The Simpsons and Politics E Pluribus Springfield. Dr. Markus Hünemörder LMU München

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1 E Pluribus Springfield Dr. Markus Hünemörder LMU München

2 The Simpsons as Political Satire 2

3 The Simpsons as a Political Satire The Simpsons looks like an animated sitcom, but is really a social, cultural and esp. political satire the show satirizes many aspects of American society and politics political satire on The Simpsons most often contains a kernel of truth, then exaggerates it to the point of craziness in this manner, The Simpsons question and subverts political authority by displaying the crazy side of political issues and institutions Mayor Quimby, a corrupt, drug-using, womanizing, incompetent (but no longer illiterate!) Democrat has been Springfield s mayor for 25 years. 3

4 The Simpsons: a Leftwing, Liberal Show? The Simpsons is obviously not conservative, but is it liberal? during the early years, conservatives criticized The Simpsons as a bad influence on children liberals sometimes criticize the show for not attacking social wrongs more directly the show does not pursue a political agenda directly; instead, it typically satirizes all sides of an issue, exposing both conservative and liberal stupidity Groundskeeper Willie coined the phrase cheese-eating surrender monkeys, which became a conservative insult to the French at the beginning of the Iraq War. 4

5 Making Fun of Politicians 5

Politicians on The Simpsons making fun of politicians is one of the most obvious methods of political satire as a rule, real life politicians do not do their own voice acting on The Simpsons when

6 Politicians on The Simpsons making fun of politicians is one of the most obvious methods of political satire as a rule, real life politicians do not do their own voice acting on The Simpsons when they are satirized started when George H.W. Bush attacked The Simpsons in 1992 Bill Clinton also appeared frequently on the show George W. Bush and Barack Obama have not appeared, but often mentioned In Bart to the Future (2000), Bart has a vision of Lisa as president in the future. 6

7 Bush v. Simpsons The Simpsons, 1992, 4th season (DVD bonus feature) This was a special re-run of 3rd season episode Stark Raving Dad, aired shortly after president Bush said he wanted American families to be a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons. 7

8 Two Bad Neighbors The Simpsons, 1996, 7th season George H.W. Bush moves in across the street from the Simpsons. They do not get along at all and start an epic neighborhood feud. In this clip, Homer and Bart play a prank on Bush. 8

Saddlesore Galactica The Simpsons, 2000 11th season Lisa feels that her band lost unfairly at a

9 Saddlesore Galactica The Simpsons, th season Lisa feels that her band lost unfairly at a contest. She keeps complaining, even to the president. Eventually, Clinton shows up and gives her the award. 9

10 The Simpsons, Political Parties, and Elections 10

Political Parties in Springfield the Springfield Republicans: rich white men meeting at a vampire s castle and behaving like a secret society the Springfield Democrats: women, gays and minorities

11 Political Parties in Springfield the Springfield Republicans: rich white men meeting at a vampire s castle and behaving like a secret society the Springfield Democrats: women, gays and minorities meeting at a salad bar both are common clichés about the parties neither cliché is true, but there is enough (exaggerated) truth to them to be satirically funny Montgomery Burns is the richest man in town and leader of the Springfield Republicans 11

E Pluribus Wiggum The Simpsons, 2008 19th season Springfield holds the first presidential primary in the nation.

12 E Pluribus Wiggum The Simpsons, th season Springfield holds the first presidential primary in the nation. Because so many Springfieldians are fed up with established politicians, they support Ralph Wiggum, the mentally challenged son of the chief of police. Consequently, both the Republican and Democratic parties want Ralph as their candidate. 12

13 E Pluribus Wiggum The Simpsons, th season Springfield holds the first presidential primary in the nation. Because so many Springfieldians are fed up with established politicians, they support Ralph Wiggum, the mentally challenged son of the chief of police. Consequently, both the Republican and Democratic parties want Ralph as their candidate. 13

14 Elections in Springfield elections play a frequent role on The Simpsons many Springfieldians run for office, including Mayor Quimby, Mr. Burns, Krusty the Clown and even Homer elections from real life also come to Springfield, esp. presidential elections and the presidential primaries The Simpsons often make jokes about strange candidates and issues and allegations of election fraud (e.g in Ohio) Mayor Quimby has been mayor of Springfield for over 20 years. His election slogans are often bizarre. 14

15 E Pluribus Wiggum The Simpsons, th season Springfield holds the first presidential primary in the nation. Because so many Springfieldians are fed up with established politicians, they support Ralph Wiggum, the mentally challenged son of the chief of police. In the end, Ralph is nominated by both parties. 15

16 Treehouse of Horror XIX The Simpsons, 2008 This is the opening of the 2008 Halloween episode, aired shortly before the presidential election. 16

17 Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington The Simpsons, th season Fox News the Simpsons own TV network is another important supporter of the Republican Party. Here, the Simpsons satirize the Fox News slogan Fair & Balanced when Krusty the Clown runs for Congress as a Republican. 17

Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington The Simpsons, 2003 14th season Fox News the Simpsons own TV network is another important supporter of the

18 Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington The Simpsons, th season Fox News the Simpsons own TV network is another important supporter of the Republican Party. Here, the Simpsons satirize the Fox News slogan Fair & Balanced when Krusty the Clown runs for Congress as a Republican. 18

19 Political Issues on The Simpsons 19

Political Issues on The Simpsons over the years, The Simpsons have satirized many of the most controversial political issues in the US gun control illegal immigration war and patriotism same-sex

20 Political Issues on The Simpsons over the years, The Simpsons have satirized many of the most controversial political issues in the US gun control illegal immigration war and patriotism same-sex marriage environmental issues women s rights political corruption many others in many cases, there are one or more entire episodes focusing on these issues Lisa is the most political member of the Springfield family, and often the first to be outraged by injustice and corruption. 20

Patriotism after 9/11 and the Iraq War after 9/11 and even more so after the start of the Iraq War, conservatives and the Bush administration equated criticism with unpatriotic behavior the politics

21 Patriotism after 9/11 and the Iraq War after 9/11 and even more so after the start of the Iraq War, conservatives and the Bush administration equated criticism with unpatriotic behavior the politics of fear USA PATRIOT Act, Guantanamo, etc. undermined some civil liberties, leading to liberal protests the Simpsons satirized this false equation between criticizing the government and not loving the United States 21

Bart-Mangled Banner The Simpsons, 2004 15th season When Bart accidentally insults the American flag, Springfield becomes the most hated town in America.

22 Bart-Mangled Banner The Simpsons, th season When Bart accidentally insults the American flag, Springfield becomes the most hated town in America. To change that, the citizens rename it to Libertyville and adopt a culture of hyper-patriotism. This is a parody of the hyperpatriotism fostered by the Bush administration after 9/11 and the Iraq War. 22

Bart-Mangled Banner The Simpsons, 2004 15th season When Lisa speaks out against the oppressive hyper-patriotism of Libertyville, the Simpsons are arrested.

23 Bart-Mangled Banner The Simpsons, th season When Lisa speaks out against the oppressive hyper-patriotism of Libertyville, the Simpsons are arrested. While they are incarcerated at a parody of Guantanamo, they notice they are not alone, and how easy it has become to end up on the wrong side of the debate about freedom and security. 23

Real Political Issue: Same-Sex Marriage from the late 1960s until today, homosexual / LGBT Americans have achieved equal rights in nearly all aspects of society the last big barrier was marriage

24 Real Political Issue: Same-Sex Marriage from the late 1960s until today, homosexual / LGBT Americans have achieved equal rights in nearly all aspects of society the last big barrier was marriage conservative churches and most of the Republican party oppose same-sex marriage for many years, one of the sharpest social conflicts in America in 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all of the US, 10 years after it was legal in Springfield! The Obama administration supported the legalization of same-sex marriage and lit the White House in rainbow colors in celebration. 24

There's Something About Marrying The Simpsons, 2005 16th season When tourists stop coming to Springfield, the town meeting

25 There's Something About Marrying The Simpsons, th season When tourists stop coming to Springfield, the town meeting legalizes same-sex marriage to attract gay couples business. The town even runs a TV commercial to promote its new policy. 25

There's Something About Marrying The Simpsons, 2005 16th season When Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage,

26 There's Something About Marrying The Simpsons, th season When Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage, Reverend Lovejoy opposes the new law. Liberal Marge tries to engage him in theological discussion, to no avail. 26

27 There's Something About Marrying The Simpsons, th season Homer comes to the rescue. 27

28 Special Feature: The Simpsons vs. Donald Trump 28

Making Fun of Donald Trump for many years, the idea of a Trump presidency was a joke the Simpsons predicted it in 2000 when Trump actually ran for president and won, the

29 Making Fun of Donald Trump for many years, the idea of a Trump presidency was a joke the Simpsons predicted it in 2000 when Trump actually ran for president and won, the Simpsons produced several jokes about him The Simpsons predicted a Trump presidency in In 2016, they were not happy about being right. 29 The Simpsons and American Society

30 Bart to the Future The Simpsons, 2000 While visiting an Indian casino, Bart sees a vision of the future in 2030, when Lisa is president of the United States. 30 The Simpsons and American Society

31 Trumptastic Voyage The Simpsons, 2015 Homer is hired to cheer at a Donald Trump campaign rally. When he comes close to Trump s infamous hairdo, Homer is pulled into a strange wonderland. 31 The Simpsons and American Society

32 3 a.m. Hillary Clinton, 2008 In2008, Hillary Clinton was competing against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. In this video, she implies that the world is chaotic and dangerous, and that only she can be trusted with protecting the US. Clinton lost the nomination to Obama. 32

33 3 a.m. The Simpsons, 2016 Marge and Homer Simpsons turn on the TV to decide whether to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. 33 The Simpsons and American Society

34 Homer Votes 2016 The Simpsons, 2016 Homer plans to vote for Clinton like he promised Marge. Then he meets a strange man at the polling station 34 The Simpsons and American Society

35 Conclusion 35

36 What Can Cartoon Satire Achieve? satire can rarely bring about political change that is the job of politicians, activists, and voters satire can make people think about and question political authority when learning about / researching a political issue, it is often worthwhile to look for a related Simpsons episode most political Simpsons episodes are remarkably subtle; research these nuances and you will learn much about the issue at hand Homer for president? Probably not. 36

37 you can download this presentation (no videos, sorry) at 37

The Simpsons and Politics: E Pluribus Springfield. Dr. Markus Hünemörder LMU München

The Simpsons and Politics: E Pluribus Springfield. Dr. Markus Hünemörder LMU München : E Pluribus Springfield Dr. Markus Hünemörder LMU München The Simpsons as Political Satire 2 The Simpsons as a Political Satire The Simpsons looks like an animated sitcom, but is really a social, cultural