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'Ted 2' dogged by claims of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia

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M

maquiladora

Member
Shocking news: Seth MacFarlane's "Ted 2" is taking fire from a not-insignificant number of critics who have taken issue with the film's gleefully un-P.C. humor. The charges: sexism, homophobia, transphobia and racism. But especially racism.

The comedy sequel, out in theaters today, revolves around the foul-mouthed teddy's quest to be deemed a person in a court of law -- a struggle that in the film draws parallels with the plight of black slaves. It's a point that MacFarlane makes explicit, as in the following scene described (and subsequently criticized) by New York Times movie critic Manohla Dargis:

"Mr. MacFarlane aligns Ted’s struggle with enslaved black Americans so that, while watching a scene in “Roots” in which Kunta Kinte is whipped, Ted jokes that he’s just like the brutalized slave. The joke is absurd, weird and unfunny, and it exemplifies Mr. MacFarlane’s reliance on surface shocks as well as his assumption that engaging with race is merely a matter of putting black people on-screen; or having a black woman 'comically' explain the history of slavery; or having Ted and John repeatedly employ a vulgarism for black penises. It is a particularly blunt example of the white appropriation of black lives — except without all the bad stuff or, as the writer Greg Tate once put it, with 'everything but the burden.'"
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Another scene drawing scorn is one in which Wahlberg gets doused in the rejected semen of men with sickle-cell anemia (a disease affecting predominately black men) at a sperm bank, after which Ted jokes: “You’re covered in rejected black guys’ sperm. You’re like a Kardashian!”
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"...'Ted 2' is one of the most consistently and chronically racist movies in years...." Rafer Guzman, Newsday
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"...Any humanity has been ejected to make way for jokes at the expense of every minority in existence; this is a movie made by smug white guys for smug white guys..." Jacob Hall, New York Daily News
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"...MacFarlane is a strange blend of zing-filled pop culture references and stale sexist, homophobic and racist shtick..." Monica Castillo, International Business Times
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etc...

http://www.hitfix.com/news/outrage-watch-ted-2-dogged-by-racism-claims
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
Seth McFarlane has always seemed like the apex predator of every Morning Zoo FM-Douchebag that ever turned on a microphone in the wake of Howard Stern.
 
R

Ratrat

Member
That's unfortunate. Didn't the first make $500 million? and it was decent. The sequel does look bad from trailers though.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
Do I live in a different world where NONE of these critics know of Family Guy? This comedy and un PC shit comes like straight from that. There was an episode in family guy where they tried to make domestic violence into a whole episode's joke. It was fucking painful to watch.
 
M

March of the Crabs

Member
What? The film is decidedly anti-racism. It's a LITTLE weird to compare the struggles of a talking bear to Dred Scott as the movie does, but Seth's heart was in the right place for this one. Cast was very diverse too.
 
Rephin

Rephin

Member
After how wholesome and heart warming the first movie was, these claims come as a complete surprise to me.
/s
 
N

NumberTwo

Paper or plastic?
Not exactly shocked. Family Guy has pretty much become a collection of the most (lazy) racist, sexist, and homophobic jokes on TV. I should put emphasis on lazy, because Seth and the writers don't even try anymore.
 
J

jtb

Banned
Admiral Woofington said:
Do I live in a different world where NONE of these critics know of Family Guy? This comedy and un PC shit comes like straight from that. There was an episode in family guy where they tried to make domestic violence into a whole episode's joke. It was fucking painful to watch.
Click to expand...

Of course they know Family Guy. How does Family Guy being fucking terrible absolve Ted 2 from also being fucking terrible?

Lulzwagon said:
What? The film is decidedly anti-racism. It's a LITTLE weird to compare the struggles of a talking bear to Dred Scott as the movie does, but Seth's heart was in the right place for this one. Cast was very diverse too.
Click to expand...

I highly recommend reading Wesley Morris' review of it on Grantland.

https://grantland.com/features/dumber-than-your-average-bear/
 
K

kirblar

Member
Not surprised it's getting that reaction after seeing the trailer. You can view it as an allegory for minority rights....or you can view it as trivializing it.
 
S

Savitar

Member
If it's done by Seth McFarlane you pretty much know what to expect.

Still hate what Family Guy became after it came back.

Dude has a great singing voice though.
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
What do you expect? McFarlane is a shitty comedy writer. Family Guy is living proof of that since it came back. At least pre-cancellation FG was good in how absurd it was, anything past that is simply inane and stupid.
 
M

March of the Crabs

Member
kirblar said:
Not surprised it's getting that reaction after seeing the trailer. You can view it as an allegory for minority rights....or you can view it as trivializing it.
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That's pretty much it. It most definitely is meant as a thinly veiled statement in support of minority rights but the fact that a talking bear is being compared to the struggles of these minorities is a little odd, but it is definitely not racist.
There is a scene where Ted is watching Roots and says "That's just like me! That's exactly what I'm going through!" and Mark Wahlberg replies something along the lines of "I think that's A LOT worse." Clearly Seth meant well but maybe should have used a different movie for this message.
 
B

Briarios

Member
He's an equal opportunity offender, so I have a hard time taking a movie about a talking teddy bear as a litmus test for racism.
 
Druz

Druz

Member
ITT: People commenting on a movie they haven't seen, due to an opinion of someone else. You don't even know if you agree with them. Are you people serious?

Think about that... reactions to reactions to a movie they haven't seen. You're as lazy as the writing you didn't hesitate to comment on.
 
G

gutter_trash

Banned
Seth McFarlane's makes too many jokes about rape and child abuse. It's pretty disgusting having that on Family Guy on TV. Fuck Ted, fuck Ted 2

Laz and cheap
 
K

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
To be honest the problem seems to be that McFarlane's "offend everybody as much as possible" humor works better in an animated world. Where everything is a ludicrous caricature of reality, much like South Park.

In a live action setting, it can come across as a lot uglier with human actors in realistic settings. Something of an uncanny valley of rude humor.

(I make these observations having seen the first Ted. I actually watch Family Guy sometimes, but in Ted the McFarlane style fell flat for me, and didn't come across well.)
 
U

Unbounded

Member
Briarios said:
He's an equal opportunity offender, so I have a hard time taking a movie about a talking teddy bear as a litmus test for racism.
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Pretty much this.

He goes for anything a long as it can potentially be funny. People shouldn't be remotely surprised about this by now.
 
D

dead souls

Member
It's times like this when I feel sorry for critics. No one should have to watch Ted 2.

Christ, the first one was absolutely terrible. I can't even imagine how bad this one is. Imagine a double feature of this and A Million Ways to Die in the West. That would violate the Geneva Convention I think.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
Druz said:
ITT: People commenting on a movie they haven't seen
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Nah, I'm just commenting on Seth MacFarlane. My comment has nothing to do with his latest movie, but his career in general. It's always played out as if someone decided to animate the hallucinations of your typical drive-time FM-radio morning show.

Most defenses of his shit sound like the sort of thing you'd hear about the FCC fining any other Stern wanna-be trying to get ratings in his local market. "C'mon! His name is Bubba the Love Sponge! How could you take that seriously at all? I mean, Weenie and the Butt, am I right? The Mustard Man live at Five is just going after everyone! When did America become so humorless? Like throwing sandwich meat at a stripper is 'degrading' or whatever. It's all in good fun, man!"
 
O

OctoMan

Banned
I love Seth. Family Guy has strung on too long. Loved Ted, will check out Ted 2. Hope that idea isn't stretched too far. But it is s comedy I would find it pretty hard to be offended.
 
Dude Abides

Dude Abides

Banned
Admiral Woofington said:
Do I live in a different world where NONE of these critics know of Family Guy? This comedy and un PC shit comes like straight from that. There was an episode in family guy where they tried to make domestic violence into a whole episode's joke. It was fucking painful to watch.
Click to expand...

Do I live in a different world where if someone creates a shitty TV show, a shitty movie they make is somehow immune from criticism?
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Druz said:
ITT: People commenting on a movie they haven't seen, due to an opinion of someone else. You don't even know if you agree with them. Are you people serious?

Think about that... reactions to reactions to a movie they haven't seen. You're as lazy as the writing you didn't hesitate to comment on.
Click to expand...

I have seen the original Ted, and it has the same hallmarks of any other recent Seth McFarlane penned, anything really. Lazy cheap shots that reek of poor writing.
 
R

richiek

steals Justin Bieber DVDs
I remember the Family Guy episode where Quagmire's dad came out as transgender was particularly vile.
 
M

March of the Crabs

Member
Druz said:
ITT: People commenting on a movie they haven't seen, due to an opinion of someone else. You don't even know if you agree with them. Are you people serious?

Think about that... reactions to reactions to a movie they haven't seen. You're as lazy as the writing you didn't hesitate to comment on.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I can guarantee that if most of these people went and saw the movie they most likely would not like it (I enjoyed it because it made me laugh more than any movie on recent memory but it sure as hell isn't Citizen Kane) but they also wouldn't think it's racist in the slightest. Clickbait at its finest because the internet always likes to have a common enemy.
 
P

Pankratous

Member
Druz said:
ITT: People commenting on a movie they haven't seen, due to an opinion of someone else. You don't even know if you agree with them. Are you people serious?

Think about that... reactions to reactions to a movie they haven't seen. You're as lazy as the writing you didn't hesitate to comment on.
Click to expand...

This. So much this.
 
S

Slayven

Member
Problem with Seth is he has shown no growth as writer or comedian. See 6 eps of Family Guy and you have seen the guy's whole range, twice. Who ever took over on American Dad is a genius though
 
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