Part 1: Aidan and the Jewish Stereotype
As Aidan described, there are several physical and behavioral stereotypes of Jews. He states, “There are certain aspects of the physical traits, beyond just the sort of money obsession, controlling the world, banking type stuff. There’s the whole stereotype about the nose… I think that I definitely represent an easily identifiable Jewish person.” Jews have been commonly portrayed as having large, hooked noses and excessive body hair. There is also a perception that Jews are greedy and stingy with money. These stereotypes have their roots in historical Anti-Semitism and are very much prevalent today.
Although Aidan found that TV shows did not represent Jews in a severely negative way overall, he recognized the presence of stereotypes in the development of Jewish characters: “I think that Jewish people have the advantage of, in media, generally being represented either neutral or positively… but I can definitely also see how there are certain things that are played on and maybe those stereotypes are used a little bit.”
Many of these stereotypes can be seen in New Girl, a show that follows main protagonist Jess as she moves into an apartment with 3 single men. One of the main characters, Schmidt, is Jewish. Although he is not explicitly made fun of for his nose, many comments are made about his appearance. For example, in Season 4 Episode 9, a girl says, “You’re really sexy for a Jew.” In Season 4 Episode 12, one of the characters asks, “Has anyone ever told you you look like a Jewish Kennedy?” These comments degrade the appearance of Jews. Most alarmingly, Schmidt usually shrugs these comments off as if they are not offensive. This encourages the audience to think this generalization is true and inoffensive, which causes them to perpetuate the stereotype in real life.
Additionally, the stereotype of the controlling Jewish mother is encompassed by Schmidt’s personality. Although Schmidt is not a mother, he acts like a mother to his friend Nick. Schmidt constantly inquires about Nick’s job prospects and dating life. He also regularly checks up on Nick to make sure that he’s eaten food. Overall, they have a very close relationship that mirrors the Jewish mother stereotype that is commonly seen in the media.
Even though these stereotypes may not be seen as harmful by everyone, they nonetheless feed into the viewer’s perception that common generalizations about Jews are true. It’s one issue for people to perpetuate stereotypes that they know are untrue. However, when viewers see these microaggressions occur with absolutely no consequences, they believe that the stereotypes are not oppressive or offensive. This creates a more serious issue as people begin to perpetuate stereotypes without them even realizing it.
Next: Part 2: Haha and the “Theater Kid” Stereotype
Works Cited
Friedman, Gabe, et al. “7 Strange Jewish Jokes That Prove ‘New Girl’ Is the Anti-’Seinfeld’.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 70 Faces Media, 26 Sept. 2017, www.jta.org/2015/12/31/culture/7-strange-jewish-jokes-that-prove-new-girl-is-the-anti-seinfeld.
Maoz, Samantha. “Jews on TV: A Snapshot of Modern Television’s Representation of Jewish Characters.” Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 2018, eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/153/2018/12/04-Maoz.pdf.