Family Guy: One Big Dysfunctional Family

1284 Words3 Pages

Family Guy, an animated sitcom about a New England family and their everyday dilemmas, is a way for viewers to see the comedic side of a dysfunctional family. The Griffins consist of Peter and Lois, the patriarch and matriarch, and Meg, Chris, and Stewie are the children(Family Guy). Every character is different from the next character. They are also weird in their own way. The television show itself displays feminism, structuralism, and gay and lesbian criticism. Each character in the show also displays those criticisms in a certain fashion. Family Guy can be offensive to viewers with its satire, and the way the show delivers its message can make the family and the other characters in the show seem dysfunctional.
Peter Griffin, who is the main character and protagonist in the sitcom, is lazy, idiotic, and alcoholic. He is always ruining something or is always over doing something, but he always has his family in mind). Jean Piaget states," A structure is any conceptual system that has three properties: wholeness, transformation, and self regulation" (Piaget, 5). Peter transforms from a idiotic misogynist to just an idiotic. In earlier an episode like " I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar" where Peter tells a sexist joke and is forced to go to a women's retreat camp is a reminder of how misogynist Peter could be (I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar). That is the second property of structuralism, transformation. Being misogynist the feminist criticism follows behind the transformation of structuralism. Feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of women and men(Feminism). Feminists are committed to activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests. In earlier episodes Peter lives life always judging women, and telling pe...

... middle of paper ...

...e can be flamboyant and peppy. Stewie's genius is what makes people love him. His genius is what makes the show entertaining. The Griffins are one of the most difficult families on television, and without them Family Guy would not be what it is today.

Works Cited

Boles, Janet K. American Feminism: New Issues for a Mature Movement. Newbury Parks, CA: Sage Publications, 1991. Print.
"BGF: Seth MacFarlane." Review. Advocate 26 Jan. 2008: n. pag.Www.advocate.com. Web. 1 May 2014.
Family Guy. MacFarlane, Seth. 20th Century Fox Television. 1999. Television.
"feminism." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014
Lilly, Mark. Gay Men's Literature in the Twentieth Century. Washington Square, N.Y.: New York University Press, 1993. Print.
Piaget, Jean. Structuralism. New York: Basic Books, 1970. Print.

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