Hi Empire. Have you missed me? I thought you might have. I try to be a more present Emperor and Supreme Overlord, but occasionally I am busy. For example, I went to Portland, again. It was fun, debaucherous and everything. And also I’ve been doing a lot of non-Deratlian writing, which one day I might share with more than just you few readers if I get particularly lucky. And then there’s the procrastinating. Oh, Lordie, the procrastinating.
For today’s long overdue Thought of the Day, I hit up CNN’s frontpage for something that amused me, and discovered this Gem:
Palin Slams Fox’s ‘Family Guy’
From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston
Sarah Palin expressed outrage at the Fox Broadcasting Company program ‘Family Guy’.Washington (CNN) – Sarah Palin expressed outrage at a Fox Broadcasting Company television program for deriding people with Down syndrome and making an apparent reference to her 22-month-old son, Trig, who has the genetic disorder.
The former Alaska governor said on her Facebook page that she was too angry to offer a coherent response so she had her daughter, Bristol, release a full statement on the family’s behalf.
The Palins directed their criticism at the prime time Fox cartoon, “Family Guy.” In Sunday’s episode, a teenaged female character with Down syndrome told another character that “my mom is the former governor of Alaska.” A song and dance routine by another character also used language that ridiculed people with disabilities.
“People are asking me to comment on yesterday’s Fox show that felt like another kick in the gut,” Palin, a Fox News contributor, said in the statement posted Monday evening on her Facebook page. “Bristol was one who asked what I thought of the show that mocked her baby brother, Trig (and/or others with special needs), in an episode yesterday. Instead of answering, I asked her what she thought. Here is her conscientious reply, which is a much more restrained and gracious statement than I want to make about an issue that begs the question, ‘when is enough, enough?’”
Bristol Palin’s statement was posted below her mother’s Facebook entry.
“When you’re the son or daughter of a public figure, you have to develop thick skin,” Bristol Palin said. “My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent. People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront, and yet they are some of the kindest and most loving people you’ll ever meet. Their lives are difficult enough as it is, so why would anyone want to make their lives more difficult by mocking them?
“As a culture, shouldn’t we be more compassionate to innocent people – especially those who are less fortunate? Shouldn’t we be willing to say that some things just are not funny? Are there any limits to what some people will do or say in regards to my little brother or others in the special needs community? If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks.”
Fox Broadcasting – which, like Fox News, is owned by News Corp. – did not comment on the Palins’ response to the show.
Well. My feelings towards this scenario are incredibly complex and profoundly important – like all of my feelings, as you’re well aware. On the one hand, I immediately want to poke fun at Sarah Palin for being “Too Mad” to form a coherent statement, so instead the former governor trusts her baby-momma teenage daughter Bristol to deliver her family’s message.
Is it wrong of me that I’m so phenomenally surprised she was able to string words together? Does that make me a “heartless jerk?”, or just an American who once listened to her mother attempt to string similar words together in a campaign setting?
On the other hand, the Palins becoming upset over what they claim is a “particularly pathetic cartoon” making fun of young Trig is unnecessary. Getting mad over a show designed by assholes in order to make other assholes laugh is wholly unnecessary, and a preposterous waste of time. It isn’t going to change anything, it just gives them something else to make fun of. For their self-proclaimed ‘thick skin’, they sure reacted to this one with glass feelings.
Side-bar: I just saw a trailer for ‘Green Zone’ starring Matt Damon. This guy was DESIGNED to whip ass while looking handsome and regal. For your viewing pleasure…
/Side-bar
Anyway – Back to Bristol Palin, though all parts of me ache to watch Matt Damon beat the hell out of criminals.
Her statement is simple, and far more coherent than 90% of what her mother said. Then again, she undoubtedly was able to run it through a team of people and everyone knows it’s easier to be understandable in a written statement than off the top of your head. Also, it’s obviously a real statement from her – an experienced politician probably wouldn’t call anyone a jerk. It’s just a wee bit too honest. Then again, being pissed off about someone making fun of your handicapped brother is an entirely expected and justified reaction.
Thought of the Day: Scott McFarlane, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone don’t give a shit what the people they make fun of in their shows think of the way they’re portrayed. Why waste your limited brain power, Sarah Palin? You’ve got a Cable TV network to destroy.
