Family Guy vs. The Simpsons: The Philosophy of Comedy

WARNING, WARNING:

• The following blog contains distinctly unfunny content.
• It attempts to over-intellectualize comedy, thus stripping any actual humor from the comedic
• It grossly mistreats comedy in a philosophical way, again laying waste to any humor by reducing it to a idealized formula.

Enter at your own risk, read on knowing that you will probably be bored, and don't bitch about how boring it was in the comments. You have been warned, any results because of the reading of this blog are solely the responsibility of you, the reader.

So I had just finished working out, and I was in the bathtub, relaxing with some soothing jets and reading a piece on satire and the nature of comedy (thrilling reading, I know, but I was enjoying it, and I'm sure you needed the mental image of me soaking in a bathtub), when I started thinking about the nature of comedy in the Simpsons and in Family Guy, and why I really enjoy one but not the other (I am a Simpsons guy, for those of you who don't know that - all my friends reading this already know that, but in case some forlorn wanderer happens on to this because they have nothing better to do than read the rant of a pathetic loser attempting to intellectualize comedy, now you know that I am a Simpsons guy). So here it is:

I have already mentioned on a number of occasions, that I enjoy the plot driven nature of both the Simpsons and South Park, and Family Guy, while it does have plots, after a fashion, they always seem disjointed almost to the point of nonexistence. It really seems to be comedy for the ADD era, where no one has to actually string two cohesive thoughts together, and if one scene doesn't connect with the next, well, so what.

I'm not saying that this is bad, I just don't like it. I can fully appreciate why, after a long day of work, someone might enjoy comedy that requires little to no effort to engage in. That is fine if you end your day drained or stressed out from work. In general, I have the good fortune of this not being the situation - I usually end the day on a high, having really enjoyed my work, so I do not usually need something to numb my mind from the horrors of another dreary day in my dreary life, to stem the creeping tide of dread that I am, minute by minute, slowly approaching my inevitable demise. So, on that level, I have little to no appreciation of Family Guy. Again, I am being a bit flippant, but the point is, Family Guy is a great stress alleviating show.

But when I try to analyze the nature of the comedy in both shows, it comes down to one key element: incongruity. The juxtaposition of two or more contradictory positions, statements, images, etc. is just funny. But here is the problem: satire requires a level of interaction with the incongruity that is demanding, while absurdity just invites you to laugh without consequence. For me, absurdity is generally insufficient - it will generate a chuckle, but seldom much more, and I don't appreciate it, because absurdity is easy.

Example: "supergoober, do you remember that time in sixth grade when you and Gloria Steinem put on that nude tap dance routine?"

Totally absurd, image-wise it is mildly funny, and it is the level at which Family Guy jokes are written. It isn't hard to write this - just think of random unrelated events and force them into a relationship. "discourser, remember when you dressed in an evening gown and did that lounge act with Michelle Pfieffer?" Totally ridiculous, Discourser in an evening gown with Pfieffer a la "The Fabulous Baker Boys", and even that has a movie reference that is more intellectual than most Family Guy jokes.

The Simpsons, on the other hand, has some of this humor, but actually engages in the subtle repartee of satire - this takes actual craft and care, and results in my being humorously engaged long-term (to the point where I remember and recite quotes, to the eternal chagrin of all those in close association with me, who fear that my geek level may rub off on them and decrease their play).

Homer: "Oh my God, I got so swept up in the scapegoating and fun of Prop 24, I never stopped to think it might hurt someone I really cared about... You know what Apu? ... I am really, really gonna miss you."

That quote was from Much Apu About Nothing (I'm not sure that it is exact, but I am sure it is damned close), parodying the Prop 209 debate in California about services for illegal immigrants, and it works on a lot of levels. There are many quotes that I could break down this way, but this one leaped to mind. It works simultaneously on several levels ("The ball, his groin, it works on so many levels," Homer), first being the incongruity of supporting an idea and then being struck with the reality of that idea hurting someone about whom you care. The reason the joke works is that we are expecting, from a normal human being in a normal situation, a heartfelt apology for the misunderstanding. Instead, we get a direct opposite of that; the heartfelt sentiment at the consequences of a belief does not deny that belief. It brings us to a point where we actually feel better because we know what we are thinking is the right and good thing to do, and we laugh at the absurdity and foolishness of Homer. But beyond that, it works as a political satire for the California events, and it calls out other connections. The connection between scapegoating and fun is at once horrifying and true. The absurdity of admitting that out loud coupled with the knowledge that the fundamental reason that people do bad things is that they are easy and/or they feel good. This is at once self-revelatory and funny. For all of this, however, our expectations depend on a common sense of interpersonal relationships that Homer must contradict. It works because we have already filled in the scene in our head, and the startling and inappropriate nature of Homer's comments catch us of guard and we laugh. We laugh because we know there is a truth he is expressing aloud that we are all ashamed of, as we have all felt like that to some degree at one point or another, but we laugh all the more because we know that we were right in thinking the right way the scene should play out for "decent people"and this excuses us from the shame of having that statement touch a malfeasance at the core of our being.

Because we all have Homer moments; moments where we are in touch with our more base nature, and we have shame at those moments, we know we can aspire to something better, and it is funny to see someone who doesn't share that aspiration, to be constantly surprised by how low he can sink, and to be validated that we are good because we are constantly thinking about what he should have said before he said the awful thing that made us laugh. That is a really hard thing to write, and when it's done well, it is brilliant.

I am getting tired now - it is 11:48 pm, and I am waking up at 5:15 am ish tomorrow to go in to school. I'll post more on some other equally uninteresting topic later.

Told you I would suck any semblance of humor out of it.