http://youtube.com/watch?v=vFL0w1ruiCM
Goodness Gracious Me: Typical Asian Parents.

This short 2 min clip is a stereotypical representation of what Asian parents are like. Noting that stereotypes are based on some truth, many would argue that this clip offers a true representation of the expectations parents have from their children.

As the clip opens, it becomes instantly recognisable that the parents have a ‘freshi’ accent, -or more commonly known as a heavy Indian accent on the English language. ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ stereotypes the parent’s speech to create authenticity; whilst this is promoting a generalisation in speech, there is of course a truth behind this – the immigration of Indians into Britain created this type of speech that is common in older Asians.

As the clip progresses, the results in the post signify the importance of education to these parents. There is a clear divide in the expectations from the mother and the father; the mother is happy to see her son’s results, whereas the father notices the single B amongst the four A’s, not appreciating the quality of the grades. This mother/father reaction is the generalised distinction in what occurs in Indian households and ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ plays on the binary opposition well to drive the narrative forward.

The father then compares his son’s grades to that of his friends. This is another comparison that is often found in the father’s reaction; he is never happy with the grades and the constant comparison with other children determines the son as a failure. There is social emphasis placed on what other parents in the community will think.

In terms of education, the clip conforms to almost every Indian parents expectations; that is to have their son become a doctor and this is certainly what the son aims for too. The profound influence of parents upon their children is unnoticeable, and what is further interesting is that during this entire conversation there is the absence of the son. –A symbolic entity highlighting the pressure of parents to the extent where their son is denied a voice.