Did family guy go too far ?

[Cosmopoles]

I'm sure Family Guy's creators feel just terrible about all the free publicity.

[Grave_n_idle]

Yea, as you'd just have to be "pro-life" to let someone with DS or other disabilities live...

Not the point, I think - more that she herself said that she considered abortion when she found out, but that she triumphed over it.

She made a big deal about not aborting her DS son.

Ah, then apologies to The Lone Alliance. It's a shame that Palin used her child's DS for a political point, and as I think you were touching on, it's almost counter-productive from a pro-life/disability point of view for her to suggest that she even considered abortion.

Indeed, it was that kind of commentary from Palin that finally convinced me that she'll say anything for possible political gain. Who raises the idea that they THOUGHT about aborting their kids as a testimony? Especially when she portrays herself as such an advocate for the disadvantaged.

[Blouman Empire]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35430923/
Yeah I know we all hate Palin and think she is a nut.
Is it not a little past even a comedy show to reference her child with Down's syndrome?

It's one thing to ridicule Sarah Palin, it is another thing to ridicule Down Syndrome, that is like ridiculing people for being gay or being blind.

[Blouman Empire]

I'm sure Family Guy's creators feel just terrible about all the free publicity.

Haha one of the reasons why they did it

[Blouman Empire]

All Post-Cancellation episodes haven't been funny, and they are getting dumber with each episode.

Well season 3 and 4 were alright pretty much everyone after that aren't that funny at all except for the odd episode.

[Bottle]

Family Guy gave up on being funny a couple seasons ago. Now they're just trying to be shocking. Same thing happened to South Park after a while.

[Laerod]

It's one thing to ridicule Sarah Palin, it is another thing to ridicule Down Syndrome, that is like ridiculing people for being gay or being blind.

Which Family Guy does...

[Karaginsky]

I watched that on Sunday, I personally laughed my ass off

figuratively o' course

[The Infinite Dunes]

I'm confused. Her young boy has Downs, not her older girl. Generally I don't think the media should focus on any specific person who has not thrust themselves into the political limelight somehow. That is Sarah Palin and Bristol Palin are both fair game. A non-specific person with Downs Syndrome is also a possible subject, but quite possibly in poor taste too.

Having not seen the episode I really can't comment too much, just elaborate on a general position.

[Blouman Empire]

It's one thing to ridicule Sarah Palin, it is another thing to ridicule Down Syndrome, that is like ridiculing people for being gay or being blind.

Which Family Guy does...

Oh well I'll change my mind then.

[Blouman Empire]

It got terrible around 2008. The last good one I remember was where Stewie and Brian and Mort traveled to Nazi Germany. The show fell apart after that in my own opinion. Of course, in that same episode was where a political badge featuring MCCAIN-PALIN was on a Nazi officers uniform, but I don't remember hearing anything about that...

Nah that was a shit episode, which is a shame because the other "Roads to..." were enjoyable

[Galtisle]

It's offensive, distasteful, sick and wrong. I love it! If I had kids they would be home schooled with a strict Family Guy cirriculum.

[Kori to Mizu to Joki]

It's offensive, distasteful, sick and wrong. I love it! If I had kids they would be home schooled with a strict Family Guy cirriculum.

I've been of NSG long enough to realise this is sarcasm.
Or is it.

[Copenhagen Metropolis]

No? You can make fun of ugly people, people with pimples, fat people, old people, people in wheelchairs – why shouldn't you be able to make fun of people with Down's Syndrome as well?

[Andaluciae]

I voted yes, but not on the Palin kid thing. No, I voted yes on the "Family Guy went to far by just being on." Ugh, I can't stand the show.

Initially I rather enjoyed the show, but there was always something I felt in the pit of my stomach. A feeling of doubt, that I was on the verge of another feeling, but the episodes were so short it never fully arose. Then I watched the "Stewie Griffin Story" when it came out on DVD--actually a little before as I watched a friends pirated copy, and that vague feeling in the pit of my stomach turned into full blown disgust. The triple-length episode showed me something.

This was not a good show. Peter was annoying, the jokes were repetitive and superficial, it was occasionally preachy, it was formulaic, and the final killing realization that it was designed for one demographic in particular: Drunken frat boys who wear their hats sideways with the bill unbroken.

[Ifreann]

I expect that going to far is the writers' goal in life.

[Conservative Ad Droid]

...it's Family Guy.

Don't get me wrong the jokes about her pregnant teenage daughter, given her views on birth control/sex Ed were hilarious.
Something about moving the target to her Child with down's syndrome just seems to be in rather poor taste.

Indeed, however as said above me: It's Family Guy.

[Ashmoria]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35430923/
Yeah I know we all hate Palin and think she is a nut.
Is it not a little past even a comedy show to reference her child with Down's syndrome?

nope

they were mocking HER not her child.

her child isnt an adult woman, eh?

nothing wrong with mocking a public figure.

[Ashmoria]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35430923/
Yeah I know we all hate Palin and think she is a nut.
Is it not a little past even a comedy show to reference her child with Down's syndrome?

It's one thing to ridicule Sarah Palin, it is another thing to ridicule Down Syndrome, that is like ridiculing people for being gay or being blind.

did you see the clip? the person with downs wasnt mocked at all.

[Phenia]

There were a few points in the episode that I'd say were "pushing the envelope" as far as dealing with Downs syndrome in a respectful manner. None of them involved the throwaway reference that Palin is focusing on. Her indignation over Famiy Guy would seem a little less feigned and self-serving if she'd taken on some of the demeaning DS gags and not just an incidental reference to her resume.

Palin being fake and self-serving? I find that hard to believe. Just look at how she savaged Limbaugh for his.... um... ah.

The joke in question wasn't at the expense of Palin's child, it was at Palin's expense - the fact that she's trying to make it about her child just shows what a truly hollow person she really is.

So in conclusion, Family Guy didn't actually go too far, and Sarah Palin just decided to fake another "I'm offended" PR ruckus using her children as a shield/political weapon.

I wonder how many Tea Party campaign dollars she raked in as a result of "being offended" again.

I wonder how many times in the future someone will rewrite this incident by referencing what a poor martyr Sarah Palin is, like how Family Guy attacked her family, just like the liberal media....

[Ashmoria]

There were a few points in the episode that I'd say were "pushing the envelope" as far as dealing with Downs syndrome in a respectful manner. None of them involved the throwaway reference that Palin is focusing on. Her indignation over Famiy Guy would seem a little less feigned and self-serving if she'd taken on some of the demeaning DS gags and not just an incidental reference to her resume.

Palin being fake and self-serving? I find that hard to believe. Just look at how she savaged Limbaugh for his.... um... ah.

The joke in question wasn't at the expense of Palin's child, it was at Palin's expense - the fact that she's trying to make it about her child just shows what a truly hollow person she really is.

So in conclusion, Family Guy didn't actually go too far, and Sarah Palin just decided to fake another "I'm offended" PR ruckus using her children as a shield/political weapon.

I wonder how many Tea Party campaign dollars she raked in as a result of "being offended" again.

I wonder how many times in the future someone will rewrite this incident by referencing what a poor martyr Sarah Palin is, like how Family Guy attacked her family, just like the liberal media....

palin lost her RIGHT to whine about such things when she excused rush limbaugh for using the word "retard" over and over again.

[West Estainia]

...it's Family Guy.

Couldn't have said it better. Family Guy is designed to shock and offend people. It's built to piss people off.

[The_pantless_hero]

Family Guy gave up on being funny a couple seasons ago. Now they're just trying to be shocking. Same thing happened to South Park after a while.

Their last season has been pretty decent. South Park's I mean.

Besides, this is not a "Seth Macfarlane is a disrespectful tool" issue; this is a "Sara Palin carries around a cross in her trunk" issue. Chris has been shown to be slow and stupid from the start of the show. What about Opie? The mentally deficit coworker of Peter in his new job? The entire redneck hick episode? Family Guy has been putting these characters in the show FOR YEARS and there is occasionally background murmur, but is there ever a front page shit storm? Not until the EverMartyr (Copyright pending) Sara Palin takes offense at it.

Never mind the fact that even while Family Guy uses stereotypes to pull jokes, the disabilities themselves arn't the brunt of the jokes, but the actions of the characters.

[Laerod]

palin lost her RIGHT to whine about such things when she excused rush limbaugh for using the word "retard" over and over again.

Aye. Seth is ok in doing this so long as its "satirical".

[Flameswroth]

Nah, it's aight. I think it's far less bothersome than the indoctrination* episodes they have where they make religion not exist, or pot legal and all of a sudden everything is so much better. Those episodes kind of bug me, because I can feel the creepy, incorporeal fingers of preachy-ness worming their way through my eyes and ears like some sort of alien worm trying to eat my brains. Compared to that, using a Downs kid and making an episode that could be construed as insensitive is less annoying...at least to me

*Yes, I know it's a TV show and that sort of language is probably reading too much into it. Still, pushing a point through humor is an effective way of persuading people. It's like sugar with the medicine, making the viewing audience go 'om nom nom dis is candies!'