"Why was Family Guy Okay When Imus Wasn't" by: Stephen J. Dubner
In this article, Stephen J. Dubner goes about explaining the public perception of Family Guy, in comparison to Don Imus who received backlash after making a remark about a female basketball team. Dubner talks about how Imus got fired for his comments, but Family Guy is never under as much scrutiny or looked down upon for the messages they send about certain groups. The author's overall argument helps explain my theory of the views Family Guy receives, as it is taken into consideration differently than an actual person like Imus. Dubner brings up many points explaining why Family Guy is never under as much fire than people who mean what they say for reasons other than entertainment purposes.
The author brings up the example I used in my own observations when Stewie asks Brian: "What kind of man would I be if I ran off now", and Brian responds: "Well, you'd be a black man". Dubner remarks of how there was no controversy over this as there was with Don Imus. As I said in my own analysis, people don't take shows like Family Guy and South Park seriously when it comes to debating on whether or not to take action on their portrayals of certain groups. What Family Guy has done is exaggerated the typical stereotypes of society and shown them to the public through their jokes to show society the monster they helped create. Crude humor is the major reason behind these depictions, but this is the subliminal message Family Guy tries to send society of what is thought about them. Dubner brings up the points that Imus is human and "aspires to some level of intellectual sophistication" while Family Guy is cartoon and "brazenly juvenile". These are the major reasons why an actual person would receive more scrutiny than a whole show. With a single person people know who to blame so it is easier to point fingers, while Family Guy is composed of multiple minds which makes it more difficult when it comes to playing the blame game. As a result the audience doesn't take the time to consider the messages of everyday life that Family Guy tries to send them though satire and exaggeration. They just think that poking fun of everything is for entertainment purposes and in effect the truth behind Family Guy is left a mystery.
