My Topic for the research paper is The Simpsons television series and how it has impacted American culture. It impacts our culture firstly because it was the series that the Fox network started (a high risk show because it was a cartoon and controversial) and ended up being the show that brought them to be one of the leading networks on television. It competed with the ever-famous Cosby Show and when set up at the same time to compete with viewer audiences, the Simpsons won with higher amounts of viewers. Something I find interesting about this show is how it relays messages using satire throughout their characters. It incorporates current issues of religion and politics in to their show and efficiently finds a way to shed light on more serious issues at the time using comedy. The Simpsons have impacted our culture also because it is the first show that has depicted the truly "dysfunctional family". Dysfunctional meaning that they have problems, that Homer is somewhat of an oaf, that Bart is a reckless juvenile and that Lisa is unhappy with the stupidity in her family that surrounds her. This is the issue I will be addressing in my paper as well as its importance. The Simpsons lead us away from the image of the "Leave it to beaver" and "Cosby show" families complete with wealth, happiness, and a white picket fence. These families that only have minor tiffs between them and are all resolved (usually by the head father figure) at the end of the show. This is NOT what life is like in reality. With the introduction of the Simpsons, people are able to laugh at and relate to the extreme version of the nuclear family. Today, parents are becoming more and more equal in terms of the roles they play in the family. By Homer's character as a lazy, almost stupid man, he may be the one with the job, yet Marge is seen as the parent who is more capable and intelligent. This brings rise to issues women and men are feeling about equality between sexes and in the workforce. The show also brings us a family we can relate to, be humored by, and in the end, grateful for all the imperfections that make our family unique. After all, it's the imperfections in life that make it exciting!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
sorry guys i don't know why the lettering is so faint... let me know if you need me to fix it
ReplyDeleteNice topic! Sounds very similar...haha oh well. Even though they relate to the same thing, there are plenty of differences, and you have alot of really good ideas! I like the whole part of how it brought Fox to be a leading network because it shows the magnitude of the impact it has had. I also like your comparison to the Cosby Show, it's very creative. I do agree with a lot of your statements about family issues and how imperfections are what make life so great. It's not the end-all, be-all if we don't like fit the white picket fence stereotype. The point about equality and the shift in gender roles was another point that I hadn't thought of but is definitely very substantial. Once again it flips that image of the bread-winning, disciplined but loving, powerful father, and gives more of the decision making and raising the family to Marge.
ReplyDeleteBasically, I think the Simpsons does a good job at showing that life isn't perfect so either laugh at yourself and move on, or spend the rest of your life always thinking about how things can be better.
It seems like you are going to have a very strong paper; you have some great ideas and you are a very good writer, so I look forward to reading it! Good luck with the first draft!