Last Sunday's episode had a quip about Michael J. Fox. I'll admit it busted me up but I thought they went a little too far on this. Any one else watch the show ?
Funny you should post that.. my partner and I thought the same thing.. when they did the joke both Harry and I didn't laugh and just looked at each other and said... "Ohh That was bad". Family Guy pushed the envelope once in a while and this was just another push. It won't stop me from watching it every week but I do think they step over that line.. at least for me.
If you don't know the joke or see the show.. Peter says something like "The producers really regret casting Micheal J Fox as the new Zorro" and then they cut to the "Z" that Zorro makes with his sword and it's a huge scribble. Of course the joke is MJF has Parkinson disease and can't hold his hand steady to draw a Z.
LOL. They can never go too far. If they held back on anything it would violate the idea of the show that nothing is sacred. Sure some jokes are in better taste than others, but when you draw a line in social commentary, you make your work seem unfair because you actually protect someone.
It becomes an all or nothing situation. Not having seen this episode, I think that they have done worse in the past and that was a very light attack given their past works.
I agree with Just X, basically it's Family Guy's job to go too far.
I haven't watched this week's episode yet, but they do push things pretty far sometimes. Comedy is a funny thing. And I don't mean that as a joke. I try very hard to be able to laugh at myself. What I have found is if you can make fun of yourself everyone else kind of loses power over you. And I agree with some of the above, if you start telling FG what is ok to make fun of what isn't it becomes a form of censorship. And that I have never liked.
Quote from: billybob476 on May 06, 2008, 09:42:34 AM
I agree with Just X, basically it's Family Guy's job to go too far.
I agree.. that's one reason why i love Family Guy.. but it definitely was one of those cringing moments.. at least for me.
I think it was a little in bad taste this time because MJF is very likable and everyone has a lot of respect for him and his family.
Well that brings up an interesting point. Say MJF wasn't such a nice guy, would it be more justifiable to make fun of him?
FG has made fun of Britney Spears on many occasions and people don't seem to find that very offensive. Granted she doesn't have a terminal illness, but she obviously isn't in the best of mental health. Why are those jokes more palatable to us?
Again, I agree that FG has every right to push the envelope of taste. What I find interesting is how we react to it.
I think that OJ, Britney, and MJF all are open targets as part of the price of celeb.
Didn't south park do an AIDS episode with Magic?
Quote from: Rico on May 06, 2008, 10:04:53 AM
I haven't watched this week's episode yet, but they do push things pretty far sometimes. Comedy is a funny thing. And I don't mean that as a joke. I try very hard to be able to laugh at myself. What I have found is if you can make fun of yourself everyone else kind of loses power over you. And I agree with some of the above, if you start telling FG what is ok to make fun of what isn't it becomes a form of censorship. And that I have never liked.
I don't like this show. Some of their jokes are funny, but they go too far too often for my taste. So I make the choice not to watch it... and I don't hold anything against those who do.
I agree with you Rico with regards to censorship, but if I were MJF I might be inclined to consider the 'joke' a personal attack. When and where do you draw the line?
It's all a matter of taste I suppose. For me, using a disease for a joke is a bit much and if I wrote the show I wouldn't of written that type of thing. I put it in this type of perspective. A disease like MJF has is out of someone's control and it is a pretty cheap shot to make fun of that. However, when another celeb does something of their own free will (like something Britney typically has done) I find that much more fair game. I still find the show very funny most of the time. And the truth is when everything and everyone is fair game it does make things pretty even. Celebs have been and always will be very easy targets.
Quote from: Jen on May 06, 2008, 10:48:48 AM
I agree with you Rico with regards to censorship, but if I were MJF I might be inclined to consider the 'joke' a personal attack. When and where do you draw the line?
I don't think that you can draw a line, but I do think that if you are going to make fun of someone then MJF would be a better choice than Brittany Spears.
Sure MJF has a serious condition, but who do you think would be able to better see the joke as a joke and not see it as yet another attack?
Sometimes I think that comedians and jokes target the weakest of the herd with no consideration that they might not be up to taking the joke.
It's this reason that I don't think that a line should be drawn. Just because MJF is sick doesn't mean he wants to be treated differently. I wouldn't. If that means I become the fodder of jokes, so be it. I personally would hate to be treated like a china doll or handled with care because of a condition that I had.
Mental illness is just as serious a condition as Parkinson's but the fact that people sympathize with one condition above the other shouldn't make them immune to being the target of a joke.
And this is why I love FG. Even a joke in bad taste can cause you to think about your perspective on the world around you.
Is Britney Spears mentally ill?
Reportedly she is and has been for quite some time. At least this is what my celebrity-gossip consuming wife tells me.
Quote from: Jen on May 06, 2008, 10:48:48 AM
I don't like this show. Some of their jokes are funny, but they go too far too often for my taste. So I make the choice not to watch it... and I don't hold anything against those who do.
I agree with you Rico with regards to censorship, but if I were MJF I might be inclined to consider the 'joke' a personal attack. When and where do you draw the line?
I doubt they targeted MJF. They would be in a heap of trouble if that were the case. Last season Marlee Matlin was the subject of one joke. Once they did a joke on Liza Minelli that I found in bad taste. I can imagine the amount of mail Fox receives on this show.
Quote from: billybob476 on May 06, 2008, 12:23:30 PM
Reportedly she is and has been for quite some time. At least this is what my celebrity-gossip consuming wife tells me.
I think she is one of the unfortunate young people who was not mature enough to handle the fame. Our wonderful media only made it worse. I would not want her popularity.
Quote from: Rico on May 06, 2008, 11:53:19 AM
Is Britney Spears mentally ill?
To quote Cool World, she's a Wack-a-doodle. Severe depression and other issues that have allowed her parents to resume custody of her, her actions, and her fortune.
We all have our issues, but I think that there is a segment of society that enjoys hearing about another's misfortune. Perhaps they are jealous of her, but it shows when people rabidly consume every scrap of information that shows her issues.
I don't think that a sane (not that there really are many) person would have done a tenth of the things that she has done. Then to see her actions on tv, if it was me, it would push me deeper down in my depression.
Couple that with the fact she was a child star who grew up too fast and the fact she abuses drugs and wammo... she is beyond having issues. It's very sad.
Quote from: Just X on May 06, 2008, 01:01:56 PM
Quote from: Rico on May 06, 2008, 11:53:19 AM
Is Britney Spears mentally ill?
To quote Cool World, she's a Wack-a-doodle. Severe depression and other issues that have allowed her parents to resume custody of her, her actions, and her fortune.
We all have our issues, but I think that there is a segment of society that enjoys hearing about another's misfortune. Perhaps they are jealous of her, but it shows when people rabidly consume every scrap of information that shows her issues.
I don't think that a sane (not that there really are many) person would have done a tenth of the things that she has done. Then to see her actions on tv, if it was me, it would push me deeper down in my depression.
For me comedy doesn't go too far. I don't think anything is untouchable when it comes to jokes. Some of the jokes my mates and I tell each other would make some people here re-think their opinion of me, but that doesn't make me a bad person, and If I thought a joke was coming with a subject matter that I thought I might find offensive, I would probably just not listen. Very very little offends me and I'll joke about most things but I have noticed that South Park can be quite near the knuckle sometimes but It still ranks as one of my favourite animations.
I don't watch Family Guy. I find it tastless but to each their own. I really don't like making fun of people that have no control over their situation,race,color etc.....
It's tragic that MJF's lost his heatlh in the prime of his life.
Like Will Smith, he's a hardworking likable guy who fought for and earned his success - was that his secret? (rim-shot)
Quote from: Rico on May 06, 2008, 11:53:19 AM
Is Britney Spears mentally ill?
Robbie Robertson (The Band) Discribes it best in his song "American Roulette".
The first verse talks about James Dean. Elvis Presley is talked about in the second verse and the third verse talks about Marilyn Monroe.
--------------------------------------
He was born in the belly of the country, over east of Eden, yeah
Confused by the big city blues, he didn't know whose life he's leading, no
Put yourself behind the wheel, and see if you can get that feel
Move faster by night, yeah, move faster by night
The windows were all shattered and the body was all battered
{Refrain}
American roulette, stake your life upon it
American roulette, same eyes, same eyes
American roulette
Take that boy and put him in a mansion, paint the window black
Give him all the women that he wants, put a monkey on his back
All of your so called friends take you where the sidewalk ends
Can't sleep at night, no, can't sleep at night
Lord please save his soul, he was the King of Rock and Roll
{Refrain}
They said she didn't have a chance in hell for the American dream
There's a thousand young blondes out there trying to make it to the silver screen
But she had the walk, the look, the talk that shook the world, read about it
Some like it hot, boy, some like it cool
Too much for her to handle, another scandal, she burnt the candle
{Refrain}
Say a prayer for the lost generation who spin the wheel out of desperation
{Refrain}
Quote from: davekill on May 11, 2008, 12:28:40 PM
fought for and earned his success - was that his secret? (rim-shot)
Wish more people did that :)