It seems like you can’t turn on the television today without encountering some form of ethnic or class stereotype–from cartoons to sitcoms, stereotypes are a basic method of generating slapstick humor and cheap laughs. If these stereotypes are so acceptable to the public’s tastes, why are they harmful?

In our research, we have found stereotypes in media to be harmful because media is one of our main ways of inputting information. As discussed in the text  Images that Injure, “Television content plays a significant role in shaping viewers’ social realities… Television is seen as the ‘most common and constant learning environment’ for individuals in our culture today” (Lester, Ross, 2011, p. 298).

The danger of consuming these stereotypes cannot be overlooked, as American television consumption increases by the day. According to a recent article in the Daily News, the average American consumer over the age of 2 spends, on average, 34 hours of their waking time watching television.

These harmful stereotype are funneled into American homes and minds with the flip of a cable switch. Essentially, those 34 hours per week are being spent in a substitute learning environment, learning how other culture groups act, walk and talk.

In today’s world, media is a way of expressing information and has naturally became a platform for learning; it has also become a platform for perpetuating general stereotypes of ethnic groups. Typical Jewish stereotypes in mainstream media include the greedy, successful doctor/lawyer, the overbearing mother, and the blundering shlemiel.

Joan Bayliss, 68 of Eugene, OR, was raised in a mid-century orthodox Jewish home and continues to be an active participant in local Jewish culture. According to Bayliss, the anti-semitic stereotypes she has witnessed in pop culture throughout her life have internalized within her, and affect her daily life as Jewish woman.

“I tend to dress-down when I got to make a presentation,” says Bayliss, “I don’t want to set-off that reaction. I want to be taken as a normal person just like folks.

“It’s on my mind. The stereotype of Jews and money and you are [always there].”

This kind of “elevated” stereotype is an example of the use of model minority, a form of micro-aggression that depicts a minority group as socio-economically advanced, and therefore belittles their history of oppression and suffering.

In fact, the wealthy Jewish professional stereotype is so prevalent, it is surprising to find a depiction of a lawyer who isn’t Jewish. To see a parody of this concept by acclaimed Seinfeld co-creator Larry David in his most recent sitcom, Curb Your Enthusiasm, simply click below: