Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Anchoress

Home
Catholic
Family Guy goaded Palin into a mistake

Family Guy goaded Palin into a mistake

Last updated on: March 10, 2017 at 8:43 pm by Elizabeth Scalia

Family Guy goaded Palin into a mistake 2017-03-10T20:43:13+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I didn’t see the whole episode, but this scene in Family Guy has apparently gotten Sarah Palin upset:

Both Gov. Palin and her daughter Bristol have responded.

Sarah Palin writes:

People are asking me to comment on yesterday’s Fox show that felt like another kick in the gut. Bristol was one who asked what I thought of the show that mocked her baby brother, Trig (and/or others with special needs), in an episode yesterday. Instead of answering, I asked her what she thought. Here is her conscientious reply, which is a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make about an issue that begs the question, “when is enough, enough?”

And Bristol:

. . . People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront, and yet they are some of the kindest and most loving people you’ll ever meet. Their lives are difficult enough as it is, so why would anyone want to make their lives more difficult by mocking them? As a culture, shouldn’t we be more compassionate to innocent people – especially those who are less fortunate? . . .”

You know, I don’t like humor that makes fun of people. It’s why I can’t watch Ben Stiller, and why Jerry Seinfeld’s latest tv endeavor looks unwatchable to me. Having said that, where is the insult, here?

Family Guy represented Chris’ date as having the common sense, social awareness and self-confidence than the (so-called) “normal” character lacked. The character says her mother is the Governor of Alaska. So?

What exactly is the victimization, here? The Down syndrome character was respectfully rendered (by FG standards); the Governor of Alaska is the mother of child with Down syndrome. By reacting as she has, all Palin has done is helped reinforce a notion that she is brittle and defensive and not-unwilling to play the victim card on behalf of Trig, who–she has said, herself–is perfect, beautiful and will be participating in life and athletics and everyday challenges like everyone, and will be lucky enough to do it with a proud, loving and supportive family.

Ironically, Bristol Palin’s response -by focusing on people with Down syndrome as being “less fortunate” and having “difficult enough” lives actually undermined the positive (and true) message that Palin has been putting out about her son, and all people with Down syndrome. And I hate to say it, but by inviting Bristol to comment, Palin has also invited Andrew Sullivan’s mad speculation back into the mix.

The producers of Family Guy went hunting for Palins, and the Palins took the bait.

Were I Palin, I would have taken this cartoon in the best possible spirit: (regardless of how I thought it was meant) and commented:

“It was gratifying to see Family Guy depict people with Down syndrome as functional, social, courteous, outgoing and independent, and I was so glad to see it. In an era where the word “retard” gets thoughtlessly thrown around by even the most “sophisticated” of people, and when so many in the medical community are so quick to recommend aborting babies that are correctly (or sometimes incorrectly) diagnosed with Down syndrome, my family and I so are grateful to the producers of The Family Guy; they had the insight and generosity of spirit to help normalize the notion of what it means to live with Down syndrome, and how full any life can be, even when the definition of “ordinary” becomes a little changed. While my family was not specifically named in that episode, we are proud to be associated with it.

It’s called hoisting a gang by their own petard. Or, you know, heaping coals on their heads. Or, simply, making the very best of a dubious dig.

Although, as I say, I’m not sure there was a “dig” here. I think it was simply a trap, and it worked. Had the same episode aired, with no mention at all of Palin, would there be any issue here, or would the character of Chris’ date instead be applauded?

I understand the protectiveness of a mother; if my kid was constantly being made mention of or mocked, I’d want to rip people’s eyes out, too. But Trig was not mocked here. Actually, no one was mocked, unless you take the view that it is a mean thing to suggest that anyone gives birth to a Down syndrome child. Fair or not, Palin’s children are part of her whole story, and the press (and the popular culture) will continue to aim at them. Whether Palin-haters make a kill or their weapons blow up in their faces has much to do with how Palin reacts to them.

This time, Palin made mistakes. She may not have “lost” this particular battle. But she could have won it, outright.

And the bigger winner would have been all people with Down syndrome and their families.

Related:
Jim Hoft has a few minutes of Fox News.

Allahpundit links: thanks!

UPDATE: Have had several emails from people asking me if I have “exposure” to people with Down syndrome, either in my family or elsewhere. Not in my family, but I grew up playing with all the kids “on the block,” including one boy who was DS. Although back then there were few programs in place, his family treated him like all the other kids, and we did, too. A few have remarked that The Family Guy rendering of the Down syndrome character was not “respectful” because they’re incapable of being respectful to anyone; true enough, but to my way of thinking, the fact that they did not pander to the character’s disability is–in that show’s perverse way–rather “respectful.” Another point was made that people with Down syndrome are usually sweet-dispositioned and loving, while this character was a self-centered diva, and therefore Family Guy was disrespectful. It is true that people with Down syndrome tend to be very sweet, very considerate and loving. But–again, twist your thinking a little, because you’re dealing with a twisted show–by portraying this character as being capable of self-centeredness and even rudeness, well…again…it works more to mainstream people with DS. I still don’t see the insult and I’ll repeat: if the joke about the Gov. of Alaska had not been made, no one would have said boo about this character. For that matter, the joke, it seems to me, was at Palin’s expense, not her son’s.

Palin is surely tired of her kids being targeted, and with good reason, and I think it’s quite unfair for the same sort of people who never had a problem with John-John Kennedy being brought out in public, to claim that Palin is “using” Trig as a prop (more email). People want to see politician’s kids. Unfortunately, when it’s a Republican politician, the kids are all-too-often considered “fair game.” I’ve always said all the kids should be left out of things. All that said, I still think Palin could have turned played this differently, and better.

UPDATE II:
Noel Shepherd has another clip from the show; reading his remarks I thought it was going to be so offensive I would have to change my thinking about this. But after watching the clip, I still think it’s all pretty tame by Family Guy standards. The show is vulgar, the humor adolescent and it’s all of a piece; they do not treat the Down syndrome character any better or worse than they treat anyone else. I know some don’t find that compelling, but I do.

However, I think the FG producers should make Stewie do a song-and-dance about being gay, and make a few “patented Stewie” jokes honing in on gay stereotypes, or something. Why not? No sacred cows, right? Perhaps FG can do the whole society a service by “insulting” everyone enough that no one needs to carry on about insulted they are, ever again.

UPDATE III: Althouse has links to a de-glamorized Palin. She seems a little offended by the effort to “defeminize” Palin; I think she still looks darn good. even without makeup and hairdo. In fact, if you “deglamorize” her…she sort of looks like many female Dem pols! :-)

I will say this, though: she is definitely in their heads.

Sarah Palin

The Fourth Estate

The Perpetual Adolescents

Touch of evil

TV/Pop Culture/Music

Previous Post

February 16, 2010

Lenten Themes

Next Post

February 17, 2010 Call an assembly, proclaim a fast!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Remaking" Ourselves 'Remaking' America 9/10 Mindset 9/11 trials Abortion ACORN Adoration Advent Advent 2008 Advent 2009 Advent 2010 Alternative Energy Alternative Media America American Catholic Church American Church American Genius Ameridolatry ANCHORESS BOOKSHELF Anglican-Roman Reconciliation Answers & Questions Anti_Semitism Archbishop Hilarion Ayn Rand Bad Mass Barack Obama Baseball Benedict Benedict & Islam Benedict in UK Benedict XVI Benedictine Bill Whittle Birth Control Blogs and Blogging Blogs and Blogging Bloodless Coup Bobby Jindal Bookchat Breitbart Bride at every wedding... Bride at every wedding... Buckley Bullies Bush Bad? Bush Good Buster Capitalism Catholic Fiction Catholic Vocations Catholicism Celibacy Chaput Charitable Stuff Chesterton Chile Chris Christie Christians in Exile Christine O' Donnell Christmas Christmas Gift Ideas Church Hates Science? Church hates women Communion of Saints Compline Conclave 2013 Confession Constitutional Stuff Conversion Crisis & Opportunity Critical Thinking Crooks and Liars Crucible of Faith Cuba Culture of Life Culture of Life/Death Culture of Treason? Dancing Death Dialogue re Islam Dick Meyer Divorce and Remarriage DOJ Domestic Terrorism Dominican Order Don't try me too high Dowd Dumb Democrat moves Dumb GOP moves Economic woe Education Egregious Harry Reid Elder Son Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend Elderly Election '10 Election '12 Election '16 Election 2004 Election 2006 Election 2008 Election 2010 Election 2016 Elena Kagan Elitism Embryonic Stem Cell Research End Times? English language Enhanced Interrogation Erosion of Rights Eucharist Euthanasia Exorcism Extraordinary Synod Facebook Faith Faith and Reason Faith Friday Faith Perspective Faithful Friday Fascism Again Fascism in America Fatima FCC Feminism Film First Things Forgiveness Fr. James Martin Francis and Islam Francis in America Frassati Fred Thompson Free Speech? Freedom of Worship FutureChurch Global Pandemic GOP Congress Haiti Head Covering Health Care Here and Queer Hermits Heroes Hitchens Holy Spirit Holy Week '09 Holy Week '10 Hoo-Hah & BS Hoo-Hah & BS Icons Illegal Immigration In The Arena Interviews Interwebz Iran Uprising Iraqi Christians ISIL ISIS Islamic State Islamification/Islamofascism Islamification/Islamofascism Isra-El It's all about me! Me! ME! James Burke Jerry Lewis Jesus Christ Joblessness John Boehner John McCain John Paul II John XXIII Juan Williams Just Words Katrina/Rita King is a Fink Latin Mass Leadership Lectio Divina Lent Lent '08 Lent '09 Lent 2010 Lent 2011 Limbaugh Listen to Lizzie Litigious Society Liturgy Liturgy of the Hours Mainstream Media Manliness Marriage Mary Media Excess Medical Merton Michelle Obama Mighty John O' Connor Misc. Miss Ella Missionaries Mitt Romney Monasticism My brother S My Irish Aunties Mystic Monks Nanny Statism Nature NEA Neri New Media Newman Noonan Notre Dame NPR Stuff Nun News Obama Bad? Obama Good? Obama White House Oil Spill Online Retreat '08 Online Retreat Days Oratory Orthodoxy Our Hillary! Parenting Passionists Patheos Patheos Book Club Patrons Paul Ryan Penance Penn Jillette Philosophy PJTV Podcasts Poetry Politics-free zone Pop Culture Pope Emeritus Pope Francis Prayer Predictions Priesthood Pro-Life Public Sector Unions Purgatory Questions about Catholicism Quotes of the Day Quoting the News Race in America rants Recipes Remarried Catholics Reposts by request Retreat thoughts Rome Rudy Giuliani Russia Saints Sarah Palin Scandal Scott Brown SCOTUS Scriptural stuff Secularism Send in the clowns Serving up hot links Sexuality Sherrod Shroud of Turin Sisters and Nuns Social Entrepreneurship Social Media Social Security Socialism doesn't work Sports and Faith Stem Cells Strange Gods Suffering Synod Tea Parties Tea Party Terri Schiavo The 9/11 Commission The Catholic Answer The Constitution The Desert The Fourth Estate The Pelosi The Perpetual Adolescents The Rosary Third Party? Timothy Dolan Touch of evil TSA Tsunami TV/Pop Culture/Music TV/Pop Culture/Music Twitter Uncategorized Unemployment Unintended Consequences US Military Vaginal Musings Vatican Vespers video faves Vile Joe Biden Voter Fraud War by Litigation War on Terror War, What it good for? Why can't weeee be ... World Youth Days Year of Faith Year of the Priest

Select a Month August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which prophet did King Manasseh supposedly put to death by sawing?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Micah Isaiah Jeremiah Zephaniah