Family Guy v. Palin

[RobinFinderson]

From Maher's first episode after a hiatus:

"...while we were off, Sarah Palin agreed to do commentary at Fox News. Which is actually very similar to her day job - talking to a baby with Down Syndrome."

Video here. Go to about 1:24. Wait for the audience's applause when he's done. Regardless of how anyone feels about Palin, it's a despicable joke at the expense of an infant child.

What a hateful, sorry excuse of a human being. Maher really is despicable.

*SIGH* If conservatives aren't the biggest bunch of PC bitchers any more, then who is? Nobody complains about inappropriate language more than the conservative political correctness movement.

[falafel]

From Maher's first episode after a hiatus:

"...while we were off, Sarah Palin agreed to do commentary at Fox News. Which is actually very similar to her day job - talking to a baby with Down Syndrome."

Video here. Go to about 1:24. Wait for the audience's applause when he's done. Regardless of how anyone feels about Palin, it's a despicable joke at the expense of an infant child.

I'm not going to try and defend Maher, but would there be much difference in the joke if he just said "talking to a baby" vs. "talking to a baby with Down Syndrome"? It seems to me the joke is at the expense of viewers of Fox news, and not necessarily her child.

[il Padrino Ute]

I'm not going to try and defend Maher, but would there be much difference in the joke if he just said "talking to a baby" vs. "talking to a baby with Down Syndrome"? It seems to me the joke is at the expense of viewers of Fox news, and not necessarily her child.

Based on his opinion of Sarah Palin, I'm 100% sure that it was meant as a shot at both the viewers and Gov. Palin's son.

[falafel]

Based on his opinion of Sarah Palin, I'm 100% sure that it was meant as a shot at both the viewers and Gov. Palin's son.

But what, exactly, is the shot at her son? He's still a baby, right? I'm having trouble seeing what the insult to the baby was.

[il Padrino Ute]

But what, exactly, is the shot at her son? He's still a baby, right? I'm having trouble seeing what the insult to the baby was.

He is mocking the baby and Gov. Palin for the baby's condition. If the baby had no handicap, Maher wouldn't bring it up.

Maher is a POS who does things like that.

[myboynoah]

*SIGH* If conservatives aren't the biggest bunch of PC bitchers any more, then who is? Nobody complains about inappropriate language more than the conservative political correctness movement.

I'm not going to try and defend Maher, but would there be much difference in the joke if he just said "talking to a baby" vs. "talking to a baby with Down Syndrome"? It seems to me the joke is at the expense of viewers of Fox news, and not necessarily her child.

I take this personally. My older sister was mentally handicapped and I grew up watching bullies take pot shots at her, using her for their own sport, mocking her at every chance. Looking back, they were kids and kids can be cruel. I'll forgive their immaturity.

That an adult would feel free to do the same in such a public forum is very sad.

[John McClain]

I take this personally. My older sister was mentally handicapped and I grew up watching bullies take pot shots at her, using her for their own sport, mocking her at every chance. Looking back, they were kids and kids can be cruel. I'll forgive their immaturity.

That an adult would feel free to do the same in such a public forum is very sad.

I agree. I have a nephew who is severely autistic. I watch my sister's love and patience and I am astounded at her level of charity. People who malign the handicapped are the antithesis of what Christ taught and I see no reason to give them any affirmation of any kind.

[old_gregg]

maher is a dick, and is so desperate for attention he has to make comments like this. this was uncalled for and not funny.

[RobinFinderson]

I take this personally. My older sister was mentally handicapped and I grew up watching bullies take pot shots at her, using her for their own sport, mocking her at every chance. Looking back, they were kids and kids can be cruel. I'll forgive their immaturity.

That an adult would feel free to do the same in such a public forum is very sad.

MBN, You have practically defined Political Correctness in this statement. Everyone who has ever advocated any political correct speech has done so for some reason pretty damn close to the reason you give above. Everybody takes it personally, and just like it is with the latte sipping liberals, the 'victim' that you wish to protect isn't even yourself. At the very least you understand why Political Correctness matters to some people, but if you ever complain about other people's political correctness then you are a big hypocrite.

[LA Ute]

MBN, You have practically defined Political Correctness in this statement. Everyone who has ever advocated any political correct speech has done so for some reason pretty damn close to the reason you give above. Everybody takes it personally, and just like it is with the latte sipping liberals, the 'victim' that you wish to protect isn't even yourself. At the very least you understand why Political Correctness matters to some people, but if you ever complain about other people's political correctness then you are a big hypocrite.

Robin, this argument is nonsense. In order to put down Fox News viewers Maher compared them to a Down Syndrome child. The innuendo was that Down children are stupid and Fox News viewers are like them in that way. Hardy-har. It was cruel, without compassion, and despicable. Political correctness has nothing to do with this situation. If a political commentator had ever made a similar joke about the Kennedy family member whom Joe Kennedy had lobotomized and then institutionalized, I doubt you would be calling the predictable reaction "political correctness."

[John McClain]

Robin, this argument is nonsense. In order to put down Fox News viewers Maher compared them to a Down Syndrome child. The innuendo was that Down children are stupid and Fox News viewers are like them in that way. Hardy-har. It was cruel, without compassion, and despicable. Political correctness has nothing to do with this situation. If a political commentator had ever made a similar joke about the Kennedy family member whom Joe Kennedy had lobotomized and then institutionalized, I doubt you would be calling the predictable reaction "political correctness."

[myboynoah]

MBN, You have practically defined Political Correctness in this statement. Everyone who has ever advocated any political correct speech has done so for some reason pretty damn close to the reason you give above. Everybody takes it personally, and just like it is with the latte sipping liberals, the 'victim' that you wish to protect isn't even yourself. At the very least you understand why Political Correctness matters to some people, but if you ever complain about other people's political correctness then you are a big hypocrite.

I guess I just don't know what "political correctness" is anymore. I used to think it was what I saw as the silly extremes to which the powers that be went so as not to offend certain segments of the population. Case in point: the gradual migration from using the term "mentally retarded" to other more seemingly acceptable terms like "mentally challenged."

But in my case, opposition to PC speak, if I ever had any, never challenged the notion that hurtful speech should be strongly discouraged and even condemned (such as the use of "nigger" or "retard"), especially when it is used to disparage someone else. I just don't see that as political correctness. It seems more like good, decent behavior.

Sarah Palin is a hypocrite for condemning the use of "retard" by her enemies but then forgiving its use by her friends. The same goes for Limbaugh and Beck. I don't know much about Maher. He seems pretty much like the bullies on the playground. He's got a big stick and appears to enjoy hitting people with it.

[Moliere]

MBN, You have practically defined Political Correctness in this statement. Everyone who has ever advocated any political correct speech has done so for some reason pretty damn close to the reason you give above. Everybody takes it personally, and just like it is with the latte sipping liberals, the 'victim' that you wish to protect isn't even yourself. At the very least you understand why Political Correctness matters to some people, but if you ever complain about other people's political correctness then you are a big hypocrite.

You rarely fail in a post but this one is a colossal fail.

[RobinFinderson]

Robin, this argument is nonsense. In order to put down Fox News viewers Maher compared them to a Down Syndrome child. The innuendo was that Down children are stupid and Fox News viewers are like them in that way. Hardy-har. It was cruel, without compassion, and despicable. Political correctness has nothing to do with this situation. If a political commentator had ever made a similar joke about the Kennedy family member whom Joe Kennedy had lobotomized and then institutionalized, I doubt you would be calling the predictable reaction "political correctness."

This is obviously political correctness. The only question is whether or not this is political correctness gone amok. Political correctness is all about applying social pressure to modify language and behavior to create a more tolerant culture. Maher's joke may have been abhorrent, but many people also found it funny. This has always been what political correctness is about. You are on the PC bandwagon now, and you don't like it, because conservatives have traditionally been anti-PC. Of course black conservatives never thought racial profiling was ok, and gay conservatives never thought it should be ok to call people 'fags.' You have a family member with DS, and so on this point you are PC. There should be a name for people who are only PC about issues that strike close to home, but are anti-PC about everything else... oh yeah, there already is a name for such people -- _____________.

[dabrockster]

I don't put my career above my family, so this is a non-issue. If they did this, I'd ignore it, not play right into their hands. My daughter is just as evil and mean as anyone else in the world. Just like me. Just like all of us. Being my daughter doesn't make her especially immune from being human. We'd have a long talk about how they were trying to make her mad, then we'd think of clever ways to make them feel bad by saying nice things back to them like, "wow, you really did a good job capturing my essence. My hair looked great in those drawings."



Oh whatever! People are people. Just because someone is mentally retarded doesn't mean that they don't have vices and selfish traits, the same as all of us. I won't make fun of them, and I found the episode to be boring and offensive, but not enough to get upset about it. The point was that she was just like everyone else, and the other point is that no one is immune from being joked about. I don't put anyone on a pedestal, save Dale Murphy.

Like it or not, Family Guy is satire, consistently good satire, sometimes genius. Satire is art and I love that we have outlets for satire that hold mass appeal and are commercially viable. So, save your "wows."

Stop using the word "mentally retarded" you pompous ass...