Have you ever heard anyone refer to marijuana as "pot"?

Quote from: Marokai Beleaguered on February 06, 2014, 12:21:13 PM

This thread is BRTD-esque.

you want brtdesque

i'll give you brtdesque

Sneakers O'Toole: Revealed

Theory #1: Sneakers O'Toole is a metaphor for homosexuality. Think about it. Sneakers proudly walks down the street, proclaiming that this is who he is and this is what he represents. Two men in suits (who represent the Establishment) try and make Sneakers O'Toole act according to their ideals. Sneakers refuses and rebels by running off in his sneakers. The whole vignette could very well be a metaphor for homosexuality with Sneakers O'Toole representing the gay man trying to live his life openly and freely. The men who try and make him take off his shoes represent political or religious conservatives who believe in forcing their own codes of morality on others. Plus, you've got to be gay if you sing while walking down a public sidewalk, right?

This theory makes sense especially consider its connection to the episode as a whole. The episode ("Boys Do Cry") entailed the Griffin family going on the run due to religious intolerance in their hometown. They move to Texas and Lois conspires to keep them there in a misguided attempt at finding a community that promotes good values and morals. They ultimately realize that, underneath the facade of Christian values, Texas is very much a moral dictatorship whereby anyone who falls outside the ideal of the straight, white, religious man or woman is immediately ostracized and persecuted. Look no further than Peter getting put in the electric chair for admitting that he is retarded and the community rioting after finding out that the winner of Miss Baby Texas was Stewie in drag. The storyline involving Stewie strengthens this connection even more, considering the homosexual implications of Stewie dressing up like a woman and seeming to enjoy every minute of it. Throw in Herbert singing "I Know What Boys Like," and it all comes together. When you look at all of this, it's easy to see that Sneakers O'Toole is very much a metaphor for the episode as a whole.

Theory #2: Sneakers O'Toole represents the helplessness of the intelligence community to protect the country, especially prior to 9/11. The parallel is unmistakable. Sneakers O'Toole represents terrorists who are determined to attack this country. His refusal to take off his sneakers demonstrates his contempt for our way of life. Plus, maybe he has explosives in those shoes (a la the Shoe Bomber). Who knows what else he's hiding. Anyway, when the two men in suits (representative of the FBI and CIA) try and stop Sneakers from carrying out his attack, he merely runs away from them while they are powerless to pursue. After all, they are wearing loafers and are unable to keep pace with Sneakers. The idea that the intelligence officers are unable to pursue because they either a) have inferior tools or b) are handcuffed by the laws of the country that they are sworn to protect, is very reminiscent of the issues that led to the creation of the Homeland Security Department and the Patriot Act. The intelligence officers are, essentially, fighting a modern war with out-of-date weapons. Clearly, something has to be done to stop the Sneakers O'Tooles of the world.

This theory is bolstered by the appearance of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush in the episode. After all, their claims to fame are (among other things) the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the passage of the Patriot Act. Additionally, Stewie even makes an off-color remark about how the Arabs behind the counter at the gas station where the Griffins stop on their way to Texas would be cute if it weren't for 9/11. Osama Bin Laden also makes a cameo appearance. His penchant for releasing videotapes taunting America and promising more attacks is reminiscent of Sneakers O'Toole bragging about how he didn't take his sneakers off and how he's still Sneakers O'Toole. The message is clear: By allowing Sneakers O'Toole to keep his sneakers on, then you're letting the terrorists win.

Theory #3: Sneakers O'Toole represents America's "Go It Alone" foreign policy. In a related vein, Sneakers O'Toole could be a thinly veiled political statement concerning America's heavy-handed diplomacy. Sneakers O'Toole could have been diplomatic and simply taken off his shoes so as to avoid embarrassing his worldwide colleagues. However, he refused to do so and was proud of that fact. Sneakers O'Toole wants to do things his way and damn the consequences.

Indeed, George W. Bush has come off as being quite petulant at times, especially regarding his blatant refusal to follow the Kyoto Protocal or by challenging the Geneva Accords. This attitude is merely reinforced by having Cheney his side. After all, Cheney has no qualms about telling U.S. Senators to kiss his ass and acting as the worse cop to Bush's bad cop. Additionally, Bush's "You're With Us Or You're Against Us" logic is scarily immature for someone who is the Commander-in-Chief of the largest armed forces in the world. Sneaker O'Toole's whiny voice, especially when he says "no" to the demand to take off his shoes, makes him sound as if he were a 6 year old. In other words, he has the same temperament as our Chief Executive. That's definitely a comforting thought.

Theory #4: Sneakers O'Toole is a satire of the so-called "break-out character." From Fonzie to Urkel, breakout characters are commonplace in the land of television. "Family Guy" is certainly no stranger to this. Look at Quagmire, who turned into one of the more popular characters on the show. Or Stewie, who now has entire movies centered around him. Even minor characters like Herbert, the Evil Monkey, or Mayor Adam West, have gained significant cult followings. Indeed, it seems as if anyone that appears on the immediately turns into a breakout character as long as enough people think that they're funny.

Maybe Seth McFarlane was trying to see if he could create a breakout character solely by getting fans of the show to spend hours and hours analyzing a one-dimensional stock character to the point that said character turns into a bona fide phenomenon. Sneakers O'Toole could be "Family Guy's" answer to the Poochie Phenomenon from "The Simpsons," whereby a brand new character was built up so much that they inevitably failed to live up to its hype. Only instead of generating his own hype, he allowed the fans to do it on their own. After all, the premise behind the character is fairly lame. Nevertheless, with the right factors in place, it's possible that Sneakers O'Toole could become so popular that he could get his own spin-off. "Family Guy," "American Dad," and "Sneakers O'Toole." Talk about Animation Domination!

So there you have it. Sneakers O'Toole broken down from all angles. He's either a metaphor for homosexual issues. Or he's a representation of the impotence of American intelligence prior to 9/11. Or he's a critical look at George W. Bush's foreign policy. Or he's just an example of Seth McFarlane having fun with all of us. Either way you look at it, one thing's for sure:

I spent way too much time on this...

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