In the modern day America, people tend to believe that racism is an issue of the past while ignoring the fact that it still exists. Other people may utter racist words, provide racists comments or make racist jokes without realizing that the affected people would still see such jokes are purely racist. The television show comedy, ‘2 Broke Girls’, contains social themes such as racism in some of its scenes or episodes. The hilarious comedy which centers around the life of two girls who struggle to provide for themselves, in some scenes, brings out certain aspects racism through jokes said by the characters. Even though the racist jokes are only meant for laughter, those who are directly and negatively affected would feel disrespected. Racism and stereotyping are evident in some parts of the television show. Other nonverbal forms of communication such as body language and facial expressions in the scenes also bring out the sense of racism in the scenes. This essay will describe racism as seen in various scenes in the TV program, 2 Broke Girls, by the use of both verbal and nonverbal language present in those scenes.
In the show, the two girls; Max and Carolyn work at a restaurant owned by a short Asian-American man, Han Lee. The girls, especially Max, often make jokes about their boss who in most occasions, never seems to be offended. In a particular scene, max makes a racist joke while referring to Han Lee, saying that if you tell an Asian that he made a mistake, he would go and throw himself on a sword. Apparently, in the scene, Max was in a conversation with Carolyn making fun of their boss. Carolyn actually feels intrigued by the jokes and laughs, together with the voices in the background. While this can be seen as a very funny joke, other Asians watching the show might definitely feel offended.
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There is a lot of nonverbal communication going on in this scene as Max makes fun of Han Lee in a racist way. The body language, the gestures, and expressions shown by Max and Carolyn together with Han, perfectly brings out the aspect of racism. Max talks to Carolyn while looking in the direction of Han Lee which implies that she is referring to him. Her facial expression also implies that she intends to ridicule or make fun of someone. Her face is lively, and she seems to be about to laugh or smile as soon as she finishes her joke. Carolyn wears a smiley as she listens to Max. Her body language suggests that she knows what Max is talking about. Max is stereotyping Asian as those who set very high standards for themselves and as those who do not like to make mistakes. Han hears what Max is saying, shows an unhappy face, and ignores the comment.
On another scene in the show, a male character, describes to his friends the nature of a certain woman he met or went to a date with on a previous occasion. He says that she is an aboriginal, but she has a great personality. This is absolutely a racist statement. Some of the typical stereotypes of the aboriginals include primitive, uneducated, living traditional lifestyles and that they are lazy. When the character says that the woman he met is an aboriginal and compliments his statement by saying that she has a great personality, he is actually trying to suggest that most of the aboriginals do not have good personalities. The expressions shown by other characters also display the aspect of racism in the comment. The other characters seem surprised in a way and immediately respond to the comment by either smiling or laughing. The expressions on the other characters imply that they realize the sense of racism and stereotype in the statement. As much as this is a funny or a loose comment, it is also offensive to those who are directly affected.
The nonverbal language in the scenes present in a broader scale, the aspect of racism in the jokes or comments uttered by the character in the show. For instance, a viewer would look at the body language, the expressions or gestures by the characters in the show, in order to ascertain that a particular comment is meant to ridicule a certain group of people in the society. When Max talks while referring to Han Lee through her body language and gestures, it is clear that she is making fun of Han. What she says about Asians while referring to Han is racist. The expression on the other characters while the male individual is talking about aboriginals shows that brings out the aspect of racism and racial stereotyping in the scene.
Racism is evident in many Television programs, whereby characters often make loose comments or jokes without realizing that the affected racial groups would feel offended. In the above discussion, it is clear that various scenes in the TV program, ‘2 Broke Girls', contain aspects of racism. Various characters make racist jokes without realizing that some of their viewers would feel offended. Nonverbal language such as facial expressions and gestures shown by various characters in the scenes displays the aspect of racism in a broader way. The body language and the expressions on the characters make viewers understand the inner meaning or reference of the comments or jokes in the scenes.
