It's a little irresponsible to decide that the humor of the Family Guy episode isn't funny without having seen it. You say: What I love about offensive humor is its ability to challenge assumptions we take for granted -- it forces us to take a closer look at our culture and ask ourselves why the joke makes us so uncomfortable. "Family Goy" fails to do this. How do you know without having seen the episode? The truth is, the episode absolutely challenged assumptions. It pokes at the idea that the cosmetic trappings of culture are equivalent to meaning. Part of the humor (and the critique) of the episode is that Lois herself is nonplussed by this revelation about her heritage. It's her Irish-Catholic husband who shows up with a kipa, tallis, and gold Star-of-David necklace ready to dive in. Lois recognizes that there's an inauthenticity about suddenly trying to embrace Judaism at this point in her life simply because of a connection her ancestors had. There's a tacit acknowledgment that for beliefs to be meaningful, they must actually be... you know, believed.I'm not saying the episode was great art, or even the sharpest thing Family Guy has had to say about Jews and Jewish life. But if you're going to criticize it, at least know what you're talking about. The entire episode is streaming online for free at Hulu.com: http://www.hulu.com/watch/9989...
It's a little irresponsible to decide that the humor of the Family Guy episode isn't funny without having seen it. You say: What I love about offensive humor is its ability to challenge assumptions we take for granted -- it forces us to take a closer look at our culture and ask ourselves why the joke makes us so uncomfortable. "Family Goy" fails to do this. How do you know without having seen the episode? The truth is, the episode absolutely challenged assumptions. It pokes at the idea that the cosmetic trappings of culture are equivalent to meaning. Part of the humor (and the critique) of the episode is that Lois herself is nonplussed by this revelation about her heritage. It's her Irish-Catholic husband who shows up with a kipa, tallis, and gold Star-of-David necklace ready to dive in. Lois recognizes that there's an inauthenticity about suddenly trying to embrace Judaism at this point in her life simply because of a connection her ancestors had. There's a tacit acknowledgment that for beliefs to be meaningful, they must actually be... you know, believed.I'm not saying the episode was great art, or even the sharpest thing Family Guy has had to say about Jews and Jewish life. But if you're going to criticize it, at least know what you're talking about. The entire episode is streaming online for free at Hulu.com: http://www.hulu.com/watch/9989...