BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LITERATURES AND LINGUISTICS THE REPRESENTATION OF JEWISH MASCULINITY IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SITCOMS THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS SHANY ROZENBLATT 021692256 UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF: PROF. EFRAIM SICHER November 2014 BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LITERATURES AND LINGUISTICS THE REPRESENTAION OF JEWISH MASCULINITY IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SITCOMS THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS SHANY ROZENBLATT 021692256 UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF: PROF. EFRAIM SICHER Signature of student: ________________ Date: _________ Signature of supervisor: ________________ Date: _________ Signature of chairperson of the committee for graduate studies: _______________ Date: _________ November 2014 Abstract This thesis explores the representation of Jewish characters in contemporary American television comedies in order to determine whether Jews are still depicted stereotypically as emasculate. The thesis compares Jewish and non-Jewish masculinities in American Television sitcom characters in shows airing from the 1990's to the present: Seinfeld, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory. The thesis asks whether there is a difference between the representation of Jews and non-Jews in sitcoms, a genre where most men are mocked for problematic masculinity. The main goal of the thesis is to find out whether old stereotypes regarding Jewish masculinity – the "jew" as weak, diseased, perverted and effeminate – still exist, and how the depiction of Jewish characters relates to the Jews' assimilation and acceptance in America. The thesis is divided into three chapters, each exploring an aspect of masculinity. The first chapter deals with social acceptance. It looks at the image of the nerd and its relation to the Jewish "bookworm". The chapter then explores the topic of careerism – the choice of profession and success in it – and its relation to the schlemiel character type. The second chapter discusses sexuality. Traits relating to image of the "jewish pervert" are explored: sexual appeal (or lack thereof), lustfulness, and deviancies such as incest. Lastly, homosexuality is examined as a trait which was once considered a perversion, and often attributed to Jews, but is currently in America accepted as an inborn trait found in all ethnicities. The third chapter deals with the body. The representation of physique, athleticism, and disease is compared to the image of the "jew" as weak and ill. Later the chapter discusses clothing, particularly drag, as emasculating traits for Jews. The thesis proposes that while there are few overt representations of emasculate Jews, there are still hints of older "jewish" stereotypes. These suggest that while the Jews are not persecuted in the United States, there is still tension regarding their acceptance. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Ms. Valerie Khaskin for suggesting the initial idea for this thesis. Table of Contents Introduction 1 Definition and Traits of Masculinity 1 The Comedy Genre 5 The Sitcom 8 Jews in Comedy 11 Jews in America 14 Stereotypes about Jews 18 The Emasculate Jew 18 The New Jew and the Muscle Jew 19 Contemporary Representations of Jews 20 Review of Literature 21 Structure of the Thesis 22 Chapter I: Social Acceptability 25 Social Seclusion, Acceptability, and Whiteness 25 The "Bookworm Jew" and the Nerd 27 Job Security and Careerism 32 Masculine Jobs and "jewish" Jobs 36 Conclusion 38 Chapter II: Sexuality 40 Sexual Attractiveness 42 The "jewish" Pervert 44 Sexual Deviancy 49 Homosexuality 52 Conclusion 55 Chapter III: The Body 57 Circumcision and the Penis 60 The Body 65 Athleticism 67 “jewish” Diseases 69 Clothes 71 Drag 71 Emasculating Clothes 75 Conclusion 77 Conclusion 78 Bibliography 81 Rozenblatt 1 Introduction In the contemporary United States, the dominant majority of White heterosexual males shares equal rights with women and ethnic minorities. The current social climate in America encourages inclusiveness and political correctness. In the U.S., stereotypes - images meant to mark and mock certain groups - are frowned upon. This explains why in popular media, especially in the television comedy genre, White men are often the ones being ridiculed: "In an environment with high social standards on the depiction of minorities heterosexual males are the only social group left to ridicule" (Reese, 4). White men are usually mocked through the parody and subversion of their masculinity. White male characters are depicted as stupid, physically weak, and are at times connected with feminine characteristics (Reese, 4; 27). Yet it is not only the White male characters' masculinity that is subverted. Jewish male characters are also commonly portrayed as having a problematic masculinity. This thesis will examine whether Jewish male characters' masculinity is undermined in the same way as that of non-Jewish males. Is the problematic representation of Jewish masculinity part of the Jews' assimilation, of becoming White? Or is this representation a continuation of older stereotypes which depict the "jew", i.e. the construct of how the Jew is perceived, as weak and sexually depraved? In other words, how does the depiction of Jewish men on sitcoms differ from that of White men, and what is the social significance of this difference? Definition and Traits of Masculinity Masculinity is a relative term. It is commonly defined as the behavior which is culturally expected from the male gender by society (Craig, 3). There are four different approaches for determining what behavior is considered masculine and for Rozenblatt 2 "characteriz[ing] the type of person who is masculine" (Connell, 68). These approaches are: the essentialist approach, which focuses on one feature as "the core of the masculine" and bases all other male traits around it; the positivistic approach, which defines masculine traits as "what men actually are"; the semiotic approach, which defines masculinity in opposition to femininity, as in, the masculine is that which is "not-feminin[e]" and the normative approach, which defines masculinity as "what men are supposed to be … [the] social norm for the behavior of men" (Connell, 68-70). The standards of masculinity set by the normative approach are met by very few real men (Connell, 70). Furthermore, despite being considered a "social norm", there is no agreed upon set of normative masculine traits: "The rules [for being considered masculine] are amorphous, innumerable, and constantly in flux" (Dennis, 111). Though flawed, the normative approach is the most applicable to this research, as it focuses on social acceptance. It will be the approach used throughout the thesis, unless noted otherwise. One reason for masculinity's shifting traits is that such traits differ when applied to different social strata. The dominant masculinity is referred to as "hegemonic masculinity". "Hegemony" is attributed to a group which has "a leading position in social life" (Connell, 77). "Hegemonic masculinity" is the type of gendered behavior which maintains patriarchy (Connell, 77). In western society, hegemony belongs to White heterosexual males, while other types of masculinity are defined in relation to the hegemony. Of relevance here is the marginalization of racial and ethnic masculinity. The hegemony utilizes a minority’s traits in order to help sustain its power: it uses the minority's positive masculine traits to uphold its own power, and uses negative traits to oppress the minority (Connell, 80). Though there is no defined Rozenblatt 3 set of masculine traits, this thesis will focus on several traits which the hegemony in the United States considers masculine. Aside from the shifting traits of masculinity, there is another problem when trying to determine whether someone is masculine. It is that, like masculinity, the traits used to define gender are shifting. "[T]he categories by which culture confidently asserts the knowability and naturalness of gender and sexuality have no reliable boundaries" (Lefkowitz, 98). The "assum[ption] that one's behavior results from the type of person one is" is now considered false (Connell, 67). Gender does not necessarily stem from one's biological sex. Judith Butler theorizes that gender is not inherent, but performed. Gender is defined as all traits which are attributed by society to a biological sex: "[G]ender identity is a performative accomplishment compelled by social sanction and taboo" (Butler, "Performative Acts", 520). That is, for the most part gender is determined through the social perception of several behaviors, and not through biological sex. I add that some physical attributes, such as body type and strength are also part of gendered behavior. As mentioned, there is no conclusive list of the normative traits of masculinity, since they are countless and always shifting. However, I shall attempt to provide a list of traits relevant to the research. Cicone and Ruble divide masculinity into three main categories. One, men are "active and achievement-oriented", which "includes the qualities adventurous, ambitious, independent, courageous, competitive, leader, and active". These traits all relate to "a possibility of worldly accomplishment and success". Two, men are "dominant": they are "aggressive, powerful, assertive, and boastful". Three, men are "level-headed".