Pictures of unintended children above the marital bed. D’oh.
The SIMPSONS (1989- ). after 23 seasons, they are *still* making new episodes of this show. it will not go away. so lets talk about it! this was the first primetime “cartoon for adults” that i am aware of, and its very tame compared to the other adult cartoons around today that i cant even watch. tame as in…subtle i guess? because it has the same features of PIV-propaganda that all these shows have. when analyzing misognyny, male entitlement and PIV-centrism in popular culture, even cartoons, clearly its just a matter of degree. i wont be analyzing childrens cartoons anytime soon though, because im actually scared of what i might find there.
anyway, the simpsons. we have our nuclear family (mom, dad, 2 daughters and 1 son). mom and dad (marge and homer) are high school sweethearts, they have the mandatory PIV, a few unwanted pregnancies, hilarity ensues, and everything works out in the end. 23-seasons worth. next! actually, i needed some help from wiki on this one: 23 seasons is way too much for me to remember on my own, and i mustve fallen asleep somewhere around s15 because i didnt even know (or remember?) that one of marge’s “spinster” sisters ends up coming out as a lesbian, who almost accidentally marries a man who was “pretending” to be a lesbian so HE could join the womens PGA golf tour. omg, srsly?
goal is to “land a man”. yes. marge “lands” homer in high school. apparently, she had no other plans. homer is completely inadequate as a partner, but he “gets the girl” anyway. marges spinster sisters are the butt of countless jokes for the first 15 seasons of the show; after that, one of her sisters comes out as a lesbian, and almost ends up marrying a man pretending to be a lesbian. like the dood-smell all over him wasnt a dead giveaway? are we really supposed to believe that? come on. lisa, homer and marges daughter, longs for a boyfriend repeatedly, but she mostly scares away kids her own age because shes “uptight” and smart.
normalizing reproductive stress and pain. yes. marge has at least one (if not three) unintended pregnancies, and doesnt tell homer about them until shes sure. wouldnt want to worry the poor dear afterall.
pathologizing menstruation. [none that i recall? although none of the characters age, so maggie and lisa never menstruate at all, in 23 years. does that count? probably.]
pathologizing older women and menopause/fetishizing female youth. yes. marge’s older sisters are reviled throughout the show and thought to be patently unreasonable in their disdain for homer. but they are actually right on the money arent they? homers mother is a terrorist and a fugitive from the law.
normalizing simulated/exaggerated female pleasure from PIV and PIV-centric sex. yes. homer is propositioned at least once; marges sisters are man-chasers for 15 years; acting.
rape and rape culture. yes. drugs and alcohol; prostitution; violence; kidnapping; mens PIV-entitlement; “teenage sexuality” and underage girls.
rating: 5/6
I’m not much of a tv watcher but this was one I did watch when I had a tv. I think it appealed to me because the men are such losers and the women are most often bright and resourceful. Of course, then why do they put up with the men at all? Even the grandmother was a terrorist, not just sittin in a rocking chair. I never thought about why I liked it before, though.
August 2, 2011 at 10:56 pm
haha yes i liked the “pathologized” older women in these shows…especially if part of their alleged-insanity was that they HATED the men. and it often was. like marge’s sisters, who hated homer. or like endora on bewitched who thought darrin was an insufferable bore and a dumbass. LOL thanks for reading!
August 2, 2011 at 11:01 pm
IMHO, you seem to have missed out on an important issue here. In this (and various derivatives), the main character is an appalling, irredeemable manchild, outdone in every way by his spouse.
This has prompted endless cries of sexism from various males, but it would appear to me that this is a blatantly building upon male fantasy. Specifically, that a man can be an utterly useless, irresponsible failure on every level imaginable, but still retain a devoted woman (resembling a mother of an infant more than a wife to an adult human being) to compensate for all his shortcomings.
August 24, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Hi isme
All of that is true! And would fall squarely into our first category: goal is to land a man, which includes men getting women who are way too good for them.
Thanks for reading.
August 24, 2011 at 1:02 pm