by marie almond

Created on: September 11, 2008

There is a rating that shows up in the corner of your screen, for Family Guy that rating is TV-14 (pervasive sexual content, scatological humor, strong language. The rating is there to tell parents that this show is not meant for children under 14.

There is no deception in what audience that the show is aimed to, whether it be a cartoon or not. So for people to say that the show is attracting younger viewers and misleading in its title is a weak excuse for not monitoring the television in your home.

Family Guy, to me, is a hilarious show and of course it has a lot of subject matter that kids should not see. But I don't blame the show. There are countless shows and movies and whatever else in the media that are not kid friendly, hence the ratings.

The show is a raunchy, funny, sometimes shocking themes are why I watch it. I find myself laughing at what the show gets away with. In my time zone it is on after 9pm. Just in time to put the kids to bed and curl up for a good laugh before I go to bed. I love the sense of the writers and it sometimes parodies movies and other current events. It covers a variety of over the top situations and makes me bust a gut. And thank God my kids are not seeig this, but its funny. So, to answer the question, no, it is not really a family show.

There are other shows that push the boundries of what constitutes a "family show" one of them is That 70's show. A very funny show, but it had to redo it's scenes of everyone sitting around in the basement in a cloud of smoke. And what about the new show on CBS, "Swingtown". I can't even watch that show, how much sex can a neighborhood have with each other? But I don't want to alter what everyone wants to watch in the USA, I just change the channel.

The point I am getting across is freedom of choice. You either watch the show or you don't. You either monitor what your children watch or you don't. The television is not the parent, you are. It is a matter of taste, and if a show is really that bad it gets cancelled.

And if the Family Guy humor is too much for you, you have the right and probably the remote in your plump little hand to turn the channel. There is no reason for any complaints about what is on TV or any other outlet of media. There are ratings, V-chips, and passwords to limit what is seen in your home. It is easy to externally put the blame on everyone else, when its the parents that have the ultimate say what is to be seen on their TV.

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