How do animated characters lean politically? Are animated characters as a demographic mostly liberal? Maybe their more conservative? This question is rarely addressed, but it is at the forefront of the animated series American Dad.
American Dad is part of the Seth McFarlane animated series dynasty. After Family Guy had been resurrected from two cancellations and become a ratings success, McFarlane created a new family the Smiths. American Dad follows the McFarlane animated family formula of screw-up father, hot wife, socially awkward child (usually a teenaged son), hot daughter (Meg is the exception on this one), and a family pet who talks.
On this show its the Smith family. The head of the family is Stan Smith a devoutly conservative Republican CIA agent (think Glenn Beck only slightly less annoying), his hot wife Francine, children teen geek Steve and ultra-liberal hot daughter Hayley. The Smiths have a pet goldfish Klaus and Roger a cross-dressing illegal alien (he's an actual alien creature of the other-world sorts.)
Naturally, Stan and Hayley's opposing ideologies bump heads a lot of the time. While politics is often referenced (both President Obama and former President George W. Bush have made cameos) the show is primarily about the inner workings of the family.
Perhaps the most interesting member of this family is Roger. Roger is an illegal alien of the E.T. sort, but I've always felt that Roger was in a way a representative of how we Americans see immigrants and people who come to our country. One of Roger's talents is his ability to assume different identities. He changes his clothes and his voice, goes back and forth between gender, throws on a wig and he's a completely different person. It's hilarious on the show. On the surface he can seem a bit schizophrenic. But I think the show is in a sense saying this is what you illegal aliens have to do to fit in with us. If you look like us and talk like us, we are willing to let your be. But the minute you appear to be different (i.e. be who you really are) or try to impose your culture on us then we have a problem. Roger's constant costume changes are, to me, symbolic of his assimilation. He can only truly be who he is when he's home with the Smith family. Meanwhile the rest of the world is missing out on this funny, insanely creative character.
The Time magazine article referenced in our articles that immigrations gift of "wealth," "brain power," and "culture" are the "gift that keep on giving." I agree. I don't think appreciating another culture means that you are diminishing or devaluing your own. Symbolically American Dad represents the all-American family welcoming the aliens in with open arms. They appreciate his contributions to their family. He brings out the best in them. They don't stop being an American family because they welcome in someone from another place, they become an even richer family as a whole. That's just the way we could be if we adopted the same mentality.
Perhaps the most interesting member of this family is Roger. Roger is an illegal alien of the E.T. sort, but I've always felt that Roger was in a way a representative of how we Americans see immigrants and people who come to our country. One of Roger's talents is his ability to assume different identities. He changes his clothes and his voice, goes back and forth between gender, throws on a wig and he's a completely different person. It's hilarious on the show. On the surface he can seem a bit schizophrenic. But I think the show is in a sense saying this is what you illegal aliens have to do to fit in with us. If you look like us and talk like us, we are willing to let your be. But the minute you appear to be different (i.e. be who you really are) or try to impose your culture on us then we have a problem. Roger's constant costume changes are, to me, symbolic of his assimilation. He can only truly be who he is when he's home with the Smith family. Meanwhile the rest of the world is missing out on this funny, insanely creative character.
The Time magazine article referenced in our articles that immigrations gift of "wealth," "brain power," and "culture" are the "gift that keep on giving." I agree. I don't think appreciating another culture means that you are diminishing or devaluing your own. Symbolically American Dad represents the all-American family welcoming the aliens in with open arms. They appreciate his contributions to their family. He brings out the best in them. They don't stop being an American family because they welcome in someone from another place, they become an even richer family as a whole. That's just the way we could be if we adopted the same mentality.
