Jump to content
IGNORED

"Family Guy" Amish episode


MamaJunebug

Recommended Posts

I liked the Amish prayer also. Like MamaJuneBug, I am pretty glad that there wasn't a blanket depiction of the Amish as wonderful, peace loving people.

Lately, the shows producers have been letting up on Meg. There was even an episode where she tells them all off. Oddly enough, the critics hated that episode. I've always thought that Seth Macfarlane was being ironic when he cast the beautiful Mila Kunis as the voice of Meg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's also the teeny tiny little fact that the show's creator is staunchly liberal, atheist, a vocal GLBT activist, and pro-feminist, to speak to the idea that it all really is played for laughs, and is not meant to be taken seriously.

On what planet is Seth McFarlane a feminist? There's a way to laugh about stuff and a way to glorify it. Considering that there are many people who seek to emulate the awful characters on this show, I'd say that crappy behavior is being glorified. And I don't care what anyone says, there's no fuckin' way domestic violence can be played for laughs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On what planet is Seth McFarlane a feminist? There's a way to laugh about stuff and a way to glorify it. Considering that there are many people who seek to emulate the awful characters on this show, I'd say that crappy behavior is being glorified. And I don't care what anyone says, there's no fuckin' way domestic violence can be played for laughs.

On what planet can you determine a person's political or social beliefs from a TV show?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On what planet can you determine a person's political or social beliefs from a TV show?

Of course you can analyse an author's political or social perspectives from the work they create, regardless of whether the author intended you to. That's the basis of literary and film theory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course you can analyse an author's political or social perspectives from the work they create, regardless of whether the author intended you to. That's the basis of literary and film theory.

"Analyse" and "determine" are two different things though. One has a higher likelihood of error because it's based on indirect interpretation.

ETA: It gets even less accurate when you are attempting to analyse something that has more than 20 writers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Family Guy in small doses. It sounds like the Amish episode is one I'd like to see. Also, I think there's something funny AND something heinous in every show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked the Amish prayer also. Like MamaJuneBug, I am pretty glad that there wasn't a blanket depiction of the Amish as wonderful, peace loving people.

Lately, the shows producers have been letting up on Meg. There was even an episode where she tells them all off. Oddly enough, the critics hated that episode. I've always thought that Seth Macfarlane was being ironic when he cast the beautiful Mila Kunis as the voice of Meg.

Interesting. Sad, but interesting. Curiously, I've never perceived Meg to be homely in any way. Others' mileages evidently vary!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting. Sad, but interesting. Curiously, I've never perceived Meg to be homely in any way. Others' mileages evidently vary!

I think that's part of the joke, she's fairly average as far as teenage girls go but for some reason everyone hates her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting. Sad, but interesting. Curiously, I've never perceived Meg to be homely in any way. Others' mileages evidently vary!

Meg is basically Lois' face with a different body, different hair, and glasses. So if Lois is supposed to be hot, why is Meg ugly? Admittedly she could afford to lose the hat, but still.

I don't find FG particularly funny myself, I think it just goes out of its way to be offensive, and when it can't be offensive goes to its default rape/fat/toilet jokes. The other part of it is, much of FG's fanbase is white guys who tend to be quite sheltered and think anything meant to offend is funny, and don't seem to realize that Peter is a total asshole, despite being the main character.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Analyse" and "determine" are two different things though. One has a higher likelihood of error because it's based on indirect interpretation.

ETA: It gets even less accurate when you are attempting to analyse something that has more than 20 writers.

I enjoyed the episode. I don't watch all the time but I do watch it sometimes. I don't think it's fair to try and determine someone's social/political opinions from the art they create. Yes, it is the basis of *some* schools of criticism but to say that biography/experience is the basis of criticism full stop is a stretch. The Formalists, for example, leave biography entirely aside. I'm not in favour of formalism. It's just there to provide a clear example. I mean, if we extend this line of thinking we can assume that Nabokov was a child molester, which as far as I know he was not. We are not our stories (or in this case cartoons).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoyed yesterday's episode...

My boyfriend loves Family Guy, and I have to admit not really knowing much about that show. I started watching it with him since October, but I think that I'll continue. It's not the best cartoon ever made that some of its fans made it out to be, but it's good for a few laughs + raised eyebrows. I like to "veg out" on sunday evenings, and I've been watching The Simpsons at 8PM for at least 20 years (also I cannot stand the two shows that get all the viewership here in QC at 8PM, one is an annoyingly condescending talk show and the other a "reality show" a bit like "The Bachelor". Yurk.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found some of the earlier episodes to be quite clever. Now it seems Seth McFarlane is purposely throwing in everything offensive to man and then some in order to get cancelled again.

I think the Amish one was handled better than any of the episodes done this season. Probably since last season too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On what planet can you determine a person's political or social beliefs from a TV show?

Just the response I'd predict from our resident male apologist. :roll:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now it seems Seth McFarlane is purposely throwing in everything offensive to man and then some

I don't have strong feelings for the show one way or the other, but I definitely agree with this^.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Patsy, your "spoiler" example made me never want to watch it again either. Honestly, even the people who I was watching it with (all male) were shaken by that. There were a lot of "Um, that was just wrong and not amusing" reactions.

It is hugely misogynistic IMO and because some folk I know watch it, I saw more of it than I like. There were two episodes, the spoiler one you mentioned and one where domestic violence was played for laughs. Granted this is my issue and I was very raw at the time, as I have said before my friend died at the hands of her partner and it was recent when I saw that episode. (All on DVD so not watched in sequence.)

But looking around me at all the guys (who would all describe themselves as feminists) wetting their pants laughing, I had a terrible dark urge. I wanted to get up, switch the screen off, and tell them flatly and unemotionally how she died. I can recite bits from the postmortem, they make lovely hearing, especially the tissue damage parts. How long it took her to die.

I didn't, I got up and left.

I don't judge anyone for a liking for FG, I find American Dad far less creepy, from the same creators, no? And god knows I have some very "unPC" tastes. It was just the bad vibe of a roomful of men laughing at the thought of a woman being attacked and then saying "Oh but it's just a joke." Very unnerving to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer Southpark because it is more obviously satire, kwim? I have no moral judgments either way. FG is funny in small doses, but they do get gratuitously offensive at times. I understand it is a parody, but a lot of viewers are not seeing it that way. A lot of younger males just think the violence and misogyny are funny. My 16 yo watches it avidly and admits that a lot of it is fucked up, but I was a huge Sopranos fan so I can't really give him crap about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw it, it was hilarious, the prayer scene kept me laughing a lot, and I especially liked the part where Peter played "Going to Hell" to Eli's Dad.

I also thought the faceless doll was a bit creepy, faces symbolize vanity? How so?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saw it, it was hilarious, the prayer scene kept me laughing a lot, and I especially liked the part where Peter played "Going to Hell" to Eli's Dad.

I also thought the faceless doll was a bit creepy, faces symbolize vanity? How so?

I think it means vanity in the more archaic sense of word where it means, things of the world, the material, the physical etc. In Ecclesiastes (Probably other places too, but this particular book sticks out to me, the word is used a lot. Or at least it is in the KJV). Also, I believe depicting a face might violate the second commandment in their view, much the way that video or photography does to some sects.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moral objections aside, I find FG's writing too dependent on meta jokes to really be that funny.

Totally. I just don't find it that funny. Maybe one in ten jokes actually works for me. That's a pretty low rate of return, so I never bother with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just the response I'd predict from our resident male apologist. :roll:

I think you have me confused with someone else. I have never been a male apologist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer Southpark because it is more obviously satire, kwim? I have no moral judgments either way. FG is funny in small doses, but they do get gratuitously offensive at times. I understand it is a parody, but a lot of viewers are not seeing it that way. A lot of younger males just think the violence and misogyny are funny. My 16 yo watches it avidly and admits that a lot of it is fucked up, but I was a huge Sopranos fan so I can't really give him crap about it.

^that's exactly how I feel. I prefer South Park because it's fine with potentially being offensive for the sake of humor. With Family Guy it's quite the opposite- it's like it's okay with being funny for the sake of being offensive. I don't know. Some people think South Park is a bit preachy, but I'll take a bit of preachiness at the end of an episode than an onslaught of fart jokes, rape jokes, and random-ass gags that have nothing to do with the plot.

I know a lot of young male Family Guy fans, they really do think the bigotry and misogyny are funny. Whatever McFarlane is trying to say, he's not saying it clearly enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, Terry Pratchett's Discworld wins over both Family Guy and South Park, because Pterry is made of WIN. (I've decided to start proselytizing for the Universal Church of Pterry).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Patsy, your "spoiler" example made me never want to watch it again either. Honestly, even the people who I was watching it with (all male) were shaken by that. There were a lot of "Um, that was just wrong and not amusing" reactions.

It is hugely misogynistic IMO and because some folk I know watch it, I saw more of it than I like. There were two episodes, the spoiler one you mentioned and one where domestic violence was played for laughs. Granted this is my issue and I was very raw at the time, as I have said before my friend died at the hands of her partner and it was recent when I saw that episode. (All on DVD so not watched in sequence.)

But looking around me at all the guys (who would all describe themselves as feminists) wetting their pants laughing, I had a terrible dark urge. I wanted to get up, switch the screen off, and tell them flatly and unemotionally how she died. I can recite bits from the postmortem, they make lovely hearing, especially the tissue damage parts. How long it took her to die.

I didn't, I got up and left.

I don't judge anyone for a liking for FG, I find American Dad far less creepy, from the same creators, no? And god knows I have some very "unPC" tastes. It was just the bad vibe of a roomful of men laughing at the thought of a woman being attacked and then saying "Oh but it's just a joke." Very unnerving to me.

I'm so sorry about your friend JFC, I hope that the guy who did it rots in jail.

I'm like you, in that Family Guy (and also South Park) are triggering for me (I don't handle rape or child molestation jokes - I used to watch South Park until it seemed like every freaking episode mentioned child molesting!).

I think that is something that some people don't get (here or IRL), if it triggers someones PTSD, anxiety, or horrible memories, it isn't entertaining to that person. You want to watch a "Saw" marathon, I'm your girl, I'll make coffee and cheesecake....one episode of "Family Guy"? That could throw me right back into therapy, no thanks.

However, I am a firm believer that other people have a right to watch it. :shifty:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.