Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is well-known for its witty humor and science-themed jokes, but a lot of the stereotypes and generalizations about scientists and engineers can actually be harmful. I’m not a huge fan of the show and I’ve only seen a few episodes. It is indeed humorous, but many aspects of the show can lead kids away from choosing a path in the engineering field or the scientific and math communities.

Earlier in the semester, the class was asked to read a few articles on this show that showed how it can influence youth when choosing a career path.  I saw an episode on T.V. and decided to further analyze its misrepresentations in society.

The class saw plenty of proof that women see the two opposites of the spectrum when looking up to the female role models on the show. You see women that are extremely book-smart, yet very socially challenged and exhibit many stereotypical “nerdy” characteristics. Then you see a woman who’s attractive and blond, with only an average intelligence. This paints a very negative picture, in young girls in particular, about females that choose to enter into a career relating to science or engineering. It implies that you can only choose between two types of people. I found that the show doesn’t just stop at female stereotypes in STEM fields either.

I read a lengthy article online that analyzes the negative portrayals of engineers within the general media. A portion of this article focuses on this show and how it portrays engineers in a certain negative light. Specifically analyzed is the aerospace engineer within the show, Howard Wolowitz. Just to give you a taste, I’ll lay out some of the following characteristics of this main character.

• Socially awkward
• Lives with his mother (even after he gets engaged)
• Dresses in vintage 1960’s clothing
• Loves comics and superheroes
• Embarrasses himself repeatedly when trying to pick up girls
• Has a collection of around a hundred belt buckles (one of them is a Nintendo controller)

Clearly, the show paints a picture of what the stereotypical engineer is supposed to look like in society. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a person like this, but the simple fact is that a majority of engineers are not at all like the one portrayed here in the show. Over the course of the show, this character and the engineering field in general, seems to be mocked by the show’s writers. For example, Howard works with NASA and one episode shows how poorly the profession as a whole is depicted. He’s shown working on a design project for NASA and of the hundreds of cool and exciting designs he could have been working on, the writers chose to have him develop a space toilet. The writers further mocked his ability by showing that the design was flawed, and would explode after ten flushes.

Overall, the show depicts a number of engineering and scientific stereotypes that definitely would not inspire a young viewer to want to be like these characters.

-Danny

Fabian, Andrew. "Engineers in Popular Media." Digital Commons. Olin College, 1 Apr. 2012. Web. <http://digitalcommons.olin.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ahs_capstone_2012>.