Palin lashes out at `Family Guy'

[YumYum]

By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press Writer Becky Bohrer, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 17, 6:27 am ET

JUNEAU, Alaska – Sarah Palin is lashing out at the portrayal of a character with Down syndrome on the Fox animated comedy "Family Guy."

In a Facebook posting headlined "Fox Hollywood — What a Disappointment," the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and current Fox News contributor said Sunday night's episode felt like "another kick in the gut." Palin's youngest son, Trig, has Down syndrome.

The episode features the character Chris falling for a girl with Down syndrome. On a date, he asks what her parents do.

She replies: "My dad's an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska."

Palin resigned as Alaska governor last summer.

Palin's oldest daughter, Bristol, also was quoted on her mother's Facebook page, calling the show's writers "heartless jerks."

"When you're the son or daughter of a public figure, you have to develop thick skin. My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent," she is quoted as saying.

"If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed," Bristol Palin added in the Monday posting. "All they proved is that they're heartless jerks."

Palin wrote that she'd asked her daughter what she thought of the show and Bristol's reply was "a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make about an issue that begs the question: When is enough enough?"

This isn't the first time Palin has spoken out over an attack, real or perceived, on her family. Last year, she condemned a joke David Letterman made about her daughter, for which he later apologized.

A "Family Guy" publicist didn't immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100217/ap_on_en_tv/us_palin_family_guy

 

[MelissaWV]

The episode features the character Chris falling for a girl with Down syndrome. On a date, he asks what her parents do.

She replies: "My dad's an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska."

So... the insult here is to say that she has a child with Down's Syndrome? I don't get it. Someone could say "Sarah Palin wears glasses" and she would take it as an insult.

 

[reduen]

Palin plays the victim card the best....

 

[coyote_sprit]

Palin plays the victim card the best....

I'd feel pretty victimized if my kid was born with down syndrome.

 

[MelissaWV]

I'd feel pretty victimized if my kid was born with down syndrome.

She doesn't seem to feel very victimized when she's using her family as a political ploy.

A lot of children are born with all manner of issues, especially these days. Autistic, blind, deaf, Down's Syndrome, whatever... I still don't see the insult, here.

 

[reduen]

I could not really say if I would or not honestly, this is a road on which I have not yet traveled.

I can say however, that I have lost a child in the past and I am almost certain that I would rather have to deal with her being disabled if I could have chosen.

I'd feel pretty victimized if my kid was born with down syndrome.

 

[fisharmor]

She didn't seem to mind when the pro-life community was trumpeting the fact that she has a down syndrome son.
In fact, I think that's why the joke works... all we heard about for about six months was how a VP candidate has a son with down syndrome. The joke works because it doesn't have anything to do with anything, just like how a VP candidate having a son with down syndrome didn't have anything to do with anything.

 

[RATM99]

She's a partisan PC drama queen that can't take a joke at all. She gave Rush a pass when he called Democrats "retards". Because Rush is "satire" like she said. But attacks Family Guy who are the kings of satire. She makes no sense at all and is engaging in PC. Remember when she twisted Letterman's joke into him being a pedophile. She's full of shit. We need to distance ourselves as far away from her as possible. She's a cancer that was sent to destroy our movement.

 

[A. Havnes]

I don't know. I kind of get where she's coming from, but quite frankly, Family Guy does that stuff all the time. I'm not trying to say that I like Palin or anything, but I can see where she gets her anger from this.

On that note, the best jokes at Palin come from South Park!

 

[Slutter McGee]

This is stupid. Really stupid. Just keep your mouth shut when family guy makes fun of you (right or wrong).

Because the last thing she wants to do is get SouthPark in the mix...and then make a big deal about. That would be bad.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

 

[jmdrake]

The only question I have is, will she use her position as a commentator on Fox News to rail against the content of their entertainment affiliate? I'll never get how conservative Christians can divorce themselves from the fact that the Fox entertainment channel has the most anti family stuff on it, yet they worship Fox news as if it was produced directly from the hand of God.

 

[The Patriot]

Looks like retarded is the new black and Palin is the new Jesse Jackson. I am going to call a spade a spade, a retard a retard, and I don't care what Nailin Palin thinks.

 

[roho76]

Maybe she should be mad at God for cursing her with the butt of a joke. And usually when I lash out at my employers products they fire me. Just sayin.

 

[dannno]

This is stupid. Really stupid. Just keep your mouth shut when family guy makes fun of you (right or wrong).

Because the last thing she wants to do is get SouthPark in the mix...and then make a big deal about. That would be bad.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

 

[idirtify]

So she says Obama will only be a good president if he invades Iran, and she has repeatedly proven to be easily offended. Although this alone should make one shudder at the thought of her becoming Commander in Chief (not to mention her lack of intelligence and competence), Rand said last night on CNN that she could possibly make a great president. WTF?! Yes, and I could possibly invent a time machine tomorrow. HA!

Some say women are less aggressive and make for less militaristic politicians. I say BS! Never underestimate the aggressive capacity of the “protective instinct”, especially when it’s exploited for political gain. But never-mind what I say (which may sound sexist if read the wrong way); there’s no doubt whatsoever that Palin would not be less aggressive.

 

[MelissaWV]

So she says Obama will only be a good president if he invades Iran, and she has repeatedly proven to be easily offended. Although this alone should make one shudder at the thought of her becoming Commander in Chief (not to mention her lack of intelligence and competence), Rand said last night on CNN that she could possibly make a great president. WTF?! Yes, and I could possibly invent a time machine tomorrow. HA!

Some say women are less aggressive and make for less militaristic politicians. I say BS! Never underestimate the aggressive capacity of the “protective instinct”, especially when it’s exploited for political gain. But never-mind what I say (which may sound sexist if read the wrong way); there’s no doubt whatsoever that Palin would not be less aggressive.

Eh. Politics is a game for shrewd, near-soulless sorts, mostly. There are rare exceptions, but the trip "to the top" tends to shape people into vicious, lying, pandering, simple-speaking busy-bodies. The woman seems to have nothing better to worry about. I'm glad. Personally, I have way worse to deal with than someone "making fun" (I still don't see the insult) of a family member.

 

[ShowMeLiberty]

Turning a tv show (FICTION!) into a political agenda is really stupid - just ask former VP Dan Quayle. Anybody else remember the infamous Dan Quayle vs Murphy Brown incident?

It was stupid then and it's stupid now. It's the fast track to irrelevance.

 

[specsaregood]

This is stupid. Really stupid. Just keep your mouth shut when family guy makes fun of you (right or wrong).

The question is, were they making fun of Palin or the child?

If Palin, then so be it; if the child, then screw them.
I wouldn't subject myself to that dumbass show; so I don't know which they were making fun of.

 

[1000-points-of-fright]

I didn't think it was a particularly funny episode, however I understand what they were trying to do. They were treating handicapped people just like everyone else. The down syndrome character wasn't "special" or to be pitied or treated differently, she was a snotty pushy bitch. Chris even says "I used to hear that people with down syndrome were different from the rest of us but you're not. You're not different at all. You're just a bunch of assholes like everyone else!"

 

[Maximilian American]

Family Guy is IMO a immoral comedy show that often takes advantage of people or situations for the capitilization of its own "success". I don't think it belongs on a basic/free network channel because of the exposure of it and the commercial marketing that backs it for funds. It is a bad cultural example, and if I were a Fox network manager I would have the integrity to at most have it running on a paid for cable channel that is not in anyway subsidized like PBS or the other basic network channels.