Oscars 2013: How Seth MacFarlane's sexist jokes hurt women

LA Times ^ | February 25, 2013, 2:43 p.m. | Alexandra Le Tellier

[Olog-hai]

Wait, so the academy fired Brett Ratner from his gig as Oscars producer for making sexist and crude comments, but then, as Vulture’s Kyle Buchanan smartly points out, allowed host Seth MacFarlane to make “that kind of un-PC humor the cornerstone of his whole act.”

BuzzFeed has rounded up the nine most sexist moments of Sunday’s Oscars, including MacFarlane’s sophomoric “boob” song. And New York Magazine transcribed the most offensive barbs, in case you want to relive the horror. …

[Gaffer]

Alexandra.... Seth is a pig. But he is a rich, Hollywood liberal Pig with a hit TV show and he provides the obligatory cuts to Conservatives in his shows. So, just sit the eff down and shut the eff up! /s

[AtlasStalled]

I don’t understand why some people took offense with the boob song . . . so women want to be able to expose their breasts in the movies without someone laughing them?

[AtlasStalled]

I don’t understand why some people took offense with the boob song . . . so women want to be able to expose their breasts in the movies without someone laughing at them?

[AZLiberty]

If women flaunt their boobs in movies, it’s fair to comment on them. If other women are offended, tough t****.

[VanDeKoik]

As much as I cant stand that snob, that song hit it dead on.

These “ladies” want to shake their bags in front of the camera to show how “liberated” they are, should realize that no dude, unless he is a homo, is looking at them as a celebration of artistic expression, but as only 1/2 of the T&A equation.

[llevrok]

But in the abortion discussion, a major argument brick is that women want to be in charge of their own bodies.

If it's your right to manage your bodies, girls, don't friggin’ flash your boobs when “pressured” by males !

Hypocrites.

[Sacajaweau]

a homo loving pig....

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

When Seth sang that boob song, the camera zoomed in on the first woman Seth mentioned in the song. She smiled and laughed.

When the second actress was mentioned in the song, the camera zoomed in on her, and at first she had a shocked look on her face, which was quickly followed by an angry look. I don’t know who she was, but she looked pi$$ed.

It’s always fun when the Hollywood elite get ticked off.

[Political Junkie Too]

Of course, they left off the most offensive joke of the night, and with Kristen Chenoweth singing it right beside him.

---

Here's to all the losing works of art, from Lincoln to Amour.
To the disappointed actors wondering what they dressed up for.
Now the real performance start, with phony smiles at the ball.
Here's to the losers, bless them all!

Here's to nominee Quvenzhané, lift up that little head.
You'll be at the future Oscars, when the rest of us are dead.
You have all Tom Cruise's talent and you're equally as tall!
Here's to the losers, bless them all!

Oh, Bradley Cooper! Get your chin off the floor.
Here's your silver lining: You'll do Hangover 4!
And the Best Supporting Actress nominees who lost to Anne Hathaway: Amy Adams, Jacki Weaver, Sally Field and Helen Hunt...
Hathaway took away your Oscars, don't you think that girl's a... dorable?

---

Notice the rhyme that didn't rhyme?

I did.

-PJ

[Olog-hai]

Also noticed that Helen’s name did not get change to Mike.

[Political Junkie Too]

Where's the sport in that? This is theater, after all. Quite refined and cultured.

-PJ

[x]

I don’t understand why some people took offense with the boob song . . . so women want to be able to expose their breasts in the movies without someone laughing them?

They'd say it was art and done tastefully, while MacFarlane's bit wasn't. I'd say it has more to do with the ladies not being d*cks about it and MacFarlane not being able to help being one. The women who were in his bit didn't object to it, though. I think it was pre-arranged with them and "all publicity is good publicity." It was other people in the media who were angry and offended.

For me it comes down to what you think about MacFarlane. I really loathe him, so for once I give the angry, offended feminists full support. Free speech goes on forever, though. What I mean is you can ask "The ladies can do that and people can't laugh at them?" and I can ask, "That jackass can do his stupid bit, and people can't get indignant about it?" and you could say, etc. ...

[Olog-hai]

Can’t agree with supporting the feminists merely because of MacFarlane. All I can do is stand back and watch the hypocrites tear at each other, and say “this was inevitable” to them.

[kidd]

I liked the boob song, not because it was all that funny, but because it might discourage mainstream actresses from participating in nude scenes in the future. The song demeans those that deserve to be demeaned. I’m hoping it opens the eyes of younger actresses.

Note that the song contained the line: “...but not Jennifer Lawrence’s at all”. She seemed pleased that she got recognition for having standards. (Jennifer Lawrence leans conservative)

[Wyatt's Torch]

"Django Unchained" [MacFarlane] said, was “the story of a man fighting to get back his woman, who has been subjected to unthinkable violence. Or as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it, a date movie.” Relationships are complicated, and it can take a woman more than one attempt to leave an abuser. But if any woman who goes back is told that she has forfeited sympathy and can be written off with mockery -- that the whole thing is now an amusing spectacle -- then we’ll end up with more dead women. There are surely better things to joke about.

Sorry but she's an idiot to get back together with someone who physically abused her. Sounds like she's trying to make her and Eminem's song "Love The Way You Lie" come true...

[Drew68]

I thought MacFarlane was a riot. I thought his boob song was hilarious. I thought his loser song was hilarious. I even laughed at his sock puppet take on "Flight". I even laughed when I was cringing at his tasteless Abe Lincoln joke (too soon?)

Sure, singing about ogling Jodie Foster's boobs during a violent rape scene might've been a little crass but c'mon, these people knew exactly who they were getting when he got the gig. MacFarlane's frat-boy humor has made him rich. What were they expecting?

And good for him for deflating some egos and offending some delicate sensibilities. So many of these Hollywood types have gotten way too pretentious. I mean, really, they're only movies. At the end of the day, their only job is to entertain us. Give Jennifer Lawrence the Best Actress award. She deserved it! But give it to her for "Hunger Games" --a movie people actually went and saw! And MacFarlane's own hilariously vulgar talking teddy bear film? That one made over a half billion dollars last year (far more than any other film "honored" for Best Picture). Why wasn't "Ted" nominated?

I hope he gets the gig again next year (but I strongly doubt this will ever, ever happen).

[Ultra Sonic 007]

I believe the line that didn’t rhyme is a direct reference to the Onion.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

[Political Junkie Too]

...the line that didn’t rhyme...

A much better phrase than what I wrote. I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of it.

Kudos.

-PJ