Sana Thakkar Week 12: "It all Started With the Big Bang"
T.V. shows always have the most interesting examples of unique power dynamics. Last week, I was watching "The Big Bang Theory", an American sitcom centered around the lives of six scientists: Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Amy Farrah Fowler, Rajesh Koothrappali, Bernadette Rostenkowski, and Howard Wollowitz along with a waitress/failed actress turned pharmaceutical sales rep, Penny. The scientists are book smart, while Penny is street smart, and it is fascinating to see how their different aspects of intelligence create a power dynamic within the friend group.
Sheldon is a genius, thereby holding the most intellectual superiority over the other characters. He has a strong adherence to logic and reasoning, and his confidence in said abilities allows Cooper to exert his dominance over the group despite his faulty social skills. One prevalent example of Sheldon's tremendous power is in his relationship with his roommate and best friend Leonard. Sheldon's rules require Leonard not to wear shoes that squeak on the ground, keep the thermostat at a certain level, drive Sheldon where ever he wants to go, among other tedious regulations. Sheldon even has a designated spot on the couch where no one else is allowed to sit. The way Sheldon gain's authority within his friends, is by making them seem significantly intellectually inferior to him. Howard, for example, has a masters degree in engineering from M.I.T, and flew to the international space stations. Despite these tremendous achievements, Sheldon makes it a mission to constantly belittle Howard, on being "just an engineer" who only went to M.I.T, calling engineering an invalid and useless field. Instances like these, among others create a sense of insecurity within the group, where they believe that Sheldon is superior to them.
The use of intellect as a manipulative force in interpersonal relationships is largely overlooked. It is the origin of insecurity and rivalry, and a tremendous method of making others feel inferior. Cooper's intellect became such a powerful force in the friend circle that his social ineptitude, including habits of insulting his companions and prioritizing himself over others, became normalized.
Hi Sana! I haven't watched The Big Bang Theory, but I have watched Young Sheldon, and I agree that Sheldon's intellect makes him self centered and arrogant, and that it creates a sense of inferiority for others around him because he constantly lauds his intellectual capabilities. I think, in a general sense, that this is at least somewhat true in today's society, specifically, in attitudes surrounding college. For example, some people think that those who have not attended college (for whatever reason) are inferior to those who have. Another way this can be observed in the context of college is the public attitude towards community college. While (to the best of my knowledge) this is improving today, people still see community college as inferior to a 4+ year college, and judge others for attending community college rather than a 4+ year college (again, for whatever reason).
ReplyDeleteHi Sana! While I haven't personally watched the Big Bang myself, you have certainly drawn my attention to the show. I think that the usage of physical location and positions in order to reveal personal psychological dynamics is very interesting. Perhaps Sheldon is a parody of the modern school system and the treatment of students who do not do as well. The constant search of prestige has led to competition amongst young students, fueling insecurity, building distrust, and creating a new generation of more competitive young adults, for better or for worse. The desperation in American to "get rich" and "become successful" has led to the creation of a dog-eat-dog world, in which people drag others and put others down in vicious and greedy manners, all in order to attain some measure of success. At what point is a capitalist society that admires the shamelessness of a vicious few an elitist one that revels in their idolatry of money, power, and talent?
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