Stereotypes in How I Met Your Mother Elsa, Hilkka, and Kerttu - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Nov 14, 2022 210 likes •383 views

Scandinavian Stereotypes in How I Met Your Mother Elsa, Hilkka, and Kerttu Vhnen ENGA17 U.S. Popular Culture Fall 2013 How I Met Your Mother HIMYM American sitcom (CBS) 2005 2014; 9 seasons Tells about a group of

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Scandinavian Stereotypes in How I Met Your Mother

Elsa, Hilkka, and Kerttu Vähänen ENGA17 U.S. Popular Culture Fall 2013

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How I Met Your Mother

 HIMYM  American sitcom (CBS)  2005–2014; 9 seasons  Tells about a group of friends in Manhattan  Known for its unique structure and eccentric humor  Pop culture references and stereotypes

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What Is a Cultural Stereotype?

 We apply our existing beliefs about the members of a cultural group to individuals  The less we know about the

ther, the more we hang on

to stereotypes  We see what we expect to see, and our observations confirm the stereotype  Stereotypes are often resistant to change (Lehtonen)

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Stereotypes in Sitcom

 Stereotypes are useful in sitcoms  Stereotypes and the jokes related to them are already familiar to the audience  The episodes are usually

nly 20 minutes long so

the jokes have to be quick (Triezenberg 2008)

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Some Stereotypes about Scandinavians

 People are tall, blond, and pretty  Descendants of Vikings  Obsessed with tolerance and fairness  Well-meaning but naive  Enjoy winter sports  Funny accent

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Minnesota Nice

 Stereotypical, overall nice behavior of people born and raised in Minnesota  Also, negative qualities, such as passive aggressiveness and resistance to change  Often also applied to neighboring Canadians, as well as Scandinavians (shared cultural heritage)

Cultural Characteristics: Courteous Emotionally reserved Mild-mannered Polite Tend to avoid confrontation

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Season 1, Episode 9: Belly Full of Turkey

 Marshall Eriksen  St. Cloud, Minnesota  Population: 64,000 (almost 85% white)  Many people of Scandinavian descent  Marshall and Lily prepare for Thanksgiving  HIMYM: St. Cloud, Minnesota (video clip)

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The Eriksen Family

 The family members display niceness exceeding even natural Minnesota Nice, to the amusement and

ccasional frustration of

Marshall's friends  Marshall says hello to strangers in the streets of N.Y.C., and he is always very polite (compare Marshall to the other main characters, especially Barney)

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It’s always cold and snowy in Minnesota.

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Minnesotan People…

Are tall and blond Drink milk Wear colorful sweaters

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Traditional Family Values

Women do the cooking Marshall’s mother is a housewife Only men can play baskiceball The men also like regular sports (f.e. Minnesota Vikings)

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Small Town Feeling

 ”People know the Eriksens”  All Marshall´s friends and family members are still living in St. Cloud  In the beginning of the episode, Marshall wants to start a family in St. Cloud (vs. New York)

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Distinctive Local Cuisine

Lily is asked to prepare ”the seven layer salad” ”But this is an American holiday” The Eriksens consider themselves as ”the real Americans”

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Why Is It Safe to Make Fun of Minnesotans?

 White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) are a safe target for humor, because no one is currently discriminating them in real life  A well-established ethnic group in the United States. They don’t need to struggle for their place in the society

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Conclusions

 The Scandinavian and Minnesotan stereotypes are usually represented in a similar fashion  The Eriksens from HIMYM are a good example of the Scandinavian/Minnesotan stereotype  The series has also seen

ther portrayals of

Scandinavia (f.e. Sven; the Finnish people who love YouTube)

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Works Cited

 How I Met Your Mother. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Updated 12 Nov 2013, 01:44 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Viewed 12 November 2013.  Lehtonen, Jaakko. Cultural Stereotypes. Views to Finnish Culture. Department of Communication, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Viewed 12 November 2013.  Minnesota Nice. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last Updated 16 Oct 2013, 21:53 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Viewed 12 November 2013.  National Stereotypes. TV Tropes. TV Tropes Foundation, LLC. Viewed 12 November 2013.  Triezenberg, E. Katrina. 2008. Humor in literature. In the Primer of Humour Research, Victor Raskin (ed.), 523-542. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.