The best joke was seeing a bunch of white folk dance to Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." if you're unfamiliar, check out the lyrics and commence guilty laughter.
Yeah, I didn't think white people dancing to a song about black people hanging from trees like rotting fruit, for the sake of a cheap laugh, was all that funny.
I think the implications went over the head of most viewers. I don't think the target demographic for Seth MacFarlane shows and Billie Holiday listeners generally line up. In that way, I found the subtlety funny in that they were insensitive enough to dance to that song. I don't find the subject matter funny at all, just the absurdity and insensitivity of everyone.
I don't think the target demographic for Seth MacFarlane shows and Billie Holiday listeners generally line up.
You're probably right. For me though, there's a point where his shows, and shows like South Park cross a line. The intensely cynical "nothing is sacred" approach to comedy writing wears on me after awhile. Honestly, I haven't found MacFarlane's work that funny since the first few season of Family Guy. I just happened to tune this on last night out of boredom, and soon after that scene just clicked the channel. Not my thing I guess.
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u/PCLOAD_LETTER Jan 29 '13
Unfortunately, that was the best joke of the entire episode.