The Goode Family

The internet is buzzing today because of the premiere of The Goode Family last night.  The Goode Family are all vegans you see, even the dog is vegan.  So, naturally, there is a lot of “talk” about it on the veg sites today.  I wanted to see what the fuss was about so I went and watched the full episode over a abc.com.

This is what everyone was talking about?  The show is about an obsessively over the top ‘green’ family who, of course, are vegan.  It’s written by the same guy who wrote the King of the Hill episodes so it was said that it was going to be funny.  I have never seen King of the Hill so I wouldn’t know.  What I do know is that this show isn’t worth the 30 minutes that I spent watching it.

My problem begins with the way that the vegan dog is portrayed.  I know plenty of vegan dogs who aren’t running around, searching for neighborhood pets to eat because they are starving.  Further, the show implies that the family adheres to their lifestyle because they are guilty or feel obligated to.  The show makes no mention of any ethical reasons behind a lot of our choices.  Rather, it mocks the choice to do something better for someone or something other than yourself.  And while I realize that there are parodies out there on all kinds of topics, this isn’t about making fun of a lifestyle you admire.  The show starts out on a negative stereotype and finishes on one.  That is a step backward, not a step forward.

I’ve read those articles that say that this show at least “gets the vegan message out there” and “we should be able to poke fun at ourselves”.   I disagree.  The show mocking the lifestyle only perpetuates the negative stereotyping that comes with being vegan.  I mean, haven’t we all be called a ‘treehugger vegan’ once or five hundred times in our lives?  I have.

So…you can view the whole episode here if you want. Me?  I wouldn’t waste my time.