What are we really laughing about?

Evolution of understanding- final presentation

2007-04-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

Now Playing:

peter views a naughty flapper girl video

Now Playing:

href="http://www.familyguyfiles.com/family-guy-creationism-video/">family guy creationism video

Power & Empowerment- Final Blog Post

2007-04-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Character guide

What does it say about the Griffin household when the family dog is the voice of reason. Well, they are a dysfunctional, middle class, suburban family- mocking all aspects of pop culture. Each character; however, is marked my symbolic power or empowerment.

Peter Griffin, the father and head of the Griffin household is shown as an idiot. This is an image of power as far as gender roles go. It is shown that even as "an idiot" or a bad decision maker at the least, a man is still the head of the house hold.

Lois Griffin, once Lois Pewterschmidt, was the daughter of a very wealthy man. When she fell in love with Peter and got married she left her inheritance behind. Lois teaches piano lessons, but mostly takes care of her family. This is an image the take power away. Lois' character shows women putting being hopelessly in love, even if it is with a fool, and keeping the family together. Her character also shows her in the typcial housewife role.

Chris and Meg embody the awkwardness of being a teenager; however gender comes into play by letting Meg receive the brunt of jokes about her looks. Again stressing the importance of physical beauty in female, teenage adolescents.

The list could go on, but each character portrays a stereotype in our society. Pop culture is a source in which truths, satire, and social commentary are mixed together and fed back to an audience. From readings in this course, and class conversations, it is evident that people have a desire to regurgitate and commentate on all aspects of our society.

Family Guy makes references to all types of pop culture aspects and uses satire to make a statement. For exampe in many episodes Lois tries to help Meg be more attractive to the opposite sex. In one particular episode Lois tells Meg a shirt that says "Cum Dumpster" is very becoming on her (haha pun) However, this is a commentary on the way young women are portrayed in our society and parenting. Young women are forced to portray a certain role- attractive, and sexually promiscuous- "being a cum dumpster" will get you a guy? Also that idea of parents being a source of continuing these ideas instead of providing guidance. In this day and age, when the most popular high school graduation gift is plastic surgery ( i saw it on the news this morning) parents are clearly sending a message that physical appearance is an important aspect of who you are, and how others see you.

Wow, Family Guy- that is kind of deep.

buddy blog

2007-04-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

digioac2 said...
Blog Buddy Work

1. Where has your Blog buddy shown strong analytical work (be specific—is it a particular post, a type of analysis, a site for analysis that seemed to click more so than others, etc)?

In Jess’ post after the video of the guys in the sex shop she has shown strong analytical work. Her analysis of the objectification of women in the clip seems to be dead on. The shop looks to be for men and men only as shown by the females covering all the magazine covers and all the female sex dolls.

2. How could your Blog buddy use this strength for the final Blog post and presentation?

Jess will be able to use this strength in her final blog post and presentation by doing the post about audiences and understandings. Her accurate analysis of various elements of Family Guy are well thought out and they do make sense but in a show like Family Guy there are going to be disagreements on how certain jokes should be taken.

3. Think about the following statements in relation to your Blog buddy’s Blog and then provide feedback on each area (constructive praise/criticism):

The Blog is on a topic that has been clearly evident in the Blog posts throughout the semester

Most of the posts are related or about a specific episode or clip from an episode of Family Guy so we know exactly what she is talking about.

The Blog is on a topic that seems to interest my Blog buddy

My blog is on Family Guy too so I love her topic!

My Blog buddy’s topic is one that has produced a good set of posts that were analytical used gender as a primary category of analysis

All of her posts were very well done and most of them had a video to accompany her analysis of gender in the show which helped even more. Her post on the guys in the sex shop was particularly effective in analyzing gender.

The posts make analytical arguments. The posts are understandable and each post logically outlines and supports the argument presented. The posts were clear, provided insight, evidence, and analysis to connect the topic with the assignment for each of the posts

All of the posts in Jess’ blog were very well organized and clearly stated her arguments and were supported with evidence to back it up.

The sources cited in each post are relevant to the topic and help to aid the understanding of the argument and/or assisted in proving the argument.

She cited many of the articles we read for class and helped to further support her arguments.

The quotes used illustrate a broad range of course readings throughout the semester.

Quotes used in the blog were relevant and supportive of the topic being discussed

The quotes were clear and succinct; additionally, the material was presented so that I could differentiate the Blog buddy’s ideas from that of the author cited.

4. Finally, complete the following:

I thought it was great when you... used video clips to help people who may not watch the show know exactly what you are talking about in your posts.

I found it confusing when you… everything seemed clear to me

You’re really great at… making it easy for the reader to understand exactly where you are coming from and analyzing the controversial parts of the show.

I wish you could focus (more) on/alter/edit/explain/expand on/etc these three things…
(Basically, when you read the Blog posts, what do you wish your buddy had done differently, more of, etc?) Not too much else in the blog to worry about… great job.

Buddy Work

2007-04-22T19:21:00.001-07:00

Blog Buddy Work

1. Where has your Blog buddy shown strong analytical work (be specific—is it a particular post, a type of analysis, a site for analysis that seemed to click more so than others, etc)?

2. How could your Blog buddy use this strength for the final Blog post and presentation?

3. Think about the following statements in relation to your Blog buddy’s Blog and then provide feedback on each area (constructive praise/criticism):

The Blog is on a topic that has been clearly evident in the Blog posts throughout the semester

The Blog is on a topic that seems to interest my Blog buddy

My Blog buddy’s topic is one that has produced a good set of posts that were analytical used gender as a primary category of analysis

The posts make analytical arguments. The posts are understandable and each post logically outlines and supports the argument presented. The posts were clear, provided insight, evidence, and analysis to connect the topic with the assignment for each of the posts

The sources cited in each post are relevant to the topic and help to aid the understanding of the argument and/or assisted in proving the argument.

The quotes used illustrate a broad range of course readings throughout the semester.

The quotes were clear and succinct; additionally, the material was presented so that I could differentiate the Blog buddy’s ideas from that of the author cited.

4. Finally, complete the following:

I thought it was great when you...

I found it confusing when you…

You’re really great at…

I wish you could focus (more) on/alter/edit/explain/expand on/etc these three things…
(Basically, when you read the Blog posts, what do you wish your buddy had done differently, more of, etc?)

In the News

2007-04-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Family Guy News Story
More news

This article brings about some interesting discussion. In the articles it is mentioned that Carol Burnett, similarly to "Family Guy", is known for her success based on pop-culture parodies. In the second article it talks about other elements of pop culture that have been made light of on the hit show, however no legal action has been taken.

The way Carol Burnett depicts herself in this action is that it is okay for her to make light of what she chooses, but when the subject matter is her it is a different senerio. Perhaps she did not realize that they were doing something she did so well- her show is a past element of pop culture that was incorporated into the hit show.

This article is interesting in that it shows the way pop culture perpetuates through the years. Carol Burnett made pop culture references as well as Family Guy. In some ways this article shows society's desire to mock aspects of pop culture- things that were popular, celebrities, scandals, and shows are all sources from satirical references, People like to make light of pop culture because it is pushed in our faces, ironically the vehicles used to make these statements are also a part of the universal pop culture conversation.

last one- i promise

2007-03-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

< name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZzfwQrg_OtI">

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

2007-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-03-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-06T23:30:00.001-08:00

Technorati Profile

Check it out- other people analyzing shows too!!

2007-03-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

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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2007-03-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Subscribe » Online Marketing Blog

Blog assignment #1, part 2

2007-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

In terms of Masculinity this show also reveals a lot of what we value as a society. In this particular episode the only male object of analysis is Sharon's husband and his behavior towards her beauty. In the show he is overwhelmed with happiness by her transformation. This reaction is loaded with insight into the concepts of masculinity and femininity. Although her husband would probably not be considered incredibly attractive, it is not a mutual makeover. Sharon uses plastic surgery, makeup, and fashion, to make herself the best looking person she could be yet her husband does not change at all.

This is not a chance occurrence, most participants on this show are females. This reveals that it is more acceptable for women to undergo a complete physical transformation because it is important for women to look their best, while men remain unchanged without worry.

Again this shows the emphasis of beauty in regards to women, and the importance of the physical in relation with femininity. In these terms, women are shown as being the inferior to men in that it is more acceptable to them to change themselves in order to please their spouse. The pleased reaction of men once a women has undergone such a radical transformation shows the emphasis men place on the physical attractiveness of their partners. Perhaps this is men looking at women as an extension of themselves?

Lastly, in relation to the Kate Bornstein Quiz that was taken in class this topic relates greatly to the fact that women score lower just because they were women. (Again, women are categorized as being inferior to men) Masculinity defines men as being more powerful, less emphasis on physical beauty, and worthy of changed in order to be pleased. Because my blog is based around Family Guy, check out this clip that relates to the topic.

Blog assignment #1, part 1

2007-02-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

After watching an episode of “Extreme Makeover” I couldn’t help, but be appalled at what I saw. The episode was one where the contest, a woman who had locked herself away in order to undergo a total transformation, was revealed to herself. A funny concept, isn’t it? Being revealed to ones self? You would think you would be the only person you would not have to reveal yourself to; unfortunately our society has taken an ugly turn in regards to what we value morally and as entertainment.
The episode I watched was the 5th episode of the 1st season. A 27-year-old woman named Sharon was the subject of the show. The wife and mother for three children talked about her poor self image and living in the shadow of her “much prettier” twin sister. To solve her physical inadequacies she underwent rhinoplasty, a chin implant, breast augmentation, and teeth whitened and straightened.

As if going through this process was not painful enough to watch the most unbearable part of the show is the reaction of the subjects’ family. A woman, barely resembling what she once was, in presented to her family. They all wait in anticipation of Sharon’s return and upon seeing her are so thrilled they are brought to tears by her beauty.

What messages do shows of this nature send to the viewers about the concepts of masculinity and femininity in popular media? What kinds of images does our society portray as beautiful. Young girls growing up are giving dolls to play with that portray the “ideal.” Although the image of Barbie was always a bad model for young girls, the idea of that model being attainable is even scarier. “… Barbie demonstrates that femininity is a manufactured reality. In entails a lot of artifice, a lot of clothes, a lot of props…” (Dines, 95)

Shows of the “Extreme Makeover” nature provide a vehicle for women to obtain this unnatural sense of beauty. Plastic surgery, impossibly toned bodies, big breasts, white teeth, and clear skin shape the definition of beauty in our culture. These shows promote images of women that epitomize this sense of femininity and show the reactions of their loved ones being pleased. These shows are more dangerous than the “Barbie image” little girls used to have, because our culture is now creating the opportunity to become real life Barbie Dolls.These shows put completely emphasis on the way women look- they need to be pretty, in shape, and fashionable. They need to be trimmed with all the right accessories and be willing to undergo what ever necessary to obtain this definition of femininity. After all beauty is pain, right Ladies?

Extreme Makeover images

work cited:
Dines, Gail and Humez, Jean M., eds. Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2003. 95.

5 links

2007-02-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Article about Cartoons as Education tool

Shows cartoons as something more substantial than purely entertainment, and gives insight to critiquing them.

http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=15394
The ongoing conversation between people and the media that create pop-culture, one of the finest examples.

Http://www.noob.us/humor/family-guy-voice-actor-seth-macfarlanes-harvard-class-day-speech-2006/
Some insight to the creator Seth McFarlanes. A speech he gave, some insight to his motivation for the show and his thoughts on society

http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/4/17/familyGuyVisitsFarm
Family guy in the News

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/hitlist.asp?theme=Family%20Guy
TV and Popculture and the ways it spreads like wildfire.

Fat vs beautiful?

2007-02-12T03:44:00.000-08:00

Picasa Web Albums - check out some images

Notice that all these pictures are of females.
I know the family guy clip is of Peter becoming more attractive, but look at how Lois responses. Why are there only pictures of Female celebs looking overweight, and why is it such a negative thing?

body image message for everyone!

2007-02-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

Family Guy clip
Although there is humor here, What message is this sending about "beautiful" people? Do you think this message is accurate. Any thoughts?

Topic change

2007-02-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

I changed my topic to focus on the same issue, but using the t.v show family guy. The reason for this change is based on the large viewer audience of Family Guy and the age group that watches this show (younger group of viewers)
Also Family Guy uses satire to address a lot of issue I would like to analyze and discus.
Stay Tuned!

Welcome to Jersey, Population too many

2007-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

This is the start of a very interesting project. The goal is to analyze the way popular culture influences all of us in an inescapable way. Particularly, I will be using the T.V show the Sopranos- 'cuz hey I'm Italian and I live in New Jersey- and let's face it, The Sopranos is one of the many t.v shows we all love to hate some times.

So Stay Tuned...
There will be much more to come!