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"Family Guy" sued for anti-Semitic lyrics; no one dare sue MEMRI for anti-Palestinian lies

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Image by: Carlos Latuff

So here we go again:

[Via: CNN] NEW YORK - In the 67 years since its debut, "When You Wish Upon a Star" has been recorded by more than 100 artists and orchestras.

But the song's owner is irate about what it calls an unseemly spoof of the familiar tune, saying the dreamy classic was twisted into an anti-Semitic ballad and widely distributed as part of a comedy television program.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, music publishing house Bourne Co. aims to stop the program's distribution. The suit accuses Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Fox Broadcasting Co., the Cartoon Network and others of copyright infringement. It seeks unspecified damages.

The lawsuit said that in 2000, the defendants included the parody, "I Need a Jew," in an episode of the Fox television animated series "The Family Guy."

The episode, titled "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," relied on the premise that the main character could not manage his family's finances and needed to hire a Jewish person to take care of his money, the lawsuit said.

During the episode, the main character, Peter Griffin, sings "I Need a Jew," which the lawsuit called a thinly veiled copy of the music from "When You Wish Upon a Star," accompanied by new anti-Semitic lyrics…

According to the lawsuit, Fox initially withheld the episode from distribution because of its content but eventually earned large sums of money by distributing more than 1 million copies of it to the public in various home video formats…

Here is a background about this. According to Wikipedia, some FOX network executives claimed that they are 'concerned' that the episode could be construed as anti-Semitic, and made the decision not to air the episode, yet they sold one million copies and aired it on Cartoon Network before it aired on FOX. Now, knowing who is FOX and what is there agenda and it's pro-Zionist history, doesn't it sound that these guys planed the show to make this huge money out of it, despite that they knew it might get them in trouble -although I don't see why it should? Someone might put this in the "conspiracy theory" list, but just compare this silly news propaganda to the MEMRI "breaking news" scandal and lies about Hamas TV's Micky Mouse in which MEMRI translated "The Jews are killing us" to "We will annihilate the Jews." The lies of MEMRI were picked up by all major news organizations around the world and provided a skewed reports showing a very narrow view of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, without doing more than to further demonize Palestinians and Islam.

Back to The Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane mentions that he showed the script of the episode to two Rabbis, both of whom approved the episode "because Peter learns the right lesson at the end." MacFarlane also points out that the writer, Ricky Blitt, is Jewish himself; as is Ben Stein, who plays the Rabbi. It's all about money, baby!!!

It gets even more silly:

One line considered particularly offensive by some occurs during Peter's song when he sings "Even though they killed my Lord, I need a Jew," in the song "I Need a Jew." MacFarlane recorded an alternate version of the line (replacing "Even though they killed my Lord" with "I don't think they killed my Lord") which was used when Cartoon Network aired the episode and then when FOX aired the episode (TBS also airs this episode with the alternate line, even though the original line is shown in closed captioning, and if one reads Peter's lips, he's saying the original line. In fact, when [adult swim] aired the episode, one of their "bumps" hinted to this by telling the viewers to "read Peter's lips"). When the episode aired in Israel (where most of the people are Jewish), the original line appears. The original version also aired in Australia and the UK. When it airs on Teletoon, the "Hebrew people I've adored" caption freezes through the lines "I don't think they killed my lord, I need a Jew." MacFarlane defends the original line giving a "consider the source" defense. Plenty of previous episodes, as well as this episode, make the point that Peter lacks very general knowledge (he believes that a volcano could come down the road mere minutes prior to the song) as well as knowledge of his own Catholic religion.

This is amazingly ironic. So, everyone is afraid to tell the truth, that Jews killed Jesus, yet in Israel they don't have a problem showing the original line while all other non-Jewish countries and media organizations are afraid to tell the truth!!! This only proves how strong and in control the Zionist are and that all of this is about money and power only.q

I wonder if someone asks Bush these days: who killed Jesus? What could be his answer (if he knows it)? Probably he will say that Jesus was killed in 9/11 by the Bin Laden and Muslim terrorists!!!

Plot summary as recorded by wiki is as follows:

Peter gives Lois's "rainy day fund" to a scam artist selling volcano insurance. On that same night Stewie breaks Meg's glasses, because he hates being watched while he sleeps, and so Lois tells Peter that he needs to recover the money to buy their daughter a new pair of glasses. Peter decides that he needs a Jew to handle his money in an elaborate musical number based on "When You Wish upon a Star." When a Jewish man named Max Weinstein (Peter Riegert) has car trouble outside the Griffin house, Peter takes it as a sign. After a footchase, Peter pressures Max into helping him get the emergency money back. Max later recovers the money from the scammer. After accompanying Max to a reform synagogue ("Temple Beth Thupporting Actor") and inviting him over for dinner, Peter comes to the conclusion that Chris would get smarter if he converted to Judaism. He secretly drives Chris to Las Vegas, Nevada for a quick Bar Mitzvah after Lois displays objection to his idea, but she arrives just in time to stop the ceremony. A crowd, angry that Lois is apparently insulting their religion, chases the Griffins until they escape onto a bus which is full of nuns who are not happy about Peter's straying from Catholicism and whack the Griffins with rulers.

[Hat tip: Raed AlSaeed]

{ 11 } Comments

  1. kimmy | October 6, 2007 at 2:57 am | Permalink

    Antisemitism law suits are only made when they are ridiculing someone in power.

  2. Robin | October 6, 2007 at 4:27 am | Permalink

    Another ridiculous story, but I HAVE to admit, I cracked absolutely up at "When the episode aired in Israel (where most of the people are Jewish)" Someone at CNN actually wrote that line? It's so imformative! This whole line of action makes me need an EXCEDRIN!

  3. ed require | October 6, 2007 at 9:55 am | Permalink

    Kimmy Says:
    "Antisemitism law suits are only made when they are ridiculing someone in power."

    I say: Kimmy you are so active at this site; you can not possibly be that naive. You should know that people have been sent to prison for simply researching and writing about WWII history. Powerful people in high places consider it a crime to "deny". Who on this earth is lying and denying in the most consistent and harmful ways anyway? Hint: who may not be one person…as in "they are ridiculing someone…"

    Robin says:
    Another ridiculous story, but I HAVE to admit, I cracked absolutely up at β€œWhen the episode aired in Israel (where most of the people are Jewish)” Someone at CNN actually wrote that line? It’s so imformative! This whole line of action makes me need an EXCEDRIN!

    I say:
    Why is it so funny and informative? Your sarcasm was worn out the
    2nd or 3rd time I read your coded obfuscation…that means I don't
    trust your confusing use of language…it give me a headache!

    Haitham I must wonder again. What is the nature of Kimmy and Robin's comments? Is it all so funny? Why are they always responding
    to every posting? Other sites like yours are being hacked
    and destroyed by people who must surely have mixed feeling about sabbah.biz…and still other sites are exposed as tools for zionists…
    how can we really know that much of anything is true or sincere? Some say we have already entered another "dark ages" of ignorance and unshared understanding.

    "when I wish upon a star"…"Volcano insurance" sounds like the
    typical stuff of those that would say "relax and be patient with us, we will force a laugh out of you yet,…or else"

    Sometimes I think that every possible tactic is being used and that
    even this site may be full of misinformation and too shocked to talk
    stories (read: we numb their minds with the ghastly truth and with
    starry lies).

    I know you will not care much about gaining my respect, but perhaps you should adopt a more mature and intellectual attitude about crime and punishment because I don't believe either one of you to be excessively mentally challenged…even when you are suffering from a headache.

  4. Nas | October 7, 2007 at 10:12 am | Permalink

    I saw the episode a loooooong time ago on dvd. It was never aired on Fox but generally, Family Guy dvds sold millions of copies (not because of this episode but because it is a great show), which is why Fox decided to revive the show a few years after they canceled it completely.

    And yea, Ben Stein is one of the most well known Jewish personalities in Hollywood. A great deal of his work revolves around playing Jewish characters with Jewish characteristics. He's always on CNN defending American policies with regards to Israel.

    In any case, Family Guy makes fun of every other religion, specifically Christianity, in almost every episode.

  5. Robin | October 9, 2007 at 7:28 pm | Permalink

    Ed Require,
    You say my language is "coded obfuscation"-then perhaps you don't understand what I meant in referring to CNN's quote in a sarcastic manner. You see, I cannot believe that people are so damn ignorant-OR that CNN is using this line to educate the public that most of the people in Israel are Jewish. Writing this line also shows that CNN is RECOGNIZING the public's ignorance, a need to educate them, which is a revelation in itself. Isn't the line "where most of the people are Jewish" a "DUH" moment? Oh, excuse me, if that isn't up to snuff for your call for mature conversation, then how about this, there are CRIMES and then there are absurdities, BOTH of which are offered on this website and others, BOTH of which are worthy topics of conversation.

    However, what CNN FAILS to cover in any meaningful manner, are the crimes which are more than plentiful. I suggest to you that there are NUMEROUS news sources for these stories and since you happened on a site which happens to concentrate on this issue, it is YOU who are claiming this website to be full of lies. Why not write to all the news sources quoted here and tell THEM they are lying and full of misinformation? I suggest you start by writing to Haartz, an Israeli newspaper which is used as a source here often. Read: all news sources used here are LEGITIMATE news sources, comment is comment, conversation is conversation which is one of the purposes of blogs.

  6. kimmy | October 10, 2007 at 6:29 am | Permalink

    Ed require,
    As a person whose grandmother who gave up her Jewish faith in 1948 because of Zionist aggressions.
    I feel compelled to tell you that you are using words that Bush and Olmert are using are obfuscating the truth.
    Lies and deceit are your only alternatives.
    Keep posting and you will be proven a liar and a supporter of genocide of the Palestinian people.
    50 years of occupation will not support you!

  7. LiberalWhiteGuy | October 11, 2007 at 8:16 am | Permalink

    Ed - I think I speak for everyone here when I say - SHUT UP. You are such a weenie.

  8. whatever | February 13, 2008 at 5:58 pm | Permalink

    I agree family guy is extremely anti-semetic. Whatever so the director is a dickhead whoopte fucking doo I am a jew and seem to be just fine with it. Aslong as the holocaust doesnt repeat itself or when the black plauge happened. Everyone blamed the jews and slaughtered them. oh well shit happens. No one seems as big on religion anymore

  9. UkMan | April 17, 2008 at 7:21 pm | Permalink

    I am a fan of Family Guy here in the United Kingdom - I can see that some jewish people of a slightly paranoid and over zealous nature might consider it anti semitic , in my vied its a damn good humourous show which on occasion plays up to Jewish stereotypes particularly in the area of Jews being involved with money.

    This stereotype happens to be valid - I work for an investment bank and it is certainly true that the Jewish people are drawn to a)jobs in the financial services sector b)top level jobs in government.

    In fact the treasurer of the students union where I went to university many years ago was Jewish. Where I work, a co-worker who coordinated social activities such as games of poker or trips out to watch dog racing where gambling and the opportunity to profit were involved was jewish - out of 40 people in office and the only Jew - perhaps just a coincidence

    Though I have had jewish friends who were not so money focussed and whose financial management skills were seriously deficient. Interestingly he seemed to think I existed to *serve* him and when he couldnt get his own way with me descended into the behaviour of a spoilt childish brat. Suffice to say we are no longer friends.

    If these people are taught they are Gods Chosen People then is it any wonder they perceive others as their slaves, their servants that exist to serve them!

    This attitude of the Jews is the same as the Muslims - to portray they are victims and then claim something must be done in their favour to right the wrong that has been done to them. Though in this respect the Muslims excel at that - in the UK - far better than any other religion or culture.

    The fundamental problem is intolerance between these two religions and everyone else.

    I see nothing wrong wth Family Guy portraying stereotypes which are a true reflection of reality

  10. Leroy | May 5, 2008 at 6:26 pm | Permalink

    I cant stand them fuckin jews ..they need 2 calm the fuck down always using holocaust to gain sympathy ..if anyone has suffered it was black people for over 400 years they was slaves and the jews cry like little bitches every time someone god forbid says some little jokes . Arabs get the worst end of the stick now. Jews are powerful people they get what they want!!!!!!

  11. VJ Jetley | January 30, 2009 at 12:55 pm | Permalink

    *shakes head*

    I'm absolutely glad that we have the law as an effective tool for launching suits against civil rights abuses, arbitrary discrimination, and full-blown bigotry that causes real harm.

    But I'm pretty convinced that the grievances here stem from…

    I think 'oversensitivity' might be the right word.

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