Silly Sarah, it's just a cartoon

Sarah Palin just can’t seem to stop lashing out at the jokes and references to her in the media.  In a recent episode of Family Guy, a reference to Palin was made by a character that had Down’s’s syndrome.  The character is on a date with Chris, who asks what her parents do for a living. “My dad’s an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.”

Palin is upset because her youngest son, Trig, has Down’s syndrome, and this was “another kick in the gut” for her and the family.

Wait a minute.

The character has Down’s syndrome.  She made a reference to Palin.  The show was not at all bashing people with Down’s syndrome, nor was it bashing Trig.  It was merely making a reference to someone who is controversial. 

Granted, the reference wouldn’t have made as much sense without the character having Down’s syndrome; however, even the voice actor of the character, Andrea Freidman, found the role entertaining and humorous.  The catch? She also has Down’s syndrome. 

In an email comment to the New York Times, Freidman says, “I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line ‘I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska’ was very funny. I think the word is ‘sarcasm’.”

While Family Guy is not known for being politically correct, the outcry at this is ridiculous.  Ifthe Palin joke is taken out of the show, you still see Chris dating a Down’s syndrome girl.  You still see this girl who has a life and isn’t helpless.  The character is voiced by a woman who has Down’s syndrome!

If nothing else, doesn’t this already show Seth MacFarlane proving the Down’s syndrome stereotype wrong?  Freidman says herself she has a great, normal life.  She has challenges, but that doesn’t mean she is helpless and needs protecting.

This is mainly what makes Friedman upset.  Palin is basically saying that Freidman needs protecting, which she does not.  Friedman is also hoping that Palin lets Trig have a normal life rather than keeping him sheltered, like she seems to be doing.

In Friedman’s letter to the New York Times, she does bring this point up in her anger at Palin’s outcry.   Though the New York Times did not print the last sentence, the letter says, “In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.”

I think this is pretty self explanatory.  Now, I’m not going to get into if Palin does or does not use Trig as accused by Freidman.  The point here is that Friedman, and other people with Down’s syndrome, are fully capable people, even if they do occasionally need some help, but don’t we all? 

This whole controversy is ridiculous.  Palin is being overly sensitive.  Like Friedman points out, she needs a sense of humor.  MacFarlane did not place a Down’s syndrome baby boy in the arms of Lois as she was running for mayor or anything.

He didn’t have any of the lines directed towards Down’s syndrome at all.  The joke wasn’t about Down’s syndrome, the joke was about Palin. 

It seems her outcry just proves that people should make fun of her.  Like the bully inelementary school, if she just ignores it, people wouldn’t find it funny anymore.  Her outcry will most likely cause more people like MacFarlane and Letterman to joke about her in the future, so those of us with a sense of humor can at least look forward to that.