Revealing the Ugly Cartoonish Truth: The Simpsons--Ch. 8

I enjoyed this essay because it not only described the Simpsons, but it described the show like The Simpsons. Benlow obviously has a sense of humor to connect a sitcom with the faults of society.

But it’s true that we laugh at television shows that poke fun at our quirks because it’s true, no matter how exaggerated. Even though it’s humorous and we laugh, The Simpsons really does reveal aspects of our world that should be different. In the single episode described in Benlow’s essay, about ten different rifts in our social plain are mocked. The druggie bus driver, the oblivious nuclear factory workers, the prisoners of the jail being let out, the lack of security in dangerous places, the addiction of TV, the faux propaganda, the tedious technical terms of jobs, hiring and firing for no good reasons, and the effects of nuclear waste are just a few.

Under the blanket of humor really lies the seriousness of our situation and how scary our world is. Cartoons make our situation plain without really scaring us. The Simpsons, for instance, makes us laugh with a crude joke before letting us take their points seriously. However, the truth is there.

I never actually watched The Simpsons except for some brief channel flippings. Benlow has me convinced to find the truth behind the yellow faces and purple hair. He has me convinced to look for the point not only in The Simpsons, but in other sitcoms, comic books, and chick flicks. Benlow has convinced me to look for myself and issues that can be changed in even the stupidest of television shows.

I think Benlow’s point isn’t that we should watch The Simpson’s as an educational experience, but to be careful what we laugh at. What makes us laugh may be exactly what is wrong with our society and what needs to be changed to prevent us from becoming the Springfield in The Simpson’s.

Writing Strategies
1. What purpose or goal of The Simpsons does Benlow focus on?

Benlow describes The Simpsons as a caricature of life. He refers to its satirical humor as a way of pointing out the flaws in our society--including ones we barely realize are there. He doesn't think this cartoon is just a means of entertainment, but a playful way of opening our eyes to the issues we have.

Exploring Ideas
3. Explain what Benlow means when he says:
In fact, if we take the show as seriously as it deserves, we might even see the broad strokes of its irony: that we are the cartoons, drawn and colored by the ridiculous institutions that constitute our society.

If we take this statement in pieces, Benlow actually says quite a bit. He is saying in the first sentence that The Simpsons is supposed to be taken seriously, but has a deceiving faquade. The "broad strokes of its irony" is saying that the irony of the show that is often counterproductive and pointless is common in every day life. And by stating "we are the cartoons," he is saying that none of us can escape the problems in the cartoons, and that what happens in Springfield actually happens in everyday life. "Drawn and colored by the ridiculous institutions" says that whether we realize it or not, what we do, how we act, is largely influenced by pop culture, government, and businesses that are the definition of our materialistic life. And because of this, our culture is simply ridiculous.