Hidden Intelligence vs. Hidden Satire When writing their essays, Gerald Graff and Antonia Peacocke both look at the intellectual side of topics not commonly thought to require a high level of intelligence. Graff refers to multiple nontraditional subjects like sports, cars, and fashion, while Peacocke focuses only on the TV show, Family Guy. Both of the articles express the idea that things at first glance may not seem to have an intellectual aspect, but as they are further analyzed, the content can have a deeper meaning than ever imagined. In Gerald Graff’s essay, “Hidden Intellectualism,” he discusses the basic “street smart” verses the “book smart” individual in the academic world. He begins by saying that people with “street smarts” are not considered intellectual in a typical academic setting because they …show more content…
They both believe that intelligent aspects can be pulled from or seen in subjects that are not traditionally thought to involve intelligence. According to Graff, “Making students’ nonacademic interests an object of academic study is useful…” (386). Here one sees that he believes having personal interests as a choice of study can have benefits if they are examined properly. He also believes that any subject has the potential to be intellectual, and Antonia Peacocke writes to this same effect when arguing that Family Guy, in a way, enhances ones intelligence. The average viewer may see the show on the surface as controversial with its brand of comedy, but according to Peacocke, “[T]hose who pay more attention and think about the creator’s intentions can see that Family Guy intellectually satirizes some aspects of American culture” (303). In other words, if one watches the show with an open mind and they try to understand the underlying comedy, rather than just focusing on the satire, they can actually learn a lot about the events happening in today’s