Intercultural Representations in Pop Culture- Mikayla Pate

I decided to focus on one of my favorite shows- Marvel's Agent's of Shield.  I found a few different examples of sterotypes in this show. One example is Agent Melinda May. Melinda May is a good fighter, especially when it comes to hand to hand combat. This is shown in multiple episodes where she often beats her male opponent who is larger and more intimidating then herself. This can be classified as a stereotype because many people think that since Kung-fu and Karate have Asian orgins it means that they have the ability to excel at the method of fighting. There is another popular stereotype that Agent Melinda May reinforces. Agent May is not only an amazing fighter, she is also smart. She broke records at the Shied Academy for both her strength and her smarts. That is the first example of the show reinforcing racial records. The leader of the team that they focus on throughout the series is Agent Culson. Agent Culson is a white, middle age male. He is what  most Americans would consider your average boss. This is another example of stereotyping that is being reinforced by the show. These are both examples of the repetition of racial expectations. 

The show also shows shows a big recurrence of roles. The two characters that are considered to really be "the brains" of the team aren't good at fighting. They are able to come up with all sorts of gadgets and such that the team uses to their advantage. The are able to do things with technology that most cannot. They are simply intelligent. Time after time the agents are able to solve problems and find clue to cases all thanks to their intelligence. This happens so often, that they are proven to vital to the teams success. They often use large words and complicated theories. There is a re-occurrence of speech to enforce their positions. This is also used by Agent Culson. He asserts his authority through use of language. He often uses authoritative language such as "I order...". 

The show does a good of making characters into real people. Things are believable (to an extent) and this adds to the forcefulness of the show. The forcefulness can stem from the physical strength of the characters. Nearly all the characters have been through some traumatic event and have pushed through that event only to become stronger. For example, Agent Culson actually died and was brought back to life only to be more motivated and a better overall agent. Agent Sky has been through many events, such as adoption problems, and an attempted murder and tedious recovery. Everything that she has been through has made her stronger. 

This show uses race, intelligence levels, and expectations/roles to create and/or enforce stereotypes.