What Sterotypes do you hate?

[Technomancer]

Oh, I do hate the stereotype that Texans (or Southerners in general) are a buncha gun toting cowboys that talk slower than a nudist climbing a barbed wire fence aka the drawl.

"The Good Girl" with Jennifer Aniston is the worst example of this that I've seen. It was the most ridiculous caricature of "country folks" I have ever seen, and she was particularly bad trying to pull it off. And it was so well received too. Grrr

Various racial stereotypes like Asians all know martial arts,...

I had an Asian friend I used to kid about this constantly, always asking her to show me some karate moves.

 

[Brimshack]

Great movie, haven't seen it in years. But he does prove himself. He gets Custer killed by telling him the truth, knowing that he won't be believed.

True, but even that doesn't have the cliché, Now-He's-a-Real-Indian quality to it, which is what irritates me so much. And in that sense, his victory is almost counter-productive. When the ex-Contrary (I forget his name) saves his life at the end of the battle, he then goes on to celebrate the fact that he can kill Little Big Man the next time he sees him. I always saw the last scenes as implying that LBM will now haveHis final victory over Custer is what ensures he will not be able to live his life with the Cheyenne after all. to leave ...which is why he ends his days in an old folks home instead of the reservation. But, yep, getting Custer killed is one thing LBM does do right. I hadn't thought of it.

 

[DwelleroftheDeep]

If the hero and villain are in a fight the villain will not be killed by the hero's normal weapon, invariably it comes down to a crazy last ditch effort.

 

[sniffles]

Neither Harris nor Hollywood actually made that one up.

I know, but I don't think Ed Gein was quite as elaborate about it as Buffalo Bill. But maybe I should have used The Cell as a better example of what I'm talking about.

 

[Mycanid]

Also about Aladdin, the Arab Americans were offended at the lyrics of a song and demanded it was changed. Something about having one's nose cut off or whathaveyou. Gee, this coming from the culture that brought us the Code of Hammurabi and the thieving hands cut off still is practiced (afaik)?

Actually the line was "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face; it's barbaric, but hey! it's home."

I was in SF for the opening night (before altered later on) and remember hearing it very clearly.

 

[Ranger REG]

If the hero and villain are in a fight the villain will not be killed by the hero's normal weapon, invariably it comes down to a crazy last ditch effort.

Like Darth Vader picking up Palpy to save the hero Luke Skywalker, who lost his lightsaber? Way to go, you blonde-haired moron. And this is not cheese?

 

[PhoenixDarkDirk]

Only "White Men" can be villians.

Anyone else being a villian gets calls of racism or sexism, but white men are fair game.

Geoff.

This reminds me of a line from "King of the Hill".
"What kind of country is this where you can't hate a man unless he's white?"

Regarding sniffles' point about the look of sibling characters, something I think does it well is "Prison Break". To me, Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell seem like they could be brothers.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Oh, I do hate the stereotype that Texans (or Southerners in general) are a buncha gun toting cowboys that talk slower than a nudist climbing a barbed wire fence aka the drawl.

Quote for Truth. And I like the phrase "...slower than a nudist climbing a barbed wire fence..."

 

[Elemental]

The 'brilliant serial killer' stereotype. Serial killers in movies are always incredibly intelligent and/or crafty. They always have to have some bizarre theme for their killings, like the 7 deadly sins in 7even, or Buffalo Bill wanting to make himself a woman suit in The Silence of the Lambs. Apparently they're all independently wealthy, too, because they can afford all kinds of amazing gadgets or live in a mansion with a huge basement where they can live out their bizarre fantasies.

In some media, serial killers are also able to teleport short distances. They have precognitive visions that let them wait in exactly the right place to attack the victim and be certain that their killings will be uninterrupted even when they're killing in a crowded house, or there's somebody in the same frikkin' room ("Urban Legend"). They also possess regenerative powers, which are triggered by the proximity of a victim checking out their apparently lifeless body ("Scream 2"). They have incredible athleticism, and can catch up with a fleeing victim while never moving faster than an amble. Lastly, they can sustain damage that would kill a normal person ten times over ("Hollow Man").

The one that immediately comes to mind is The Wedding Singer, but I know that there are more romantic comedies out there that follow this basic formula (with maybe one or two alterations).

Romantic comedies are mostly predictable, with some of them having messages that are a bit creepy when you think about them. Stalking people is fine, just so long as you're destined to be together ("Sleepless in Seattle"). Women just need to find a sugar daddy who'll tend to all their needs ("Pretty Woman"). If you can't get the boy you want, you should completely change your personality and values to please him ("Grease").

 

[sniffles]

Another stereotype to complain of:

If all the characters in a movie are non-American, they have to speak with stupid fake accents so that anyone in the audience who's as dumb as the studio execs will remember that they're not Americans. My favorite example is K-19: The Widowmaker. All the characters are Russian, so why do they need Russian accents? :\