The Simpsons is an American animated television program that premiered in 1989, and the show created by Matt Groening is the longest running scripted TV show in history. In its 25 years, the show has been translated, dubbed, and broadcasted in many nations and languages, and its worldwide popularity is immense. The Simpsons satirizes the American dream and the concept of identity that we as Americans share, and our tendency towards conspicuous consumption and influence by corporate powers. Yet, the biggest reason for its popularity globally is the ability for it to be localized using the huge cast of minor characters.
The Simpsons made its American debut on December 17, 1989 and is now in its 25th season on the network Fox, and has become a worldwide sensation. The Simpsons is a cultural phenomenon, its characters are household names and its syndication and globalization are unlike any other television show in history. Yet, one of the most noteworthy parts of The Simpsons globalization is the show’s satire of American society and culture, but also how it becomes so popular and relatable in other countries of the world.
The Simpsons satirizes the idealized image of the nuclear family, as depicted and popularized in the sitcoms of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Simpsons are presented as a “typical” working class American family, they eat the food you do, watch TV, and often struggle with money. Homer is the blue-collar father, who at first glance seems lazy beyond his work, but clumsily loves his family. Marge is the hard working and optimistic housewife, constantly struggling with the feeling that she has wasted her potential starting a family, and loves her children and husband. Most discussed is their ten year old son Bart, is m...
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... pop culture. They were looking to limit foreign programming, especially that emphasizing the English language and immodest dress and inappropriate words. In surveys conducted it was shown that eighty percent of Chinese children preferred foreign cartoons to domestic animation. All of these reasons show the effect that foreign programming, more specifically American television shows; have on the foreign markets that they enter.
Overall, beyond its huge success in the United States, The Simpsons is able to be successful in countries across the world because of the ability for it to be localized using the main characters as well as the huge cast of minor that play roles in plot development and the lives of the Simpson family. The Simpsons is able to move beyond the constraints of its satirizing of American society and critique the cultures where it is exported to.
In modern society, the average nuclear family is considered to be the mother, father, and 2.5 children. That is exactly what the Simpson’s has. Maggie has not aged one bit even though the show has been on since 1987. The average American family can be explained as the mother being the caretaker and the father as the head of the household. The mother and children are dependent on the father to provide for their family. The Simpson Family does display this but they aren’t a perfect white picket fence family. Lisa is the smartest in the family and she is only a child, she has more intelligence then her mother and father combined. “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family” was written by Paul A. Cantor. Cantor is the Clifton Waller Barrett Professor at the University of Virginia. He is also an American literary and media critic. Cantor is well known for his writings about popular culture. He is considered a preeminent scholar in the subject of American popular culture studies. This article fro...
This essay will discuss how national attitudes towards the working-class and the impoverished are represented in American Television. The purpose of this paper is to comprehend that television shows are not solely designed to entertain consumers but also contain a hidden agenda whose task is to protect certain ideological perspectives and therefore constant framing strategies take place. The paper will commence the analysis by discussing how males and females are represented in the television show Friday Night Lights, secondly it will look at the
If we look at the early history of Australian television, virtually all program material until 1963 was of foreign origin, of which eighty three percent were American and the rest British (Cited in an article by Cunningham Stuart, “History, Contexts, Politics, Policy”). Philip Bell discusses in his article that even in the first two decades of television ‘American programs and formats dominated commercial channels’ (Cited in an article by Bell Phillip, ‘Television’). So Americanization of Australian television is not just a recent development. This problem has been there right from the beginning, with American shows like Leave it to Beaver and I love Lucy dominating the TV screens of Australian households. Many are concerned with this issue, a good example is shown in an article written by David Dale, readers were asked if they were shocked by the revelation that all the most popular dramas and comedies on Australian television were made in America, and whether they thought TV stations should be forced to show more stories from other countries, including Australia.
Younger generations and the more vulnerable in society can be influenced in avoiding peer pressure, but for the individuals filled with wisdom, the shows can reflect based on American modern society. Everybody Loves Raymond and Full House are great shows who faces similar life obstacles a typical person living in the US has today. As a result, most modern family comedy sit-coms are reflecting our society’s generations and the more vulnerable. Based on the success of early family sit coms, American’s adapted to a fast pace lifestyle with the help of modern
Americans love their television, and television loves the American family. Since the 1970’s, the depiction of the American family on television has gone through many changes. In the 70s, the Brady Bunch showed an all-white nuclear family. Today, Modern Family, shows a family of blended races, ages, and sexualities. For thirty years, the sitcom family has reflected the changing society of its time and there is no exception of this for the families in The Brady Bunch and Modern Family. The lifestyle, social aspects, and economics situations of the Bradys and the Pritchett-Dunphys are similar in their attempts to portray the lives of families of their time, but differ drastically in the types of families they represent. The characters in Modern
their culture. Television over the years has molded the minds of its viewers – young and
Since television came into existence, it has evolved into a useful tool to spread ideas, both social and political, and has had a great effect on the generations growing up with these heavily influential shows. To these younger generations, television has taken the role of a teacher, with the task of creating a social construction by which many of us base our personal beliefs and judgments on. This power allows television shows take the opportunity to address problems in a manner that many audiences can take to heart. Many television shows present controversial topics in a comical matter, in some ways to soften the blow of hard-hitting reality at the same time bringing attention to the issue being addressed. In the television show, Everybody Hates Chris, season one, episode four entitled “Everybody Hates Sausage”, the stereotypes that continue to fuel racism are examined in a satirical motif, and class is presented in a comical way, but carries serious undertones which present a somewhat realistic view of the different social strata within the United States.
NBC network’s The Office is definitely a show that a lot of youth watch nowadays or well, used to at the least. Some people are amused by the show’s style of humour, however many are not so entertained. Personally, I find that the style of humour in this particular show is used to depict hegemonic relationships and stereotypes that exist in modern culture. Thus, for this specific reason, I will attempt to apply and analyze the theme of cultural hegemony to The Office.
Japanamerica started out talking about the author’s friends and their daughter watching Studio Ghibli movie. This beginning somewhat made me happy. I felt happy because I always feel proud when something Japanese attracts attention. America had influenced Japan after WWII in many areas such as economy, politics, and so on. However, after so many years, Japan has been influencing United States in the context of popular culture. I would love to see for more Japanophilia occurring in the States as much as Japanese loves its culture of manga and animation.
The Simpsons is a beloved television show that first aired in 1989 and since has become completely ingrained with American culture. The show while known for being a comedy and making people laugh is much more than that. The Simpsons is a show that since it’s conception was created to comment on the American Society and the culture that has developed with in it. As the show has run for twenty seven years now it has offered many different views on the American Society.The program has displayed the good, bad, and the ugly perception of the American Culture. The show often use cultural and literary references to help convey it’s message on the American culture that developed within the American society. The Simpsons doesn’t always convey the happy
Scully, Mike. The Simpsons Archive. "Lisa's Rival." 6 Nov. 2000. Ed. James A. Cherry. 6 Sept. 2011.
Today, the American industry of showing Anime has developed to a five plus hour per day airing across multiple networks and cable channels. While the early exposures where largely unchanged, as other, more mature titles where purchased for the US market the editing process began. Due to the US stigma of animation as a strictly children’s medium, shows where edited for language, content, and story. While it is debatable as to whether these changes ruined or improved the anime, it is undeniable that it gave Anime the one thing it needed most to make it in the American market: exposure.
...e can be flamboyant and peppy. Stewie's genius is what makes people love him. His genius is what makes the show entertaining. The Griffins are one of the most difficult families on television, and without them Family Guy would not be what it is today.
The media often uses and misrepresents stereotypes; however, they are significantly accepted by people among society. TV shows such as the Simpsons are packed with stereotypes within its broadcast of half an hour. The Simpsons contains a large number of audience that watch the show daily as it is broadcasted during prime time. Characters such as Apu are highly discriminated and stereotyped. On this show Apu is characterized as an Indian immigrant, who prays to Ganesh, and holds a highly noticeable and dissimilar accent. This is a stereotype which is observed by young children and is perceived as humorous; they apply this knowledge towards those they meet in real-life. Viewers of this show believe this information to be completely accurate for they hold little or no knowledge about that particular group. Though the stereotypes shown on TV are usually misrepresented, they are quite well accepted by the audience as the truth.
After twenty five seasons, The Simpsons continues to be an influential show. With animation as a medium, the writers use satire to point out the stereotypes the media generates. In some instances, they take a stereotype and push it to the extreme, like Apu and his eight children, and other times they go against the social norms, like Lisa being a strong independent woman. Through this the viewers are reminded just how much say the media has in their perception of others and how they are constantly making judgments of any entire group of people based on the characteristics of some. I do not think that stereotypes will ever cease to exist, but I do believe that it is important we, at the very least, are aware of what they are.