Simpson Edumacation

In the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington," when Marge gets incensed about a sexist comic in Homer's copy of "Reading Digest," he seeks to defuse the situation by saying: "Oh Marge, cartoons don't have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh." Then he stands up, revealing a glorious view of his plumber's crack.\nBut despite the admonishment of the genius mind behind Flaming Moes, moon waffles and Skittlebrau, academics have sought to probe into what lies behind "The Simpsons" -- the show's significance, that is, not Homer's crack. The show is history's longest-running sitcom, the winner of 21 Emmys and a Peabody, a regular nominee on lists for greatest TV series of all time and a show that, in 2001, was estimated to reach 60 million people a week in 70 countries. In other words, "The Simpsons" has gone far beyond a mere half-hour of animated antics. So what does its success say about us, its audience? What does it say about American culture and society? And what influence has "The Simpsons" had in the 18 years since its debut?\nForemost among the research into "The Simpsons" is the show's social criticism.\nIn his 2005 book "Planet Simpson," journalist Chris Turner declared the show unmatched in the field of satire, "(expressing) a deeper contempt for authority than anything else on prime time and as sustained a critique of mainstream society as anything else in the pop culture of the day." Undoubtedly Bill "Well, I'm a pretty lousy president" Clinton and George W. "general cuckoo bananas in charge" Bush would concur.\nAmerican studies graduate student Benjamin Aldred, who has taught on Bugs Bunny's role as a folk icon, claimed that as a cartoon, "The Simpsons" was able to push the boundaries of what could be said on network television.\n"Animation and narrative art have always enjoyed an innocent reputation that allow those who know the medium to get away with things that wouldn't be tolerated elsewhere," he said. \nAnd yet, the role "The Simpsons" plays as social commentary has been questioned. For all its stinging jabs, the program is solidly part of the mainstream media -- owned by a mass-media conglomerate (Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation) and party to a wide range of advertising and branded merchandise. Communications and culture professor Jon Simons pointed to the fact that the program could be seen as both a sharp source of social criticism and a cynical corporate shill. For all the skewering of Krusty Burger, Krusty-O's and the notorious Canyonero, fans have also been encouraged to eat Butterfingers and "Do The Bartman."\nPolitical science graduate student Scott Nissen, who has used "The Simpsons" to teach three different courses on satire and political issues, noted that the show evolved from a countercultural icon to a mainstream institution not only thanks to its wit but also because of its embrace of traditional American values.\n"As time went on and more people started to watch it, they acknowledged the fact that it's not necessarily a parody of American culture anymore," Nissen said. "(Instead) it's a very true reflection of American culture. There's a lot that's good about the Simpsons (family) that doesn't get a lot of airplay." \nHighlighting the fact that, despite their shortcomings, the Simpsons consistently demonstrate altruism, religious observance and community involvement, Nissen said, "It has become a pretty true reflection of what we'd like American life to be."\nFor instance, barring the occasional throttling, Homer and Marge show themselves to be loving parents. \n"We may have forgotten how to pass on hope to our kids," therapist Karin Bruckner said in 2005's "The Psychology of The Simpsons," "but the Simpsons have not. ... Their love for each other and their children, while flawed and at times alarmingly misguided, is intact and unfailing. They teach us how, when our dreams are crushed either through our own folly or the cruel ways of the world around us, it is the power of love that makes it all right again. ... "\nLikewise, in his 2001 book "The Gospel According to The Simpsons," journalist Mark Pinsky argued that, for all the series' criticism of organized religion, it ultimately expresses a spiritual optimism: the Simpsons eventually do the right thing (by the episode's end); villains get their come-uppance, Heaven and Hell exist, their strangely five-fingered God answers people's prayers and Ned Flanders, annoying as he might be, is also a very de-diddily-e-cent neighbor.\nIn examining "The Simpsons" family dynamics, gender studies professor Brenda Weber provided an example of the show's tricky balance between challenging social values and reinforcing them. \n"Though it doesn't do a whole lot to complicate pretty conventional norms of how families are constituted (mother, father, kids, etc.)," she said, "it does critique the 'naturalness' of those arrangements through the combined function and dysfunction of Marge and Homer, particularly as put in contrast with their sanctimonious neighbors, the Flanders."\nBut for all this, we're still missing the sixth major member of the Simpsons family. No, I don't mean Grandpa. Something more like a teacher, mother, secret lover ... "While 'The Simpsons' is a show about a family, it is also a show about television ... ," Fordham University communications and media professor Jonathan Gray said in his 2006 book, "Watching With The Simpsons." Through parody, Gray argues, "The Simpsons" reinterprets all of TV's cultural texts (e.g., sitcoms, films and news stories), mixing them together and giving them new meanings. \nThus, Homer's barbershop quartet sings "Baby On Board" on the roof of Moe's bar (in front of an indifferent George Harrison), sadistic cartoon mouse Itchy beheads Quentin Tarantino and painter Jasper Johns steals random items with the soon-ubiquitous word "yoink!"\n"'The Simpsons' links itself to high culture and popular culture alike," William Irwin and J.R. Lombardo said in the 2001 book "The Simpsons and Philosophy," "weaving an intricate design, making the show fit for repeat viewing and worthy of close attention."\nWell, all that combined with the fact that 18 years into the show, it's still quite funny. And, after all, "laughter is the language of the soul."\nI assume you're familiar with the works of Pablo Neruda.