Posted on 02/18/2010 9:41:18 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
Since it was shown on Sunday, an episode of the Fox animated comedy Family Guy has drawn the repeated condemnation of Sarah Palin, the former Republican governor of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential nominee.
In the episode, the teenage character Chris dates a girl named Ellen, who has Down syndrome, and who tells him over dinner that her mother is the former governor of Alaska. Ms. Palin, whose son Trig also has Down syndrome, has said that the Family Guy show really isnt funny and was the work of cruel, cold-hearted people. Ms. Palins daughter Bristol has written that the Family Guy writers were mocking my brother and my family, and called them heartless jerks.
One person who supports the Family Guy staff is Andrea Fay Friedman, the 39-year-old actor and public speaker who played Ellen in that episode. Like the character, Ms. Friedman also has Down syndrome.
In an e-mail message sent on Thursday to The New York Times, Ms. Friedman wrote:
I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska was very funny. I think the word is sarcasm.
In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life.
(Excerpt) Read more at artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com ...
FG is a F’n retard. I can’t stand to watch.
I think Sarah is making a mistake to react every time someone makes fun of her kids or says the word “retarded”.
Oh, was Family Guy meant to be a comedy? I hadn’t noticed.
Agreed
I agree with Sarah on this one. It was a cheap shot at a laugh.
No, she really isn’t. It’s her job as a mother to defend her children.
Were she responding to every attack against her that would be different. Then she’d be Obama.
Children are off limits or should be. Obviously people don’t feel the need to respect that old cibility when it involves her. Forcing her to have to respond because it’s her responsibility as a parent.
She is not cold-blood Dukakis. Trig is very dear to her. Politically, I agree that she shouldn’t react to every singe mock about Trig. She has made it clear now that mocking or saying making fun of Trig is not something she appreciates. I hope she will be selective in the future.
She was asked to comment on it since she is an advocate for the special needs community. She said it best on BOR’s show, she said that when she gave her RNC speech she said that she would be an advocate for those with special needs, and even though she did not become VP, that did not change. When someone trashes special needs children, I don’t blame her at all for calling them out on it.
I think it’s a hilarious show. I hate the PC crowd and that goes for both the liberals and conservatives. I don’t think we can have it both ways.
When the show makes fun of gays, we all laugh, when it makes fun of Palin it’s not allowed?
I don’t think so.
People need to relax a little more. I miss the days of making fun of people and being made fun of right back. Ethnic jokes, short jokes, bald jokes, dumb blonde jokes, etc. We used to laugh a lot more as a country.
Robert Gibbs needs to STOP trashing Sarah Palin!
I agree as well. Also with selectively putting them out publicly (especially Bristol) and then objecting to references to them. The constant references to Alaska and her motherhood both have to be toned down and replaced with a more substantive political discourse.
Maybe, but what if there was a cartoon calling Obama’s kids “nappy headed hoes”? If he responds is he being too think skinned? Politicians’ kids should be off limits when they’re minors or out of the public eye - it’s different when they get themselves in trouble or run for office themselves.
Yea, I haven’t watched the FG episode that Palin is getting all worked up about, but I heard it was a very obscure reference to her son.
I’m done watching the show.
Actually I was done watching the show about 9 years ago.
It made fun of her child. Not Palin directly. No, that isn’t allowed. It wasn’t allowed with Chelsea and it’s not allowed with Obama’s daughters and sure as hell shouldn’t be allowed wth her children.
This has NOTHING to do with being PC. This isn’t about the use of “retard” argument. Different argument altogether. This is about hem attacking her child directly.
BTW, Rush apologized when he did a bit about Chelsea. So yeah...conservative’s do have a line we won’t cross and if we do we apologize.
Same here. Sometimes it’s best to ignore those who are looking for publicity; save the ammo for the important fights. But it is difficult for a mama bear to not over-defend her cub.
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