If you watched closely, 'Family Guy' was warning of Hollywood sexual assault for years

[TexasTowelie]

In 2013, it just sounded like a very, very awkward joke at the Oscars.

As host Seth MacFarlane introduced the nominees for the best supporting actress award, he said: “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.”

The audience of actors and other Hollywood types responded with laughter and a smattering of groans, the Huffington Post reports. Then the awards show went on, with 40.3 million Americans watching at home, according to the Los Angeles Times.

But years later, after dozens of women have come forward with sexual assault and rape allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the clip might sound less like a joke and more like someone trying to sound the alarm: More than 80 women have now accused Weinstein of assault or harassment, according to Newsweek.

Weinstein isn’t the only Hollywood heavyweight that MacFarlane, the creator of the animated comedy show “Family Guy,” has taken on.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article182159991.html

[sl8]

1. Help! I've escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement!"

[Ms. Toad]

2. Not funny.

It seems to imply the accusations against Kevin Spacey are made up for money.

[sl8]

7. I can see that.

Last edited Wed Nov 1, 2017, 10:50 PM - Edit history (1)

That's certainly one way to take it.

You could also take it that Stewie and Brian are taking advantage of Spacey's well-known (well-known for the purposes of this joke, at least) predilections, as the theme for their wager/practical joke. Yes, Stewie is obviously faking it, but it doesn't really speak to how Spacey had already acquired the reputation.

Also, this aired about 12 years ago. I'll bet that the average Family Guy viewer wasn't aware of Spacey's reputation in this regard. I certainly wasn't.

[Ms. Toad]

11. The Youtube postdate for your link is within the last couple of days

(as are all of the responses to it.)

Nothing suggested to me that it was anything other than a response to the current events.

[sl8]

12. Yes, that's correct, but I'm not sure why that's significant

Do you suspect the Youtube poster of ulterior motives, but not the show's creator, or ?

I didn't pay any attention to the dates on the clips, I just picked one that seemed of decent quality and not overly long. I see now that several with essentially the same content were posted within the last couple of days, surely because of the recent allegations. I wouldn't assume that the posters are suggesting that the allegations are false, based only on their posting the clips. At least one of the clips is over a year old.

[Ms. Toad]

14. I was reacting to a youtube video, posted without context, that appears to have been created

after allegations of sexual abuse were made against Spacey - a video that seems to suggest that Spacey's accusers were making things up for money.

Survivors are accused all of the time of making things up for a lot of reasons, including getting paid off.

So the date is significant because it is more of that same kind of crap if the show's creator made it as a response to the allegations against Spacey. (And undermining survivors of sexual abuse - as this clip appeared to be doing - has no business anywhere - especially not on a progressive website.)

As something that predates allegations - I'm not sure what to make of it, since I know nothing about what prompted it.

I would have reacted differently had you provided some context (the show date, why it was relevant to this thread, for example). Since you didn't I reacted to it for what it appeared to be - a response to, and an attempt to undermine, the credibility of recent accusers against Spacey

[moriah]

18. Just watched. If you want more context it actually looks worse.

Now, I'm going to say up front Family Guy deliberately has Stewie (the baby) as a character that looks and acts like no child ever actually would, and is downright evil in many ways. They use him in a similar way to how South Park uses Cartman. These characters are NOT meant to be representative of how any child would actually think or what they would do.

The entire context is the dog is left to babysit Stewie while Mom has the daughter try on clothes. Immediately after something awful indicating the daughter isn't attractive happens, the video shown starts. The next scene is a naked Stewie being handed cash and asked if it was cold, and while he's counting it saying "No, just small."

---

So if they really wanted to show the accusation as a cash grab, I would think they would have included the scene of Stewie counting out the cash. I think it's more likely they were trying to show that the setup was that it was a dare from the dog and not that FG had depicted Spacey actually kidnapping Stewie. Again, if it'd been specifically cut to imply that Spacey's victim is trying to cash in, they would have shown the rest of it with him counting the money he was paid.

[Ms. Toad]

19. Never watched Family Guy.

The posted clip was a few seconds long. The name of the program is not visible on the video posted to DU - and when I went to the YouTube site I was only looking to see when it was created, not where it came from or whether it was connected to something bigger. You, like the person who posted it, doesn't see the significance that it appeared to have been created wtihin the last couple of days as a response to Spacey, seem to be assuming I know not only that it was Family Guy, but that I know the family Guy characters - and similarly that I know South Park.

As to South Park, that blasted show probably cost me a few points on the bar exam. The question assumed everyone taking the bar exam knew the basics of South Park and would recognize the characters and the setting in which the show took place - and the setting (whether South Park was a city, state, county, school district, etc.) was essential to answering the question.

Didn't know it then. Don't know it now. Don't know Family Guy, didn't know the clip was from the Family Guy, have no idea what, if anything, was before or after the clip that was posted.

I was responding solely to the snippet that was posted, that seems to be a current response to challenging the credibility of the accusations against Spacey. From that perspective - it doesn't really matter that there is a different clip that you think might make a stronger point. I probably would have reacted the same way to that clip.

[moriah]

20. Please kindly have some coffee and re-read what I said.

Last edited Thu Nov 2, 2017, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

First, if I "assumed" you knew anything about the show, I wouldn't have made it clear that the character "Stewie" is not to be taken as representative of any actual child's feelings, thoughts, or behaviors.

I don't watch the show either, but I have been exposed to it enough to recognize the animation and know at least that. When this debate came up I watched the episode in question on Hulu.


And I'm very sorry, but I have no influence over the bar exam.

---

I was of *course* saying you would have reacted the same, if not worse, to the full scene. But TBH I believe Occam's Razor makes your belief that this video was deliberately cut to make Spacey's victim look bad fail.

It's a much simpler explanation that the user just uploaded the clip recently because it's in the news this week -- that uploader has uploaded several FG clips referencing stars after major news, like one after Adam West's death.

You have the right to be offended by anything you want to be. You have the right to interpret anything how you want or read in motivations to any editing. That doesn't mean you're correct about the other person's motivations, though. Unless besides passing the bar you also are a mind-reader.

Edit to add: Finally, your choice not to look at the title of the show when you went to YouTube, and instead look at the date of the upload, shows you deliberately chose to see this as an attack against Spacey's victim and sought evidence to support that assertion instead of even looking for the name of the show, season, and episode it came from. All of which are in the video header on YouTube.

As an attorney, I would think you would be aware that type of "investigation" style -- instead of looking at all the facts, searching only for facts that support your assumption -- is how innocent people get railroaded by overzealous cops. You went into your "research" with the assumption that no one would ever upload an old clip from a show that somehow became relevant because of recent news. When in fact there is a video of the mall portion of the clip repeated 10,000 times uploaded in the last several days. I'm sure that person is really picking on Spacey's victim, too. Instead of Spacey himself, the one who deserves it.

[MuseRider]

3. If anyone watched closely

women have been warning about it for decades.

Family Guy, really? Is that the first people are hearing of this?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Beat me to it.

Who you going to believe? This cartoon baby, or actual human women?

[MuseRider]

5. To a whole lot of people

it seems the cartoon baby is more credible and important enough to listen to than an actual human woman.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Yep. It's infuriating.

[spooky3]

17. It's male.

[loyalsister]

8. Alanis Morisette was writing about it in the 90s

"You Outta Know" was about Dave Coulier from Full House. Then there was the theme song for recent news.

[mythology]

15. It's speculated that it's about Dave Coulier, but there are several others as well

Alanis Morissette hasn't said who it was about. But there's also the not particularly minor detail that it's a song about a break up, not about being sexual harassed. Comparing the two devalues sexual harassment.

[loyalsister]

16. There are variations of sexual harassment

Whether it's groping and fear of revealing or saying no or sexual relationships that are rooted in intimidation and promises. The power differential exists in all cases.

[world wide wally]

9. They have been talking about "the casting couch" since silent movies.

[HipChick]

13. Worst kept secret...

[Initech]

10. 30 Rock too has been making fun of it for years.