Why was "To Wish Upon A Weinstein" banned?

[Squall]

When Family Guy was on Fox, why was the episode "To Wish Upon a Weinstein" banned? It doesn't seem any more or less offensive than any other episode. Besides, on shows like Family Guy and South Park (as another random example), they pretty much make fun of everyone equally once they've had enough episodes...

[The Landstander]

Fox is random.

But if I had to pin it on a line, I'd say it was the "Even though they killed my Lord" line in the song. I guess that because even on the AS airing it was changed ("I don't think they killed my Lord").

[Dr. Daedalus]

Hollywood is run by Jews. ;)

[Eddie G.]

It was fear of backlash really. Basically without the Jewish thing it was one of the dirty FG episodes and then you add the Jewish thing and Fox got scared. It's their network and they can they do what they want, I have respect that they said "Okay we're not going to show this one," instead of, "Let's chop it up."


Hollywood is run by Jews. ;)
In my experience a lot of Jewish people in the entertainment world often make fun of themselves. Jewish people make the best Jewish jokes really, except for me because I have really good Jewish jokes.

[Sheamon]

Unfortunate that it went so long without being aired. Its one of the best episodes IMHO, the 'Tony Robbins Hungry!' and 'Uh-oh!!' stuff are classics. :D

[Mynd Hed]

Not to mention the nice little Obi-Wan and Luke cameo scene. "...I've never been happy."

Anyway, why "Weinstein" got banned is one of the great mysteries of life-- on the DVD commentary the creators claim that they even ran it by a couple of rabbis to get an outside opinion on whether it was too offensive, and they said that although Peter clearly has very bigoted views on Judaism, the fact that he's portrayed as being very clearly in the wrong and that he learns his lesson by the end redeem it-- neither had any problem with it being aired.

[Dr. Daedalus]

In my experience a lot of Jewish people in the entertainment world often make fun of themselves. Jewish people make the best Jewish jokes really, except for me because I have really good Jewish jokes. Oh absolutely. Just look at any Mel Brooks film. Or most Jewish comedians. Or better yet, from Seinfeld:
Whatley: Jerry, it's our sense of humor that sustained us as a people for 3,000 years.
Seinfeld: 5,000 years.
Whatley: 5,000! Even better!

What I find weird is that Fox delayed "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" for a year. I actually find it one of the more tame Family Guy episodes, and it's not like this show aired in the early timeslot that Futurama constantly dealt with (see "A Tale of Two Santas"). But maybe the Fox execs at the time had no guts. ;)

[Beat]

Fox is random.

But if I had to pin it on a line, I'd say it was the "Even though they killed my Lord" line in the song. I guess that because even on the AS airing it was changed ("I don't think they killed my Lord").
I'm gonna go with that. Showing the uncut version to a bunch of Jewish friends, that was the only line that really cheesed them off.

[livingfruitvirus]

I'm gonna go with that. Showing the uncut version to a bunch of Jewish friends, that was the only line that really cheesed them off.
Did you tell them a jewish guy wrote it?


It was fear of backlash really. Basically without the Jewish thing it was one of the dirty FG episodes and then you add the Jewish thing and Fox got scared. It's their network and they can they do what they want, I have respect that they said "Okay we're not going to show this one," instead of, "Let's chop it up."
In my experience a lot of Jewish people in the entertainment world often make fun of themselves. Jewish people make the best Jewish jokes really, except for me because I have really good Jewish jokes.
Slightly off topic, I think a lot of the stand-up comics who do that crap have no act. Like Margaret Cho and her slant-eye jokes.

[Squall]

Interesting stuff... It seems that Hollywood can be quite unpredictable at times. I just remember watching the episode for the first time, expecting something along the lines of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut but getting just another Family Guy episode instead... :p

[bassist]

Slightly off topic, I think a lot of the stand-up comics who do that crap have no act. Like Margaret Cho and her slant-eye jokes.Cause off-topic is fun! If you can find me a good stand-up comic who doesn't use their or someone else's ethnicity, religion or country as fodder, I'll be your love slave (love slave not guaranteed). Part of the reason humor works is the absurdity. You present a situation and then you tweak it until it doesn't make perfect sense. Sure, Sealab has proved absurdist humor doesn't always work, but I've yet to hear a joke or comic that isn't absurd on some level.

[Eddie G.]

Slightly off topic, I think a lot of the stand-up comics who do that crap have no act. Like Margaret Cho and her slant-eye jokes.You're right, I've seen some good exceptions though.



Cause off-topic is fun! If you can find me a good stand-up comic who doesn't use their or someone else's ethnicity, religion or country as fodder, I'll be your love slave (love slave not guaranteed). Part of the reason humor works is the absurdity. You present a situation and then you tweak it until it doesn't make perfect sense. Sure, Sealab has proved absurdist humor doesn't always work, but I've yet to hear a joke or comic that isn't absurd on some level.
With people like Cho though all they have is the fodder and Cho only has Korean fodder. Without her Asian jokes Margaret just seems like a very sad person who needs help.



I'm gonna go with that. Showing the uncut version to a bunch of Jewish friends, that was the only line that really cheesed them off.
It doesn't matter, if a big enough minority starts complaining and then the media picks up on it then it doesn't matter that most Jewish people didn't find it offensive. It is just like how I know not one Italian person who finds the Sopranos offensive.

[SirLemming]

I would also say it was because of the "killed my Lord" line. It's easy to see how that would cause huge trouble, regardless of the fact that it's just a joke.

Remember that Fox also originally removed the communion scene ("Wow, this guy must've been wasted 24/7!") from the first episode, which is why it appeared again in a later episode. (Well, I didn't actually see it when it happened, but that's what I've heard.)

[mikestorm]

Well, I know the real reason was becasue of the religious overtones, but the scene where Quagmire gives his car keys to Lois is the most shocking FG scene I have ever seen.

"Lois! Sorry for Pointing"

[FredNash]

In my experience a lot of Jewish people in the entertainment world often make fun of themselves. Jewish people make the best Jewish jokes really, except for me because I have really good Jewish jokes.I think this is a case of "It's ok to say that about yourself, but you can't say it about someone else."

Margaret Cho is a perfect example. I was listening to the radio the other day and the dj was talking about how they censor that Ben Folds Five song Dumped when he says "give me my money back, you b****" but when Meredith Brooks sings "I'm a b****, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother" it won't be censored. It's even the name of her song.

So I think if Jerry Seinfeld had made the jokes, it would have made it past the censors, but since Seth MacFarlane is not Jewish, they thought it was inappropriate. :sad:



Professor Hill: Eye-Oh-way? I always thought you folks preferred Eye-Oh-Wuh.
Townspeople: Oh, that's the way we say it, but we don't like it when anyone else says it!don't even get me started on the n-word...

[Deadman]

the 'Tony Robbins Hungry!' and 'Uh-oh!!' stuff are classics. :D
those lines were hilarouse