Zinser vs Peacocke
There are two types of television shows, those that entertain and those that inform. In this era, Americans have been turning towards a new hybrid form of television shows called infotainment. Infotainment puts a comical spin on pressing news to appeal to a wider audience. Some argue that the news reported is “fake” news and is misinforming the public (Zinser 363). Jason Zinser’s analysis of the comical nature of The Daily Show in his article, The Good, the Bad, and The Daily Show, helps us understand Antonia Peacocke’s observations about Family Guy’s stimulation of the unconscious through satire in her article, Family Guy and Freud. Both shows use comedy to attract viewers, inform the public, and stir up the thoughts and…show more content… Family Guy has been canceled two times since its airing in 1999 (Peacocke 300). Comparatively to Zinser’s beliefs on The Daily Show, the jokes made on Family Guy may be harsh, but they are not meant to harm (Peacocke 307). The satirical nature of its jokes permits what would normally be unacceptable, to be adequate. According to Peacocke, “Macfarlane makes an important point: that no amount of television censorship will ever change the harsh nature of reality- and to censor reality is mere folly” (Peacocke 306). Family Guy’s relaxed censorship policies allows for freedom of unbefitting problems to be included in its…show more content… One thing that Zinser and Peacocke can agree on is that both shows inform their viewers as well as leave their content open for discussion. Peacocke provides an example from an episode of Family Guy on page 304 that satirizes people’s willingness to blindly follow what a celebrity says. “Stewie: You know, this book’s been around for fifty years. It’s a classic. Brian: But you just got it last week. And there’s a giant Oprah sticker on the front. Stewie: Oh-oh-oh, is that what that is? Oh, lemme just peel that right off. Brian: So, uh, what are you gonna read after that one? Stewie: Well she hasn't told us yet- damn!” (Peacocke 304). In this dialogue, Brian calls Stewie out for believing that the book he was reading was a classic just because Oprah said