Several years ago, I wrote an article that was published here called "A Prescription for Poison" that demonstrated how humor can be used to poison a child's mind. But the FOX network, that mouthpiece of the "compassionate conservatives" (you remember— the people who promised to bring back honesty and integrity to government...at least before they started getting indicted and being investigated for possible illegal activities), came out with a new way to inject that poison into the minds of young teens. It's called "The Family Guy" and while it's rated TV-14 (some episodes TV-PG), it's actually banned in many other countries, including Portugal and Poland.

The humor in "The Family Guy" can be bitingly witty, but as with all humor, there's a line that, when crossed, takes it from the funny to the ugly. It's a line that this show crosses often and the "humor" becomes tasteless, overly crude and insensitive. But the episode that aired on Sunday, November 20, 2005 sunk to a new low and there's no way that that show will ever again be seen on a television in my home.

In this episode, there's two main story lines. The first is a continuation of a theme that has always been borderline unacceptable to begin with: domestic violence against women. In this episode, Lois tells Peter that he has to find a way to bond with Stewie to stop him from acting out. The only thing Peter can find that makes Stewie laugh is to abuse his wife. Eventually, they hit her over the head, throw her in the trunk of a car and push the car into a lake. Making light of the horrors that many women face with domestic violence and the ever-increasing incidence of violence by children against their parents is irresponsible to say the least.

But it's the second line that really angered me. An elderly neighbor shows up at the Griffin's house claiming that one of Chris' baseball's broke one of his windows. The Griffin's tell Chris he'll have to pay for the window, but the neighbor says he could sure use some help around the house. So Chris' payment then becomes to help out this elderly neighbor with chores over the summer. It soon becomes evident that this neighbor is a pedophile. According to the character bio's on the show's official website, Chris is 13 years old. This elderly neighbor at one point tells Chris very suggestively that if he gets too hot and sweaty, he can just take off his shirt! This old man then proceeds to make other sexually suggestive comments to Chris, who is oblivious to the old man's intent.

But what about those kids who know what the old man is saying because they are survivors of childhood sexual abuse and/or pedophilia. These kids— many who may not have told anyone about the abuse yet— will see this show and believe that what they're going through, what others are doing to them, is normal! That it's just a joke. Something funny. Certainly not something to get upset about. Certainly not the life-altering, traumatizing experience that they're going through. For these kids, who already blame themselves for the abuse they're suffering, the message they're going to hear will only make it less likely that they'll tell someone about what's happening to them. They're going to think that they're over-reacting, that they're the ones who are wrong about what's going on. That message is a dangerous one to send. There are some things that simply are not funny under any circumstances and pedophilia/child sexual abuse/rape is one of them. Attempts to make it humorous give it an air of "normalcy" that it doesn't have or deserve.

While that would have been enough for me to turn off the show forever, they suddenly took it to a new low. They showed a fantasy sequence in which this old man was now a woman and Chris was her husband and they had two children that looked just like them. In showing this sequence, they reinforced several negative stereotypes that many people hold of the GLBT (gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered) community:

• That there's something wrong with transgendered folks and they're a bit wacky.
• That gays are pedophiles (because the average person doesn't understand TG or non-heterosexuality enough to realize that the TG neighbor wasn't gay-- all they see is an old man attracted to a young boy, which they automatically assume makes him gay.)
• That gays prey on children in an attempt to "convert" them.

The GLBT community is one of the last segments of American citizens that are actively denied legal equality largely because of the negative stereotypes that society holds of them. For this show to reinforce these sterotypes is utterly irresponsible and even dangerous. Transgendered individuals have some of the highest rates of victimization of violent crimes, including rape and murder. To perpetuate the myth that the GLBT community is a risk to children is not in the least bit humorous.

There is great debate as to the influence of violent television shows, movies, video games and music on the behavior of youth. But few understand the power of the subconscious or the way that children think. And with the push to more realistic cartoons and movies and the trend to bring back those who have "died" even when shot at point blank range or, as in the episode that night, locked in the trunk of a car that's pushed into a lake, children are being taught that things like "death" aren't really permanent. The line between fantasy and reality is being blurred and for a child, who already sees a blurred line, the line all but disappears.

The purveyors of violence in movies, videos, television and music are very much like the bartender who serves an obviously drunk patron "one more for the road": they're all morally responsible for the results that come from trying to make another sale. They've all put profit and money above the value of human life and teaching respect and tolerance.

We, as a society, can't simply brush aside the contribution that the producers of outrageous televisions shows, the singers of degrading music, the actors in violent movies and the programmers of bloody video games make to the troubles we're seeing manifest in today's youth. We can't deny that the business community as a whole has put profit above the well-being of not only the consumer, but of the employee, the community and the environment. We have become a society motivated by profit and greed and don't seem to care if that comes at the expense of those who society has failed to protect, like survivors of childhood sexual abuse, pedophilia, domestic violence and the GLBT community.

Where is the outrage? Why do we allow the bigwigs in the music, movie, television and video game industries to continue to put this trash up for sale? Why do we allow our children to watch/listen to/play that garbage? When are we, as consumers, going to stand up and demand that these people stop giving the children of this society, who are drunk on violence already, another "one for the road". That we find this acceptable, that we condone the continued production of matierals that glorify violence and degradation of others for no other reason than to make a buck is a very sad commentary on American society.

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