Seth McFarlane and his transphobic episode of Family Guy
Possibly triggering transphobia in quote below.
Interview here. Money quote below:
Details: You predicted that another episode—about a transgendered character—would make the LGBT community happy. It didn’t.
Seth MacFarlane: That surprised me. I don’t meet a lot of stupid homosexuals. They seem to be a pretty smart bunch. But it seemed that they were not picking up on the fact that it was a very sympathetic portrayal of a transsexual character.Details: Maybe the fact that Brian barfs his guts out when he realizes he’s had sex with a transsexual threw them off.
Seth MacFarlane: Hey, we’re still Family Guy.We’re not suddenly going to become 7th Heaven. Actually, I guess on 7th Heaven they would probably burn the transsexual at the stake. Let me think of another example. We’re not Mr. Belvedere. Look, Brian happens to be a heterosexual character, as I am. If I found out that I had slept with a transsexual, I might throw up in the same way that a gay guy looks at a vagina and goes, “Oh, my God, that’s disgusting.” It’s just the way we’re biologically wired. They should give that another look.
So see? Seth McFarlane says that transphobic misogynist disgust at trans women is just how guys are biologically wired. Also, anyone who found his comedic tour de force offensive and not funny was a “stupid homosexual.”
So, yeah, I didn’t care much about everyone who said “Oh, you’re being too sensitive, Family Guy is supposed to be offensive” then, and I certainly don’t care now. Seth’s making it pretty clear how he views trans women, and I think that puts a pretty hard limit for his capacity for a sympathetic portrayal. He clearly doesn’t respect the people he’s trying to do a favor to by having a trans character on his shitty show.
We should grovel at Seth’s feet for the amazing act of activism he sacrificed and toiled for us! We should be thankful and accept him as one of our own with open arms! It is totally normal for people to throw up when they think of us!
z
4 Aug 10 at 10:12 pm
Straight dudes justs vomit uncontrollably at the thought of having sex with women!
They can’t help it, you know.
squirrel
4 Aug 10 at 10:19 pm
Even though he pointed out in the episode that homosexuality and transgender are two different subjects, he still seemed to put them together quickly when given the chance.
“the same way that a gay guy looks at a vagina and goes, ‘Oh, my God, that’s disgusting.’”
This leads me to think he looks at transexual as and goes “Oh my God, they have genitalia that I don’t like.”
He’s becoming as bad at the stereotypes he tries to ridicule.
I wish he could just finally talk to someone about the whole episode and really why it hurt to watch, because he really doesn’t seem to have a clue.
Kei
4 Aug 10 at 10:21 pm
oh my god.
what.
nix
5 Aug 10 at 12:18 am
So if I were to throw up after engaging in this act of vicarious social intercourse with a Seth MacFarlane, would that be biologically hardwired too ?
Sophia
5 Aug 10 at 4:40 am
I am certain that it is a natural and evolved reaction to Seth McFarlane.
Lisa Harney
5 Aug 10 at 4:41 am
Given the elite circle of groupies he now trafficks in, post-fame, I would bet money that he HAS in fact slept with a trans woman and didn’t realize it. I seem to recall at least one other episode of Family Guy where a character found out they’d slept with a trans woman. I wonder if this theme reflects his personal doubts about his own history.
Ah well, speculation be damned. That was a truly disturbing display of cissexist vitriol. Transpeople who didn’t like the episode are “stupid homosexuals” and throwing up after contact with transwomen is hardwired?? Wow.
Jane Laplain
5 Aug 10 at 6:17 am
So it’s justified because heterosexual men find the idea of sleeping with another man puke-worthy because of his penis, and just going for the logical angle here, if Brian slept with a woman and had no idea that she was trans this suggests she didn’t have a penis, so why would Brian be disgusted by this? Oh wait, its actually not about genitalia, it’s about Seth McFarlane being a transphobic idiot.
El
5 Aug 10 at 6:28 am
so. if, in fantasy-land, this had been a “sympathetic portrayal”, then the purpose would’ve been to impress cis gay men with his gay ally cred?
and that’s really some amazing doublethink to pretend your character can accomplish “sympathetic portrayal” and “if someone’s offended, we’re getting it right” at the same time. of course that’s the logic that self-ID’d liberal people enjoying ironic -ism humor have relied on for years, so I guess I can’t be too surprised.
his “vagina” comment took me back, way back, to 2006…
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2006/01/29/nobody-is-begrudging-him-his-dick/
finally, considering what Wikipedia says, I don’t think the speculation about his dating history is unfathomable:
“He is unmarried.[82] In 2004, in an interview with The Daily Princetonian, MacFarlane noted his similarities to Brian on Family Guy, revealing, “I have some Brian type issues from time to time – looking for the right person – but I date as much as the next guy”.[83]“
MHS
5 Aug 10 at 7:25 am
This is one of those cases where trying to explain yourself makes you even more of a douche.
laughriotgirl
5 Aug 10 at 10:06 am
I watched it myself and was pretty horrified, but I later watched it again with some other trans women, they seemed to have a more “meh” attitude towards it.
I also admit to liking American Dad, which is s bit of a struggle for me, insofar as MacFarlane is still a douche.
Amanda in the South Bay
5 Aug 10 at 10:11 am
Cartoons are real life after all. So I can totally understand why people are taking this so seriously. Also, I always watch Family Guy for well-natured politically correct humor, so this backlash is really well justified. Except for not. Sigh.
Meg
6 Aug 10 at 9:20 pm
Are you serious? Are you knee-jerking because one of your favorite shows was criticized?
Why do so many people have trouble with the idea that someone, somewhere,
knowsthinks their favorite shows are shitty and written by and for assholes?Lisa Harney
6 Aug 10 at 9:23 pm
@Meg – Cartoons=created by real people, watched by real people, so yup, they’re a concern to me. Seth Macfarlene is a real person, and he manages to get his idiotic POV out to millions of people.
The show has really gone downhill. What was one of the recent jokes? Seth thinks Coldplay sucks, so he has Peter say they make whiny crap. Hee-larious! Cause witty comments like “I really don’t like onions very much” always crack me up!
With the serious amount of un-funny going on, it’s no wonder he felt the need to add this instance of “edgy and offensive”, except most of the offensive crap these days? Probably not even funny to haters. I couldn’t imagine even the most transphobic asshole actually laughing at that joke.
Cause you know, “straight cis guy finds out he slept with a trans woman, proceeds to freak out/be disgusted” is just such an original, fresh trope to play.
Lee
7 Aug 10 at 6:27 pm
The thing about Family Guy that made it good in the beginning was that Seth Macfarlane created it as a sardonic, ironic portrayal of ‘a typical Americn family’, ie a *cracked* version of All in the Family (which of course the theme song references.)
But where is the sardonic bent to Brian, always shown to be one of the most sympathetic characters on the show, reacting in a completely within the bounds of transphobia way? That is not holding up a cracked mirror to American society…it is a dead-on look that within the show’s universe does nothing to call into question Brian’s transphobia. Really, Seth Macfarlane ought to be ashamed of himself because at some point he just totally sold out and couldn’t be bothered with making a show that lived up to its not-that-difficult premise. The show has become something it would have mocked.
Now, that’s a wanky answer from someone who used to be a huge Family Guy fan. If any other Family Guy wanks want to respond, at least explain to me how the show still qualifies as something “smart”.
jayinchicago
9 Aug 10 at 3:08 pm
@ jayinchicago:
My enthusiasm for Family Guy dropped a long time ago; the over the top potty humour, excessive cut away scenes and Meg mocking really didn’t go over too well with me.
I guess I wouldn’t have minded Brian puking, if at the end, when Quagmire beats him up, Quagmire beats him up because he’s come to accept his father’s transition, and thinks Brian is being a hypocritical liberal douchebag.I think I could’ve accepted that inversion of roles, because its been established that Quagmire really does think that way about Brian, and that Brian does occasionally act like that.
Amanda in the South Bay
9 Aug 10 at 3:42 pm
I’m nauseated by the justification he gave, and how quick he is to both confuse homosexuality and transsexuality, and to insult anyone who disagrees with him, but I’m not surprised.
John
12 Aug 10 at 8:37 pm
I’m spontaneously puking while thinking about having sex with Seth McFarlane.
Pike
14 Aug 10 at 8:28 pm
Note:
I will not approve trolling comments about how anyone on this blog has “too much estrogen on the brain” to think clearly, or otherwise insults our intelligence. If you disagree, fine, if you have an argument to make based on that disagreement, fine. Variations on “omg pms”, fuck you.
Oh, yes: I also won’t approve any variation of “You’re oversensitive.” I know this may be difficult for some of you, but it is possible to provide a counterargument without resorting to personal attacks or other fallacies.
Lisa Harney
25 Aug 10 at 2:30 pm
In a short time we will be able to justify anything and everything and call it freedom, when we are really just being a slave to our own lusts and desires, no matter what shape or form they take…but hey…as long as we’re “happy” right.
Ledenk
15 Sep 11 at 12:40 am
Hey, Ledenk … I think you wandered into the wrong room. If you want to get to St. Paul’s room, turn far right and keep on going, for a lo-o-o-ong time.
And, yes, Ledenk, I am a Christian. I don’t happen to think that being truthful to one’s self, for example by acknowledging and embracing one’s *felt, real* gender over society’s mistaken assignment, is “being a slave to our own lusts and desires”. Somehow I don’t think that Jesus demands that we lie to ourselves because you’re uncomfortable with our existence.
GallingGalla
15 Sep 11 at 5:03 pm
Is that what Ledenk meant? I actually couldn’t make heads or tails of the comment, but didn’t see any reason to not approve it.
Lisa Harney
15 Sep 11 at 5:44 pm
I kinda read their statement as seemingly addressing the whole site (or perhaps transsexualism in toto) rather than this specific topic.
If they were talking about Seth’s freedom of speech then they could have been considerably clearer about it – I could be wrong, I often am :P
Em
15 Sep 11 at 9:35 pm
Yeah, maybe I don’t get Ledenk’s meaning, but the wording of their comment pretty closely echos the more intolerant strains of Pauline Christian theology.
GallingGalla
16 Sep 11 at 2:12 pm
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