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Stereotype Reaction Gag: Difference between revisions

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Stereotype Reaction Gag (view source)

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** Earlier in the movie, when McClane asks if Zeus can hotwire a car, Zeus says:
{{quote| '''Zeus''': Of course I can, I'm an electrician. ''[Proceeds to force-start the car without hotwiring it]'' Only problem is it takes too fucking long.}}
** But as it turns out, Zeus ''doesn't'' know [[Not Withwith the Safety On, You Won't|how to use a gun]].
* Inverted in the film ''[[Soul Man]]''; The main character is a white student posing as black to scam a scolarship, and during a basketball game the white captain of the team enthusiastically chooses him for the team, assuming he must have skills. The viewer is then treated to a montage of dropped balls, fumbles, missed shots, awkward throws, and easy steals.
 
 
== Literature ==
* In ''[[Discworld (Literature)/The Truth|The Truth]]'' Otto Chriek is an [[Uberwald|Uberwaldian]] stereotype who gets offended when de Worde assumes he's a vampire. Which he is.
** Used in the earlier ''Carpe Jugulum'' with an Igor.
* In ''[[Everworld]],'' David asks April if he knows anything about the goddess Brigid, {{spoiler|whom he'd just met back in the normal world}}. April wryly comments that she doesn't know Celtic mythology just because her family is Irish. When David is embarrassed she admits that she ''does'' know a bit about Brigid, though only because she takes time to study mythology while in the Old World.
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* In one episode of ''[[The Sarah Silverman Program]]'', Sarah phones her gay neighbours to try and get them to come round and "do some gay stuff" to a girl she's entering into a beauty pageant, by which she means to give her a makeover. Her neighbours point out to her that they are not in the least fashionable, but she insists. This is not quite an example of this trope, however, as the two are arrested before they come round, so we never get to see whether or not they turned out to be any good.
* The sanitized A&E version of ''Lovejoy'', about an antiques dealer who not-so-incidentally solves crimes, once included a lovely subversion of this trope with its own [[Lampshade Hanging]]. Lovejoy and an ally, a Japanese businessman, are confronted outside a restaurant by a gang of thugs; the businessman makes karate-like motions at them and they become uneasy and retreat. When Lovejoy expresses admiration, the businessman tells him he was bluffing, banking on the Western assumption that [[All Asians Know Martial Arts]].
** In that same episode, Lovejoy works with an antiques specialist who embodies several Jewish stereotypes, including [[Yiddish Asas a Second Language]]. Lovejoy later claims that the man isn't really Jewish, he simply acts that way to encourage the people he works with to make the obvious assumptions about his character, thus giving him an edge in dealing with clients.
* On ''[[Just Shoot Me]]'', Maya needs to do research for an article on gambling and asks Elliot if he knows any bookies. Elliot feels insulted because she had implied that since he's Italian, then he must have relatives in [[The Mafia]]. Later he discover that he is indeed "connected" and is delighted about it.
* On ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', someone asks a Jewish guy if he knows any good lawyers. After recommending several members of his family, he gets suddenly offended at the stereotypical assumption.
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'''Carter:''' No, it's cool, I want in. }}
* ''[[Angel]]'' sort of had one of these in season two, when Cordelia asked Gunn if he could hotwire Angel's car when she couldn't find the keys.
* Played with in ''[[Stargate SG -1]]'', though not with racial stereotypes so much as behavioral. Daniel, while on a trading quest with Vala, mentions her having stolen an earlier item in the chain. She vehemently denies it, saying even if she has a checkered past, how dare he assume she had stolen it. He then reminds her that she ''told'' him she stole it, at which point she shuts up.
* In the ''[[Royal Pains]]'' episode "If I Were A Sick Man," Evan finds out that Divya is engaged to be married. When she doesn't act enthusiastic, he asks if it's an arranged marriage. She is outraged that he would assume something like that just because she's Indian... and, yes, it's a ''strategic'' marriage.
* In ''[[30 Rock (TV)|30 Rock]]'', Jack accompanies Tracy to a therapy session to discuss some issues with his family. The therapist asks Tracy to imagine his father in a chair, and tells him to tell him how he feels. Tracy says it's too weird, so Jack stands in as his father instead. When Jack starts to act as his father, he uses a Redd Foxx-like voice. The therapist begs Jack to stop, but he goes on using the voice, and later adds a similar female voice as Tracy's mother. While the therapist tries to stop him, Tracy recognizes the voices as the voices of his parents, and resolves his issue. He does get offended when Jack uses a nerdy voice as "the white guy who hooked up with [Tracy's] mom" after his dad left.
{{quote| "WHOA! No need to resort to ugly stereotypes!"}}
** In another ''[[30 Rock (TV)|Thirty Rock]]'' episode, Liz needs to track down a Christmas present she sent to a needy family and asks for Tracy's help in talking to the postal clerk. He's incensed that she seems to think all black people know each other, but interrupts himself mid-rant to greet the clerk like the old friend she obviously is.
* An episode of ''[[Happy Days]]'' has Richie meeting a black guy named Sticks and asking him to fill in with his band. Sticks gets upset that he assumed he could play the drums; Richie explains that it's because of his nickname. Sticks tells him he's called "Sticks" because he's skinny; but yes, he ''can'' play the drums and happily sits in with the band.
* In an episode of [[The Closer]], it's subverted when rough-around-the-edges Provenza tells [[Hollywood Nerd]] Tao to talk to a Chinese family that apparently does not speak English - Tao speaks to them in English, then dryly informs Provenza that he's a third generation American, and does not speak Chinese. (He does speak Japanese, but that's because his wife is Japanese.)
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== Web Comics ==
* In [[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]], Elliot is trying to convince his friends to attend a [[It Makes Sense in Context|gender-switching party]]. He promises Justin that "If you come, I'll get Tedd to design me a female form with really long hair, and I'll let you style it however you want."
{{quote| '''Justin:''' Y-you're just ''assuming'' that would interest me because I'm gay.<br />
'''Elliot:''' No, I'm ''assuming'' it would interest you because you've played with hair at ''every opportunity I've seen''. }}
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** In "Christian Rock Hard", Cartman forms a band, and tells [[Punny Name|Token Black]] to get a bass from his house. Token says that he doesn't have a bass, but Cartman says, "Token, you're black. Trust me, there's a bass at your house." Token returns with a bass, and protests that he can't play it. Sure enough, as the song starts, Token's picking away like a pro, and mutters to himself "dammit."
** A double dose in yet another episode, Cartman keeps berating Kyle, demanding that he give him his "Jew Gold," a bag of gold every Jew apparently carries around his neck. Toward the end, Cartman is proved correct, and Kyle gives him the bag...at which point Cartman asks for the ''real'' one, since he knows every Jew has a fake bag of gold to give out as a decoy. Kyle gapes at Cartman in disbelief and anger...then pulls out a second bag and throws it into a fire.
* Subverted in the episode of ''[[Futurama]]'' with the cast of ''[[Star Trek: theThe Original Series]]'' has Shatner telling Takei to karate-chop one of the Planet Express crew. Takei objects to the idea that he can do karate just because he's Asian. Shatner defends this by saying that Takei never talks about himself<ref>Maybe if you showed a little interest...</ref>. Next scene, Takei gamely chops away, and is exactly as bad as you'd expect someone with no karate training to be.
** This is even funnier when one knows that Takei ''loves'' to talk about himself.
* ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]'', during a basketball game:
{{quote| '''Homer:''' You da man, Carl! I believe you can fly!<br />
'''Carl:''' I am so sick of everyone assuming I'm good at basketball because I'm African-American. ''(leaps into the air and slam dunks)'' Go Carl! Go Carl! It's my birthday! It's my birthday! Three-P! You got maaail, baby! }}
* On ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]'', Steve tells Toshi to bring a camera to further their latest scheme. Toshi is incensed at the idea that Steve assumes he has a camcorder just because he's Asian. But sure enough, later on, he has a camcorder.
** Even better, in a [[Description Cut]], we see Toshi enter a closet in his house where the shelves are lined with dozens of cameras and camcorder.
** Played with in another episode: Steve and his friends are playing ''[[Star Trek]]'', and Steve addresses Toshi as "Chekov". Toshi praises Steve's racial sensitivity in not instantly casting him as Sulu...at which point Barry walks in, pulling at the corners of his eyes, and says "I'm Sulu!"
* ''[[Family Guy]]'' absolutely loves this one. To give just one example, in the infamous [[Lost Episode]], Peter asks a Jewish man for financial advice. When the man asks how Peter knew he was a financial planner, Peter responds "Hel-LO? 'Weinstein'?"
* In the ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]'' episode "A Leaf in the Wind" [[God in Human Form|Avatar]] Korra, sole possessor of multiple [[Elemental Powers]] and a native [[Elemental Nation|Water Tribemember]], [[Downplayed Trope|Downplays]] and [[Invoked Trope|Invokes]] this by way of [[Hint Dropping]] when she asks [[Fictional Sport|Pro-Bender]] Bolin to teach her some moves to improve her [[Supernatural Martial Arts|repertoire]]. He agrees, but isn't sure how his [[Dishing Out Dirt|earthbending]] will translate to her [[Making a Splash|waterbending]]. She responds that she can earthbend, and Bolin freezes up before [[Digging Himself Deeper]], stumbling through an apology about making assumptions based on her Water Tribe clothes. After letting him squirm a little, she allows that he was right, she ''is'' a waterbender, and a [[Playing Withwith Fire|firebender]], too. Bolin's brother does the math:
{{quote| '''Mako:''' (Bolin's [[Tall, Dark and Snarky]] Brother) You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot.}}
 
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