Apache Chief in Family Guy

In the "PTV" episode of Family Guy, the Super Friends' Apache Chief shows up to place a satellite dish on the Griffins' roof. After that, he says, "Well, that was the high point of my day. Guess I'll go gamble."

This is a lame way to make the point that Indians own casinos. It also reinforces the idea that Indians are pure brawn over brains. Apache Chief was already a walking cliché, so this appearance only reinforces his clichéd aspects.

Better would've been an exchange like this:

CHIEF:  Anything else I can help you with?

PETER:  No, Chief, but we'll call you if anyone needs a haircut.

CHIEF:  I have a PhD in engineering, you know.

PETER:  Really? I thought all you Indians did was drink and gamble.

CHIEF:  I thought all you white people did was invade countries and spread diseases.

PETER [suspicious]:  Yeahhhhh...what's your point?

The original version seems to be saying that Indians are non-intellectuals who do nothing but gamble. This version makes it clear that (some) white people think Indians are non-intellectuals who do nothing but gamble. See the difference? One version asserts this as objective reality--at least the cartoon's objective reality. The other puts it in the subjective reality of a biased observer.

Anyway, it was fun seeing Apache Chief again. And the rest of the episode was an excellent satire of TV's values. Here's how Wikipedia describes it:“PTV” was originally released as the fourteenth episode from season four of the Fox animated television series Family Guy. The episode dealt with censorship on television, and specifically the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.Any episode that satirizes such icons as Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush, Bob Hope, and the Lincoln Memorial gets my vote. I'd say this is the best episode of Family Guy I've seen. As I watching it, I was thinking, "This should get some kind of award." So I'm glad to see it was nominated for an Emmy.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.