of this show. I hope that in the future I can remain aware of all the influences that make this show and have an open mind when viewing other shows or movies. Thanks everyone for reading! Good luck!!

I leave you with my favorite episode ever!!!!

The Big Bang Theory: Formulas

One formula in particular that The Big Bang Theory incorporates into its show is the myth of romantic love. This can be seen in the relationship between Leonard and Penny, Sheldon and Amy, Howard and Bernadette, and Raj and Lucy. So lets look at each of these relationships.

Leonard and Penny:

Leonard is the nerd who instantly falls for the beautiful blonde next door, Penny. In a typical relationship the woman is usually the romantic one and the man is the beer drinking sports fan, but here those roles are

reversed. But behind their love story is of course the challenge of making such a relationship work. Leonard struggles with his insecurities of being the nerd in love with the beautiful blonde, and Penny struggles with commitment. This relationship is plagued with the on-again, off-again scenario.






Sheldon and Amy:

Well these two are not your typical couple by any standards. They have a written contract that stipulates just

about every scenario possible that can arise in a relationship. But behind it all Sheldon is slowly unraveling to the romance that is possible. Sheldon struggles with every relationship he encounters but with Amy he is starting to become more "human".

Howard and Bernadette:

Howard is your typical male pig when it comes to women. He sees women as objects and deep down we

learn that he has insecurities just like the rest of us. When he meets Bernadette he struggles with the idea of being in a serious relationship, but in the end he knows she is the love of his life.

Raj and Lucy:

These two have some serious issues when it comes to love. Raj is a romantic who can't talk to women, and he never seems to find the right girl. When he meets Lucy though he realizes that they both have a lot in common and that they can help one another with their issues. Lucy is terrified of change, and is scared of people in general. She doesn't like to be in any situation that could lead to confrontation of any sorts, even it

is just a typical interaction. At the end of this season though they had broken up, but hopefully they keep Lucy on as Raj's girlfriend.

One main ingredient to the myth of romantic love that we see in this show is that they all are plagued with deep seeded issues that they must overcome in order to be together. But don't we all?

The Chick Car: Myth or Fact

With the end of World War II came a new dynamic in the average American households. Women’s roles in particular started to change with an increasing number of them joining the men on that long stretch of concrete known as the road. Driving gave women mobility and freedom, but it did not change her gender role in society. Even today, the two main roles of a woman are wife and mother. With the growing need for women to have their own vehicle, automakers gave them the following:

·         Station wagon/1950’s & 1960’s

·         Hatchback/1970’s

·         Minivans/1980’s

·         Small SUV/Crossover/1990’ – Present

These cars have one thing in common and that is they are geared toward domestic responsibilities. Toward the end of the 20^th century women started to become more financially capable of buying the car of their choice. With a choice now, women began to choose cars that were small and sporty, also known as the “chick car”:

·         Mazda Miata

·         Mitsubishi Eclipse

·         BMW Mini Cooper

·         VW New Beetle

·         Toyota RAV4

·         Audi TT

Young single women or empty nesters own these types of cars. Owning a “chick car” gives them a sense of accomplishment, freedom, and for the older generation independence from their domestic roles.

            For men, the car has always been a source of freedom and masculinity. It also seems that men understand the technology, power, and performance that go with driving a car.  Women are often times seen as not having the capability of understanding the true nature of cars and because of this, men tend to think that “chick cars” are lacking in technology. Keeping that in mind, men feel that if they were seen a “chick car” it would affect their appearance of being masculine. Even automakers don’t like the idea of the “chick car”. General Motors and Mazda have even tried to debunk the myth. Advertisements for these so called “chick cars” are people-less, or have male drivers.

            Whether men want to acknowledge it or not women play a powerful role in automobile industry. Women are stepping out of their normal roles and finding independence and freedom when purchasing a car. Is it just a myth that the “chick car” exists, the evidence shows otherwise.

            When looking over this article it is easy to see that there is indeed a “chick car”. However, I don’t think that the “chick car” stops at fun and sporty. I believe that the “chick car” should include those cars geared toward families. Car manufacturers know that women are generally the ones that will be driving these types of vehicles and their ads just reinforce the roles that society says a woman must fulfill. It is also true that men generally don’t want to be seen driving either type of “chick car” because it degrades their sense of masculinity. This article is very important because it shows that women still don’t quite have equality with men. Women today are still perceived as wives and mothers first. Sure we have come a long way but there are still hurdles to jump over in terms of total equality.

References

LEZOTTE, C. (2012). The Evolution of the 'Chick Car' Or: What Came First, the Chick or the

Car?. Journal Of Popular Culture, 45(3), 516-531.

The Big Bang Theory: Heroes and the Cult of Celebrity

Heroes in the eyes of Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj are often time that of their comic book heroes. In one episode the guys are invited to Penny's Halloween party and they all dress up as Flash! Comic book heroes are shown throughout the series and the guys even get the girls to dress up for Halloween parties. They are often dressing up as Batman, Superman, Aqua-man, Thor, The Green Lantern, Froto, and of course The Doppler Effect!

As Charles pointed out in his blog the characters of Star Trek are another one of the guys heroes. They often incorporate phrases and gestures that were seen in the show. They also collect Star Trek memorabilia. The Big Bang Theory also has original members of Star Trek appear on the show from time to time.

One of my favorite episodes is when Sheldon hires Professor Proton to come to his house to do a private science show. Professor Proton is one of Sheldon and Leonard's childhood heroes. In this episode Professor Proton doubts his credibility in the science world until Sheldon reveals that he is the one who inspired him to become a scientist.

It's easy to see when watching The Big Bang Theory the influence of the cult of celebrity and how heroes play an important role in popular culture.

The Big Bang Theory: Rituals and Stereotypes

Rituals

In The Big Bang Theory there are different types of rituals that are brought to our attention. One of my favorite things about this show is how Sheldon Cooper reacts to certain rituals that the rest of society sees as everyday behavior. Take for instance the ritual of gift giving at birthdays and Christmas, Sheldon hates gift giving because he feels it puts him in the obligatory position to give a gift in return. For Sheldon this is a nuisance. He takes in all factors of the gift and feels that he must in turn give a gift of the same price and meaning that is implied in the gift he received. Society doesn't necessarily think of gift giving as a ritual in general but when you really look at it for what it is you can see that it is indeed a ritual.

"When people are upset, the cultural convention is to bring them hot beverages", Sheldon Cooper. This has to be one of my favorite rituals on The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon is a stickler for this particular ritual and is very adamant that you offer this to your friends and they in turn accept it. While Sheldon is socially awkward he tries very hard to adhere to social protocols.


Stereotypes

A stereotype that we see in The Big Bang Theory is with the character Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali. Raj is from India and he comes from a family that is very wealthy, yet Raj stereotypes himself by always implying that he comes from a humble upbringing and being poverty stricken. While he says he doesn't acknowledge his Hindu beliefs he feels that if he puts up with Sheldon he will be rewarded greatly when he is reincarnated due to his suffering willingly. Another aspect of Raj is that he performs Bollywood dancing when he is upset and

hates when others make jokes about India even though he himself makes the same jokes. For Raj's character he has stereotyped what type of person he is because of what society has said of the people of India.

There are other stereotypes in this show as well that are based on gender, sex, race, and social status. Through this sitcom we learn to laugh at these stereotypes but we can also learn from them. It is important for us to reserve our judgement until we get to know someone for who they are. Stereotypes influence us in many ways, we form who we are through stereotypes and rituals. There are many other aspects of culture that influence us we just have to learn how to be objective.

The Big Bang Theory: Popular Beliefs, Myths, and Icons

In The Big Bang Theory we follow Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj as they try to figure out how to overcome their social awkwardness. We also watch as Penny finds herself in a world of extremely smart people and yet she finds friendship and love with the other characters.

There is a myth that blondes are not smart, especially if they are drop dead gorgeous like Penny. This show incorporates many myths that society has said to be true. Are all scientists nerdy, socially awkward, and avid Trekkies?  Most likely they aren’t. But The Big Bang Theory runs with what society has accepted of these types of characters. Television and films in the past have also led us to believe in the romantic myth, the beautiful girl, Penny, will fall in love with the nerdy scientist, Leonard.

So what about the myth that nerds aren’t friends with girls like Penny? We see that this show tries to break through this myth. Penny often times finds herself not understanding what anyone is talking about but through that she becomes accepted by this group. Isn’t it odd that the beautiful blonde must find acceptance instead of the nerds? While this may be the opposite of what society has said to be true, Penny finds her two best friends, Amy and Bernadette, and a group of friends that she cares for deeply.

Icons play an important role in this sitcom as well. The guys surround themselves with icons such as their Alienware Dell laptops, comics, and action figures. They have an unusual emotional attachment to these items and as you watch the show you can see that it is an obsession really. While these types of things may not be icons to everyone, they are this group.

As you watch the show and start to analyze it you can see how society’s popular beliefs, myths, and icons play an important role. But you really have to push past what society holds to be true and look at the bigger picture. This is a group of highly intelligent people with the exception of Penny, and they are all just trying to figure out life, love, and friendship. And aren’t we all just trying to do that?

Icon Analysis

An icon is a person or symbol that has reached a devotional status among culture. 

KEVIN BACON

His career took off with the movie Footloose and he became an instant household name. Kevin Bacon is truly a pop culture icon. I chose Kevin Bacon because he is the center of Hollywood, really he is! Haven't you played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? Name someone in Hollywood and you can eventually link them to Kevin Bacon. For instance, Will Ferrell has a Bacon number of 2. Will Ferrell was in Dick (1999) with Deborah Grover, who was in Where the Truth Lies (2005) with Kevin Bacon. He has been in over 60 films and now has a new series on Fox called The Following. Not only does he act but he is also a musician. Bacon is not one of my favorite actors but I chose him because I can remember when my mom was obsessed with him for a time! 

MR. T

As a kid growing up I remember watching The A Team and thinking Mr. T was just awesome. Many may say that he is just a fake, but he starred in the iconic film Rocky III with Sylvester Stallone which launched his career. From that he had a cartoon called Mister T that led him to have a reputation for being an advocate and role model to youths. He was cast in The A Team as Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus and he also jumped into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Mr. T was in the first WrestleMania in 1985 where he paired with Hulk Hogan to win the main event. Mr. T made gold chains and Mohawks icons in pop culture. I chose him because he is a part of my childhood that brings back those carefree days.

GENERAL LEE

For my last icon I chose the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. The orange '69 Dodge Charger has become a symbol of Southern tradition to some, with its Confederate Flag, and "Dixie" horn. It's not necessarily the car itself but the color orange, flag, and horn that seem to remain a part of pop culture. You can look just about anywhere and find those three things on any type of vehicle today; such as trucks, different makes of cars, scooters, snow mobiles, jeeps, and semi's. This combination seems to speak to some people (mostly men!) and it has some sense of pride to them. For me this is another reminder of my childhood and how innocent things were.