Race:

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  I developed the sense that Family Guy not only stereotypes for those those who might find it humorous, but also to show viewers the common stereotypes towards certain races that they themselves have created in society. When it comes to race, no ethnic group is left out. The African American community is a commonly targeted group. An instance of these negative depictions is when Peter and his friends go golfing. Peter makes Cleveland (his black friend) wear a  mask of a white man. When Cleveland asks why he has to wear a mask, he takes it off and is seen by a couple of other white men walking. One white man says: "Hey look, it's a black man golfing", and clenches his fists as if he is going to take physical action. When Cleveland sees him, he puts the mask back on and the white man then says: "Never mind, it's a white man." ("The Thin White Man")Also, in the show Brian, the family dog, tends to be racist against blacks and in an episode when asked by Stewie: "What kind of man would I be if I ran off now?", Brian responds: "Well, you'd be a black man."("Chick Cancer")


    

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   These gestures are obviously offensive, but they reflect the stereotypes society, not Family Guy, already had in place. The stereotype that African Americans tend to steal and then "run off" is blown directly out of proportion to show the public and make those who abide by these depictions consider their judgement. In the article by Stephen Dubner, Dubner talks about how Family Guy doesn't receive backlash for their offensive remarks in comparison to real people like Don Imus who made a comment of black women in basketball. The reason being is that people don't take Family Guy seriously like they do an actual person that means what they are saying. This is part of the reason why people don't see the entire truth behind Family Guy. Those who get the general feel that Family Guy is an immature and offensive show, ignore the show and don't consider additional messages that could be being sent to them.


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When looking at the cast of characters of the show, few African Americans are featured, which is typical in many shows. When one looks at the African Americans in the show, the only ones are Ollie Williams the weather man, and Cleveland Brown, Peter's friend. The role of theses characters is very miniscule in comparison to characters like Peter and Quagmire. This is the case especially with Ollie Williams. Every time he is featured in the weather cast, all he says are two to three words phrases such as: "I'm at the wrong airport", "Who wants this dog", and "These people look like ants". He is never involved in any storylines and the argument can't be used that he is a newscaster, because news anchors Tom Tucker and Dianne Simmons are often featured in bigger roles. With Cleveland, he has a bigger role, but doesn't appear in episodes as much as Peter's other friends like Joe and Quagmire. Also, another important thing to note about Cleveland is his dialogue with the way he talks. This stereotypical accent has Cleveland pronouncing words such as "marriage", "murrage", and "merry", "murry". The implicit message Family Guy tries to send with these actions are black inferiority with the minor roles these characters play. Similary to women, Family Guy puts African Americans down despite the advancements and opression they have faced.