Everywhere I turn, I keep seeing signs that say how offensive MacFarlane was, particularly for the “We Saw Your Boobs” song and dance number. People claiming it’s sexist and making fun of rape. They are also going after a number of jokes about women in general, especially with the bits about women getting the “flu” to make themselves skinnier and how they can’t give anything up, in reference to Chastain’s character from Zero Dark Thirty. People are crazy upset! And it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs, “Did the entire world just forget what a joke is!”
I know that MacFarlene’s sense of humor isn’t for everyone, and even I have on occasion strained through some of his comedy. Humor is subjective, and if you didn’t think something was funny, then you have every right to say that he was a terrible Oscar host. However, that is very different from the current chatter. These charges of misogyny are, in a word, ridiculous. If anything, in that song, MacFarlane was drawing attention to the fact that, in order to make it in Hollywood, women have to subject themselves to such a process, and felt like more satire than anything else. It’s offensive to point out that the entertainment industry objectifies women? So we can’t make any jokes about women at all? He made numerous black jokes too about Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle. Anybody upset over that? I’m sure. And don’t forget the gay joke he made, even if it was at his own expense.
I suppose what really frustrates me is that even though we joke how every year the Oscar host never gets good reviews, it generally comes from a place of not trying. Whether you agree with his comedy or not, MacFarlane was taking a chance to bring a slightly different edge to the ceremony. And people are tearing him to shreds for it. If that’s not your cup of tea, then fine. But then, when they try to do the classy thing, people complain about that. Even Billy Crystal, the safest Oscar host you can have got torn to pieces last year. What is it that you want? Do you just want them to not have a host? I’d be fine with that as well, but be honest, because right now, if you criticize everything the host does, no matter their material or execution, then it sounds like you just don’t want anybody doing this job.
Now, for the record, I did like Seth MacFarlane. I may be more defensive because I thought he did a good job at bringing the right amount of edgy humor while also paying homage to old school Hollywood ribbing, as well as showcasing the great song-and-dance man that he is. Some of his jokes fell flat, but during a three hour plus show, it’s not all going to be gold. So I liked him. I thought he was fun. Others disagreed, and that’s okay, but not for the reasons I’m hearing. These reasons come from a culture that is so steeped in political correctness that it no longer can register things like satire and irony. When we reach that point, I find it dangerous because the most important element about what we say no longer gets recognized: context. If we throw context out the window, then every intellectual argument goes with it. The excessive bashing of MacFarlane, for me, is a perfect example.
He’s already said he’s not returning to host again, and in all fairness, I think that’s good. I liked what he did with the show, but I’m uncertain I’d ever want to watch it again. He came in and did his thing, so now let’s move onto another person. That next person will get bad reviews too, but let’s hope it’s based on how they say it, just not the exact thing that was said. With that, I leave you with what will probably be most remembered from MacFarlane’s Oscar hosting, for the best and worst.
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