Family Guy Redux

The Fox network, in what can best be seen as an amazing decision given their free for all approach to general subject matter, has opted not to show an episode of Family Guy in which one of the lead characters has an abortion. They didn't want the headache of potential troubles with advertisers, according to a spokesman for Fox. One would hope that at least part of their concern would be with viewer reaction, as well as with plain old decency. Yet those considerations appear to be a stretch on a corporate imagination not truly conducive to such otherwise natural sensitivity.

I do not see the need to get into the details of the episode, save to say (based on what I've read, and you can find the details if you like easily enough on the Internet if you so desire) that it almost surely is in poor taste. But that's a shame enough in itself, given that the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, can actually be quite funny without resorting to the shock or toilet humor which he so often allows his shows to wallow in. The fact is, humor which relies on shock or can be heard from any sophomore at any two bit university is almost certainly the lowest form of comedy, to a great degree because anybody can do it. As such, it rarely is inventive enough to deserve the merit for innovation which it seems to be given in so many quarters of the media.

What does it say about us when we tolerate low brow comedy as high entertainment? Nothing good, when you think about it. At least the MacFarlanes of the world have something of an out: they're trying to make money and are simply, even though in a shallow and regrettable form, responding to a demand. We can perhaps quibble about the degree to which the purveyors of such drivel have in fact created the demand, but I doubt it would alter the main point here. We ought not seek and should not tolerate offensive material. That we do pretty much says it all about what currently passes for mainstream Americana.

Sadly, in saying too little it says too much. In fact, it says it all. We are in danger of becoming a small minded people.