Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:39 AM
Family Guy is a show well known for it's rhetorical jokes and bizarre humor. At times they poke fun at the government and political situations. Through Brian and Stewie's enrollment with military we see in this short clip how satire is used to address controversial topics.
How is Family Guy trying to portray homosexuality in the military?
What point were the writers trying to get across when the guy says "Democracy just kicked in"?
Are there any repeating themes that use satire to address certain topics?
Do you the writers alienate the audience with the satire used?
IIn Family Guy, Stewie and Brian want to use homosexual behavior to get themselves out of the army. The author here uses satirical way to imply that homosexuality may not be accepted in the army. There is repeating theme that Stewie and Brian want to get discharged from the army in whatever way they can think of. However, ironically, none of the way works, which implies peoples' anti attitude towards war but they are not able to change the situation.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you said about the repeating theme of the clip. No matter what Stewie and Brian tried to do, there was no way of getting out of their situation. Although satire was involved in their escape from the military, the clip brought up some major topics going on in our society. Family Guy portrayed homosexuality in the military as bad type of behavior in this clip. The writers softened the blow of the harsh topics with slapstick comedy and forms of satire such as travesty, caricature, and lampoon.
DeleteIn the military, until recently, being homosexual and serving in the military was unaccepted. As of the past year or two there has been a bill working its way to being passed for it to be acceptable and still serve in the armed forces. Family guy's Brian and Stewie look to trying to pass off as being homosexual to become discharged from the military but it is to no avail. The army officer who asks them if he can join is, in my opinion, showing that it is becoming increasingly acceptable regardless of a bill or not. However, I am not saying everyone who may be homosexual acts in that exuberant nature portrayed in the clip. Where the solider yells democracy kicking in is a correlation to it not only being acceptable to be homosexual in the army but eliciting other changes as well. By definition a democracy is a government by the people and the people wanted change.
ReplyDeleteThis clip of satire in Family Guy is all about the Military and the changes in the military in recent times. Stewie and Brian trying to get out of the military in any drastic measures but are being denied is showing that the need for people in the military is increasing and it is very hard to get out out of duty once you are in. When Stewie and Brian are acting homosexual to be kicked out is referencing the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy and obviously it is put in extreme measures because the other men are seeing them make out and yell that they are gay but the men are just ignoring it. Also when the other military man asked if there was room for another it signified the more openness towards homosexuals in the military in the past few years.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the writers of Family Guy attempt to show how homosexuality is now less disapproved of in the military because they need every soldier that they can get or anyone who volunteers. This is shown with the two soldiers dead bodies that guard the ammunition doors. Also, when Stewie and Brian ask for honorable discharge after shooting at each other, the soldier replies saying that he cannot allow them to leave because the military must get whoever they can get for the military. I believe that this is trying to say that the military needs more and more people and whoever they can get they will try to keep as long as they can so the military continues to be supported by ongoing soldiers.
ReplyDeleteThis clip was very interesting and humorous. For me, what stood out the most was when the soldier just walked on screen and announced "Democracy has kicked in!" Following that statement, you see drastic and instant changes in the war-torn world to scenes that represent stereotypical american freedom. This portion of the video clip is criticizing the expectations of Americans in terms of what have been accomplished overseas by various American military operations. I also feel the clip is criticizing the change in opinion on military operations over the course of a couple of years when it initially supported by the majority. It is as if the video is stating, "Can we truly expect change overnight? No."
ReplyDeleteFamily Guy portrays homosexuality as unacceptable/disapproved in the military. Since it is unacceptable, Brian and Stewie pretend to be gay in order to be discharged from the army. The twist of this is that not only did they not get kicked out of the army, but a sergeant actually asks them if they have room for one more. This is definitely poking fun at the army in which it can be corrupted in some aspects. It also pokes fun at the idea of homosexuality still being frowned upon in the 21st century. I feel this satire encourages the right to sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteStrongly agree with the point about that this clip talks about the homosexual rights with satire. In this clip, Brian and Stewie tried to get kicked out of the military by pretending they were homosexual, which showed that homosexual were still not acceptable by most of people in the current society. I still remember that last year pop star Lady GaGa got heads up for on DADT "Don't ask, don't talk" repeal in a celebrity with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. No matter if Gaga said the speech from the bottom of the heart or not, the exist of DADT still matches what this clip wants to satirize about.
DeleteHere is the video about Gaga's message for DADT repeal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McEbJPuLUIw
Family Guy is a show where nothing is sarcred. Seth Macfarlane will make fun or anyone or anything. At then end of the clip when s soldier runs in and declares that "demoracy has kicked in", he is saying it in such a way that implies they can go home now. Here the writers are trying to say that in this war, what the American government is truly trying to do is spread their own culture to the middle east. They show clips of terrorist/middle eastern like screens (such as a torture victim or the girls with the head dresses), and these pictures get "Americanized" (the torture sceen turns into men at the barber, and the girls in head dresses turn into young girls dressed skimply at a car was).
ReplyDeleteThis clip was hilarious in the inaccuracy portrayed in today's military. The attempt to be discharged based on homosexuality was incorrect based on the "dont ask dont tell" policy no longer in effect. The attempt to be discharged with the tactic of shooting one another was quite amusing being that it would only get you the brig for a while. When the commander ask is there room for one more it insinuated that homosexuality has been in the military for years yet has had no affect on its effectiveness and purpose. I do however feel that the writers alienated homosexual service men and women by suggesting they are less courageous and would want to flee at the first site of war. The comment "Democracy just kicked in" was almost implying we (Americans) have won the war and imposed our beliefs, customs, and behaviors upon other countries.
ReplyDeleteIn this clip, Family Guy is portraying homosexuality in a negative light. However, Bryan and Stewie try to use homosexuality to their advantage in order to get discharged from the military. When this and other attempts do not work, they are told that they need to stay "until the job is done." Right at this moment, a random soldier comes out and says that "democracy just kicked in." I think this is particularly interesting for two reasons. First, because this implies that democracy wasnt in effect when Stewie and Bryan made their controversial attempts to get a discharge from the military. Second, because this shows how the creators of Family Guy wanted to criticize democracy by showing how our country is willing to go to extremely far lengths to spread our american ways and ideals. This is shown by the comparisons of middle eastern culture to that of America at the end of the clip.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyones analysis of this clip except I view it in a different light. When I first viewed this episode I found it quite hilarious being in the military myself for four years. All the excuses Stewie and Brian we trying to use, I have heard and witnessed multiple times. Family guy hit the nail on the head with this subject, and through their satire I believe made it shine. However all of you are outsiders kind of looking in, I am very interested to hear peoples thoughts. If you feel the satire was succesful on this subject matter, what strong tactics did the writers use? If not what could of made this satire stronger?
ReplyDeleteA greater point made at the end of the clip when the soldier yells " Democracy Kicked in!" We see all the Middle Eastern culture, and some crime instantly transformed into american pop culture. The analysis of this moment can get deep. I feel the writers are addressing the idea of Democracy always being the better choice. Also that our nation expects it to establish within countries at no hesitation. Do you agree and what's your analysis?
I think the writers are making a huge point at the end of the clip when the soldier comes in and says, "Democracy just kicked in!" I think the writers are making a point about what America has come to think as democracy. The U.S. is coming into these countries and pushing "democracy" on them, trying to Americanize them because we think we are the better country. Are we really trying create democracy or just make other countries like us?
DeleteI do agree with the fact that Americans think that democracy has come to this, able to fix anything, any problem, even if it isn't within our own country. It definitely has caused some to think that because they're from the US and we are the most powerful nation that they are above all, and it isn't wrong to force our culture on others (Americanize). Do you think this is true?
DeleteWhen I firest viewed the clip about America military, I feel so intetested about it. Because of the continuous wars launch by American government, the people in the army have no time to stay wity their boy or girlfriends and their families. In order to get rid of the terrible army, they think out lots of ideas and ways. However, unfortunately, none of them work! Personally, this is a biggist satire reveals in this clip, and it is also the biggist satire to American government.
ReplyDeleteStewie and Brian want to use homosexual behavior to get rid of the army. This refer to us that this kind of behavior is not allowed in the army, although the males in the army cannot have time meet or data with their girlfriends. Even the military officer wanna get into their relationship. What a satire it is! They also try to hit themself to get themself out of the army, but it doesn't work either. Even some one have already try to kill themself.
This is a quite interesting clip which has some relationships with my primary source because they are both about the army. In the last few years, because of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S army needed more recruits than that in the peace time. There may be some problems happened in the army, just like Stewie and Brian. They are the representative of those who don't want to sevice in the army any more. No matter what their reasons are, they are trying every ways to get out of the military. It implies that there are a large amount of soldiers in the deep depression because of those two wars and they can't easily quit even if they tried by all means. In the second part of the clip, it shows a big difference of the democracy in Iraq and the U.S. Why it happens in different countries and if the democracy is really brought to the consevative country are what we should think deeply about.
ReplyDeleteAt first in this clip they try to make it seem like homosexuality would get you kicked out in the military, only to find out that it is accepted now. Also this clip shows that there is a belief that Democracy will solve any problem no matter where it is and whatever country it is brought to.
ReplyDeleteI believe this clip from Family Gur is satirizing both the, no longer in effect, "Don't ask don't tell" policy in the military and the way that it seems America always tries topush our ideals onto other countries. It makes fun of the DADT policy when Brian and Stewie attempt to be relieved from the military by pretending that they are homosexuals. The clip satirizes the way that the US seems to push its ideals on other countries when one soldier says, "Democracy just kicked in!", and then shows clips of what the writers portray as middle eastern culture changing into American culture.
ReplyDeleteFamily Guy seems to imply that, while homosexuality in the military was formerly taboo, it is now more openly accepted. This is shown as Stewie and Brian pose as homosexuals, believing this to be an infraction great enough to warrant discharge. However, as their attempt is met with either apathy or enthusiasm, we must conclude that attitudes have changed. The Creators of Family Guy satirize our goal of bringing democracy in the Middle East. The swiftness with which “democracy” sweeps across the war torn nation might mean that we are naïve to think that a goal so complicated can be achieved without exhausting our resources. This is reinforced since, though they’ve tried every excuse imaginable, Stewie and Brian are told they must stay until “the job is done”. This clip also comments on Americans’ idea of democracy. Instead of government by the people for the people, the creators show us various stereotypical facets of American culture.
ReplyDelete