For 150th ep of "Family Guy" Seth MacFarlane apparently read FCC indecency rules just to BREAK them

[alp227]

according to the Parents Television Council, which once again has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission over Sunday's episode of Family Guy. PTC President Tim Winter, a liberal Democrat (not conservative Republican despite what many of you may think) said:

‘Family Guy’ has now given us its 150th reason why this show should not be aired on the public airwaves when children are likely to be in the audience. Given the patently offensive depictions of one character eating excrement out of a diaper, then eating vomit, and finally licking the remaining excrement from a baby’s bottom – while the baby expresses physical gratification from having his bottom licked – we believe that the broadcast decency law has been broken.

The broadcast decency law makes specific reference to content that depicts excretory functions that are patently offensive for the broadcast medium. It seems as though ‘Family Guy’ creator, Seth MacFarlane, carefully reviewed the legal definition of broadcast indecency and set out to violate it as literally as he could.

Of the PTC's infinite library of moral complaints against the show I've never seen this statement or never thought that FG would ever be like that. I DVR'ed that episode but don't have time to watch it this week, so now the PTC has tempted me more to watch the episode while ultra-prudent parents' heads explode.

In March, the director of PTC's chapter in Chicago complained that the FCC was ignoring the backlog of millions of indecency complaints.

In 2006, the FCC rejected a complaint that PTC filed over a 2005 repeat of the episode "And the Wiener Is..."; that episode originally aired in 2001. FCC concluded: "because of the absence of explicit or graphic descriptions or depictions of any sexual organ, along with the absence of shocking, pandering, and/or titillating effect, the episode, taken as a whole, is not patently offensive."

On edit: If PTC is really concerned about kids learning about the joys of the anus via the public airwaves, its members should listen to some Rush Limbaugh because of his obsession with jokes about anal sex.
Over the years, PTC has previously filed complaints over the Family Guy eps "PTV" (2005), "Family Gay", and "Business Guy" (both 2009). These complaints are still pending.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Isn't it up to the parents to make sure they know what their kids are watching????

That is..if they are too young to watch this...shouldn't the parents be supervising them...



I thought their fight was for LESS government in our lives, not more....

Maybe the PTC should be watching the activities of some our Congressional folks.
There are things they do that are a lot more offensive to me than ANYTHING that Seth McFarlane can come up with.

Those guys are doing it for real. McFarlane is drawing a cartoon.


http://www.politicsfirst.com/forum/index.php?topic=2705.0;wap2

http://www.gophypocrites.com/

[izquierdista]

2. Sacred cows make the best hamburger

:popcorn: YUM! :beer:

[vixengrl]

3. I don't know if MacFarlane went out of his way to be offensive or what--

but here's what I do know:

The episode revolved around the relationship between the two probably best-developed characters of the show, who are also probably the "smartest"--Brian, a pseudo-intellectual talking dog, and Stewie, a psychopathic genuis baby. The cartoon has a history of making jokes out of the idea that even though Brian went to college, he eats poo or thinks dead animals are appropriate presents (as a dog would) or that Stewie is quite capable of making a time machine, but not really up to managing his own physical hygeine. If someone is just discovering these as "Family Guy" jokes now--they weren't watching.

Things one might also find offensive: Brian voted for McCain. WTF--he endorsed Obama. I don't know if I can trust that dog anymore. Also, he has a gun (well, my husband has one, too). Brian spoke openly about considering suicide. And he and the very underage Stewie got drunk (although on good Scotch, which is sort of redeeming, no?) And he pierced Stewie's ear (very bloody, not good.)

The episode explored friendship, the boundaries between people, the things you admit to others, the fear of death and the more pressing fear of not being authentic. It was violent and inappropriate--but it was also a cartoon, featuring characters that actually don't and can't exist.

There are no Brown drop-out talking dogs.

There are no genius toddlers who buy $3000 sweaters and have cell-phones.

The stupid and offensive scenarios are like weird thought-experiements based on *what* the characters are. The dialogue between the characters in that episode, though, kind of were angling at the scared, vulnerable, posing people any of us sometimes are, though. "Who" Stewie and Brian are, are friends of both convenience and their mutual desire to be understood.

I liked that episode.

[Mojambo]

5. I liked the episode as well

It was somewhat poignant at the end.

[quickesst]

4. Family Guy is meant to offend....

...and at the same time amuse those of us who revel in the fact that it offends. Thanks.
quickesst