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
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.
Carrie - I absolutely LOVE Big Bang Theory and agree with you 100% on your post. You chose the perfect show to analyze when it comes to stereotypes and rituals. The show to me is mocking gender and ethnic stereotypes by making them the butt of their joke. As for Sheldon and his obsessive rituals, my favorite is when he has to have Penny sing to him every time he becomes ill. I get that song stuck in my head!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my most favorite shows ever! You did a great job. My favorite ritual of Sheldon's is every time he knocks on a door he has to say the persons name 3x, even when penny opened the door on the second knock one episode he finished the knock on the door frame lol.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite shows. The show has a lot of similarities with my son and his friends. He is a nuclear engineer. His friends are all into computers and RPG games. One of those have to be their situations but it adds to the show for us when we watch. There are quite a few stereotypes as well. My favorite episode is when Penny and Leonard broke up and they were sharing time with Sheldon and was like parents sharing parenting with their child.
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