Family Guy's Transphobic Mother's Day Episode

[queerunity.livejournal.com]

Family Guy an animated television series on Fox aired an extremely transphobic episode on Mother's Day. The episode called "Quagmire's Dad" was about a big life change for his father, a recognized Navy war hero veteran. The episode is filled with homophobic and transphobic language and judgment.

http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2010/05/family-guys-transpohic-mothers-day.html

My personal opinion is that satire is acceptable and political incorrectness can sometimes be funny. This in my humble opinion was over the top and creates a society that allows for fear and panic of transgender individuals. Please weigh in with your thoughts on the article and the video episode?

Comments

[merig00.livejournal.com]

Considering that Quagmire accepted his Dad for who (s)he is, I don't see what's o transphobic about the episode

Hi! Please read the rules:

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

6. Posts that solely include an advertisement of either a LJ community, a personal LJ blog or a commercial product will be removed. Mentioning these as part of the narrative is fine though, as long as that's not the sole purpose of the post. Same applies for campaigning for a cause.

My friend, I think this post unfortunately qualifies in the above-mentioned category. Here's how you could make it stay:

- insert personal opinion/analysis
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The standard procedure is that you now have 1 hour to make amendments. Thanks in advance!

Re: Hi! Please read the rules:

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for responding so fast. Do enjoy the discussion.

[cesaretech.livejournal.com]

It's Family Guy; nothing is sacred. This is the episode that sent you over the edge?

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

idk I think the icon alone can provide hours of enjoyment. :D

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Yep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinkfist#Interpretation).

[existentme.livejournal.com]

No. I'll no sooner email them about this episode than I would've emailed whomever with regard to the South Park portrays Mohammad episode.

Besides, like almost all episodes of family Guy, it was satire, in case you missed that.

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

That's because it's a show that's dedicated to upholding Christian values.

[dukexmachismo.livejournal.com]

The episode with the Pope changed my life.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

No thanks.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Oops, you removed the part where you campaigned for us to send them angry emails? OK I might actually check this out.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

A little sensitive are we?

[thies.livejournal.com]

Fuck Muhammad that transgendered jew loving ginger haired nigger whore.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Zap!

[dukexmachismo.livejournal.com]

creates a society that allows for fear and panic of transgender individuals

my opinion is that if a cartoon that bases its humor on making fun of everybody on the planet can measurably damage our society's attitude toward anything, we're already pretty much fucked.

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

One in which Quagmire, the perpetually inappropriate, emotionally retarded misogynist comes to accept his transgendered dad, no less.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

I wish I had cable. I miss Family Guy.

[thies.livejournal.com]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/144903/family-guy-quagmires-dad

[medea34.livejournal.com]

" if a cartoon that bases its humor on making fun of everybody on the planet can measurably damage our society's attitude toward anything, we're already pretty much fucked."

ITA. this is a show that regulaly features a 'funny' pedophile and I dimly recall an episode where the baby was into BDSM. it is frequently off putting and revolting (and is often hillarious). if you were expecting a sensitive portrayal of anything, you were watching the wrong show.

I have a pretty high tolerence for stupid and gross, and the family guy crossed my line in the episode where they were drinking syrop of ipecac and repeatedly vomiting - for fun.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

Cartoons being mean to you is one of the sillier things to get worked up about.

I especially enjoy the people who find these shows really funny and edgy until they go after something they really like and then say they have Gone To Far(tm)

[http://users.livejournal.com/aviation_/]

MAN FAMILY GUY WAS SO GOOD until they made fun of ME

[http://users.livejournal.com/aviation_/]

Seriously, no.
Family guy makes fun of anyone and everyone. Family guy is a TV show.
I had a life threatening eating disorder for years, and I still watch the show even though it has on many occasions made light of eating disorders. OMG GUIZE it is doing something subversive.

[mijopo.livejournal.com]

Family guy makes fun of anyone and everyone.
Hmm, a number of people have made similar comments, but let me choose yours at random. I have no idea how this could be salient to the question of whether or not it had gone too far, crossed some ethical boundary. Suppose I were being accused of assault, would the fact that I'd assaulted a broad range of people somehow absolve me?

Family guy is a TV show.

Don't get this one, either. How is the fact that it's a TV show relevant?

[mijopo.livejournal.com]

I would be interested in your thoughts as to how to define the line where things go "over the top" and cease being acceptable satire or political incorrectness.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

I condemn people who think Family Guy is funny in general.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Its got some funny stuff.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

My roommate loves to horrify our gay friend with explicit details of her sex life. I don't find my heterosexuality threatened by the fact that he has a natural revulsion to heterosexual sex.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Have her call me

[bailzzararco.livejournal.com]

In my opinion it was a very positive episode about transgendered people. Of course the character Quagmire at first reacts very negatively, and he also seemed to be the only one to understand the difference between being gay and transgendered, as evidenced in his conversation with Lois and Peter. In the end he decides to live with it. Being what the show is, you watch it with full knowledge that it's going to be "offensive" but I don't think that is the point of the show at all. The over the top reaction is exactly what they're making fun of. It's a "Hey, America, you suck, and this is why." Can't you see how ridiculous you're being? Anyway, that's what I get out of the show.

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Besides which, being offended by ANYTHING the Griffins do is pretty ridiculous. The entire point of the show is how awful, stupid, petty, and outrageously wrong the Griffins are on most every issue. This is the family, remember, that wanted their son to become a Jew so he could be magically successful. If that's the representation you're worried about... well, yeah.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

I was trying to decide if the writers were being intentionally ironic by having Brian, the show's resident bleeding-heart liberal, have, um, the reaction that he did. C'mon, where's the tolerance?! ;)

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Brian isn't especially liberal, he's just smarter than everyone else. I can see how the two are easily confused though.

[mrsilence.livejournal.com]

I totally read this episode to be satire, highlighting and making fun of the stereotypical responses to transgendered issues and people who show irrational fear of transgendered persons.

If anything, I would say it was trans-positive and you totally misunderstood the message, probably because you're being oversensitive and feel anything that makes light of the issues must be an attack.

[verytwistedmind.livejournal.com]

+1

[prader.livejournal.com]

My personal opinion is that satire is acceptable and political incorrectness can sometimes be funny... when it's not aimed at my particular sacred cow. Like Christians. Or Conservatives.

Oh, let me drop everything because somebody said something that could be interpreted as being offensive to somebody else.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Agree.

[gillen.livejournal.com]

First they made fun of the Republicans, and I laughed because I was not a Republican.

Then they made fun of the Christians, and I laughed because I was not a Christian.

Then they made fun of FOX News, and I laughed because I don't watch FOX News.

Now they've made fun of me, and everyone's laughing at me. FUCK YOU, IT ISN'T FUNNY!

WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

[torpidai.livejournal.com]

ROFLMAO, almost as good as the original.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

So you came here, threw this in and went away without ever coming back to participate in the conversation? Hmmm.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Busy gettin' caught up on the TIVO I suppose ;)

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Why not just grow a pair?

Oh, wait....

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

you owe me a new computer monitor, you bastard.