Comments on: Your ass offends me, I swear. No, really. It’s your ass. It’s definitely not something else.

by: Tae

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:43:16 +0000

I am EXTRA late with this response, I know. But I think the issue with Brittany and how supposedly “fat” she was during her performance speaks volumes of American pop culture’s simultaneous yet contradictory desires for things to stay the same and to have something new to talk about.
She isn’t the same old Brittany. Logically we all knew that she couldn’t be, she’s grown up and gone through some major drama in recent years yet people wanted to hope against hope that she would come back just as good if not better than ever. There is nothing people seem to want more these days than glorious comebacks of our fallen stars but if these comebacks aren’t attainable ridiculing them harshly (probably because people feel as though they put a certain level of faith and hope into this stars reclamation of success and that faith and hope doesn’t end as they’d hoped).
The underlying motive is… “If we can’t laugh with you, we’re content laughing at you.” Brittany is just another victim of that logic.

by: bmc90

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:23:20 +0100

My husband and I separately watched 10 minutes of Family Guy and he is ‘pulling the plug’ as it were. My husband does not quite have my gender issue radar, but one scene with a woman in a doctor’s office claiming to have nymphomania and two doctors’ “cure” was MORE than enough for him. I was treated to Bill Clinton having a ‘fat chick’ party in the back of his limo, asking the women, which of you does not have my herpes yet. And sure enough, poor daughter pretending to read an e-mail to a pretend boyfriend to get her parents’ attention is ignored completely, until her father breaks her computer to show how strong he is. Can’t find anything funny with this.

by: Mercurial Georgia

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:32:50 +0100

That woman, she’s a woman, can’t sing. She really should have retired and be content counting her money, maybe invest in something. There was no way for Britney to continue on without becoming a sad joke herself, instead a focal point of our creepy uncle society, unless she actually learn to sign, and maybe write.

It’s not like Britney don’t have the material to write songs now, she could write about how girls everyday are being used up like meat, she could write about bad choices, bad boyfriends, how you can’t stop being a parent once you’ve actually had the baby, sleepless nights… Heck, it’s like this, I don’t like Julia Roberts, she’s kinda fake, her characters doesn’t get angry and get ugly like Angelina Jolie’s character does, her rage in Erin whatever was expressed with a few angry taps on the table. I loved Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, when she plays the pretty object of everyman’s desire actress, who had nosejobs, who doesn’t eat, and have that unhealthy edge to her, which people exploit instead of heal.

The way she’s up there now, it’s sad, but the people who used to drool over her, now when they say she’s fat, they are saying, she’s done, bring us more /fresh/ meat.

by: Eric

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:38:16 +0100

Well Mark, if you want “foul”, just look at the reaction to the Juanita Broaddrick rape. It was like “No harm , no foul!” The media didn’t care, the Democrats didn’t care, Hillary (obviously) didn’t care …

Lovely, huh?

by: bmc90

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:52:58 +0100

Thanks for the analysis on FG. I’ve passed your posts on to my husband for further discussion. I’m afraid the kids have done what young witnesses to abuse often do: join in. The fact that it is a TV show makes little difference, I think. It takes a lot of maturity to have your own independent judgment that what you are seeing is wrong or that it is meant to be ironic. God knows I don’t want them calling into a talk radio show one day to heap scorn on a teen idol who gained 5 pounds because they feel entitled to do so (or worse).

by: bmc90

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:51:48 +0100

by: Phoenician in a time of Romans

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:12:31 +0100

Your reference to Artaud makes me curious to go back and analyse FG in greater detail now!

Don’t bother. While I’d like to claim to erudition beyond those of mortal posters, the fact is that I hadn’t heard of Artaud until you mentioned him.

by: Funky Cthulu

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:18:14 +0100

Ah, that clears it up a bit for me re Meg, Phoenician. I was wondering about it. Thanks. I think FG does portray a strong emphasis on gender issues in Meg’s treatment, as her teenage brother, slightly younger than her (I think), is hugely immature and amiably stupid but doesn’t get the barrage of criticism on appearance or similar issues.
Your reference to Artaud makes me curious to go back and analyse FG in greater detail now!

by: Phoenician in a time of Romans

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:34:23 +0100

2) It’s hugely cynical - they do show the hypocrisy of the lazy, grossly fat and stupid Peter paired with the slim, smart, sexy (but rather servile) Lois (Ala the Simpsons) but it can be hard to tell where they are pointing out sexism/privelege and where they could be perceived as celebrating it. Meg is depicted as grotesque constantly (despite being clearly just average in looks) but is that because FG is exposing societies shallow judgementalism towards young women or are they laughing at the crushing of an ‘ugly’ girls dreams? I think it’s mostly the former but the distinction could be lost on some kids and teenagers.

The humour aimed at the character of Meg is a theatre of cruelty. Meg is essentially a completely normal person - nothing special, no character flaws. In fact, I’m not sure she actually *has* a character. She dresses almost invisibly, she isn’t pretty or ugly, she isn’t a genius (slightly above average if anything). In short, she’s EveryTeen.

She’s also unwanted by her parents, constantly told she’s ugly, unpopular at school, often humiliated, and a continual failure for reasons beyond her control. She’s an invitation for every late teenager realising life isn’t fair to identify with, and then realise that life is indeed crap.

I’m not sure it’s a female thing, although the sad truth is that in our societies it works better with a teenage girl as the target. Noticably, she doesn’t seem to hate herself or internalise the hostility - she does occasionally scream that she hates her family, but who wouldn’t?

by: Funky Cthulu

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:53:19 +0100

oops, that should read ‘YOUR stepkids’ to avoid sounding creepy. My only excuse is that it’s 5am in my part of the world right now and I need more coffee.