Ryan blog #5: 30 Rock

This week's blog prompt allowed me to watch a couple of episodes of 30 Rock, one of my favorite shows. Martin and Nakayama (2012) note that pop culture is an important point for us to analyze how stereotypes can be reinforced, so in this entry I will look at three groups with stereotypes reinforced in some way on 30 Rock.

First, let's look at the issue of race. On a meta level, the character of Tracy Jordan is based largely upon Tracy Morgan, the actor who plays him, and actors like Tyler Perry and Martin Lawrence who frequently star in films that portray persons of color in stereotypical ways. The "token black guy" is another phrase that may apply here. In an episode (The Source Awards), Tracy is asked to host an awards show geared toward black people. In the same episode, Liz begins dating a black man named Steven. Prior to a date, she discusses Steven with Jack:

Jack: Steven's good, man, he's on partner track at Dewey and he's a Black.
Liz: A black!? That's offensive.
Jack: No, no. That's his name. Steven Black... good family. Remarkable people, the Blacks, musical, very athletic, not very good swimmers. Again I'm talking about the family. Black is African-American, though. (The Source Awards)

This is a direct allusion to common stereotypes about black people. The joke is obviously that the attributes are being applied to his family, so the audience's initial reaction is to assume that the joke is racist. This joke design is interesting because while it plays upon stereotypes, it does so in a way that mocks itself, which might actually open up some space for critical reflection about said stereotypes on the part of the viewer.

Later on in the episode, Jack markets his bust champagne (it tasted horrible) to black men through the use of rap and hip-hop music videos, which plays on common stereotypes about music and lifestyles.

Other examples of racial stereotypes in 30 Rock are various, but one that stands out is Queen of Jordan, a series featuring Tracy's wife who is a prototypical "diva". This is an example of both race and gender stereotypes. Here is a video:



In general, it appears that 30 Rock uses racial stereotypes rather liberally but often in a mocking way. It certainly toes the line in balancing a clever analysis of stereotypes versus making silly jokes that may be racist in nature.

A second group that is stereotyped in 30 Rock is women, but the particular subset that Tina Fey's character represents is a 30-40 year old woman attempting to balance her career and her personal life. This is certainly a common portrayal of women today. She also embodies a lot of characteristics commonly attributed to women in her situation: she is politically liberal, outspoken, and "independent."

A number of episodes center around this female archetype, to the point where it is a meta-level joke on the show. Observe:


In this clip, Alec Baldwin describes a list of stereotypes that just happen to fit Liz Lemon. Once again, these stereotypes are applied in almost a mocking way; the show may very well be mocking the practice of stereotypes, particularly in the context of market research (the context behind this clip).

Finally, a third example of stereotypes are those associated with LGBTQ individuals. Early in the series, Jack sets Liz up on a date with a woman, assuming because of the way she dresses that she is attracted to women. Liz then indicates in a conversation with her date that this has been a common theme throughout her life:


This stereotype, which is clearly mocked in the context of the episode, is particularly dangerous because in addition to prescribing a set of characteristics to lesbian women, the core assumption here is that women ought to dress in a way provocative to men.

In a different episode, Alec Baldwin purchases a new TV network for NBC called TWINKS, which is a particular sub-group within LGBT culture of which he is unaware. The network fails because of the lack of understanding about the "gay demographic" with shows that cater to stereotypes of gay men (sexual aggression/perversion) and ultimately fail.

Once again, these examples (particularly the second) use stereotypes, but not necessarily in a way that encourages acceptance of the stereotype. If anything, it acknowledges that a certain stereotype exists-- which certainly may have the effect of influencing perception of groups in a negative/stereotypical way, but ultimately the show clearly functions as a criticism of this type of content as well. It certainly exists in a grey area, but that is probably true of most pop culture.

Works Cited
Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.