The Society Represented In Matt Groening's The Simpsons
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The Society Represented in The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an animated TV show created by Matt Groening in 1987, but debuted on December 17, 1989 with a thirty minute show on Fox channel (McNamee, 2014). The Simpsons is based on an American working class “yellow” family with “real problems”. The show has become a worldwide hit since its beginnings and nowadays it is still a media sensation with twenty six seasons to present. It is the longest running cartoon in the history of television, and it has been criticized by parents, the church, and conservatives groups because their critiques goes from politics, to respectful organizations such as the Catholic Church. The Simpsons have become a big cultural phenomenon and they have made an important…show more content… Each member of the family have a unique personality. For instance, Homer is shown a lazy man, lacking common sense, glutton and irresponsible father. Marge is a dedicated housewife and caring mother, always trying to keep the family united. Bart is the problematic child of the family, he does not like to do homework and his behavior is product of the influence of the environment. Lisa is the second child, she is a smart girl who does not let anything influence her mind, sometimes corny, and is the moral side of society. Maggie, the baby, is a spoiled girl who does not talk and but is able to communicate with others and is always sucking on her pacifier (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia,…show more content… The universe of the Simpsons is broad and is formed by hundreds of characters, each one with a defined personality and profile. They also represent real stereotypes found not only in the American society but also in other cultures around the world. Their objective is to mock the society and there is a character that is used to represent each situation (Rahaman, 2006). The Simpsons have thrown hard and exaggerated comments to issues that seemed untouchable such as big companies, high rank politics, governments of other countries, social and historical events and even topics that are taboo in society such as racism, homosexuality, addiction, social class inequality,