The Simpsons

explores this “sour” taste of comedy through his extensive analysis of The Simpsons. He argues that the show, “does not promote anything,” in this case, traditional family values. By extension, Matheson arguably demotes hyper-irony and deems it to be essentially depraved, “because its humor works by putting forward positions in order to undercut them.” While, yes, Matheson acknowledges the satirical nature of The Simpsons, he fails to fully grasp the immensity of its role within the show. According to Matheson, the nature of the show is relatively “depraved”— it does not promote the traditional family values of the past nor does it hold them to be sacred. The Simpsons, themselves, are a parody of the “McWASP” tradition of family sitcoms. However, this familiarity is an ingenious ploy—a device issued to closely dissect and criticize every facet of American culture. Rather than being the ideal picturesque family of the past, each member is uniquely flawed. This uncensored representation of family life initiates…

To begin, McMahon argument that The Simpsons can “educate on what it teaches” (215) in this episode of The Simpsons “Lisa on Ice” occurs with stereotypes on the show. For, example when the school bullies asked Bart “Nice PJs, Simpson. Did your mommy buy 'em for ya?” (Scully, 1994) and Bart’s response was “Of course she did. Who else would have?” (Scully, 1994) This conforms to the stereotype that mothers do most of the shopping in the house. That consist of buying clothes, food etc. According…

The Simpsons has become a staple of American life since its first release in 1989. This long lasting cartoon comedy achieved the true essence of satire by capturing the moment of stupidity among today’s stereotypical American ‘everyman’. By using a wide range of satirical devices such as: parody, irony, sight gags, absurdity and black humour, The Simpsons develops and enhances brilliant and distinct characters in order to create the fascinating and hilarious satire. Therefore, The Simpsons…

In today’s society we are introduced to many problems that are always put to the side and is never taken care of because people are so in denial and don’t want to face the truth. In the simpsons intro the writer uses satire( the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues) to explore the flaws of society through his made up fictional characters. Some issues that I…

Groening picked the characters of the Simpsons by using people he grew up with. The parents in the Simpsons are named Homer and Marge, the same name that Groening's parents have. He named Lisa and Maggie after his two younger sisters. Groening thought it would be too obvious if he named the oldest son after himself, so Groening decided to name the last child Bart which is an anagram of brat. Homer's father also received the same name as Groening's grandfather, Abraham. Groening returned to…

This episode is definitely the most favorite episode from The Simpsons that I’ve watched since it tackled a character that I absolutely fascinated about, Mr. Burns. At the beginning of the episode, we saw Mr. Burns’ character a lot as he were dreaming about his past where he left his life of poverty (and his beloved bear, BoBo) to go off and live the life of a luxury with a heartless millionaire. The first scene of him agrees to leave his own family without any hesitation and choose to live with…

The Simpsons is one of the longest running and most popular television (T.V.) shows in the history of television. As a result, the show has had a lasting affect on American culture reaching down to even some of the words we use today. These influences are a direct result of the show’s many characters relatability and the way in which they are presented. It’s place in popular culture, an icon of American life, make it a standpoint for the way in which Americans live. No doubt its use of satire to…

The Simpsons is a long running animated comedy focused on a family in Springfield. The show is a depiction of working class life in a small town. The show portrays much sociological concepts of American culture and society. Some being, race/ethnicity, sex/gender, deviance, and social groups. The writers of The Simpsons have shown many examples of race and ethnicity. First example, in the episode The Color Yellow, Lisa finds a diary written by her great-great-great-grandaunt, Eliza Simpson.…

entertained my older brother and parents. I specifically remember watching the show South Park. “Oh how dumb,” I would say to my self and I could not understand how adults could find these mean animated characters so funny. At some point it even bothered me and I did not find the show funny but rather insulting. I would also watch The Simpsons but oddly enough I only found some episodes interesting. Sometimes I didn’t understand the language and I wondered why my older brother was still into…

The Effects of The Simpsons Sitcom on Humanity The Simpsons sitcom has been the longest running leading animated series with over twenty-seven seasons in 2015 and counting. Not only does The Simpsons have just about fifteen million fans in America, but the sitcom is also viewed by nearly sixty million people across the globe. Yet, The Simpsons did not start out with popularity and acceptance. With the first airing of The Simpsons in 1989 by the FOX network, the show was immediately criticized…