ipl-logo

Macfarlane's Use Of Negative Stereotypes In Family Guy

387 Words2 Pages

Since its debut in 1999, Seth MacFarlane's animated television series Family Guy has developed a sizable fan base. Yet, it has also come under fire for perpetuating negative stereotypes and using foul humor. Asians are one group that has been specifically targeted in the show since they are frequently portrayed in stereotypical and derogatory ways. By using Asian characters, Family Guy encourages negative stereotypes and racism towards this population. First off, a lot of the Asian characters in Family Guy are portrayed as nerdy, awkward, and unsocial. The idea that Asians are "perpetual foreigners" who are unable to integrate into American culture. Professor K. Scott Wong notes, "Asians are still largely portrayed as outsiders, different and peculiar… They have a hard time assimilating and tend to be viewed as marginal figures”(Wong, 2013). Family Guy contributes to the stereotype that Asians are fundamentally …show more content…

This serves to objectify Asians for comedic effect and reinforces the stereotype that they are exotic and foreign. According to James J. Yoo, “By ridiculing Asians in this way, Family Guy perpetuates the myth that Asians are forever foreigners” (Yoo, 2011). This type of humor perpetuates a dangerous form of racism that sees Asians as inherently different and inferior in addition to being offensive.
Additionally, Family Guy frequently employs offensive and crude stereotypes in its jokes, using Asia as a punchline. Peter Griffin, for instance, sings a song about how he finds everything in Japan to be "funny" in one episode. As a result, the complexity of Asian society is reduced to an offensive caricature, reinforcing the notion that Asian culture is inherently strange and puzzling. “Asia is presented as a place of exotic, sexualized fantasies rather than a continent with diverse people, cultures, and histories” (Lee-Morrison,

Show More
Related
737 Words | 3 Pages

“The Influence on the Unconscious” As young adults, we have laid around our homes for countless hours watching different types of television programing. Many of us, have a good idea on whether a program tries to offend viewers with their content. For over a decade, the popular television show “Family Guy” created by Seth MacFarlane, has shown controversial content that many people throughout the world have either loved or hated. In the writing piece titled, “Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” by Antonia Peacocke that is discussed below encourages us to distinguish between offensive and insightful content that airs on Family Guy.

Read More
418 Words | 2 Pages

On Stereotypes and Their Consumption Avenue Q, a Broadway production, has been both appraised and scrutinized for its brash sense of humor. The musical addresses the world from a cynical viewpoint in a way that parodies the sense of wonder and happiness that comes with many children's programs such as Sesame Street, however a few have questioned if it’s direct approach to today’s issues have gone too far, in particular: racism. “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” is perhaps the shows most well known number, and has been laughed at time and time again for its blatant stating of racist tendencies that most tend to avoid, while others find it too blunt and simply wrong on its approach to race. One such person is the author of a critique of the show, Stephen Quigley. Quigley’s review of the production questions whether or not that particular number can really be called funny, especially when

Read More
1654 Words | 7 Pages

The year is 2016 and American society is open-minded to so many issues, except televised stereotypes. Racial and gender stereotypes are continually reinforced by social media and television, it has played a major role in the way society views one another. Enabling stereotypes that have been associated with a person of specific race or gender in the media promotes prejudice. Meaning society expects that person to act a certain way based on what they have witnessed on television or social media. . A perfect example of how television shows incorporate stereotypes based on ethnicity is the tv show “Everybody Hates Chris “which is about a working class African-American family that lives in a poor urban neighborhood in New York.

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

** Australian comedy interprets us Australians in a way that isn’t true, and is quite offensive. For Aussies to be watching this comedy makes us laugh because it’s funny to think that people actually believe this is how we behave, and carry ourselves. Resulting in Australians to be just a joke, not everyone takes us seriously. This can be very bad in some circumstances.

Read More
637 Words | 3 Pages

Asians are good at math, Irish are alcoholics, African Americans are athletic, and Caucasians are privileged. These are just some of the well known stereotypes that are frequently used for humor. Stereotypes are certainly not always true and are often criticized for generalizing large groups of people, but they coincide meticulously with comedy because they can resonate with an audience instantly and receive a humorous reaction. In this essay, I will respond to the texts All in in the Family, Chappelle’s Show, and Family Guy by discussing the satire of bigotry and the importance of context when telling a controversial joke.

Read More
725 Words | 3 Pages

However, there is one stereotype that the show breaks. This is that just because a family looks perfect based on the house, or the number of members in the family, or even the roles of the family, does not mean that they are

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

Eddie feels insecure within his own culture and believes that eating ‘white people food’ will bring him, friends. Eddie’s response to the stereotype; positions the audience to see that most Asian people want to try different food, but Eddie teaches us that everyone can fit in with other cultures and eat their food

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

However, using stereotypes in movies is common in the film industry. In "Where the fierce Asians at?", David Yi mentioned how a comedian's jobs which "illicit laughter”, even using stereotypes to make the humor sense (Yi 1). However, while audiences happy by jokes on the screen, "dozens of Asian-Americans sitting in public, misty-eyed” (Yi 2). Back to the year 1994, the sitcom "All-American Girl" finally has an Asian female character played by an Asian cast. It attracts a lot of audiences who curious about the American-Asian lifestyle.

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

They use these stereotypes and ideologies in the cartoons to get more people to see them. They also are using a popular show making more people inclined to agree with their ideologies. People often tend to feel more inclined to agree with the opinions if they are coming from someone or something popular or known to be

Read More
456 Words | 2 Pages

The stereotypes are painfully obvious in this cartoon. Regarding the Irish man, he has a smoking pipe, a sack made out of cloth and it seems to have his belongings in it, an old fashioned top hat, a tail coat, big ears, large feet, small nose, and heeled soles. Regarding the Chinese man, he has small feet and traditional shoes, stiff braided hair that’s upright (his hair shown upright in an exaggerated way so

Read More
1020 Words | 5 Pages

These, my friends, are all prime examples of stereotypes Asian-Americans have to endure constantly, thanks to ignorance and insensitivity. Just recently, Asian-American racism slithered its way into one of America’s most popular, televised events; the Oscars. During the course of the three-hour-long esteemed awards ceremony, we Asians were stereotyped, bashed, mocked, and called (I quote), “hardworking, little yellow men with tiny dongs”. Additionally, Chris Rock took a crack at the “Asian nerd” stereotype by bringing three Asian kids to the stage, and joking about their math smarts. Low blow, Rock.

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

The show is like a mockumentary that uncovers the lives of 3 different, but linked, stereotypical families; the first one is Phil and Claire Dunphy’s family; the second one is Cam and Mitchell Tucker-Pritchett’s family; and then the last family which is Jay Pritchett’s, the father of both, Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Tucker-Pritchett; he is remarried to Gloria Pritchett. Why are they different? They are different in terms of how they are portrayed in the tv series, each fictional family consists of a different stereotype, an example could be Jay’s family; he is the wealthiest but oldest family member among the others and is remarried to a young and sexy but hot-tempered latino woman, with his step-son Manny Delgado. Do you see the ‘stereotype’? But isn’t it offensive to be making fun of these stereotypes in the tv show?

Read More
1114 Words | 5 Pages

Based on Tran, “The study found that stereotypical representation included speaking English with an accent or in a non-English language (playing into the ‘perpetual foreigner’ stereotype), Asian men being portrayed as being emasculated, and Asian women being hypersexualized.” She states that when Asians speak English on screen, they say that by mixing Asian-specific accents to speak English or using other languages, Hollywood is pushing the idea that Asians can never belong here. In addition, Asian men appear very emasculated, unlike men of other races who look robust, and Asian women get far more exaggerated than actual sexism. Among English-speaking Asians, English can be their first language - if they were born here and have an American nationality, etc. Even, some of them may not speak any other language than English, and many of them have a perfect pronunciation that is often completely indistinguishable from what the public thinks of an 'American' English accent.

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

The show strives to expose all the preconceived notions and beliefs society has put in place and mocks ALL stereotypes. The show portrays both low and high culture in general and makes fun of them, but at the same time does not encourage it. Most people who watch Family Guy can relate strongly. That’s because the show acts like a mirror and we the audience are forced to take a look at ourselves, but at the same time providing amusement and humor for the reflection.

Read More
155 Words | 1 Pages

It is important to acknowledge this list of Asian stereotypes in film and television over time

Read More

More about Macfarlane's Use Of Negative Stereotypes In Family Guy

Related Topics

Open Document