I Disagree, Pedophilia is NOT Funny!

So i'm talking to a group of people at work right, and one guy starts imitating Hebert, the creepy old man from Family Guy the TV animated show

Hebert is a pedo, he's always talking to little boys and inviting them in his basement of Popsicles or things of the sort, there are pedo references left and right

Everyone I spoke to at work found it funny, then I said no it's not funny
There's nothing funny about it and everyone disagreed with me

What are your thoughts on this? I am really against Hebert and think he shouldn't be allowed on TV

Put it this way, if family guy wasn't animated of course the pedo would be unacceptable, but because it is animated people don't think it's a big deal.

To laugh at such jokes is to trivialize the offense

Am I being too much of a stickler, am I going overboard?
Thoughts?

reply to post by ModernAcademia


I find him pretty disgusting. I find the show pretty amusing (when I watch it), and I'm no prude, nor am I even remotely PC, but that character is out of bounds IMO.

/TOA

It's a cartoon and therefore everyone knows it's not true.

Most of the laughs come from Chris turning him down for a Popsicle and pi$$ing him off. Also because he is old and pathetic, along with an old and pathetic dog.

So I think people are laughing at him...not with him or for him.

IMO.

tbh mate, although family guy to me is probably the best thing on tv since the dawn of time, herbert is my most boring character. I really dont get amused by him. Pedophilia is sickness no question about it but then again if you watch family guy you know that those people have no drawbacks.

Either take it or leave it.

Cause even though pedophilia is terrible thing, i can imagine a lot worse things in the world. (which is kinda sad there are worst things than pedophilia in the world.)

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Well, I’m with you. Society seems to be trivialising this subject and I must admit it’s one that make me very uncomfortable. I have had similar disagreements with work colleagues myself and find that this is a growing phenomenon. In fact I almost came to a violent confrontation with one guy as I tried to control my disgust and anger at the jokes he made about Baby Peter.
For those not living in the UK, who are not sure who baby Peter is, please read this...

www.timesonline.co.uk...

As a big strong man I am not ashamed to say that I cried like a baby when I first read about the injuries this boy suffered at the hands of his mother and step-father.

How anyone can find comedy in the suffering of children is beyond me and merely reinforces my belief that, as a society, we are lost. Are we really so selfish and narcissistic that we can laugh at the misfortune of the most vulnerable members of society?

Very sad.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Agree with you! Many joke about sick stuff and then wonder why things like that happen in real life". They should be yelling and screaming at the TV stations to get rid of SICK - ideas to give to others.

I mention games and movies and TV that dramatize sicknesses like torture, bloody, senseless beatings, killing, "blowing up" this or that --- Lots of bodies --- where "the hero" comes out OK. Message sent to viewers ---- You think about it! --- Brutal and wild and crazy is "cool" - You will be the hero! Take the lead!

Sad thing is most of today's kids (and adults too) have been so detached from reality --- that they live in these fantasy worlds. ---- Killing and butchering the cow, pig, chicken, sheep, goat, etc. for "the burger". If most would see it in person, most would quit eating meat tomorrow! If people saw how much "yuk" goes into a "hot dog", they would not eat another either. ----- If most saw WAR in person and Suffering and the "foreverness of death, or serious injury and deformaty, most would NOT ENLIST --- War would be gone quickly too. --- We might even start figuring out how to get along rather than "how to take from others at their expense".

----- and think of this: most people do not know how to drive their cars. All think they do, yet constantly do VERY DANGEROUS ACTS or through omition cause DANGEROUS Situations. ----- I know this first hand. I teach driving of all kinds, motorcycling, and also am retired NY State Trooper who saw the acts and results of negligience.

Most people are SERIOUS Tailgaters (follow WAY-TOO-CLOSE) and think they have lots of space in front of them. ---Why - because they have not lived in Our PHYSICAL WORLD - They live in a "protected" one and /or cyber one today. Common Sense shows DEAD IS DEAD FOREVER & Can't be undone with the click of a button!

I both feel sorry for these nieve people and at the same time - they scare the HELL out of me!

For most people, the most dangerous, deadly weapon they will operate (daily for most) is that 4000 pound car or truck they drive. It is a GUIDED MISSILE that can kill them and/or others in a Second - yet NO IMPORTANCE is PLACED on "Really Knowing How To Drive" ----- Go to Europe, Brazil and a few other places --- They MUST PAY approx. $3,000, go to both months of classroom sessions and all kinds and conditions of real driving BEFORE they get a Drivers License. AMERICAN Way is: If you can get on that horse - you can ride that horse --- WILD WEST MENTALITY --- Complete STUPIDNESS!!!

It's not what he says that funny, it's how he says it. People aren't laughing with him, they are laughing at him.

Pedobear on the other hand really does disgust me. It's not the same thing as Herbert from Family Guy.

reply to post by WarmHeartedWorld


How did you turn the topic into tailgating?

You must've been dropped on a bible when you were born. Please stop trying to kill the 1st amendment. Our govt already has that covered.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


I find no humor in it whatsoever. In fact it is rather disgusting to joke about. That being said, I enjoy some shows that tend to make fun of this subject. South Park and Family Guy are two prime examples of how desensitized we are as a society. I think it is disturbing that people use excuses like "it's a cartoon" or "it's just a joke" to trivialize it. I must sound like a hypocrite due to the fact that I admitted I enjoy these shows, but you are completely right OP. It is not a laughing matter.

then dont ever watch "father tucker the child f*****"




Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by ModernAcademia
What are your thoughts on this? I am really against Hebert and think he shouldn't be allowed on TV

I have never seen the show, but I don't think they should be censored for this.

To laugh at such jokes is to trivialize the offense

I disagree with this. Nothing can trivialize the molestation of a child. If people want to joke about it, I really don't care... There's no harm done. And if subjects like this are brought up for public discussion, maybe it will provide a teaching opportunity. I don't believe in taboo subjects.

Am I being too much of a stickler, am I going overboard?

Well, I think so, but if it's how you feel, it's how you feel. You have every right to dislike the show or the idea of joking about certain matters, but I think dragging them off the air is a bit much.

i agree that pedophilia is a horrible crime. if i ever found out a guy had touched one of my kids or the kids of friends or family, he better hope the police get im first./ there are things in life that are worse than death.

but herbert is such a caricature, he is funny. people are laughing at him and his sad pathetic behavior. in their fisrt star wars parody, blue harvest, he was pretty funny as obi wan kenobi. especially when his "light saber" went limp and then straightened out when he saw luke, as played by chris.

Honestly, humor is a fantastic coping mechanism. I personally suffered pretty severe sexual abuse as a child and if I wasn't able to extract a little bit of humor from such a horrible situation I would be mopey and depressed all the time. Probably even suicidal. My field of study is criminology so I have had the opportunity to speak with people who deal with vicious killers on a regular basis. The ones who poke fun at those terrible crimes are usually the ones who are most shaken up by them. Just my two cents.

Herbert is to Family Guy what South Park is… to itself.

I may find it objectionable but other people don’t so there’s not much I can do about it.

reply to post by ModernAcademia
Listen, I think you are 'spot-on' with your assessment of this icky trend in broadcast television. You are correct, in my opinion, to feel outraged by this twisted 'humor' and the ignorant people who fail to see the sickness inherent in it. Good on you, for vocalizing your truth. A lot of people may disagree, but remain quiet and try to ignore.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Hmm.. it's pretty funny to me.

It's a cartoon.

Firstly, star and flag for posting a thread which is actually an interesting discussion even though it is pop culture. I seem to be reading so many crappy threads on ats at the moment.
Im not really sure where i stand on this, i just spend the last ten minutes staring at the dog trying to come up with an opinion. The character is funny, yes, does it encourage paedophilia? i dont know. Is it bad taste? Yes probably, but so is a lot of family guy Family guy is bad taste done well. Trouble is, where do we stop with the censorship? My kids were watching an episode tonight where Meg was dancing provocatively on a stage and her clothes fell off, Should that be censored?
As i say thought, im still not sure.

The best comedy is often born out of pain, or other "negative" emotions. Laughing/smiling is often one of the most frequent defense mechanisms people employ. My family have always been very cynical and sarcastic, I have heard many humorous conversation that was on a very "touchy" subject. I think it's actually pretty healthy, and cathartic to laugh at life's little tragedies. I'm sure EVERYONE has laughed at something, and thought "I shouldn't be laughing at this!".

I don't find this specific character that funny, really, although I'm also not very offended by it, either (it takes quite a bit to offend me, and usually, I only tend to find more spiteful, aggressive actions offensive personally). Pedophilia is very sad, and when an actual victim is involved, tragic, but I don't believe people should be "censored" from talking about it in a specific manner. I don't believe we need to be "thought" police. If you are not entertained, or offended by something, avoid it. Just because one person does not agree with a subject matter discussed in a certain way, it should not be removed.

As adults, I believe we should be free to discuss/joke/complain about whatever we want, free speech and all. I don't believe this character encourages pedophilia, nor attempts to make it more socially acceptable. There are tons of jokes about serial killers, there are tons of "dark" humor movies. Most of the best comedians will freely admit their own personal tragedies resulted in their best material. Crack addiction is a tragedy, but I'd say Richard Prior had some side splitting routines about his own battles with coc aine. Should everyone be "protected" from joking about crack addiction? Heart break? Infidelity? Death in general?

Life is too short, and too painful NOT to see the humor in everything related to life; it helps us cope with all the crazy bull-pucky that happens to us as a species. One thing I'm sure of, if there is a God, he has a sense of humor, a very sick, depraved sense of humor

Why so serious?

Is pedophilia ok, absolutely not, it is an abhorrent practice.

When tackling tough, hard to deal with, and taboo subjects one has a few ways to go about it:

You can lay it out in a "real" documentary way - I wouldn't want to watch that one, while educational it would leave an imprint on my psyche

You can present it in a scholarly sort of way - I wouldn't want to sit down and devote some time to reading that, it too would be tough on the psyche

Or you can attempt to bring attention to it in a less than damaging way by using humor - this allows awareness to reach a much broader audience in an easier to handle fashion

Use of humor as a coping mechanism, psychological adjustment, and social interaction

In contempary society the world over, humor and laughter are frequently presumed to be a means people can use to cope with life's difficulties (Ziv 1988). Such cultural beliefs are reflected in slogans such as "Laughter is the best medicine," and in lyrics such as "Let a smile be your umbrella" and "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile." Consistent with such recommendations, research on the relationships between laughter and coping with stress has found that people can and do use humor to cope with stress and adversity. Moreover, this research suggests that there are meaningful individual differences in the extent to which people do this.

Now in our society, there exists an innumerable amount of twisted things that transpire, by not talking about it or shining a light on it, per se, do these practices stop or do those perpetrators take it as a silent endorsement and acceptance?

I think it is too easy in our PC rich society to look at everything through that skewed vision of "Who is this going to offend" instead of accepting that perhaps the time honored tradition of using humor to cope with our societal ills is taking place.

By placing the character in a cartoon, are they promoting the practice or are they just simply saying "Watch your kids, there be freaks here"

When some stranger offers a child some candy or popsicles, does the child remember mom and dad's warning always, or is mom and dad's warning reinforced with the cartoon image of the creepy guy on Family Guy asking them inside for nefarious reasons?

During those coworkers conversations, were any of them saying "Yeah I want to BE that guy!"?

Or did it allow the office or workspace to now engage in a taboo topic that would never have taken place prior?

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I disagree with this. Nothing can trivialize the molestation of a child.

I think there is one thing that can trivialize it, laughing about it
Humor is very powerful, with it you can change people opinions through mockery and no actual argument

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
If people want to joke about it, I really don't care... There's no harm done.

But what if harm was being done
I was talking to people who are normal average people, very open minded and not racist or violent or anything like that, but they all thought I was making a big thing out of nothing.
That's when I realized, even good people have been desensitized, that's when you know something very wrong is happening.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
And if subjects like this are brought up for public discussion, maybe it will provide a teaching opportunity. I don't believe in taboo subjects.

That's fine, but I found it very hard to tell people laughing about it is immoral
Saying laughing about is bad is not making it taboo
There's no education in it, if anything there's only de-education

Well, I think so, but if it's how you feel, it's how you feel. You have every right to dislike the show or the idea of joking about certain matters, but I think dragging them off the air is a bit much.

Fair enough
I don't know, sometimes I feel like an alien