Why Family Guy should retire their dated disability jokes

For twenty-five years, Family Guy has been punching in the often risqué content, a core ingredient for its success. We mostly laugh at Peter Griffin's (Seth MacFarlane) insipid antics and sharp one-liners because that's what his character is designed to do. His New England and sardonic-based humor is what kept Family Guy going all these years, as well as his equally dysfunctional family and Peter's circle of friends, who all put up with his jokes and mistakes.

In recent years, the jokes in Family Guy have been in pretty good taste while keeping their trademark raw edge. For example, the Fox animation made several parodies of popular movies and TV shows, including Disney productions and 80s films, which received positive feedback. In the season 22 finale, "Faith No More," aired on April 17, Brian and Stewie (Seth MacFarlane) explore the possibility of a world without religion. In the past, Family Guy cracked jokes about Christianity, Judaism, and others as it drew in audiences each week. Having been raised as a German Catholic with Jewish ethnic roots, it never offended me because religion is one of those intensely debated subjects that should have a range of different perspectives as long it evokes no harm to humanity.

But there is material that should be off limits, as it could harm people in a psychiatric element. While the Family Guy writers initially thought the content would be safe, it became controversial following its airings. But then again, the show has a tendency to overstep boundaries, but when it goes to far beyond the line, then it's not hilarious.

I'm talking about Family Guy creating negative stereotypes surrounding disabilities. For several episodes, characters who are disabled have been the pinnacle of ableist and offensive jokes. Joe Swanson [Patrick Warburton], a main character who's a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, has been the brunt of disability jokes since his debut in season one's "A Hero Lives Next Door." Everything from "you're a monster" to his wife's (Jennifer Tilly) claims of sexual inadequacy was laid out. Honestly, it was difficult to swallow because the Disabled Community deserves better in media. Individuals want to be portrayed as strong, complex characters and not as human oddities from the past.

Joe has had his fair share of scrutiny because of his disability. In season five's episode "No Meals on Wheels," he, along with other disabled people, are turned away from Peter's restaurant because the latter believes that Joe will bring his business down when it is already failing. It takes an injured Peter to realize his friend's poor treatment, and the two make up.

Disabled people deserve better representation in media, as they're people who are living their lives as they see fit. Being disabled myself, I saw both positive and negative representation, and while I appreciate production writers trying to add diversity into their work, they must do better. We want strong, well-developed characters with substantial arcs, and not be shown as pitied, as a building block for the main characters, or being killed off for shock value.

Although there have been improvements in terms of adding diversity in TV and film over the past ten years, more work needs to be done.

The controversy surrounding Family Guy's "Extra Large Medium"

Ellen is a Down Syndrome character voiced by the late Andrea Fay Friedman, an actress with Down Syndrome. You may remember Friedman from Life Goes On from the early 1990s. Ellen's one-time appearance in season ten's "Extra Large Medium was a character with " was intended to spread light on the Down Syndrome community, as the members want to lead everyday lives despite their challenges.

In the episode, Chris goes on a date with Ellen and, with Stewie's help through a song and dance number, builds up his confidence to impress Ellen. As it turned out, the date didn't go accordingly in Chris's favor, but it did wonders for his personality.

"Extra Large Medium" was equally met with praise and controversy. Praise as Family Guy was one of the first animated network shows to include disabled characters; controversy because of Ellen's backstory. When Chris asks her what her parents do for a living, she replies with:

""My dad is an accountant and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.""

Ellen's response was a joke towards Sarah Palin, who was the Alaskan governor from 2006 to 2009, and has a son with Down Syndrome. Palin accused Family Guy of injecting cruel jokes towards her child, but both MacFarlane and Friedman disputed her claims.

Per a 2010 interview with the New York Times, MacFarlane defended Ellen's character and her arc on his show.

"[Ellen] is headstrong, outspoken and, at times, almost domineering. The fact that she has Down syndrome was deliberately played as a secondary element to her character. "

Friedman additionally supported her role on Family Guy, saying that she was not making fun of Palin's son, and that she was doing her part as an actor.

"I’m like, ‘I’m not Trig [her son]. This is my life. I was making fun of Sarah Palin, but not her son. I was doing my role. I’m an actor. It was my first time doing a voiceover, and I had fun."

Joe Swanson becomes an iconic disabled character on network TV

Joe Swanson may be in a wheelchair, but his character holds immense value on network television. His story is relatable as many police officers get diagnosed with PTSD and even injured on the job. While Joe often feels sorry for himself because he can no longer use his legs and faces challenges, he's also a good friend and father to his kids. I too, feel challenged by my own unique disabilities, and sometimes have those bad days, but I also have a good life.

Yet, Joe's story could be improved by having those around him be more accepting and patient, not an anchor for his vulnerability and self-worth. By incorporating these elements into the show, Family Guy will be honored for it rather than criticized.

Family Guy can be streamed on Hulu.