The Simpsons: Satire or Offensive?
By srpkinja
@srpkinja (375)
Canada
July 19, 2008 3:07pm CST
Shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad are based on satire. Satire is a use of irony, ridicule or things of the same nature which expose a certain issue in today's world. On these shows they usually use satire to expose such things as violence, bad parenting, and even go so far as to "make fun" of postpartum depression. Are these shows going too far with their satire and actually offending people, cultures, races, countries and even diseases? What do you think?
4 responses
@jeweledbluerose (3061)
• United States
19 Jul 08
Though I don't much care for American Dad, I don't think these sort of shows were created with any real intentions of doing anything except bringing a little laughter to those who take the time to watch them. Yes some of them can be offensive in nature, but that is only if one allows them to be of such.
In my own observations of life, there are way to many things people get uptight over, we all just need to learn to relax a little when it comes to things such as television, and take it with a grain of salt. Life is to serious as it is and what is portrayed in those shows is only fictional scenarios, even if taken from a real life situation, culture, etc.
@jeweledbluerose (3061)
• United States
19 Jul 08
You're welcome! 
I'm not one that gets offended easily, it would have to be something truly degrading and horrible before I might get a little angry over it. However, I've always gotten a good chuckle from watching Family Guy and The Simpson. American Dad, well it has it's moments, but has never been a show I could really get into. My husband loves it though and just about goes crazy if he misses and episode..lol.
I'm not one that gets offended easily, it would have to be something truly degrading and horrible before I might get a little angry over it. However, I've always gotten a good chuckle from watching Family Guy and The Simpson. American Dad, well it has it's moments, but has never been a show I could really get into. My husband loves it though and just about goes crazy if he misses and episode..lol.
@sugarplum9084 (1771)
• United States
19 Jul 08
I enjoy these shows, without satire life would be really boring. I love satire, I think if people get all uptight about it, it just makes the world too serious. These shows do not try to hurt people, and if you're that easily hurt you should never leave your house. With satirical television we can make light of hard times, and even find insight in the satire. Without satire many people would be in the dark about bad governments and would be timid to speak up in many cases. My great grandfather was Jewish, and he used satire in comic strips against the Nazi government, eventually getting himself in trouble, so he fled to America, but in that he managed to insult a horrible group of people, giving more power to the common folk, you can now find his work in the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC haha.
@mansonfreak666 (6)
• United States
22 Jul 08
I live by these shows. I grew up watching the Simpson's, and family guy is one of my favorite shows of all time. The people that get offended the most are people who don't know how to take a joke. It can't be offensive if they make fun of everybody they have made fun of either extremity from poor to rich and every race or religion that there is the world. But to the topic in hand I personally have never got offended I think its funny and keeps you on the ball.
