Before rape joke, 'Family Guy' had its critics

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140924/us--tv-fox-family_guy-8dcf5fb5e1.html

NEW YORK (AP) — This weekend's crossover episode of Fox's "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" has received criticism for a scene where a character uses rape as a punchline for a joke. It's not the first time the adult-oriented humor on the animated "Family Guy" has gotten its creators in hot water. Here are some other examples:

—Fox declined to air an episode, "Partial Terms of Endearment," during the 2009-10 season when family matriarch Lois Griffin contemplates an abortion. She was acting as a surrogate for a couple killed in an auto accident before the baby was born. Fox executives said it was fragile subject matter at a sensitive time. The episode was later released on DVD.


FILE - In this May 15, 2014 file photo, Seth MacFarlane, creator of the "Family Guy," animated series, arrives at the World Premiere of "A Million Ways To Die In The West" in Westwood, Calif. This weekend{2019}s crossover episode of Fox{2019}s "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" has received criticism for a scene where a character uses rape as a punchline for a joke. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)


—The episode, "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" was criticized as anti-Semitic by The Forward, a newspaper that spotlights Jewish issues. In it, the character Peter sings a song titled "I Need a Jew." Fox initially declined to air it, and it was shown first on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network in 2003. Fox then aired it the next year.


FULL short story at link.

[shenmue]

1. I've always thought MacFarlane was a creep

[elehhhhna]

4. He sang We Saw Your Boobs when hosting the Oscars

named every actress there, pretty much.

juvenile.

[Union Scribe]

17. He is. He's like Maher.

They're creeps and they prove it on a regular basis but they get passes because they're allegedly liberal.

[Jamastiene]

59. I don't think McFarlane is liberal at all.

They had fucking Rush Limpballs on Family Guy one time.

[hifiguy]

61. There I disagree.

A right winger would never have gone to such great lengths to update Sagan's Cosmos. A right winger would try to develop a series refuting Cosmos.

[NCTraveler]

63. Elton John played at Rushs wedding.

Associations like that cannot be made in honest. I'm sure there is more out there about McFarlane and his politics. Because Rush was on his show doesn't really amount to much.

[Jamastiene]

65. Elton John also played with Axl Rose right after the anti-gay stuff Axl Rose said too.

Elton John is not very well liked by quite a few people in the gay community because he soothes the egos of homophobes so routinely.

I still don't think McFarlane is really liberal at all.

[MADem]

84. I think he is. Anyone who has given 200K+ to Dems and progressive causes isn't a rightie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_MacFarlane#Political_views


He puts his money where his mouth is. He might piss people off on occasion, but that's what comedians do. They don't hew to safe topics or "approved" views.

[Doctor_J]

2. er, this is a show in which a dog has had a series of love affairs with women

(humans) - including sex. The only show I can think if that is more tasteless is Archer, which I also find hilarious.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Archer WAS the funniest thing on tv.

It sort of lost me the last season, though. Too bad.

[Doctor_J]

16. my tv budget doesn't afford me fx, so I only have seen what is on Netflix

which doesn't include last season. I heard that was pretty bad. But if you like irreverent filth and raunch, there is nothing better than those first few. But people who are offended by that stuff should watch something else.

[Yavin4]

35. What are they gonna call the organization they work for?

The brand name, "ISIS", has been degraded recently.

[Warren DeMontague]

37. I know, right?

First time I heard about "ISIS" that was all I could think of.

[Mike Daniels]

69. Same here. Every time I hear ISIS in the news I think "Archer" despite the context.

[zappaman]

71. So true.

I have no idea what happened.
New writers?

[CBGLuthier]

3. family guy also made fun of Margot Kidder's bipolar disorder

It is a show that revels in poor taste and jokes that hurt people which is why I stopped watching it years ago.

[amandabeech]

96. You're not alone.

The humor, if that's what it is called, is extremely mean, and I won't watch it either.

[PSPS]

5. Yes, it has its misses like all shows. But there are some very funny lines in there too.

The ones that make fun of people's maladies (Michael J Fox/Zorro, Stephen Hawking/scoring a test, etc.,) and numerous "exaggerate what they look like" material is annoying grade school level humor. And the repeated suicide material is in very bad taste.

On the other hand, there are some good ones. Examples:

Lois in lingerie caressing amnesiac Peter who says, "Something funny is happening in my pants. This time, it's in the front!"

Lawyer: Peter, Sarah has decided to press sexual harassment charges against you.
Peter: Sarah...Is that the one we video taped taking a dump?

Child Peter asks the museum tour guide why the dinosaurs died. He replies, "Because you touch yourself at night."

Lois going down the hall collecting laundry to wash stops at Meg's door: "Have anything Meg? It's diaper and Meg day."

Brian after Peter injures himself falling down the stairs: "I'm not going to call an ambulance this time because if I do you won't learn anything."

[nomorenomore08]

13. "Because you touch yourself at night" is freaking classic.

[Doctor_J]

20. One more

Stewie: Did you hear that Meg? Guys can marry other guys now. So...this is awkward, but I mean, if they can do that, that is pretty much it for you, isn't it? I mean you as well pack it in. Game over.

[NuclearDem]

25. The Cleveland bathtub gag always gets me.

No no no no no nooooooo

[customerserviceguy]

6. I don't care what anyone thinks

the show is funny as hell. Sometimes you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.

[Logical]

7. I agree, he insults anyone, and is not a GOP nut. nt

[flying rabbit]

8. +2

[nomorenomore08]

12. Sometimes they go too far even for me (and I'm hardly the so-called "easily offended" type).

But in general, I agree with you.

[Doctor_J]

19. I also love Mayor Adam West. The songs are often hilarious and very clever.

"Freakin' FCC", "My Drunken Irish Dad" and "Mama Baba" on American Dad

[NuclearDem]

24. Not the Griffins, you moron! The rest of my Lite-Brite pieces!

My name isn't Adam We! ...or is it? Who is this? What number did you dial? Don't ever call here again. I guess I showed him! Nobody messes with Adam We.

[Doctor_J]

31. I don't know who came up with the idea of West playing the addled "mayor"

But it has turned out to be comic genius

Mayor Adam West: I just bought a Rottweiler, and I need a sign to warn people how dangerous it is.
Home Supply clerk (pointing to "BEWARE OF DOG" sign): Well, we have exactly what you--
Mayor Adam West: Ah, yes, here it is: "ONE WAY." So people will know if they step into my yard, there's only one way out--in a body bag from dog injuries.

[RockaFowler]

33. Adam West was on a radio show yesterday talking about it

Seth MacFarlane just called him up and said he wanted him to be the Mayor of Quahog

I can't believe Adam West is 86 years old!!

[MADem]

89. He probably grew up watching AW as BATMAN.

He is relentless (in a very good way) when it comes to pulling aspects of his childhood into his storytelling.

[hifiguy]

50. The dialog given to Adam West

is almost always one of the highlights of the show. It borders on High Surrealism and West plays it note-perfect.

Brian and Stewie are by far the most interesting, and funniest, characters on the show.

[MADem]

88. I love the music, too...

ten hours of the same song, but the quality is excellent!

[sendero]

21. Basically my take....

... also. A lot of it is funny, a lot of it is more crass than funny (they are not always the same thing) but I do not feel like I get to decide where the line is.

This guy is a comedian, not a politician. He is not obligated, and in fact will probably fail, if he sticks to PC.

Folks around here that want to REALLY get their panties in a wad should listen to my favorite currently-performing comedian, Jim Jefferies.

Now this guy is not fooling around

[tridim]

26. Yep, I like comedy to be raw, not sanitized for my protection. nt

[hifiguy]

51. Find yourself a copy of "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video"

by National Lampoon writer/original SNL head writer Michael O'Donoghue. He always believed that humor should be disturbing and that there was literally nothing in the world that should not be made fun of. MMMV is a little uneven but about as out there as humor has ever been.

[MADem]

28. You'd think people griping about him don't own a remote!

They're just FORCED to watch his programs...no choice in the matter! I don't know how many times I'm able to vote with my remote when I don't like something, and I just can't understand why others don't do the same--sure beats wasting time watching something that one finds objectionable.

Seth is OK with me--he's a Democrat. He's a comedian. Comedians will often edge into controversial topics, if they're at all bold. Lenny Bruce was a "disgrace" when he was performing, too, but he got a lot of people talking about issues. Unlike Bruce, McFarlane doesn't have substance abuse issues, and he can sing, too.

http://hollowverse.com/seth-macfarlane/

[deek]

34. I agree n/t

.

[Drale]

55. Many people think Mel Brooks went to far especially with

Blazing Saddles but he's a comic genius and that is one of my favorite movies ever. As a comedian you have to do what you find funny because your never going to win.

[hifiguy]

64. "History of the World" had its share of moments, too.

The little "previews" for "Jews In Space" and "Hitler on Ice" were gut-bustingly funny. Viz:

[MADem]

90. He couldn't make any of his "comic genius" films today without a TON of pushback.

People would get too outraged.

Even when the idea is to mock a situation, not a group of people, some folks just won't get it because they are too busy riding the "How DARE you!!!!" train.

The literalists will be the death of us all.

[Joanie Baloney]

79. Thank goodness!

Someone who gets it. He ridicules EVERYONE and EVERY TOPIC.



-JB

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I don't like it because I don't think continual insults are funny.

I much prefer The Simpsons. They do subtle social commentary.
Black Jesus is quite hilarious too.

[Recursion]

10. I just find McFarlane's work lazy. He's made the exact same show 3 times now

And the whole "stretch out a joke way way way too long" schtick is clever... once. Not as the entire basis for your show's humor. YMMV.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. What a joke of an article.

[MFM008]

15. and guarantee a huge audience 4 Sunday night premier

marketing genius create controversy......

[GOLGO 13]

18. Love MacFarlane

The fact that he annoys so many oversensitive people makes his empire even more sweeter. Such a good singer too.

[alp227]

40. So it's oversensitive to demand respect for disabilities?

Seriously. If McFarlane posted at DU, he'd be banned. Because DU ToS state: "Do not post bigotry based on someone's race or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or lack thereof, disability, or other comparable personal characteristic." Guess what? I can name lots of Family Guy episodes that are bigoted based on such characteristics. That's why I quit watching the show.

[el_bryanto]

22. It has funny bits - but i've always kind of hated it

for the way they treated Meg - jokes which are just shitting on the underdog aren't for me.

Bryant

[Jamastiene]

60. I agree on that point.

I hate the way they treat Meg.

[NuclearDem]

23. For context, here's the trailer: (obvious spoiler warning)

The bit's about 50 seconds in, and the rape comment about 1:15.

I got what it was about.

[MADem]

77. The point, as I saw it, was the "joke" was NOT funny. Anyone who sees it any other way doesn't

want to appreciate any context or nuance.

I don't think it's making light of the matter, it's calling attention to the fact that some people do make light of the matter and joke about it, and it's NOT FUNNY. As Stewie's "joke" wasn't funny.

Sheesh.

Comedy is a tough business, binary thinking doesn't work to process it.

Word for word, line for line, Lenny Bruce would be drawn and quartered by some here.

[NuclearDem]

81. Yeah, the whole point was while Bart pranks people and can be mean

Stewie's just brutal.

Which was the whole point of the Stewie/Bart subplot.

[MADem]

91. BINGO.

I don't feel so ALONE, now!!!! Someone else actually paid attention...what a relief!!!!

[randome]

27. My daughters love MacFarlane but he lacks style and subtlety, IMO.

It's more shock jock kind of humor. Tastelessness doesn't take much effort so I guess it's easier for him.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[reorg]

29. I suppose that's the advertising blitz for the start of the new season?

Thanks for the heads-up.

[johnp3907]

30. McFarlane's a real class act.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2758734

[PeteSelman]

32. Don't like it? Don't watch it.

Pretty simple.

The show is hilarious.

[alp227]

41. What's wrong with CRITICIZING the show?

If a show can't withstand critical opinions, it's garbage.

[PeteSelman]

43. Sure, you can criticize.

But you go into Family Guy knowing exactly what you're going to get. Criticizing it for jokes that some consider in poor taste is like going on a log flume ride and complaining that you got wet.

[alp227]

68. Jokes that belittle the disabled and non whites

are far beyond "jokes that some consider in poor taste." Jokes that rely on anti Semitism (like the Wish Upon a Weinstein ep) are not "jokes that some consider in poor taste." Jokes that make light of rape/sexual abuse are not "jokes that some consider in poor taste." Guess what? People have moral consciences that even extend to their tastes.

[PeteSelman]

70. Funny is funny.

And that shit is funny.

[alp227]

72. So carry the baggage with what you consider funny.

Carry the anti-Semitism, ableism, racism, and homophobia with your favorite show proudly, then.

[alp227]

74. I don't call it insensitivity. I call it having a moral conscience.

Have you one?

[PeteSelman]

75. Of course I do.

That doesn't mean that funny things aren't funny.

I just don't see comedy as a matter of morality. Laughing at a cartoon joke isn't the same as beating the shit out of a homeless person. You know?

I mean, is Daffy Duck insensitive to mentally ill people? I don't want to live in a world that answers "Yes! And something must be done about it!".

[alp227]

78. "Yes! And something must be done about it!"

What's that supposed to mean?

If you don't have the courage walk up and laugh at a disabled veteran or gay couple in their face, you shouldn't laugh at TV show jokes that trash such people. It's not edgy to talk shit about those with a lower status than you unless you want to talk shit about them to their faces and get shat back. That's only fair.

[PeteSelman]

83. See, you just don't get it.

Why would I walk up to a disabled veteran and laugh at them? That's a real person and their condition isn't funny.

Why would I laugh at a gay person for being gay? That's just stupid.

But you can make funny jokes surrounding made up people and situations on a cartoon or sitcom or in movies.

Why can't you separate the two things?

What does it mean if I laugh when Bugs Bunny drops an Anvil on Elmer Fudd's head? That I should immediately start mocking any hunter I come across? Or any bald guy?

How about when Bugs dressed in drag?

You see how silly this all is?

[alp227]

85. Those Bugs Bunny tropes don't rely on bigotry against the disadvantaged.

Complete B.S. conflation right there.

[Dont call me Shirley]

80. If you think that crap is funny, then you are a racist, sexist, bigot. These shows promote the hate.

[PeteSelman]

82. Surely you can't be serious.

You sound unhinged.

How about a nice cup of tea?

[alp227]

86. If you have a genuine moral stand against bigotry, you NEVER laugh at it. Period.

No debate, no nuance, nothing.

[Dont call me Shirley]

95. Exactly what I was saying.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. It was hilarious the first two seasons before Fox originally cancelled it.

After they brought it back, I think the success went to McFarland's head and he just started getting lazy and went overboard in attempting to be "edgy". The same could be said for South Park.

[Warren DeMontague]

38. I'll say this- no WAY are those his original teeth.

[reddread]

44. maybe he used Biden's guy?

[AngryOldDem]

39. There was also a gag about crib death.

This was some years back. That was the last time I watched Family Guy.

If you like that kind of humor, go for it. As for me, I'll pass, thanks.

[Hippo_Tron]

42. The show was funny for a few years, but it got old quickly...

I enjoyed the early episodes when they were consistently satirizing something and the cutaway gags were still somewhat of a novelty. But South Park really hit the nail on the head with the manatees and their idea balls, in terms of what the show had become.

[Coventina]

45. His style of humor has grown boring to me.

It's all references and insults and shock stuff.

It was funny at first, but now I'm just tired of it.

I quit watching all his shows some time ago and not even the Simpsons can get me to watch an episode of Family Guy.

[ieoeja]

46. The rape joke was funny.

Even bad guy Bart gave Stewie a "there is something seriously wrong with you" look for making that "joke".

I suppose some people might have failed to see that the joke was making fun of people who make rape jokes. But that is their failure, not MacFarlane's.

[TampaAnimusVortex]

53. Absolutely... It's obvious he was trying to show that it wasnt appropriate

Some people cant see past the end of their own nose... It was a funny gag.

[hifiguy]

47. How many people around here ever read the

National Lampoon in its heyday? Holy shit, the Lampoon made MacFarlane look like Shari Lewis in terms of its sheer unabated savagery. Michael O'Donoghue, Tony Hendra, Doug Kenney and P.J. O'Rourke (he was actually very funny back then), Chris Miller, and John Hughes (yes, THAT John Hughes) to name but a few of the more notable Poonsters, napalmed everything under the sun then dumped the remains in a lye pit and set it on fire again. Every sacred cow imaginable was ritually disemboweled in the Lampoon's pages.

[randome]

48. Even National Lampoon was better quality than what MacFarlane churns out, IMO.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[hifiguy]

49. Oh, there's no doubt that the Lampoon was

generally very high quality - it was a niche-y magazine for smart stoners with a ludicrously over-educated core of writers - and MacFarlane is mass market television. But in terms of its sheer nastiness - of which O'Donoghue was the primary source for a long while - MacFarlane isn't even close there. One could argue that the principal difference was that the late Mr. Mike was always genuinely funny and never reached for the lowest common denominator, even when he made you gasp and cringe, where MacFarlane will always reach into the fart joke bag first rather than last.

But if O'Donoghue (and Hendra, Kenney and Miller to greater or lesser degrees) didn't make the reader gasp and cringe he felt that he had failed at his job.

[randome]

52. Nice analysis.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[hifiguy]

54. Here's a good column about O'Donoghue

and his philosophy of humor. http://grantland.com/features/michael-odonoghue-snl-saturday-night-live-mr-mike/

The fanatical should read Dennis Perrin's bio of the man, Mr. Mike - The Life and Work of Michael O'Donoghue. Just finished it and it is fascinating,

[randome]

62. Great article. Thanks.

O'Donoghue seemed to understand that unexpectedness is the essence of great humor.

Tony Orlando and Dawn being blinded by white-hot knitting needles? Now that's funny and rude and unexpected!

MacFarlane isn't that unexpected. And, like the reference to SNL in that article, Family Guy is still a mainstream TV enterprise.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[ksoze]

58. Kenny's classic story about a prom date wins the award

With it's opening line, “A young girl’s senior prom can mean many things: a bouquet of memories…or a pillow full of tears…” it makes McFarlane look like a nun.

[MindPilot]

92. I will remember forever PJ O'Roark's piece, "How to drive...

How to Drive Fast On Drugs While Getting Your Wing Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink

"What's the best car for off-road? A rental."

[JVS]

93. Is that from A Dirty Book?

[thelordofhell]

56. Family Guy having a joke about rape??

[JVS]

94. Isn't the Quagmire character a running string of rape jokes?

[Jamastiene]

57. I quit watching that show when they had fucking Rush Limpballs on there.

That was all I needed to see and hear to know it wasn't going to ever be the right kind of show for me. Damn shame too, because I liked Stewie and Quagmire. They could have done away with all the rest of those obnoxious characters in the show and just made a show based on Stewie and Quagmire and it would have been a much better show.

[chrisa]

66. What offends me most about Family Guy is how boring and past it's prime it is.

Should have ended it 5 years ago at the most. I can't believe this show is still on. It's appropriate that they would have a crossover with the Simpsons - both have been on autopilot for years.

MacFarlane is even more annoyjng in-person. His Oscars performance was akin to watching a slobbering, obnoxious street drunk yelling random insults at passer-bys. His movies are absolutely horrible and lame as well.

[Glassunion]

67. Hence the double standard in art.

Some see comedy as a low art.

A pedophile joke = disgusting. A pedophile actor = Oscar Award.

Being funny is not easy. Comedians and writers work just as hard as as actors and writers in other genres. However for some reason folks look down on comedy.

[Dont call me Shirley]

76. All these shows (Family Guy, American Dad, Simpsons) are racist and sexist. I can't make it through

one minute without getting upset. Consider the TV channel who airs them...FOX.

[MADem]

87. Funny--I watch them and think they make fun of racists and sexists.

They rip that ugly little scab off, and show us how "some people" really think and talk. I find those expositions somewhat elucidating.

Interesting how people can look at the same thing and come to an entirely opposite conclusion.

I watch them on Late Night TV, and as for "FOX"--it's the entertainment arm of Fox (which is very liberal) that airs those shows, not Fox News. They are two separate entities and they go in opposite directions.

Murdoch isn't stupid--he covers the waterfront.

Something for everyone....