The Stereotypical View of Telivision

This past Sunday, the premiere of one of my favorite shows, Family Guy, had me tuning into Fox’s Animation Domination lineup. The new season certainly proved that the show has come a long way since its creation because it was funnier than ever. Though, at the same time, I was thinking about the readings that were assigned for this class because they related directly to it. It made me view the show in a way that I never had before. Although we, as Americans, find the show completely hilarious because of its sexual jokes and stereotypical comedy, how do other counties and nationalities really view the risky humor that the show contains? Even though Family also pokes fun at the American lifestyle, we seem to look beyond it and find more hilarity in the jokes that involve other races or nationalities. For example, Peter Griffin portrays an obese American father that is completely idiotic and is somewhat of an alcoholic too. While we seem to ignore the fact that this is attacking the American lifestyle, we find humor in Consuela, the Mexican housemaid that refuses to do work, or Mort Goldman, who is a Jewish pharmacy owner and has bad bouts of anxiety. These are the typical stereotypes that the show bases most of its humor on. While I believe the situations and the dialogue are definitely some of the most comedic I have ever seen, looking at the whole picture makes you truly think about what you are watching. Still, whether or not Family Guy is friendly for all audiences, it is a show that has won over our views and it will surely prevail into the future.