Phoebe Craft

Ms. Kane

RC 1000

9/29/19

A Stereotypical Airplane Ride

In Key and Peele’s comedy clip, “Turbulence,” the two main characters, the Passenger

and Flight Attendant, have a very rough relationship from the beginning because of the different

personalities shown. With a clip this short, creating a character from scratch would be a waste of

time; that is why Key and Peele decided to create their characters based on different stereotypes.

The male Flight Attendant portrays gay, male stereoytypes through his snarky and petty

personality when he is heard gossiping to another flight attendant in the first few seconds of the

clip. It shows that the Flight Attendant has the power over the other flight attendants because he

confidently talks behind their backs. He is the type of person not to mess around with. Knowing

what kind of character Peele portrays him as, the audience can ironically guess what is going to

happen next. They can boldly assume that the Flight Attendant’s snarkiness is going to come

back later in the video. The Passenger, who is asleep when introduced, wakes up to the sound of

the “seatbelt” sign being turned on. The Passenger is wearing a gray, generic suit, with a

well-tied tie, portraying the stereotype of a neat, high-class businessman who has the power over

anyone inferior to him. In this case that would be the Flight Attendant. Once again, the audience

can assume what will happen between the two main characters. The Flight Attendant has power

over the passengers, the plane is his stomping ground; whereas, the Passenger is wearing a well
groomed suit to let people know he has power and the confidence to use such power. The

differentiating power between the characters will come into conflict because of the stereotypes

hidden in each character. This comedic video is very humorous because the two main characters,

whose personalities are based on stereotypes, butt heads about a silly argument that continues to

ironically show up throughout the video, which makes it obvious for the audience to assume.

A stereotype can be described as a widely held and oversimplified image or idea of

someone or something. They are made from accuracy and frequency, which makes them seem

very believable. The stereotypes being used in the clip include culture, sex, grouping of

individuals, and one that is not a stereotype but still being used to create a persona: homophobia.

The stereotype that flight attendants are either women or gay men is shown. The Flight Attendant

is very feminine because of the way he talks behind others’ backs, which spreads unnecessary

drama between characters. Those are very stereotypical ways to describe a gay man. He stirs the

pot with his relationship with the Passenger as well when they are arguing about using the

bathroom while the “seatbelt” sign is on, and he does not seem to look for a resolution to the

argument. It is almost as if the argument is for his enjoyment because he likes to rile up the

Passenger with his passive aggressive comments and actions.

As a neat and good-looking man, the Passenger does not deal with the pettiness of the

Flight Attendant well. Because the Flight Attendant is interfering with the power and confidence

that the suit is giving him, the Passenger is stubborn and will not stop acting out until he gets his

way. As the Passenger continues to argue and raise his voice, it shows possibilites that he is

homophobic and does not care what a feminine Flight Attendant has to say. Even if using the

bathroom while the “seatbelt” sign is on, which is a rule on airplanes, that does not stop him. The
stereotype that Americans are seen as rude by people from other countries comes into play in this

situation. Although this is just a stereotype, the way the Passenger is dressed and the immediate

and irrational actions he makes towards other individuals prove it to be accurate in this context.

He is not mindful for the other passengers on the plane and only cares about getting what he

wants, which in this case is using the bathroom. The Passenger believes the rules do not apply to

him because of the confidence in power he gains from his suit. Therefore, he “wins” the

argument by pushing the Flight Attendant out of his way.

With the video being called “Turbulence,” everyone can assume that turbulence is going

to happen at some point in the clip. As soon as the Passenger makes his way to the bathroom and

the Flight Attendant sits back down with his seatbelt buckled, the turbulence hits. The audience

knew this was the perfect time for turbulence to occur, and based on the Flight Attendant’s

suspicious eyeing at the Passenger as he makes his way down the aisle, he knew there was

something coming as well.

On an airplane, the Flight Attendant’s job and responsibility is to ensure the passengers’

safety throughout the flight. In the video, that is not what the Flight Attendant does at all for the

Passenger, nor does he help the other passengers either. On his way to and from the bathroom,

the Passenger is seen falling onto other passengers, intensely falling to the ground and ironically

hitting his head multiple times on the “seatbelt” sign repeatedly, all while the Flight Attendant is

watching. Key and Peele use hyperbole to make it seem more extreme and unrealistic, proving

that this will never happen, which makes the scene comedic. The use of this hyperbole also

makes the Flight Attendant seem like the bad guy because he is not doing his job to help the

Passenger. Even though it is not their responsibility, the other passengers on the flight should
have stepped in to help the Passenger to be a kind person, but they did not even try to do so. That

could have been because they were biased for the Flight Attendant when they heard the argument

between the two of them. During the argument between the Passenger and the Flight Attendant,

the other passengers possibly thought that the calm Flight Attendant was being more reasonable

than the angry Passenger, but they do not know the established personalities of the characters

like the audience does. Either way, the Passenger is not helped by not only the Flight Attendant,

but also the other passengers that share the flight with him.

Struggling to make it back to his seat, the Passenger has a hard time putting his seatbelt

on. It is ironic because he took it off with ease at the beginning of the clip, and now he is having

a hard time putting it back on. The music grows louder and suspense grows bigger as he fights

gravity to put the seatbelt on. Immediately after he finally gets buckled, the “seatbelt” sign turns

off, and the Flight Attendant, while looking directly at the sweaty and exhausted Passenger,

finishes the clip by saying “Thank you for your cooperation.” The Flight Attendant continues to

maintain his passive aggressive demeanor and holds a petty grudge against the Passenger until

the end of the clip. Whereas the Passenger is speechless to know that the Flight Attendant is

someone not to mess with.

In the video, Key and Peele hide stereotypes within the main characters to give them a

personality that the audience can laugh at. The accuracy in those stereotypes are very relatable

for the audience because it is something they can easily understand. Irony in the clip makes it

easy for the audience to assume what is going to happen next; it creates a joke that keeps coming

back throughout the clip multiple times. Therefore, using accurate stereotypes and irony for

comedy makes it easy for an audience to follow along and laugh.

 This comedic video is very humorous because of the two main characters, whose

personalities are based on stereotypes, butt heads about a silly argument that continues to

ironically show up throughout the video, making assumptions obvious to the audience.