Comedy and Misogyny

Popular television shows such as the Simpsons and Family Guy follow a familiar narrative structure: a stupid man and his wife (usually much more attractive than him), along with their oddball family, get into comical mishaps each week. The same pattern exists for live action comedy shows like According to Jim. It's a comedy construct that harks back as far as television exists, starting with the groundbreaking comedy All In The Family.

The main male character on all of these shows is usually portrayed as an idiot. In the case of Family Guy, Peter Griffen is racist, sexist, misogynistic, and just plain dumb. And we allow statements to be made by characters that we would never accept from people in our lives, and that we would never accept from the show's creator, Seth McFarland. But there is also a danger in comedy, in that viewers may construct the wrong message. While ultimately comedic shows usually intend to make the viewer more aware of people like Peter Griffin in society and to undermine their views, some viewers may create a world view based on characters purposely created as sexist. A young man growing up watching the fumbling Peter Griffin is probably aware that he is meant to be a clownish character, but may develop a belief that being sexist or being racist will make people laugh, and make people notice you. And there is a fine line between masterful comedic parody and gross misogynistic propaganda. Sometimes it can become blurred. In the Family Guy episode "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar", Peter is charged with sexual harassment charges at his workplace for telling a distasteful joke (He only gets in trouble when he tells it to a female coworker, lacking the tact to realize that it is only appropriate to tell sexist jokes to other men.) The lawyer that persecutes him is a thin lipped executive business woman names Gloria Ironbox. It is clear that Family Guy isn't looking to be politically correct, but from plot points to character names, McFarland may be crossing the fine line.

I believe in comedy as a wonderful tool for social critique. But even comedians are aware of the inherent dangers of parody. Dave Chappelle of The Chappelle Show left his own popular series because he believed that his comedy, designed to illuminate and help end racism in America, was actually helping propagate it. Comedy is designed to push the envelope, to shock you. And it should always be allowed to. But the creators of comedy also have a social obligation to make sure they are not actually giving value to the very thing they're trying to eliminate.

Here's the episode.