Sarah Palin made news earlier this month when she called for White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to be fired for using the word "retarded." Now she's blasting the writers of "Family Guy," an animated Fox series known to push the limits of taste, over an apparent jibe at her mentally disabled son Trig (a character with Down Syndrome on the show says that her mother is "the former governor of Alaska"). Is Palin, now a Fox employee, being overly sensitive, or has she been mistreated by her new colleagues at the House of Murdoch? (Watch the "Family Guy" clip)
Not funny, and below the belt: "Does this even qualify as a joke?" asks Allahpundit at Hot Air. There's no "punchline," just a reference to the fact that Palin's son has Down Syndrome. It was simply a "nasty shot" — and, to be honest, a "useful illustration" of the "notorious laziness" of "Family Guy"'s writers.
"Family Guy makes fun of Palin's son, sort of"
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Wait, I thought Palin got satire: First, Palin waged war on Rahm Emanuel for using the "r-word," says Alex Seitz-Wald at Think Progress. Now, she's taking on "Family Guy." But keep in mind that she gave Rush Limbaugh a pass after he used the word retard repeatedly "on a recent show," dismissing it as mere "satire." Shouldn't "Family Guy" get the same consideration?
"Palin attacks 'Family Guy''s 'satire' after excusing Limbaugh's"
No, this is bullying: Although it "outrages me" to say it, writes Maureen O'Connor at Gawker, I "mostly agree" with Palin on this. Making fun of disabled people is "obnoxious" and, while her kids are not "categorically off limits," this just felt like an "uncomfortable joke" at the expense of people who are "already ridiculed to a painful degree."
"Palin and Bristol rant against 'Family Guy''s Trig joke — and they're mostly right"
Clearly, she didn't watch the whole show: Perhaps if Palin had watched the rest of the "Family Guy" episode, she would have understood its "overall message," says Jere Hester at NBC Miami. The disabled character turns out to be a "bossy nightmare," proving that "people with Down Syndrome are just as human as anyone." Joking aside, surely even Palin can agree with that?
"Sarah Palin and 'Family Guy''s family values"
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