Essay on "Animated Sitcoms"

Essay 4 pages (1232 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Animated Sitcoms

The Simpsons throughout twenty years of airing

The Simpsons is definitely one of the best known animated shows in the history of the U.S., given that this show inspired and amused a great deal of people in the two-decade period that it was aired. Society initially expressed hesitation about appreciating "Simpsonian" customs because of how they portrayed American life and as a consequence of the fact that people apparently tended to reproduce behavior they saw on the sitcom. However, as concepts advanced and even though the show started to put across more and more satire in regard to the American community, people realized that it was actually focused on criticizing American negative behavior instead of being intended to encourage such conduct. "The Simpsons" has matured into a satirical sitcom that is obviously meant to go against many contemporary American cultural values. The show has gone from being a subculture to being a mainstream culture in the recent twenty years and it became representative for the U.S. In the early twenty-first century.

Matt Groening, the person responsible for creating "The Simpsons" in the late 1980s did not originally consider the impact that his show will have on the American public and on society in general. Audiences in the early 1990s were more conservative when it came to pop icons that put across immoral behavior and were reluctant to accept the fact that children looked up to characters like Bart Simpson. People felt that it was wrong for society to promote decadent values, especially considering that practically all characters in "The Simpsons" revolved around social stereotypes characteristic to a corrupt American community. People in the U.S. initially had trouble admitting that the show reflected conditions in the U.S. And felt outraged at the thought that the whole world could get the impression that every individual in the country behaved similar to characters in the sitcom. However, as matters gradually progressed, individuals started to understand that "The Simpsons" was really meant to satirize certain aspects of the American society. Also, it became obvious that the show also focused on promoting positive values about American culture as characters often put across moral attitudes and demonstrated that they were not all about slapstick comedy. All things considered, the Simpson family expresses unity and care, even with the fact that its members are normally accustomed to putting across the belief that they are independent and indifferent in regard to their kin.

To a certain degree, one can consider that "The Simpsons" are meant to play a prank on society through exaggerating behaviors seen in its members and by presenting it in a relatively unfavorable manner. However, when taking into account the more complex topics addressed by the sitcom, it becomes obvious that its satirical attitude successfully completes its mission and makes it possible for people to look in amusement as characters express both appreciation and disrespect in regard to core American values (Gray).

The Simpsons presented people with the concept that it was perfectly normal for a show to make fun of the contemporary society and that this did not mean that it implied that people were stupid. During the first years "The Simpsons" was a particularly controversial show, especially considering that people viewed it as being something appealing and amusing, but as something that was too critical in regard to society at the same time.

The show's has had great influence on society in general, considering that it introduced a new lexicon into mainstream culture. People today find themselves using many phrases that have initially been shown in "The Simpsons" without actually knowing where these respective expressions originate from. This demonstrates the level of popularity that the show came… READ MORE

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