The show Summer Heights High portrays the every day lives a three main characters at a high school in Australia. The show is filmed in a documentary style. One of the main characters, a female foreign-exchange student, is portrayed as a pretentious racist. I see this work as being false, but the humor and situations being pulled from the realistic views of people and real issues.
The show promotes some stereotypes, while poking fun at others and defying these stereotypes. Ja'mie, the main character is a stereotypical rich, white female, who is an exchange student in Australia. Her family decides to house a poor, young male from Africa. Ja'mie claims she will help him and give him an opportunity at a better life.
This pokes fun at the stereotype that Africans are "below" the white class; defending the idea that all Africans are struggling and that it is the white class's duty to offer them the help to increase their opportunities. Almost making fun of the non-fund organizations asking Americans to donate "just" fifty cents to give the poor Africans a filling meal.
Ja'mie ends up using him as the waiter at a house party she throws, hinting at a "Butler" type of character. Ja'mie also makes very bold racial statements about Asian's throughout the show, some tend to be stereotypical "nerdy" Asian's who are exceptionally smart. The show, in this regard, supports the ongoing stereotype of intelligent Asians. Summer Heights High blatantly plays with stereotypes of all cultures, getting away with it by not targeting one culture, but by making fun of all cultures humorously.
To view a clip of Ja'mie from Summer Heights High, click on the link below:
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