Tuning in to the inner prejudice

For American families, the summer of 2003 was barely a vacation. When they heard nothing but fearful news about war and economic disparity, the only thing keeping America from slumping into an irrecoverable depression was the escape into a more favorable world: television. People could tune out the troubles of unpredictable terrorism by tuning in to the comforts of a familiar rerun or the perpetuating cycle of Cinderella reality shows. Television was a proverbial life support.\nBut NBC wants to save this comatose society. As fall marks the launch of new shows, the network known for producing the most popular sitcoms thinks it has struck gold by tapping into America's inner fears. Thus, the genius sitcom "Whoopi" was conceived. \nAccording to Nielsen Media Research, 14.7 million viewers plugged in to the new sitcom, but for those few who missed the premiere, "Whoopi," starring Whoopi Goldberg, centers on the character Mavis Rae, a cynical, chain-smoking black woman who manages a hotel. Co-starring is the token Middle Eastern handyman Nasim, along with Mavis' brother Courtney and his girlfriend Rita. The latter two play "race reversals," as Courtney embodies staunch white sophistication and Rita exudes the attitude of an urban black diva. With a cast of stereotypes, NBC is sure to win hearts. \nTo society, war is scary, but minorities are scarier. After constant conditioning of generalizations about other cultures, it's easy to alienate the people who are distinguished as outsiders. Anything foreign can be perceived as a threat. At a time like this, prejudices and stereotypes run rampant. Someone's to blame, and minorities make great scapegoats. While the show "Whoopi" may attempt to provide therapy for pandemic paranoia, it only reassures its viewers their fear is acceptable.\nIn one scene from "Whoopi," Nasim greets some white guests at the front desk. One guest refers to Nasim as an Arab, and Nasim lashes back, insisting he isn't Arab, but that he is Persian. The scene persists with Nasim's tantrum, which ends with him singing a Middle Eastern melody and "walking like an Egyptian." \nWell done, NBC. The writers of this script have astutely recognized a stereotype of Middle Eastern people. If they walk the "Egyptian walk" and talk the talk, they must be Arab. Flat-line America just busted into laughter, or at least, the previously recorded laugh track did. \nBut laughter occurs for one of two reasons. Humans either laugh because something is genuinely comical or they laugh as a reflex to ease an awkward situation. Making jokes about stereotypes can be hilarious, and done in the right way, could even serve as a tool to ease racial and cultural tensions; however, without debunking a stereotype, the only kind of laugh "Whoopi" could muster would be an audience's admission of guilt. \n Instead of making the audience feel silly for confusing all Middle Easterners for Arabs, "Whoopi" projects that all "Arab look-alikes" are silly, overreacting people anyway. With that mentality, people don't laugh at their own fault for having those stereotypes; they laugh because they're given a justification.\n When Goldberg was asked what purpose "Whoopi" served, she responded, "This is a show about real people, and real people do have these flaws."\n On the contrary, this isn't about real people at all. A black woman doesn't necessarily shout "I will cut you" threats. A white woman who enjoys hip-hop isn't necessarily trying to be black. A Persian man doesn't necessarily have training from the "Iranian militia to build a missile system, which (it doesn't) have." They're all two-dimensional characters, who have no other qualities than their stereotypes. So if the stereotypes already exist in society, what's the new punch line for a show completely based on them? \nThere just isn't one.