A cultural myth I would like to analyze are the stereotypes of being Jewish. Jews are often thought of as being cheap and stingy with their money. This stereotype refers back to the Holocaust and post-Holocaust when the Jews had their money, jobs, family, and everything else taken away from them. The Holocaust survivors, including the ones who fled, had a difficult time obtaining jobs after the Holocaust. They were often criticized for becoming doctors and lawyers because some did not feel the Jews were worthy of having these jobs. Because the Jews knew what it was like to lose everything they had, they valued every cent that they earned.
The television shows, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm as well as Woody Allen movies are good examples of stereotypes and myths that are prevalent within the Jewish community. Seeing these stereotypes come alive through these programs makes it easier to envision what the stereotype actually means. These movies/shows add humor to a demeaning stereotypical assumption of the Jewish community.
I am Jewish and these stereotypes directly affect me as well as other Jewish followers. I never truly saw this stereotype within my family because my dad and grandfather are extremely generous people and they would rather spend more money on quality than buying something cheaper just to save money.
Today, the status of this myth is the same, but humor is often used to relive this stereotype. Although there may always be a deeply rooted myth that Jews are cheap, hopefully I will be able to relieve some of these stereotypes behind the myth.
This is a very unique topic Marika, and I think your audience would be interested in it. I'm not Jewish, but I love Jewish comedy (Andy Samberg is amazing!), and I know many people who do too(especially with the rising popularity of Andy Samberg), so I see no problem relating this topic to your audience. I think with your background this topic will be easy for you, and would be able to find and utilize the best sources. You topic seems specific enough, you have a myth and you put a twist to it to make the paper your own. I'm very interested to hear more about how this paper is going to play out.
ReplyDeleteHi Marika,
ReplyDeleteI think this will be an interesting cultural myth to deconstruct.
1. I think you need to focus on a specific stereotype of being Jewish and then deconstruct. Your paper will be more clear and the research process will be more focused. It seems like you want to focus on the stereotype that Jews are stingy but just make sure you stay on focus.
2. As a potential audience member for your paper, I am certainly interested in this topic. I am Catholic and therefore not super knowledgeable about the Jewish faith. However, I am certainly aware of Jewish stereotypes. I think referring to things from popular culture will reveal the myth you are trying to deconstruct.
3. As for the scope of your paper, I think that this is a feasible topic. So long as you keep a narrow focus, 8-10 pages will be perfect.
4. I think this will be an interesting paper, Marika. Definitely get a nice variety of sources, utilize interviews, and use references to popular culture.
Hope this helps,
Jill
Marika,
ReplyDeleteThat is a really intriguing topic and I think that you have a lot of great stuff here. This myth is certainly a part of our society today and it is really interesting to examine why in the States in 2009 it would still be that way.
I think that between the media, the history and the humor aspect that you present in this myth you have a wealth of sources to rely on to prove the existence and perpetuation of this myth.Your audience is a large one I think because its important to examine these origins from a certain age on.
It may be interesting to touch on how this is seemingly a "light-hearted" and "harmless" stereotype especially with regard to humor, but this its implications could reinforce negative judgment. This could lead to discrimination that may seem lessened, but in any form is wrong.
I like what you have here so far and can see where this paper is going for sure, you will have a lot of personal experience to integrate into your voice, but remember not to de-formalize your paper with tons of "I's" and to use your sources to back up your own impressions.
Marika,
ReplyDeleteIn society, there are a lot of stereotypes about ethnicities, religions, genders, etc. While I think it's really interesting that you're looking into your own background, I worry that you may not have enough information to write 8-10 pages. Perhaps it'd be interesting to expand on other cultural stereotypes.
Also, I think it'd be interesting to look at how cultures perpetuate their own stereotypes. I have a friend who is Jewish and he constantly makes jokes about how he's cheap only because he's Jewish. I think it'd be good to question how people add to their own stereotypes. Humor is often used to dispel awkward situations and some people may use these stereotypes to do just that.
I know you mentioned the show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and I think a really good episode to use would be the one where they won't fire a cook because they believe he is a Holocaust survivor. I'm pretty sure it's the last episode of season 3. Anyway, the numbers on his arm turn out to be lottery numbers. It's a good episode.
I think you're information could be really interesting, but like I said, I fear that you may not find enough different sources to meet the required length.
Marika,
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy that you picked this topic, it was on my list. I think you have something going here, why is it that a stereotype steaming from a horrible time is considered funny now?
I think anyone, along with the Jewish community, is apart of the audience. You could look into how this stereotype affects the Jewish community, young and old. Does it affect those getting jobs? Making friends? It’d be interesting to see what people have to say.
I have to admit, I’m a huge fun of Woody Allen. Annie Hall is one of my favorite movies. But It would be cool if you went into the depths of Jewish humor, and why we think it’s funny. I recently spoke to a friend who was in a Jewish Humor class here at OU, and he said they talked daily about if it was ok to joke about the Holocaust. Personally, I don’t think it will ever be ok, but why would some people think that it is? Just a thought.
As for scope, it looks good. You can easily make 8 to 10 pages out of this. It’s a really great idea, and you’ll be able to find a number of sources at the library!