Teen Swim, FOX, and Me

And no, Cory, the mention of Fox isn't more proof of my new found arch conservatism. At least I hope not.

Under the urgings of my daughter, I've spent quite a bit of time in the last few weeks, going through old TIVOed (Tivo is now, officially, a verb, just like "Google"; you will be tested on its conjugation later) episodes of FAMILY GUY and AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE.

The latter has several advantages over the former -- for one thing, it's w-a-a-y shorter, each episode is like fifteen minutes long. They are also so arch that your mind just curls at the edges. It's hard to argue with a cartoon that features the adventures of a moronic meatball, an egghead container of fries, and a lecherous and lazy milkshake (not to mention a neighbor from hell and two-dimensional beings from outer space). For sheer nuttiness this cartoon has got to take the cake, or at least the fast foods.

FAMILY GUY, on the other hand, is flat out funny, along with being chock full of send ups of every sacred cow known to man (including, on this season's premiere, Mel Gibson and THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, which has a sequel in this world). This cartoon would be a sheer impossibility without its predecessors -- THE SIMPSONS and SOUTH PARK. Each of those pushed the boundaries of content a little further. And now we end up with a family with a two year old who walks around with a light bulb sticking out of his anus (that was put there by his absent-minded father, at the same time that he inserted a fresh diaper into a light socket).

Anybody else find these shows interesting? Funny? Or are they the mark of the devil?