Different Bodies and Family Guy

"Are they laughing with us or at us?" Disability in Fox's Animated Series Family Guy by Mckeown and Dr. Paul Darke 

Mckeown and Dr. Paul Darke co-wrote the chapter "Are they laughing with us or at Us?" Disability in Fox's Animated Series Family Guy which considers the role and history of animation with regard to the cultural presentation of disability, focusing on the episode 'Extra large Medium' which includes a Down Syndrome person in both the storyline and acting. This episode was extremely controversial in the USA not least because it referred to the politician Sarah Palin and was lambasted by Fox's news channel, the same company that publishes Family Guy. Mckeown and Darke argue that satire, done correctly, is imperative in developing a different and inclusive cultural relationship with disability.

"This is a collection of 19 new essays by 21 different authors from the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and India. It focuses on contemporary film and television (1989 to the present) from those countries as well as from China, Korea, Thailand and France. The essays are divided into three sections. The first and second, entitled "Disability on Screen: Critical Reflections," include critical readings of narrative film and television respectively. The third, entitled "Disability in Production and Reception: Critical Reflections," includes essays on documentaries, biopics and autobiographically-informed films, and an essay on audience reactions to a television series. The book as a whole is designed to be accessible to readers new to disability studies, while also contributing significantly to the field. An introduction provides a background in disability studies and an appendix of suggested reading in disability studies is provided." 

Edited by the inspired Marja Mogk, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair of English, California Lutheran University, California, USA. 

Recent customer reviews on Amazon include: