last one- i promise

Okay so this is the last part of my 3rd blog assignment-



So I like the way this clip is using a pop culture medium to comment on pop culture. The blonde, teenage, skinny, sunbathing, less than articulate girls are supposed to represent that of those that appear on the reality T.V show laguna beach. The way that Peter comments "it isn't easy growing up anywhere" is just another way to show that as a culture we are so consumed by the glamorous celeb-reality T.V shows, are mesmerized by the drama in their lives, and that these teenagers make up the majority of the teenage population




Again "Family Guy" comments on popular culture by referencing Britney Spears' latest tabloid tales. This clip comments on the actions Paris and Britney engage in, as well as playing up the fact that almost ANY American was aware of Britney's antics.

So overall, "Family Guy" confirms certain levels of sexuality in pop culture by portraying them in a satirical way. Those viewers who watch "Family Guy" and are unable to see the elements of satire are in danger of taking the opinion of the one presented to them (Like all the middle school and underaged viewers...) However, in actuality the show comments on many different aspects of pop culture ranging from gender roles to celebrities and perpetuates these ideas through a T.V show watches by thousands of viewers. Not only are these viewers getting THEIR daily dose of popular culture, thanks to the satire of family guy they are getting it twice.

episode analysis 2

This clip has a lot of really interesting things going on. First off, the way Lois claims to be opened minded BUT... While watching this I immediately related this claim to the reading by Moschkovich, "But I Know You American Women." This piece of writing comments on the way Upper Middle Class, white, American, females try to view themselves as open minded. However, in doing so they, more often than not, end up offending minority populations because they do not take a proactive approach in educating themselves and appear ignorant.

When the priest makes the statement that "These issues are too big for man to decided so God made this movie". This is a reference to the way religion plays a role in our society and how people take religion to be absolute and unbending. This part of the clip can relate back to the clip of "Jesus Camp" and the extremes that can result when people let religion solely guide their opinions.

The actual movie clip, within the TV clip, explaining on how to "spot gays" shows the way popular culture comments on homosexuality. This is the part of the analysis where it gets a little sticky because this clip challenges and confirms certain stereotypes. "Spotting Gays" is a way that challenges and confirms stereotypes because although it is crude in its satire it is accurate in the portrayal of people trying to classify others on appearance and preferences. This clip uses liking Madonna and being subhuman as characteristic of homosexual people. In the reading "Homophobia is Straight Men," by Kupers also confirms the way in which homosexuals are portrayed as subhuman.

First episode analysis

This episode full of hegemonic and counter-hegemonic references. Women, although they may be "only cartoons", are being totally objectified- being seen as only objects. "The greatest dirty book store in town," as Quagmire initially states is accurate enough to have an 18 and over sign on the door, but has no references to males as sexual objects. Interesting. Watch the clip again and pay close attention, even all the videos/ books on the shelves are females. (If someone finds this incorrect, honestly, send a post and let me know). Even when Joe gets upset about the possibilities of naked, all blonde sex dolls staring at him Cleveland lets him know it is a dismissible offense because they are only whores. Apparently, whores are not people too and their opinions don't matter- even if they are inappropriately judging a handicapped man. Joe also shows his reaction in a hegemonic way, through aggression.

An interesting commentary came through with the part of Peter finding a women voting- showing the "vulgar" or "risque"- ness of a women voting. Completing daring and unheard of- thank you satire.

The clip ends with Quagmire's song- my favorite reference being "I do stuff to her face" a clear reference to cumming on a girls face after sex, another objectifying action accepted by society not putting on goofy masks- just in case anyone missed that.

Family Guy and understanding gender

This blog post is dedicated to understanding how "Family Guy" is an important aspect in the analysis of gender and pop culture. This blog site is a tool where I am analyzing gender and popular culture in terms of the show "Family Guy" for a women and gender studies class. In no way am I talking badly about the show- in fact, I happen to be a big fan; however it is interesting to see the ways in which T.V shows perpetuate and mock stereotypes of popular culture.

In case you are not getting your daily dose of pop culture, "Family Guy" is a satirical cartoon. Like all T.V shows, each episode has some type of issue or focus. I will be using different episodes to analyze the way in which the content contributes and challenges areas of popular culture.

Collage time

This collage is made from a bunch of images that show the way sexuality is depicted in popular culture via Family Guy. This collage has a dual purpose in that it shows a pop culture medium illustrating aspects of sexuality and also plays up the stereotypes that are used within our culture. Look to see how the images in this collage actively portray "the slut" or "kinky sex", the way "hot girls" should look, or what a "M.I.L.F is, as well as the "beer drinking-womanising man"or what "gay" images are. It is interesting to see how without any words at all these images portray a strong message. Hope you like it

Consumerism and Pop Culture- when does it end?

When looking at the blog topics for this class there is an endless sea of products that can be tagged along to any one of them. DVDs, apparel, food items, toys the list can literally go on and on. This issue is one of great complexity when thinking about how the average person buys into these marketing strategies. Think about going grocery shopping with an adult when you are younger- that is how I look at this predicament (which I guess doesn't say much for the average consumer) When you like some aspect of pop culture people get drawn into consuming memorabilia/ products that it relates to.

American Idol Products:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/application?origin=page.jsp&namespace=search&event=button.search&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntt=American%20Idol&N=0&Ntk=all

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/01/18/american-idol-ice-creams/

Family Guy

http://www.thefamilyguystore.com/

http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/602-9073684-4792663?node=15960491&AFID=google&LNM=family_guy_products&LID=4536891&ref=tgt_adv_XSGT0555

this is what is do when i can't sleep- work on my blog, bad news

Technorati Profile

Check it out- other people analyzing shows too!!

http://persephonesboxblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/you-are-what-you-watch.html

On to comedy. I love Family Guy, most of the time. I love South Park too, and was very conscious the first time I saw it that if I had been with a group of people instead of alone, I would have restrained my laughter. But generally, that's more about toilet humour than sexism. Family Guy is blatantly racist and sexist. There's one episode in particular that's playing in my head, "Father, Husband, Brother?". In it Peter, the dad, finds out that he had a black relative, so he further explores his black roots. It's shockingly racist. A side-plot has Stewie, a toddler of sorts, tying up the head cheerleader at the local high school in order to take over the cheerleading team. At the end, the resident sex offender, Quagmire, finds the teenager tied up and is delighted at his luck. I found the ending of that one hard to watch, yet the rest of it didn't bother me at all! It's all about safe scares and which characters I identify with.
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MY RESPONSE:

Jess B said...

After reading your blog I am very interested in your comments about Family Guy and South Park. I am doing a blog about family guy in relation to a Women's and Gender Pop Culture Class (Http://wgspopculture.bogspot.com)

I think that Family Guy is making a commentary about the way people are ignorant- and that aspect of the show is supposed to provide humor; however, I think the message can be lost when teenagers or racists/ sexists are watching the show and using it as a vehicle to continue their biased thoughts.

Please check out my blog and comment I would love to hear what you think.

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