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The student news site of Diablo Valley College.

The Inquirer

The student news site of Diablo Valley College.

The Inquirer

Hilarious stereotypes may become reality

Julius+Rea
Julius Rea

Oh Jeff Winger, you’re such an egotistical and witty main character.

“That’s what I do. I make things up,” you said in the pilot for “Community.” “…and I got paid a lot of money to do it before I came to this school-shaped toilet.”

You have such poignant thoughts about community college. I am stoked; NBC has renewed “Community.”

In a review from Contra Costa College’s student newspaper, The Advocate, then-sports editor Dariush Azmoudeh thought “Community” was funny, especially for people who like to see the comedic side of community college.

A New York Times reviewer said it’s “mercilessly snarky and also surprisingly charming.”

Critics like it, students like it and, obviously, audiences like it since the show’s third season is premiering on Sept. 22.

Having said that, I’m pretty sure we’re still openly mocking the types of people who flock to two-year schools.

And, even though I’m a fan, I can’t help but wonder if “Community” has any effect on what people think about community college students.

We laugh at the ex-Adderall-addict control freak, the high-school-dropout-turned-liberal-protester and an elderly racist looking for attention.

However, people should remember that the stereotypes people see become reality sooner or later.

A 2006 American Psychology Association article said “passing reminders that someone belongs to one group or another, such as a group stereotyped as inferior in academics, can wreak havoc with test performance.”

And if it happens in classrooms, it can happen during NBC’s “Comedy Night, Done Right.”

Obviously, there hasn’t been any academic essay or New Yorker article on the subject, but those journalists and professors are probably too busy watching “Community.”

Being a student and a journalist, I am skeptical yet hopeful that any college administration is affected by the show’s stereotypes.

However, I’m going to try to stay awake in class if my anthropology teacher discreetly discards a glass of wine when a dean walks in the room wearing a “Gone With the Wind” costume.

Furthermore, I never thought I would be advocating “community college pride” but here I am trying not to laugh when an Asian-American, ex-Spanish teacher falls out of an air vent covered in oil on my TV screen.

For now, I’ll keep laughing but I’ll try to keep my beliefs clear about the people in any school-shaped toilets.

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About the Contributor
Julius Rea
Julius Rea, Editor-in-chief
Editor-in-chief, spring and fall 2011. Graphics editor, fall 2010.

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Hilarious stereotypes may become reality