However, today there are also many stereotypes of Americans that are considered "white." These stereotypes sometimes go unnoticed because "the average moviegoer thinks about issues of race only when seeing a movie about a racial or ethnic minority group." (Benshoff & Griffin, 2009). Among these are Italian Americans (who appear as restaurant owners or mobsters), southern Americans (who appear dull and idiotic, and speak with a slow drawl), and one that hits close to home, Scandinavian Americans.
Scandinavian American Stereotypes in Film
"Fargo" (1996) is probably the most well-known film that uses Scandinavian American stereotypes. The film portrays the characters as small-town folk with a thick, unique accent. The characters are also portrayed as having stereotypical "Minnesota nice" attitudes and at times seem dim-witted or naive.
A less known film, "Drop Dead Gorgeous," (1999) is about a local teen beauty pageant in Mt Rose, Minnesota. Though it is a much different type of movie than "Fargo," the characters are portrayed the same way. However, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" also seems to suggest that the characters are "white trash". They live in trailer parks and they like to hunt and farm.
The stereotypes in these movies are rooted in truth, as all stereotypes are. However, they have created some misconstrued ideas of how Scandinavian Americans talk, act, and live (for example, lutefisk served in the cafeteria every Wednesday in "Drop Dead Gorgeous." I am more than 50% Norwegian and have never been served lutefisk in my life).
"New in Town," a new film starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, is about a city girl from Miami who is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota to oversee restructuring of a manufacturing plant. This film also employs the thick accent, and the characters are blue collar workers whose favorite activities include ice fishing.
This shows that the stereotypical Scandinavian American continues to serve as a comical character in film.
