Family Guy: An ugly truth dressed in the cloak of
comedy
There is truth
in comedy and sometimes that truth is an ugly one. I personally have no problem
with edgy comedy. I do take issue with programs that marginalize certain groups
of people in the name of comedy. These are programs that have no respect for
their respective audiences. They assume by way of their programming that we the
people are too simple to know when the joke is on us. In the case of Family Guy
with a viewership of 4.5 million people every week, and total DVD sales
grossing more than $400 million dollars to date, the joke is on us. We have
taken up a tab that we cannot afford, paying to laugh at ourselves because we
say we are bored. Are we the simple people that they assume we are? Are we to
simple to see the truth placed right in front our faces because it is dressed
in comedy and wearing funny faces?
Case and point made by Family Guy
episode “Perfect Castaway” where Peter who is one of the main character of the
program leads a conversation among his friends by asking “What would you guys
rather be, Blind or a midget?” After a mouth full of mindless blabber Peter
interrupted and said “ok alright here’s another one. Black or crippled?” If
this is ok with you, it is time for you to question your own humanity, and if
it isn’t, it is time for you to exemplify what it means to be humane. It is
beside the point that in this case the group being marginalize is black people,
because I am of the opinion that regardless of what group is being discriminated
against it is the responsibility of all people to stand up and say enough. Why?
Because injustice somewhere against some people is injustice everywhere against
all people.
with edgy comedy. I do take issue with programs that marginalize certain groups
of people in the name of comedy. These are programs that have no respect for
their respective audiences. They assume by way of their programming that we the
people are too simple to know when the joke is on us. In the case of Family Guy
with a viewership of 4.5 million people every week, and total DVD sales
grossing more than $400 million dollars to date, the joke is on us. We have
taken up a tab that we cannot afford, paying to laugh at ourselves because we
say we are bored. Are we the simple people that they assume we are? Are we to
simple to see the truth placed right in front our faces because it is dressed
in comedy and wearing funny faces?
Family
guy is certainly full of funny moments, but how long do we need to laugh until
we realize we are laughing at our own expense. Sometimes I think to myself why do
I bother with trying to get people to wake up to things that other people are benefiting
from them being blinded to? Then the answer comes to me loud and clear and it
is because this is who I am. The minute I forget that, I also forget my value
and that’s when it becomes acceptable for others to make a joke out of me. They hope I am stupid enough to laugh at and
not smart enough to see. We have become the joke America, and we are unaware because
we’ve been laughing so loudly that we forgot to look. We are the bait now and
buried within us is the hook. This is the ugly truth steering at our faces, but
it is dressed in funny clothes and making funny faces. Stop laughing for a
minute and maybe you’ll see the true nature of the jokes. Comedy isn’t so funny
sometimes without its funny coat.09/20/09 Copyright © 2008 Akil Johnson All Rights Reserved
