We've all heard about and talked about the problems with Seth McFarlane's humor, most notably his unfunny rape jokes. So I wasn't planning on watching the first episode of his latest spinoff, Cleveland, featuring the token black character of that name from Family Guy in a wacky new situation. But I got talked into giving it a fair chance to be funny without pissing me off, so I ended up watching about half of it. Before I left the room to cope with the dry heaves.
The first thing that struck me was that Cleveland's son had magically morphed from thin and hyperactive to basically spherical and lethargic. I'm not sure what to make of this other than the fact that the new family he meets up with later in the episode already has one thin boy, who needs to be set up for the joke about how fat people are staying at his house without his prior consent. Hilarious.
Despite plans to go to California, Cleveland and his son end up in Virginia [enter wisecrack about the south HERE]. This is set up as Cleveland's home town, which he intends to visit only. (All American blacks, of course, are from the south). Then he meets up with an old flame, and promptly moves in with her to become the patriarch she was obviously missing.
Seriously. She was a black single mom, and her kids were struggling (the son was a thug and the daughter a slut, who would've seen that coming?) and Cleveland tells her she just needs a man in the house to set things right. Then he proceeds to systematically set things right.
The son was kicked out of school for some sort of misbehavior, so Cleveland teaches him that it's ok to look up girls' skirts, he just has to create some excuse (like dropping his pencil) so it doesn't LOOK like he's being a perv. Problem solved!
The daughter's problem that she's a slut. Cleveland says to her mother "Have you tried genital mutilation?" And I don't know what happened after that, because that's when I walked out of the room.
I assume, based on commercials for the show, that the mom decides Cleveland's manliness is exactly what's been missing from her life and invites him to move in permanently. Like you do.
I'm sure there are more angles to this, especially with regards to race. Anybody else catch it, and have any thoughts?
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I can usually overlook the other aspects of the show such as the whole single black mother with no man in her life so her life is incomplete, but I definitely noticed the tasteless "genital mutilation" joke...it was just soooooooo uncalled for and out of no where! I could not believe what I heard and I have to say I do not think there has ever been anything on family guy that has ever offended me as much as that joke did. Disgusting is what it was...
I would like to know if the genital mutilation joke went anywhere after that, preferably a place that makes it clear how awful it is.
Like I said, I didn't stick around very long- but it seemed like a throwaway joke with no context at all.
I saw it on Hulu. The mom gasped in horror and Cleveland said "Only joking."
It simply wasn't funny.
I saw it on Hulu. The mom gasped in horror and Cleveland said "Only joking."
It simply wasn't funny.
I saw it on Hulu. The mom gasped in horror and Cleveland said "Only joking."
It simply wasn't funny.
Sorry for the three posts.
After the genital mutilation joke, cleveland deals with the slutty daughter by threatening to beat up her boyfriend if he doesn't have her home by 10. B/C, you know, he is the protector of her innocence.
Also, before the single mom invites cleavland to move in with her, she gets back together with her bad ex-boyfriend, and cleavland has to 'rescue' her.
Really seems like a racist and sexist show all around =(
Most African Americans, of course, are from the South. ( http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-5.pdf )
That's probably the only bit I can see how to defend, though.
Fair enough, thanks for the info.
my brother didn't even find it funny. so i knew it must have sucked worse then i thought.
Just discovered that WomanistMusings has more on the premiere, especially the racial aspects of it:
http://www.womanist-musings.com/2009/09/cleveland-show.html