The Simpsons: A Thorough Essay on America's Favorite Cartoon Family

The Simpsons are America's favorite cartoon family. Watched by 60 million viewers in over 60 countries (O'Meara), and now on its fifteenth season, the show portrays a somewhat typical American family with cynicism, irreverence, and biting satire. One who is unfamiliar with the show might ask, how did a cartoon show manage to last so long? What is it exactly that makes the show so popular? That can easily be explained. It is the shows own particular brand of humor. Many people would agree that The Simpsons is easily one of the funniest shows on television, as it has been consistently since it's debut in 1989. But what is it precisely that makes it so funny? I think it is the truth in the humor: we see America in The Simpsons. We see our friends, our neighbors, our parents, our schools, our churches, and our legal system. Exaggerated, maybe, bizarre, of course, ridiculous, certainly, but nonetheless, the show takes American culture, society, and politics and humorously points out its foibles one after one. Every character in the show is a satire in and of his or herself.

Beginning with Homer, a fat, lazy, unmotivated slob with a love of beer and all things fried. This portrayal represents a nation of fast-food obsessed, outdoor phobic people who hate their office jobs and allow their lives to be ruled by prime time television. Homer is referred to in more than one episode as a sort of "everyman," a representation of American men. An unflattering portrayal, true, but let's look at the facts: he is an anonymous worker at a large company (despite all the run-ins he has had with his boss, Mr. Burns, his name remains unknown), he watches ridiculous amounts of television, he is devoted to his favorite domestic beer (Duff), he shows an inconsistent interest in his children, he rarely cleans or cooks, and his home projects always fail miserably (like putting together a Bar-B-Q grill in episode AABF15: "English side ruined, must use French side......LE GRILLE?! What the hell is that?!").

Homer's survival skills for the business world seem frighteningly logical and familiar. In episode 7F11, Homer passes on to Bart his timeless knowledge of how to get by in the business world: "I want to share with you the three little sentences that will get you through life: One- �Cover for me.' Two- �Oh, good idea, boss.' Three- �It was like that when I got here.'" Homer is not a hard worker, nor is he a good worker, but for understandable reasons: like many Americans, Homer simply works at the power plant because it is a job that puts food on the table. When Homer worked at the bowling alley in episode 2F10, he enjoyed his job and therefore, was good at it. It was perfect for him, and because he had fun doing it, he performed well. However, the job did not pay much money, so when Maggie came along, he had to give it up to feed the family. He returned to the power plant, a job he does not necessarily loathe, but rather, a job in which he is just disinterested. To him, it is just a job, a source of income, and nothing more, and because of that he does not make an effort at it. It does not touch on any of his interests, and therefore, he performs poorly. Just like many Americans, Homer did not pick a job that was specially suited to his skills and interests, and therefore, he is ineffective at it.

When he is not at work, Homer's life revolves around the television. In fact, the whole family's lives do, which is especially telling, considering the average American watches approximately three hours and forty-six minutes of television every day (TV-FA). In episode 5F01, where Homer gets a gun, Marge tells him that she heard on television that people with guns are 58% more likely to shoot someone in their family than a burglar, to which a distressed Homer replies, "TV said that?" in a tone of urgency, as though television is the ultimate authority in his life. In another episode, Marge tries to convince Homer to pursue worthwhile things. "We don't think you're slow. But on the other hand, it's not like you go to museums or read books or anything," she says to him. He replies, "Do you think I don't want to? It's those TV networks, Marge. They won't let me. One quality show after another, each one more brilliant than the last. If they only stumbled once - just gave us thirty minutes to ourselves. But they won't, they won't let me live!"

In episode 7F13, Homer finds a way to get free cable, and he proclaims of it, "Cable. It's more wonderful than I dared hope." During the episode, a plant sitting beside the couch grows up fully and then dies away as the family watches cable endlessly. This is an excellent documentation of American families that have the television on almost twenty-four hours a day: eating in front of it, going to bed to it. This portrays a trend that is growing in America…family together time is becoming television time.

In 8F23, Homer undergoes a crisis at quite an inopportune time. "Why did this have to happen now, during primetime, when TV's brightest stars come out to shine?" He moans. Americans tend to put their lives on hold for television, or even worse, they live vicariously through their television, rather than creating their own lives. Homer is an exceptional example of this type of mindset. Even Homer's idea of adventure revolves around daily, mundane activities: "I wanna shake off the dust of this one-horse town. I wanna explore the world! I wanna watch TV in a different time zone! I wanna visit strange, exotic malls! I'm sick of eating hoagies! I want a grinder, a sub, a foot-long hero! I want to LIVE, Marge! Won't you let me live? Won't you, please?!"

Homer's character is also an excellent example of the age of convenience and instant gratification in which we live - with fast food, one-click internet shopping, cell phones, and remote controls for everything, including our vehicles, all of our daily chores have become quick and easy to do, and everything happens instantaneously. In episode 5F04, Homer is at the Kwik-E-Mart looking through the lottery tickets while Apu sleeps behind the desk. He holds them up to the light so he can see which ones are winners, and soon comes across one that wins 500 dollars. "Apu! Wake up!" He yells. "I want to buy a yodel and this lottery ticket. I have this much." Homer lays his money on the counter in front of Apu, who replies, "I am sorry, but you do not have enough for both." Homer groans and debates for a moment, before resignedly saying, "I'll take the yodel."

Though this may seem like just another joke on Homer, I see it as a comment on our instant gratification society. Though Homer could buy many yodels with the 500 dollars, he could not have them right away and therefore the money is unimportant to him. In today's world, we seem to think that if we something takes time to obtain, it is not worth getting. We'd rather use our credit cards and go into debt than save up. We would rather stop at Wendy's or MacDonald's than cook a healthy meal.

And Homer is not the only character who embodies this belief system. In episode BABF17, Homer and Bart are attempting to open a stuck drawer with sticks of dynamite. When Marge enters, she is taken aback.Homer reasons with her, saying, "Listen, do you want the job done right, or do you want it done fast?" Marge replies, "Well, like all Americans, fast, but - " she is cut off before she can finish by the dynamite explosion. Homer sums up the America mindset in a simple sentence, as he imparts more of his wisdom to Bart. "There, There, Bart," He says comfortingly. If something's hard, then it's not worth doing."<

>Apart from Marge and television (and of course the kids), Homer's true love is Duff beer. He spends much of his time at Moe's tavern, drinking with his friends. In one episode, Homer happily declares, "Beer. Now there's a temporary solution," a phrase which can now be seen on t-shirts. In episode CABF14, Lisa is late for school and looking for a ride, she runs to Moe's, saying, "It's noon. That's usually when dad gets the brew shakes." And in episode 5F23, Homer joins a cult-like sect called the Movementarians. When the cult is exposed as nothing more than a moneymaking scheme, Homer returns home, saying, "To think, I turned to a cult for mindless happiness when I had beer all along." When Marge groans at this, Homer looks up at her and says encouragingly, "And you Marge…the bringer of beer."

The show illustrates alcohol abuse with characters other than Homer. Barney, one of Homer's friends and drinking buddies, is as alcoholic as they come. He is always at Moe's, he has no family to speak of, his appearance is disheveled, he diction is terrible, and all of his accomplishments are always voided by alcohol. For instance, in episode 1F13, he has a chance to go up in space, but he has to beat Homer in a competition first. In order to do this, he stops drinking and easily wins. However, when a NASA scientist helps him celebrate by giving him nonalcoholic champagne, he immediately reverts back to his previous drunken state. Though he is funny, it is in a sad and pathetic way. In episode 4F22, Barney says, "All I remember about the last two months is giving a guest lecture at Villanova. Or maybe it was a street corner." With portrayals such as this, The Simpsons manages to make fun of alcohol dependence without turning it into a public service announcement or an after school special.

The Simpsons mocks America's social need for alcohol. In episode 4F15, the town is in an uproar after Bart's public drunkenness and demand a prohibition on alcohol. To this, Mayor Quimby replies, "You can't seriously want to ban alcohol. It tastes great, makes women appear more attractive, and makes a person virtually invulnerable to criticism." When people still protest, Chief Wiggum chimes in, "Ladies, please. All our founding fathers, astronauts, and World Series heroes have been either drunk or on cocaine." In episode 8F08, where Moe's takes a turn for the worse (which Homer remedies by inventing the "Flaming Homer"), Moe relays that "increased job satisfaction and family togetherness are a poison for a purveyor of mind-numbing intoxicants like myself." And in episode1F03, Moe removes the dart board from the bar, stating, "We're phasing out the games. People drink less when they're having fun."

Alcohol is not the only vice that is mocked on The Simpsons. Smoking, also, is portrayed in a humorous but negative light. Many of the characters smoke constantly, the most notable being Marge's two unattractive sisters, Selma and Patty. Rarely seen without cigarettes in their mouths, Selma and Patty have deep, raspy voices and a constant craving for nicotine. In episode 5F05, the town is convinced that the world is going to end. All of the townspeople gather on top of hill, nervously waiting for the end to come. Selma and Patty take one last satisfied drag off of their cigarettes as Patty proudly declares, "We did it. We beat cancer."

The show also mocks nicotine addiction and cigarette advertising in many other ways. In one episode, a sign filled with pictures of people happily smoking proudly proclaims: "50 million cigarette smokers can't be wrong!" In episode 1F05, Troy McClure mentions a self-help film he appeared in entitled Smoke Yourself Thin.In episode 8F03, a truck full of cartons of cigarettes is hijacked, the desperate nature of nicotine addiction is pointed out when a Laramie spokesperson proclaims to the town, "Folks, I'm pleased to announce that a new truckload of Laramies with their smooth good taste and rich tobacco is heading toward Springfield and the driver has been instructed to ignore all stop signs and crosswalks."

The show makes fun of the fact that cigarette companies blatantly market to children in episode 7F21, when a clip is shown from and old black and white Radioactive Man show in which the characters blatantly advertise cigarettes. "Aah…these Laramie cigarettes give me the steady nerves I need to combat evil," states Radioactive Man. "Gee Whilikers, Radioactive Man," replies Fallout Boy. "Wish I was old enough to smoke Laramies." Radioactive man responds, "Sorry, Fallout Boy, not until you're sixteen."

And in episode 8F15, the "bad" fifth grade girls are seen smoking Laramie Junior cigarettes. In episode 8F08, a disparaging Moe complains to Homer, "Oh, business is slow. People today are healthier and drinking less. You know, if it wasn't for the junior high school next door, no one would even use the cigarette machine." In The Simpsons, the tobacco companies are demonized rather than the smokers.

Now let us talk about Marge, the lovable matriarch of the Simpson family. The voice of reason, moderation, and practicality, the character of Marge pokes fun at the happy homemaker stereotype that liberated women have tried so hard to fight. Marge seems more like the typical '50s sitcom mom than the liberated working prime time mothers of the '90s. Though she does work a few jobs over the course of the show, Marge is mainly seen cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids; in other words, typical housewife chores. However, it is not just the act of her doing these things that is troubling, it is the fact that she feels obligated to do them, and they comprise a key part of her identity. In episode 3F23, when Homer finds a new job and insists on moving the family, Marge resists, saying, "Homer, I don't want to leave Springfield. I've dug myself into a happy little rut here and I'm not about to hoist myself out of it." Further into the same episode, they are living in a new house where all of the devices are high-tech and automated. With no cleaning, cooking, or care taking to do, Marge becomes idle and depressed.

In a recent episode, Marge, proud of herself for creating a scarecrow that frightened the crows away from her garden, exclaims, "Marge is in the house!" She follows it up with, "I will be soon. Because it needs some cleaning!" In a more recent episode, Lisa becomes class president and her teachers and principals change her image. When she comes into the kitchen dressed in a business suit, earrings, and high heels, Marge proclaims, "Oh Lisa, you look so successful. Like you're the wife of a businessman."

The edge is taken off this comment immediately afterwards, however, when Homer, who is wearing a pink apron and washing the dishes, laments, "I wish I had married a businessman. Then I'd have nice things." An interesting bit of role reversal there, but such reversal is uncommon on the Simpsons. In general, Homer watches television and drinks beer while Marge dresses the kids for school, and makes all the meals, all while managing to keep a sparkling house. I think that the purpose of this is not to imply that real life is this way, but rather to exploit and mock the stereotypical gender roles that exist in our society.

Let us move on to Grampa Simpson, who is an excellent example of how the elderly are perceived and treated. He is constantly ignored, forgotten about, and avoided. He is stereotypically forgetful and tells long, nonsensical stories to which no one pays any attention. In Episode 3F19, Bart becomes frustrated with Grampa's senility after Grampa speaks to his class and embarrasses him. "And then, he claimed he was the one who turned cats and dogs against each other. Why is he always making up those crazy stories?" Homer responds thoughtfully, "Maybe it's time we put Grampa in a home," to which Lisa replies, "You already put him in a home." Bart chimes in, "Maybe it's time we put him in one where he can't get out."

The family also consistently ignores Grampa throughout the show. In episode 9F04, Homer gets Bart a Krusty doll for his birthday. When Bart opens the present, Grampa exclaims, "That doll's evil I tells ya. Evil! EEEEVIL!" Marge retorts, "Grampa, you said that about all the toys!" Grampa slouches over and looks sullen. "I just want attention." In episode 2F09, Homer is complaining about how much he wants to join the Stonecutters, an exclusive organization only open to children of Stonecutters. As Homer laments the fact that he cannot join, Grampa repeats persistently that he is a Stonecutter. Finally, Bart has to point out to Homer what Grampa is saying. "Dad, remember those self-hypnosis courses we took to help us ignore Grampa? Maybe we should be listening to him now." Homer pretty much sums up the general attitude to the elderly in The Simpsons in episode 1F09, when he says to Grampa, "Aw, Dad, you've done a lot of great things, but you're a very old man, and old people are useless." In a country that has lost the ideal of respect for its elderly, the character of Grampa Simpson sadly rings true.

Another issue the show likes to examine and expose is the state of our schools. Bart and Lisa's elementary school, Springfield Elementary, is run by the insecure, incompetent Principal Skinner and taught by weary, disillusioned teachers like Edna Krabappel and Miss Hoover. Both Edna and Skinner seem to have little hope for the future of the schoolchildren. In episode 8F16, Miss Hoover and Edna sit underneath a "No Smoking" sign at a Yo-Yo Champions assembly, smoking cigarettes and discussing the assembly. "I question the educational value of this assembly." Miss Hoover says wryly. "Hey, It'll be one their few pleasant memories when they're pumping gas for a living." Edna replies. In another episode, however, Edna speaks on behalf of the kids. "Seymour, you have to think of the children's future," she insists, to which Skinner replies without hesitation, "Oh, Edna! We all know that these children HAVE no future!" They are in the cafeteria, which falls silent as all the children stare at Skinner. "Prove me wrong children! Prove me wrong!" He says nervously.

In episode 8F15, all the children take CANT, a Career Aptitude Normalizing Test. Afterwards, Lisa's classmate Janey declares, "Well, that was a waste of time." Lisa rebukes her, saying, "Janey, school is never a waste of time" Immediately following, Ms. Hoover announces, "Since we have fifteen minute until recess, please put down your pencils and stare at the front of the room." In the same episode, Lisa takes all of the teacher's editions of the schoolbooks and the teachers are lost without them. In order to protect Lisa, Bart admits to doing it and as a result is force to write "I will not expose the ignorance of the faculty" repeatedly on the blackboard.

In episode 3F03, where Lisa decides to become a vegetarian, she causes an uproar at school. It begins when she refuses to dissect a worm for class, claiming "I think it's wrong." Miss Hoover pretends to respect Lisa's views but is secretly pushing a button under her desk entitled "independent thought alarm." Further into the episode, Lisa tries to find a vegetarian meal in the cafeteria. When all Doris the lunch lady can come up with is a hot dog bun, Lisa remarks, "Do you remember when you lost your passion for this work?" Doris then also hits the independent thought alarm button. Upon seeing this, Skinner gets nervous, and, determining that the children are "over-stimulated" orders Willie to remove all the colored chalk from the classroom.

Further into the episode, however, he realizes what the real problem is, and in an effort to placate Lisa, he shows a video on meat eating to her class. Blatant meat industry propaganda, the film is titled "The Meat Council Presents: 'Meat and You: Partners in Freedom'. Number 3F03 in the `Resistance is Useless' series." In the film, Troy McClure affirms to the curious Jimmy, " Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!" Jimmy replies, "Wow, Mr. McClure. I was a grade-A moron to ever question eating meat." Troy agrees, "Yes you were, Jimmy. Yes you were." Of course, Lisa realizes what is going on. "Stop it!" She cries. "Don't you realize you've just been brainwashed by corporate propaganda?" But the children only laugh at her. This is indicative of how our schools teach us what they want us to think rather than teaching us to think for ourselves.

Springfield Elementary is an apt portrayal of American school systems and their tendency to stifle creativity, teach half-truths, and value academics over the arts, making the students focus on a hodgepodge of everything rather than letting them pay more attention to their strengths and interests. American school systems consistently teach children what to think rather than how to think. It is easy to see where the writers' frustration with American school systems comes from. American youth are consistently low-scoring on national achievement tests, and schools are often so lacking for money that they have to eliminate any "extraneous" programs, which often include extracurricular sports, art courses, and music classes.

While we are on the subject of children, let us examine the character of Krusty, the lovable television clown whose face is on everything from Q-tips to home pregnancy tests. Krusty is beloved by children, and worshiped by Bart, who, in episode 7G12 say of Krusty, "He's my idol. I've based my whole life on is teachings." Among the list of Krusty products that can be found in Bart's room include a Krusty radon detector, a Krusty wastebasket, a Krusty rug, and a Krusty tool box. I

In episode 5F10, Krusty decides to join the world of cynical stand-up comedy, leaving behind his life of cheap physical humor and shameless merchandising. When two advertising executives come to him in hopes he will endorse a new SUV, Krusty says, "I guess you Wall Street Weasels didn't get the word. Krusty's not for sale." They reply, "But you endorse everything! In fact, this endorsement contract comes from your line of legal forms!" In the end, Krusty ends up endorsing the SUV, explaining to Bart afterwards, "Meh, I learned something about myself today. It ain't comedy that's in my blood. It's selling out."

The character of Krusty is blatantly ridiculing the shameless merchandising of children's television programs. (Not that The Simpsons is any exception to this rule). You can find cartoon characters on everything from lunch boxes to Halloween costumes to breakfast cereals (which Krusty also makes). In fact, in many cases it seems as though the sole purpose of creating children's television shows is for the marketing value. They are all style and no substance because it is not substance that sells lunchboxes. Though Krusty's array of products is expansive and ludicrous, it is not that far from where we are headed if we continue at this rate.

So what does it all mean? What, exactly, is the aim of the makers of the show? Is it just to make people laugh, or are they trying to get real messages across? Are they preaching to the choir, pointing out the hypocrisy of society, the legal system, and the school systems to liberal college students? Well, maybe. But then again, is America actually getting the joke? Is television really an effective medium for criticizing such things as consumerism, merchandising, and, of course, itself? Do people laugh at the stabs at corporate America and consumerism, then conveniently forget it all when the commercials come on?

For every joke that is made about merchandising on the show, there is a Simpsons product that people go out and buy. What does Matt Groening, the show's creator, have to say about this? In an interview with Jamie O'Meara from Hour magazine, he states, "Counterculture, if you can call it that, is in dire straits these days. Everything gets co-opted so quickly that there's not much of a scene" (O'Meara).

Though it may seem as though The Simpsons has a liberal agenda, executive producer Mike Scully once pointed out that the writers for the show should have a "healthy disrespect for everything Americans hold dear" (O'Meara). And it is true, if you look closely enough at the show, no stone remains unturned, no foible untouched. Democratic presidents such as Clinton are mocked as much as staunch Republicans like Bush. In episode BABF09, Clinton thanks Lisa "for teaching kids everywhere a valuable lesson: If things don't go your way, just keep complaining until your dreams come true." A disgruntled Marge retorts, "That's a pretty lousy lesson. "Hey," he replies, "I'm a pretty lousy president."

In an interview with RollingStone Magazine, Groening talks about being politically incorrect in a pc world. "One of the trends in television that The Simpsons went against was the pandering to the most easily offended and least-educated person watching. What The Simpsons does is try to see you can take a genre that nobody takes seriously, and jam in some countercultural messages" (Eliscu). He goes on to say, "Characters on our show drink, smoke, don't wear their seat belts, litter, and fire guns. In this season's Halloween episode, there's probably more gunfire than in the entire history of The Sopranos" (Eliscu). In a way, The Simpsons is much more realistic than the typical family comedy, despite the fact that it is a cartoon. Where else on television are families shown just sitting around, watching television together? Where else can you see constant cigarette smoking, drinking almost to the point of alcoholism, and casual drug use without it being demonized and turned into a government anti-drug ad?

Matt Groening also spoke out about Fox. "When The Simpsons started, Fox was run in a very intuitive way. Now it's run like every other network. They're scared and trying to hold audiences who are playing video games, watching The Sopranos, and skateboarding" (Eliscu). The creators of the show do not let this stop them, however, as the constant digs at the Fox Network make clear. In episode 2F15, Lisa meets a carnival gypsy who lets her peek fifteen years into the future. At one point in the episode, as Marge and Homer lay in bed watching television, Marge observes, "You know, Fox turned into a hard-core sex channel so gradually I didn't even notice."

The Simpson family seems to live in an illogical world inhabited by strange characters - whether it be an incompetent police officer claiming that "the law is powerless to help you, not punish you," an indifferent doctor stating, " Well, we can't fix his heart, but we can tell you exactly how damaged it is," a nervous principal declaring, "I have caught word that a child is using his imagination and I've come to put a stop to it," or a monotone news anchor questioning, "Professor, without knowing precisely what the danger is, would you say it's time for our viewers to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?" But when we take a closer look at this fictional world, it does not seem quite so bizarre and implausible. Rather, it is though the show has held a funhouse mirror up to our society. The image we get in return may be skewed, but is still based in reality. And that is truly scary.

Works Cited

Eliscu, Jenny. "Homer and Me." RollingStone 28 November 2002. 17 November 2003.

http://www.rollingstone.com/features/coverstory/featuregen.asp?pid=1287

Gimple, Scott M., ed. The Simpsons Forever! A Complete Guide to our Favorite

Family…Continued. New York: Harper Perrenial, 1999.

Goldberg, Gary. The Simpsons Archive. 14 November 2003. <http://www.snpp.com/ >

McCann, Jesse L., ed. The Simpsons Beyond Forever! A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family…Still Continued. New York: Harper Perennial, 2002.

O'Meara, Jamie. "D'oh Canada!" Hour 7 November 2002. 16 November 2003.

http://hour.ca/magazine/index.asp?id=1624&parution=1027>

Richmund, Ray, ed. The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to our Favorite Family. New York: Harper Perrenial, 1997.

TV Free America. Television Statistics and Sources. 15 November 2003. <http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rklenets/tv__stats.html>