Family Guy: Textual Devices and Masculine Vices
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FAMILY GUY: TEXTUAL DEVICES AND MASCULINE VICES by CARSON JUSTINE KLOSTERMAN MARTIN (Under the Direction of Christine Harold) ABSTRACT As the first animated situation comedy to be “uncancelled” due to its record breaking DVD sales, Family Guy is one in several contemporary animated sitcoms attracting a predominantly male audience. This project explores the attraction of this crude, politically incorrect satire of American suburbia to nineteen to thirty-four year old males. By exposing strategies of intertextuality and self-reflexivity, this project reveals that audiences are rewarded for media saturation. Further, in continuing a tradition of television portrayals of working-class men as foolish, childish, and unmanly, Peter Griffin’s character invites the audience to mock working-class stereotypes while simultaneously solidifying their subordinate status. This project attempts to add to the current discussion of animated situation comedy as well and working-class media representations. INDEX WORDS: Situation comedy, Limited animation, Pastiche, Intertextuality, Self- reflexivity, “Masculinity in Crisis,” Phallus, Metrosexuality, NASCAR Dads FAMILY GUY: TEXTUAL DEVICES AND MASCULINE VICES by CARSON JUSTINE KLOSTERMAN MARTIN B.A., Colorado State University, 2001 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Master’s Degree in Speech Communication. MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2005 © 2005 Carson Justine Klosterman Martin All Rights Reserved FAMILY GUY: TEXTUAL DEVICES AND MASCULINE VICES by CARSON JUSTINE KLOSTERMAN MARTIN Major Professor: Christine L. Harold Committee: Celeste M. Condit Tina M. Harris Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2005 iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my mother and brother. Despite the fact that you fostered in me a sharp ability to procrastinate, your unwavering faith in my intelligence helped bring forth a new coolness. Thank you. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Dr. Christine Harold, for her patience, kindness, and empathy in directing a project that was not easy for me to complete. In working with you, I have not only learned my strengths and weaknesses, I have also learned to trust my ideas. I would also like to thank Dr. Tina M. Harris for providing me with sound support and much needed discipline. Your faith in my abilities helped drive me to the end. To Dr. Celeste Condit, thank you for pointing me in the right direction, encouraging me to pick a project that inspired me, and challenging my ideas. To Dr. John Murphy, thank you for your quiet enthusiasm in my project. Your willingness to answer random questions about old television shows while working at Blue Sky coffee shop, and the newspaper clippings you put in my mailbox, have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. I would also like to thank Dr. Christina Morus for sharing important lessons learned throughout her graduate career, listening to me complain, and serving not only as a good mentor, but as a good friend. A special thanks to the following: Justin Killian for his friendship, sharp wit, and open ear; Joe Green for his superior teaching skills, without which I would not be here; Dr. Cindy Griffin for her unfailing support through hard times; Dr. Brian Ott for reminding me of the fun involved in pursuing a project with passion. Further, I would like to show my appreciation to the following people for listening to my thoughts, sitting through countless episodes of Family Guy, expressing enthusiasm about my project, and pushing me to finish: Jamie Whiteman, Mitchell Smith, Wallace Eastwood, Alyssa Cozzo, George Hein, and Michael Ewing. Finally, I send a big thanks to Nora Bella for warming my lap and keeping me sane. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...1 CHAPTERS 1 FAMILY GUY AS A PASTICHE TEXT ...................................................................15 Family Guy as Situated Comedy.............................................................................17 Limited Animation ..................................................................................................18 Pastiche……………………………………………………………………………26 2 FAMILY GUY AS MISCHEVIOUS MEDIA: INTERTEXTUALITY AND SELF- REFLEXIVITY.......................................................................................................35 Intertextuality ..........................................................................................................37 Self-Reflexivity .......................................................................................................52 “I Never Met the Dead Man”....…………………………………………………..61 3 FAMILY GUY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A WORKING-CLASS MASCULINITY: CONTINUING AND DEBAUCHED TRADITION ................70 Masculinity in Crisis ...............................................................................................74 “And the Weiner Is…”............................................................................................82 “He’s Too Sexy for his Fat”....................................................................................90 “I am Peter, Here Me Roar”………………………………………………………99 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………109 vii REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................117 1 Introduction On June 30th, 1999, the New York Times reported that Episcopal Priest Richardson Schell, former headmaster of the private Kent School in Rhode Island, began a one-man campaign against the animated comedy Family Guy, about a dysfunctional Rhode Island family (Consoli, “Headmaster Zaps Fox Guy”, De Moraes). During an interview, Schell claimed that his fight against Fox’s Family Guy initially had to do with the fact that the show’s creator, former Kent School student Seth MacFarlane, named his cartoon family “Griffin” after the family of Schell’s assistant. After MacFarlane refused to change the name, Schell moved forward with his attack, claiming that Family Guy had an “obnoxious, objectionable content” (Mifflin 1). Schell’s determination resulted in the creation of a front group he called ProudSponsors, U.S.A. As the sole member of his “group,” Schell sent letters to seventeen companies, including Sprint, Dr. Pepper, Isuzu, Philips Consumer Electronics, The Gap, Old Navy, Chevrolet, McDonald’s, and KFC, requesting they pull their advertisements from the animated comedy he labeled as “racist, sexist, anti-Semitic,” and generally demeaning (Belcher 6; Carter 6E). Ultimately, his boycott convinced up to four sponsors to remove their advertisements from the lineup. Schell, however, was not alone in his aversion for the show. Coca-Cola dropped their sponsorship after their own review of the cartoon’s content. Similarly, Mary Carnavale, spokeswoman for Philip Morris, stated that the tobacco company removed their “youth smoking prevention” campaign from the show because “it is not consistent with our values as a company” (Carter, 6E). Perhaps executives at Philip Morris were responding to a Family Guy episode 2 featuring a doll called “Baby Smokes-a-lot,” equipped with her own cigarette and recorded phrases such as “Tastes like happy” (“Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington”). Family Guy, which began airing on Fox network in 1999, has received numerous negative reviews, due in large part to its flippant content. Many complain that the show’s humor is cheap, crude, and too perverse for network television (Cuprisin). One critic claimed that “Family Guy is really just a desperate plea for attention” (Feran 6H). Tom Shales, staff writer for the Washington Post, was even harsher, contending that “Family Guy is just another tiny drop of toxic waste in the festering Love Canal of the Air” (CO1). Further, the show’s content has managed to upset many religious groups. For instance, Kay McFadden, television critic for the Seattle Times reported that the Ancient Order of Hibernians was “after creator Seth MacFarlane for depicting an Irish-American cartoon family as dysfunctional and alcoholic” (“Fox’s Family Guy” E1). Additionally, Jewish groups spoke against the inclusion of a “GI Jew” action figure in one episode, and other advocacy groups have condemned the show for trivializing child abuse. While the attacks against the show may be particularly severe, contemporary animated situation comedies are known for attracting negative criticism. In fact, many parents have spoken out against their children watching The Simpsons, the longest-running animated comedy on television today, having been in syndication for over a decade. In her article “‘We Hardly Watch that Rude, Crude Show’: Class and Taste in The Simpsons,” journalist and media scholar Diane Alters analyzed audience reception of the wildly popular television show. Her research concludes that viewers depict The Simpsons as a “low-culture product, containing inappropriate language and subject matter” (171). In a similar vein, Family Guy contains envelope-pushing material. For instance, Peter Griffin describes Republicans as “white guys who are afraid of 3 change,” Quagmire, the next door neighbor, has a collection of blow-up sex dolls, and Brian, the family dog, becomes addicted to cocaine. As these examples illustrate, Family Guy is, as a Fox vice