BBT's Portrayal of Nerds: Offensive or Accurate?

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers around the portrayal of nerd culture in the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." Participants express a range of opinions, from appreciation of its humor and character development, particularly of Sheldon Cooper and Howard Wolowitz, to criticism of its reliance on stereotypes and laugh tracks. Many users highlight specific quotes and episodes that resonate with their experiences, while others question the show's authenticity in representing physicists. Overall, the series garners both admiration and disdain, reflecting diverse viewer perspectives.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of sitcom structure and audience engagement techniques.
  • Familiarity with character archetypes in television, particularly in comedy.
  • Knowledge of physics concepts referenced in the show, such as Schrödinger's cat.
  • Awareness of cultural stereotypes related to nerd and geek identities.
NEXT STEPS
  • Analyze the impact of sitcoms on public perceptions of scientific professions.
  • Research the evolution of nerd culture in media over the past two decades.
  • Explore audience reception studies related to "The Big Bang Theory" and similar shows.
  • Investigate the role of laughter tracks versus live audiences in sitcom production.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for television critics, cultural analysts, and fans of "The Big Bang Theory" seeking to understand the complexities of its humor and character portrayals, as well as those interested in the intersection of science and popular culture.

  • #91
Ivan92 said:
I think they get most, if not all, scientific content right. They hired a Physicist for the show to make sure that they were spot on all the science stuff.

Beyond that, they get the inside jokes.

How did Sheldon put it; "engineering is just the slow, younger brother of physics"? :smile: Now don't tell me that the layman writers of the show came up with that all by themselves. Someone's talkin. We all know that attitude exists; rare perhaps, but I've certainly run into that sort of thinking before.
 
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  • #92
Ivan Seeking said:
Beyond that, they get the inside jokes.

How did Sheldon put it; "engineering is just the slow, younger brother of physics"? :smile: Now don't tell me that the layman writers of the show came up with that all by themselves. Someone's talkin. We all know that attitude exists; rare perhaps, but I've certainly run into that sort of thinking before.

I believe it was "Engineering is the Oompa Loompa of Physics". I don't remember but Sheldon is awesome!
 
  • #93
Ivan92 said:
I believe it was "Engineering is the Oompa Loompa of Physics". I don't remember but Sheldon is awesome!

Me wrong about a Sheldon quote? NEVER! :biggrin:

We don't need Wolowitz. Engineering is merely the slow younger brother of physics. Watch and learn... do either of you know how to open the toolbox?
http://www.sheldonshirts.com/sheldonquotes2.html

But I think you may be referencing a different quote. That rings a bell.

I like these...

I've got more nervous ticks than a Lyme Disease research facility.

Mom smokes in the car. Jesus is okay with it, but we can't tell Dad.

You know, it’s amazing how many supervillains have advanced degrees. Graduate schools should probably do a better job at screening those people out.
 
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  • #94
Ahh It was the "Oompa loompas of science." There we go x) You were right :P
 
  • #95
Oh the writing on this show just kills me!

I wanted a griffin... I was studying recombinant DNA technology and I was confident I could create one, but my parents were unwilling to secure the necessary eagle eggs and lion semen. Of course my sister got swimming lessons when she wanted them.

Radiation burns -- a little mishap while I was building my own CAT scanner... In fact, I was briefly able to see the inside of my sister's guinea pig, Snowball, before he caught fire. It led to an interesting expression in our house: "not a snowball's chance in a CAT scanner."
 
  • #96
Ivan92 said:
I think they get most, if not all, scientific content right. They hired a Physicist for the show to make sure that they were spot on all the science stuff.

He actually has his own blog. I especially like the parts where relates what is on the white boards to what the characters are doing on the show.

http://thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com/"
 
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  • #97
QuarkCharmer said:
I think TV's Blossom (I forget her name) plays sheldon's.

Yep, Mayim Bialik. I didn't watch "Blossom" much when it was running, just sampled an episode or two, but I remembered her name when she showed up as Amy Farrah Fowler. Then I found out that she actually has a Ph.D. in neuroscience! After "Blossom" she and her parents decided that she should go to college like a normal person. It turned out she liked biology a lot, and went on to grad school.
 
  • #98
jtbell said:
Yep, Mayim Bialik..."Blossom"

I wonder if that is part of the appeal of the character - that Blossom fans might appreciate it.

I always thought Amy Farrah Fowler seemed a bit forced. But if she were played by a well-known actor, playing against type, that might explain why the picked her.
 
  • #99
jtbell said:
Yep, Mayim Bialik... Then I found out that she actually has a Ph.D. in neuroscience!

Wow! Talk about typecasting... :biggrin:
 
  • #100
I think Mayim was also on an episode of What Not to Where several years ago hehe.
 
  • #101
The prop department goofed in tonight's show... Sheldon was reading the American Journal of Physics instead of something like the Physical Review. Maybe they thought the yellow cover went better with the red armchair he was sitting in. :rolleyes:

(for those not in the know, AJP covers teaching-related topics, whereas PR is a "real research" journal.)
 
  • #102
jtbell said:
The prop department goofed in tonight's show... Sheldon was reading the American Journal of Physics instead of something like the Physical Review. Maybe they thought the yellow cover went better with the red armchair he was sitting in. :rolleyes:

Maybe he was getting ideas for Leonard to teach physics, as referenced in the previous episode.
 
  • #103
Jack21222 said:
Maybe he was getting ideas for Leonard to teach physics, as referenced in the previous episode.

That was the first thing I thought of too.

Seemed like an out-of-place comment for Sheldon to make. Almost as if it served more as a portent for plot points yet to come...
 
  • #104
DaveC426913 said:
That was the first thing I thought of too.

Seemed like an out-of-place comment for Sheldon to make. Almost as if it served more as a portent for plot points yet to come...

Sheldon, in any type of pedagogical role, make for some of my favorite moments. I'd love to see him attempt to teach a course. It would be especially funny if they gave him an introductory physics course. :devil:
 
  • #105
Dembadon said:
Sheldon, in any type of pedagogical role, make for some of my favorite moments. I'd love to see him attempt to teach a course. It would be especially funny if they gave him an introductory physics course. :devil:

How about as a PF moderator?
 
  • #106
Ivan Seeking said:
How about as a PF moderator?

Ban... Ban... Ban... Ban...
 
  • #107
jtbell said:
Ban... Ban... Ban... Ban...

Except when it comes to Jesus discussions. :biggrin:
 
  • #108
Season 5 begins! They claim they are going to focus more on the science stuff this season. Let's hope they keep true!
 
  • #109
Dembadon said:
Sheldon, in any type of pedagogical role, make for some of my favorite moments. I'd love to see him attempt to teach a course. It would be especially funny if they gave him an introductory physics course. :devil:

I thought I saw him give a lecture in one episode. Maybe the one where he tries to learn acting skills from Penny?
 
  • #110
jtbell said:
Ban... Ban... Ban... Ban...

All we'd have to do to get him to stop is call his mother. :biggrin:

ArcanaNoir said:
I thought I saw him give a lecture in one episode. Maybe the one where he tries to learn acting skills from Penny?

I'll have to look it up--that sounds hilarious.
 
  • #111
DaveC426913 said:
That was the first thing I thought of too.

Seemed like an out-of-place comment for Sheldon to make. Almost as if it served more as a portent for plot points yet to come...

Penny is bad at acting, so she said she was going back to Nebraska to teach acting. Sheldon then turns to Leonard asking if he had ever considered teaching physics. The implication is that Leonard is bad at physics.
 
  • #112




Here's a couple clips of Sheldon lecturing.
 
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  • #113
I'm going to be on Big Bang overload for a while. In addition to the new season 5, one of my local stations has started showing syndicated re-runs of the previous seasons, five nights a week, starting from the beginning. I didn't start watching the show until about the middle of the second season, so the first thirty or so episodes are new to me.
 
  • #114
jtbell said:
I'm going to be on Big Bang overload for a while. In addition to the new season 5, one of my local stations has started showing syndicated re-runs of the previous seasons, five nights a week, starting from the beginning. I didn't start watching the show until about the middle of the second season, so the first thirty or so episodes are new to me.

We just got the 4th season on DVD. I only watched a few over the season so most are new to me.
 
  • #115
Sooooo, we are currently watching the 4th season on disc, and much to my surprise, in one episode, Sheldon breaks out an Oregon State Beavers shirt while claiming the Beavers are a Cal Tech sports team. Yeah, right! Like Cal Tech has a sports team. Why would they be plugging our own Oregon State? [OSU is my alma mater]

Turns out, Cal Tech really does have the Beavers basketball team and they have the same school colors as OSU. Funny, I lived by Cal Tech for over twenty years and I never once heard of their sports team. :biggrin: I thought maybe they just borrowed an OSU shirt for the show. So much for the secret BBT-OSU connection.

At least we still have Obama's brother-in-law. :smile:
 
  • #116
Tonight's episode must have been taped after September 22. Sheldon tried to start a conversation with the subject "Faster-than-light particles at CERN: paradigm-shifting discovery or a Swiss export as full of holes as their cheese?"
 
  • #117
I just recently started watching it and I'm hooked.
 
  • #118
On TBS starting at 2000 there's two hours of TBBT... switch channels at 2200 and get another half hour before the Simpson's ruin my geek buzz.

Who would have thought that giant ants rank 5th behind hover boards for coolest modes of transportation?
 
  • #119
Just discovered this thread. TBBT is the only show I set aside everything for. When we went away for a long weekend recently, I made sure we would be back in time for TBBT. :blushing:
Grep said:
So many great lines... My favorite is the Christmas episode when Sheldon gets the gift from penny. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard.
That ep is my favorite! To see Sheldon all out of sorts over Leonard Nimoy's DNA on a napkin.. and then to be so affected that he volunteers a hug for Penny.

They've had 3 Star Trek stars on the show so far - I'm betting they've tried for Nimoy and been told no.

After a season of the show, I wondered if Sheldon's character is meant to have Aspbergers, but Parsons himself says no. And I loved the ep where Penny asks the other three "What's his deal?" and they come up with a theory as to how he would reproduce.

Edit: Bazinga!
 
  • #120
narrator said:
After a season of the show, I wondered if Sheldon's character is meant to have Aspbergers, but Parsons himself says no.

It's not Parsons that says no, it's the writers. Parsons says, after citing the writers "...but he couldn't show any more of the symptoms."
 

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