LINKS AND SOURCES

In this section of the blog, a variety of sources will be provided, in case someone is interested in  exploring this topic in depth.

- Simpsons Wiki : This website provides detailed information about the characters as well as general information about the series, which is very useful to have a broader context.

- The Simpsons as a Critique of Consumer Culture : This webpage is an article that deals with the satirized parody about today´s hyperconsumerism culture made by The Simpsons

- Using the Simpsons to Discuss Intercultural Differences – and other managerial topics… : This article uses the simpsons series to deal, in the educational sphere, topics such as intercultural diversity.

- Comedy, Cartoon, Critique: The Simpsons in Culture : This blog considers the use of the series to teach critical theory and cultural studies, using episodes and texts to analyze the series' critique of our culture and society.

- El transfondo crítico de los simpsons This blog analyzes in detail different aspects which are criticized and parodied in the simosons, such as religion, politics and others. It is in Spanish but there is the possibility to translate it.

- Sátira Política: This blog analyses the use of satire and parody in The Simpsons.

GRANDPA SIMPSON & BART

Since its creation, The Simpsons has been a mirror for American society. Among its many criticisms, we find a (pessimistic) message about how each generation has been tricked into believing in certain ideals. Two characters who perfectly embody these generational differences are siblings Bart and Lisa, and their grandfather, Abraham Simpson. 

Abraham was born and lived in a tough time, being a Welsh immigrant who enlisted to fight in World War II, living in a time of austerity in which the American values ​​were those of effort. However, none of his sacrifices were of any use to him: he married Homer's mother, who became an activist during the counterculture movement. Partly because of this, his own son always took the path of nonconformity with the established order, although not from an intellectual and active perspective. Homer always chose as his tastes and personality those that society most criticized during the 70s and 80s: rock & roll, long hair, alcohol, drugs, and having fun instead of hard work. This changed when he had his first son, Bart, but more out of obligation than personal choice. But returning to Abraham, all the choices he made to serve his country and follow the traditional American model were for nothing. When he ceased to be useful to society, Abe, like many other veterans, was forgotten and relegated to living in a nursing home.

Ironically, Bart follows the same pattern with Homer that Homer followed with his father: he is a lazy and rebellious son who rejects his father's lifestyle and beliefs. This makes him more like Homer than Bart himself imagines. However, Bart's frustration with the system is more than justified, as he has his sister Lisa as a reflection of what he will never be. Always within the context of satire and humor, Lisa is a much more tragic character than she appears. She is determined to break away from her family's intellectual standards and get a job where she can change the world. However, in her determination, she has fallen prey to the same social deception as the rest of the characters. She works harder than anyone else and is aware of her intelligence, which makes her frustrated when she sees someone achieve something she has worked for. Her value system, although opposed to her grandfather's, is also based on the infamous "culture of effort”. In fact, the very plot of the series reminds her time and again that there are forces beyond her that she cannot fight (student snobbery, misogyny , social status...).

We could say that, despite his weariness with his lifestyle, Homer is the character who has passively remained most faithful to his values ​​and those of his generation. Abe, Lisa, and Bart are the product of a society that has instilled in them what success is, only to remind them that they never achieved it and never will. 

We could conclude by saying that many simpsons characters,  as well as bart and abe, suffer the consequences of being abandoned by the system, in many different aspects.

This interactive presentation can be interesting to find out additional information, in a ludic format, about the topic of this blog .

Jana Robles

LISA AND MR BURNS

Lisa and Mr. Burns represent two sides of American society which are totally contrary and different. Mr. Burns is the purest representation of what Lisa despises of the American social system, extreme capitalism, he cares nothing for environment and is depicted as a corrupt, cruel and cold man with no feelings who seems to hate life.

He represents the harsh side of American capitalism where is shown that profit can be achieved through having important contacts and influence on life. Mr. Burns embodies some stereotypes about Corporate America due to his obsession with money and power. Because he gives more importance to his own profit and becoming wealthier than the wellbeing of his workers or society, apart from being considered and exploiter, he can represent the stereotype of big American managers or unscrupulous billionaire magnates. For this reason, this character can be seen as a satire about capitalist executives and unsupportive or uncaring bosses which don’t even bother to learn their employees’ names or care about their needs and welfare.

His wealth and power allows him to control almost the entire city of Springfield, manipulating the political, legal and media systems to as he wishes for his own benefit. This assimilates to American society where high economic power is often related to important political influences, especially when it comes to political campaign financing.

In addition to this, burns as he is presented as an old man, he represents the most conservative side of America which doesn’t seem to be adapted to the new progresses of the society. In contrast, Lisa represents the millennial part of the society which aim a change in the American system. The series reinforces this idea because, although all the efforts Lisa makes, Springfield has little changes, this can be considered satirical fatalism because, although in American society there are people like Lisa who are worried about progress and the welfare of the country, it is still ruled by institutions and billionaires like Mr. Burns who are uncaring about the society.

On the other hand, Lisa is the vivid representation of reason, equity, science and justice, in contrast to burns who is only focused on his own self-progress. She represents the social values which are totally contrary to what Mr. Burns does, she is an intelligent young girl which cares for environmental wellbeing. She is fully aware of politics and defend her ideologies which are totally against capitalism and everything that Mr. Burns represents in society. However, despite her intelligence and her efforts to make Springfield a better place which cares for environment, animals and feminism, she is commonly ignored and ridiculed in the series considering her efforts and worries as exaggerated or not taking them into account. This is present in American society as the ones who claim uncomfortable realities and bring into light the hidden problems that the system has, are often marginalized or ignored.

To sum up, all this ideological contrast between them is very well represented in the episode 21 , 8^th season “The Old Man and the Lisa” where Mr. Burns promises Lisa, he will use his money for better purposes when she helps him to redo his life following a better path as is seen in the following video.

However, he then he uses her help, and influence creates an, according to him, “ecological” factory which uses recycled animals to create pet food. Here can be seen how economic power can absorb and transform all the ideals into its own benefit.

Claudia Román

HOMER AND FRANK GRIMES

 

Within the universe created by Matt Groening, there are two characters that represent two sides of the same coin, which is our society and the perspective we have regarding work and effort. The rivalry between them in the episode "Homer´s enemy" brings up the debate about what merit is in our society and whether it is (or should be) truly rewarded.

On one hand, we have Homer Simpson, representing the average American. He's lazy, uneducated, and purposeless. However, he's fortunate in life, with a stable job and a loving family. Despite being contrary to what society promotes, the people around him enjoy being with him and support him.

On the other hand, we have the character of Frank Grimes, who represents frustrated meritocracy. He has overcome a life of poverty, educated himself, and become the kind of person society encourages us to be... and yet he is never rewarded for it. Grimes embodies the reality of the vast majority of people who, despite playing by the rules of the game, discover that there is no real game in which those rules apply.

But why then do we tend to like someone like Homer more, even in real life? Because Homer is what we wish we were, and Frank Grimes is a mirror of what we "should" be. Grimes' principles are directly linked to productivity: the more you strive to contribute to society, the more dignity you have. However, these ideals, which seem so obvious today, were introduced in post-industrial society, where prominent figures and entrepreneurs began trying to instill in us that exploitation is actually effort and commitment (“work brings dignity”). Both Grimes and millions of people in real life discover daily that effort has no social reward, only for a 1% that is used as propaganda so that the other 99% continue striving to achieve a made-up fantasy. These people (understandably, given that they are the victims) often live bitterly with their own lives, and they take it out on those around them. And then, a Homer appears.

Homer is the anti-hero of this story. From a young age, society made it clear to him that he couldn't aspire to anything professionally or intellectually. Homer, who never made any effort in these areas, became a lazy and clumsy man, who inspires empathy because we see the human side of ourselves in him. By not playing the game of capitalism, Homer unwittingly defies its rules, turning that sympathy and laziness into unconscious resistance. He is admirable not for his stupidity, but for his ability to live outside the anxiety that the search for purpose and productivity produces.

In real life, we see people like Homer as closer to us, and it generates empathy and, ultimately, friendship. People like Grimes don't generate rejection in and of themselves, but their frustration drives away those who used to want to spend time with them. The rejection of Frank Grimes is a manifestation of the weariness many of us suffer from a social model that only values ​​people for their productivity, ignoring other greater values ​​that, ironically, many losers embody.

This inphography could be useful to get a complementary idea of the topic. 

Pelayo Albuerne

PARODY OR PREDICTIONS?

 

Throughout the decades, The Simpsons have been gaining more popularity as it seems that they are able to “predict” the future. There are plenty of examples in which reality appeared to have fulfilled some of the facts mentioned in the chapters. Usually, those scenes have a few minutes of screentime, so at first, it is possible that not many people noticed them.For example, in season 11 episode 7  it is mentioned that Donald Trump was president before Lisa. Bare in mind that due to social media, there are many of these “supposed” predictions that are mere montages.

However, it is important to highlight that  the Simpsons do NOT predict the future, they are just satirizing certain social trends or patterns, or in some cases, exaggerating some situations or social reactions to certain events, using parody to criticize society. For example in season 22 episode 6 , when a pandemic spread by cats (which was generated by the government) is mentioned in the news, people panicked, acting irrationally such as burning down everything a cat had touched; ignoring the fact that vaccines can stop the epidemic. This extreme reaction criticizes how society tends to generate panic and chaos in some situations. Moreover in the first clip of the episode it is visible in the helicopter the sentence “not racist but nº1 with racist” which is a great mockery of how fox news tries to sell itself as non-racist but “somehow” is associated with racists. There are more examples similar to these about other social situations. 

Instead of questioning what will be the next “predictions”, we should be questioning why reality seems to be validating them. 

INTRODUCTION

“The Simpsons” is one of the most famous animated series in history. It is common knowledge that it is very critical of American society; every episode satirizes at least one social aspect and every character is an exaggerated representation of a social archetype. This blog will focus on some of the characters and what they symbolize, based mostly on a subjective point of view and some personal interpretations obtained from the episodes. 

Before getting into the content, please answer this brief questionnaire about The Simpsons social critique through the characters, to see how much you know about the topic!