Perhaps I'm nuts but I found the Boob Song not only a parody of Hollywood musicals which

[snagglepuss]

flaunt sexuality under the guise of wholesome entertainment but also a put down of the propensity of men to fixate on boobs to the exclusion of all else and Hollywood's willingness to cater to this adolescent male mindset.

[The Straight Story]

1. Some people think blazing saddles was completely racist

and Archie Bunker was something it was not.

It is all how one views things I guess.

[In_The_Wind]

7. A very wise proverb. Indeed

[Scootaloo]

14. So... Insanity Wolf vs. Courage Wolf?

[joeybee12]

21. I recall Seth saying you couldn't get All in the Family on tv today...

Judging by the outrage over the use of drones...wait, I mean, over a tv skit...he's right...

[Drale]

27. Blazing Saddles is incredibly Racist and could never be made today but

it was racist with the point of being racist not because Mel Brookes is a racist but because it was a parody of racism

[dogknob]

36. Every N-word in Blazing Saddles came straight from Richard Pryor...

...who co-wrote the film and was supposed to start as Sheriff Bart.

Ironically, Warner would not bankroll a film starring an uppity N.....

[deutsey]

37. And don't forget: Richard Pryor was one of the co-wrtiers n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. It was, but the Outrage Brigade does not do nuance.

Cheers!

[Ian David]

3. You're probably right, but it runs into the old problem of what happens when...

... you make an anti-war movie by creating a war spectacle.

That may have been the intent, but I'm not really sure it worked.

[marions ghost]

41. +++++ Bingo--that is the problem

--since the majority of people do NOT do nuance--creators of things like this are walking a thin line. They end up promoting the very thing they try to parody, the thing they are (we hope) criticizing.

That's what happened here IMO. It didn't work. Never mind any other aspects -- it did not succeed in causing people to question anything. Was just used to create controversy and make people who missed it go watch it online.

The average person does not get parody presented as mere entertainment. It has to be ridiculed AT THE TIME OF viewing. Unfortunately for the rest who get it on that level, but that is reality.

[Ian David]

42. Also, that damn song is still stuck in my head.

I probably shouldn't have made it my ringtone.

[NoGOPZone]

4. I just thought it sucked. nt

[snagglepuss]

10. I thought it was a catchy tune and captured the essence of razzmatzz.

[NoGOPZone]

11. then perhaps the problem

is that razzmatazz itself sucks?

[snagglepuss]

12. lol. You may have a point.

[HappyMe]

5. What is 'wholesome entertainment'?

There are a bunch of movies that don't involve any nudity. Nobody forces anyone to plunk down their dollars and see a movie.

[Javaman]

6. and yet movies with excessive violence get a more reasonable rating than those which show boobs.

we are one uptight nation.

Check out the Documentary, (if you already haven't) "This movie is not yet rated".

[MindPilot]

15. That was one awesome doc!!

In no small part because there is a clip from a 1950s congressional hearing where some rep actually uses the phrase "they hate us for our freedom"

And I can only imagine what Hollywood would be producing these days if it weren't for the stifling nature of the MMPA.

For some really good films check out the "forbidden Hollywood" series of the movies made before the MMPA. Like "Men for Sale' about returning WW1 vets and how the bankers and industrialists exploited that suddenly glutted labor market. And how returning vets, disfigured from injuries were met with revulsion. A lot of the old horror films are about that as well.

(I wrote this from memory so some of the names may not be completely accurate.)

[reorg]

8. IOW something feminists should be celebrating and promoting

and, in a way, they actually do, at least the latter.

However, it would appear that some commentators have no concept of the literary terms "persona", "voice", "perspective". They seem to think that Seth MacFarlane writes and plays the roles of Peter Griffin, Stewie and similar ostensibly childish characters to give literal expression of his own, personal point of view. Which seems childish to me, but what do I know ...

[snagglepuss]

9. Spot on. You describe a mindset which seems to be shared with religious fundamentalists.

[reorg]

13. a sad spectacle I have witnessed more often than I care to remember

But don't accept that such a mindset could be representative of "feminism", too many are not that, uh, unaware.

One fresh voice at the Oscars:

“I loved the boob song, I thought he was great,” said Jennifer Lawrence, speaking backstage after the show, her Oscar for best actress in tow.

http://is.gd/R9p5RR

and she was obviously not the only one.

[chimpymustgo]

18. She's getting paid. And rewarded. I'm saddened by her lack of awareness.

So many women do not know - or realize - or remember the struggle. There used to be no such thing as marital "rape."
A woman couldn't get a credit card without her husband's signature. We weren't even considered for certain jobs.

Makes me sad, but we fight on.

[reorg]

19. are you making the claim that Jennifer Lawrence is unaware

of history and feminist struggles, simply based on her observation that Mr MacFarlane's parody song was funny?

Well, I am aware of this history and have experienced it, being a little older than her. I also thought the parody song was funny. I think those critics who claim it is "sexist", i.e. "minimizes" or demeans women as mere sex objects are way off the mark. They fail to understand what they are looking at. It is obvious they don't even know the basic rules of interpretation. Time to sign up for some evening classes. They are a major embarrassment for the New Yorker and The Guardian.

[chimpymustgo]

22. Your words. Back at YOU.

[reorg]

25. my words

"it would appear that some commentators have no concept of the literary terms "persona", "voice", "perspective". They seem to think that Seth MacFarlane writes and plays the roles of Peter Griffin, Stewie and similar ostensibly childish characters to give literal expression of his own, personal point of view."

What does any of this have to do with what Jennifer Lawrence may or may not know about women's struggles?

[deutsey]

39. Agree

[BarackTheVote]

24. Throw some more rocks at your glass house.

Obvious ageist sentiment, demeaning Jennifer Lawrence, who is an intelligent, brave, and talented actress who has beaten the odds and become the second youngest woman to ever win a Best Actress Oscar.

[Iris]

29. Exactly. Here's the video - the site I'm linking to suggests a "rape count" for the number of

performances referenced that depict an act of violence

http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/seth-macfarlane-boob-song-video.html

&quot As a fun game, count how many actresses he mentions in this song who are portraying rape victims.)'

[MindPilot]

16. ^^^^THIS^^^^

I saw one post where the poster clearly didn't understand that Sally Fields was acting in the Flying Nun skit.

[WolverineDG]

26. Or understand that the actress' reactions to the song were also acting

sheesh. Can't believe you actually have to explain all this....especially since Sally Fields was not wearing the same dress in the sketch that she wore to the awards.

[Arugula Latte]

17. I don't think it was, given the entirety of all MacFarlane's misogynistic comments.

[redqueen]

20. No no no, by telling misogynist jokes and making light of domestic violence,

he was really making fun of people who really tell misogynist jokes and make light of domestic violence.

See?

[Warpy]

28. And now the good ole boys have circled the wagons

and once again, women have no sensayuma, dontcha know.

Odd how they refuse to listen when women say something was offensive, picking out one or two "jokes" or that song and saying they found it funny, what the hell is the matter with you chicks?

At least now the mask is completely off the monster.

[snagglepuss]

35. Did he write the boob song? For that matter did he write the jokes?

[BarackTheVote]

23. I think you hit the nail on the head

I missed the very beginning of the Oscars, so I missed the boobs song, but coming in after 5 minutes, the first thing I saw was William Shatner as Captain Kirk warning Seth that reviews for his hosting would be awful. So... okay, you have Seth Macfarlane, who most people dismiss as a low-brow shock comedy writer, who does something blatantly low brow for the sake of parody of what he's EXPECTED to do, and then a skit where he's warned that it won't play well, resulting in him making a huge effort to do something "classy." And I, personally, think it's absolutely hilarious.

[Bigbluebrush]

30. Agreed. A 101-proof distillation of this.

It would be like distilling a bottle of 101-proof vodka and having people complain it was too potent, or wasn't 35 proof. Or wasn't a Diet Coke. It sure looks like it turned out as intended, in all respects.

[El Supremo]

31. I would rather Katy Perry hosted instead. >>

[truebrit71]

34. Me too....

[thelordofhell]

32. People are outraged because of a musical number about boobs

At yet all those ladies in revealing (and sometimes see through) gowns on the red carpet are fawned over.............

[bpj62]

33. diet coke commercial

Towards the end of the Oscars a diet coke commercial came on. The premise was a bunch of women watching a very attractive msn cut the grass on a golf course. The women sccidently drop a coke and then give it to the young man and on que he he opens thr coke and i sprays all over him and lo anf behold he takes off his shirt to reveal a sculpted chest and abs. The women fawn an sigh. That commercial was sexist but i havent seen a single women complain about that commercial at all.

[leftstreet]

38. Did he show his dick?

[backscatter712]

40. NO! YOU MUST JOIN THE UPTIGHT LYNCH MOB! n/t

[GoCubsGo]

43. I don't think you're at all nuts.

The cartoons Seth McFarland produces are all about parody and satire, so I guess it should be expected that his Oscar skits/jokes/songs are parodies, as well. I saw the boob song, and I think it was parody, just as you point out. But, I think it was a mistake, as it was way too subtle for most people.