The Simpsons: The Family, Its Humor And The Cultural Impact

The Simpsons: The family, its Humor and the Cultural Impact

The Simpsons has been a cultural phenomenon since its appearance as animated sketches on the Tracy Ullman show in 1987.According to Jason Mittell Simpsons is an alleged embodiment of postmodernism and representative of the post-Fordist area.(Mittell,2001).The series itself revolves around a family of average Americans, each character representing an exaggerated version of his own family members. In three articles three authors have managed to look at the show in three different ways which are the concept of family, The genre and the sense of humor and the correlation between the simpsons and popular culture
According to Korte in his paper “The Simpsons as quality Television”
(Korte,1997), The Simpsons embody a certain amount of realism even as as an animated series. Its basis of characters to the episode by episode storyline all revolve around a colorful view of certain major issues that are in discussion on a global scale.He also goes on to say that the series indulges in the sacred myth of family then deconstructs and rearranges it yet, leaves the viewer at the end of the episode with the myth or the values of family unscathed.
“Centering on a nuclear family and the people of an "Anytown, USA" (Springfield), The Simpsons rarely fails to surprise as it satirizes the diverse social, political, sexual, and aesthetic norms defining American culture”(Korte ,1997)
In the beginning due to The Simpsons were familiar with other tv families such as Bunker’s, Huxtables but the characters are more exaggerated in term of personality.
As close as the animated family seems to its real counterparts its unconventional way of driving and exploiting the characters is unique only to “The Simpsons”. (Korte,
1997)
The Simpsons series have been amidst awards, controversy and cultural impacts as well as a humoress look at modern day issues. Matt Gronings view of various issues are showcased in each episode cleverly hidden behind a comical “cross fertilization of genre”,(Mittell,2001).
When watching The Simpsons as a simple television viewer he or she will come across various references to pop culture to unconventional characters that draw its roots from the conventional American stereotype. Yet the exaggerated ideology that is portrayed in The Simpsons makes the viewer laugh at the traditions, lifestyles and conventions that they themselves follow. The Simpsons also adhere to the modern concept of cross genre where a certain production takes on different genres as well as the lack of constancy in terms of genre. In a wider term it stands in the genre of comedy but it ranges from slapstick to parody. According to Geoff, “Kristin Thompson argues that The Simpsons uses a "...flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the programme as a television show”.
(Geoff, 2002)
The Simpsons is a show that embraces popular culture. Throughout the show various figures in the spotlight of modern and popular have been introduced as characters some more recurring in episodes than other but the show itself does not fail to present a comical but critical representation of many modern social paradigms. According to Moyer "The Simpsons" has been a show with a constant timeline of educating and illustrating on any field of comprehension. (Moyer,2001) “It 's witty remarks and subtle humor, the show continues to entertain us with pop culture parody 's and wise-ass comments. Social psychology is found around us all. The only thing we as observers, customers, and students must do is recognize it; sometimes, even try to comprehend and understand it. Who knows, maybe one of us will "pull a Homer" and not even realize
it.”(Moyer,2001)
The three articles therefore speak of 3 important concepts of everyday sitcom. The concept of family,comedy and cultural influence is present in other sitcoms such as the“70’s show” or “The Brady Bunch” yet the aspect of animation have allowed its creators to embody humor and creativity that is unique to “The Simpson”.

Bibliography King, Geoff (2002-03-29). New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction. I B Tauris & Co.
Korte,Dan. 1997,The Simpsons Archive: "The Simpsons as Quality Television". 2012. The Simpsons Archive: "The Simpsons as Quality Television". [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/dk.paper.html. [Accessed 21 August 2012].

Mittell,Jason “Cartoon Realities:Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The Simpsons”. The Velvet light trap 47 (2001).
Moyer,Chris (2001). The Social "Simpson": Psychology Found Within. 2001. The Simpsons Archive [online]. [Accessed 20/8/2012]. Available from :.
The Simpsons: America 's First Family (2000,) (television documentary). BBC.