Big Bang Say What?

While watching an episode of CBS's The Big Bang Theory, I was a little taken back by a comment said by a special guest.  Now, for all of you Big Band fans out there, I'm not positive if this was a recent episode from the latest season, or of an older season that reruns on TBS.  The episode is about Sheldon's mother coming to visit.

If you are an avid watcher of the show, you already know that the Character Raj always needs to have an alcoholic beverage in order to have the ability to speak to a woman. For the people out there who do not watch the show, Raj is Indian; as in he is from the country India.

During the episode, there is a scene where Sheldon's mother comes across the men drinking and it seems as if Raj has drank too much.  As Sheldon and his mother walk out of the apartment and close the door, Sheldon's mother pauses and says, "And I thought it was our Indians who had the problem with alcohol."

Now the show does bring actual facts and real studies into it's comedy, but that was the first time I had ever heard them use a more controversial issue for comedy.  I wish I hadn't been watching that episode alone; I wish I had been watching it with at least one or two other people.  I'm curious if people would laugh at that line.

I found myself chuckling when it was said.  I feel like after taking a class learning about American Indians, I'm allowed to because I'm aware. I'm aware of the studies and statistics of American Indians drinking and I'm aware of the comedy that Native comedians use in their comedy routines.

My only question is this: How aware are the writers of The Big Bang Theory?