Research paper_3

Revision: Draft3
Pratt Institute
CEP/Sang, Kim


Re-illuminating America Society through the Simpsons


Kerin Lee


If you reside in America, you might have heard about an animation called Simpsons (See Figure 1.) or the comics at least once. Through Simpsons, we can get a glimpse of activities that are related to American society. Each of The Simpsons unique characters represents their country of origin very well. This animation does not exaggerate how beautiful or pretty their society is but it shows their country as it stands. I will re-illuminate the modern America society through The Simpson family and will make a two point views that have a positive and negative aspects of the America society.

Fig 1. The Simpsons

First, I found some different point as a foreigner’s view that is affirmatively representative to America society. In this animation American families have an equal stand point to what they can choose from; great to simple things. They express to situate at the same level from a right of determination. In the real world American families have similar family situation as The Simpson. It is not relevant to override the power of paterfamilias and the position of man or women. The equality of family could bring widely the sociological equality. In the episode of ‘Please Homer don’t hammer’em,’ the hero and a part of father is Homer Simpson. In this episode Homer does not want to tell the truth. Due to his previous decision where by telling the truth it dishonored his wife. However the episode ended where his daughter, Lisa Simpson, yells at Homer to explain the truth in front of a crowd of people. This gives a clear example how American families treat each family member as an equal and do not have an existing hierarchy to who is head of the family.

The Simpson animation has many stories that could be happening in the modern America society. In the contrast of positive aspects, the author was handling with sensitive social problems through many episodes. Mostly being social problems such as discrimination especially sexual discrimination and racism. For example in an episode of “The city of New York vs. Homer Simpsons,” it expressed how legal immigrants who came from other country were incompetent people, trouble makers, very rude and impolite people. Of course the character might have a different outtake on their appearance or personality but nobody is in a dominated position to state that a single culture is good or bad as a stereotype. From the animation, I can still find people who have trouble towards racism. Not only racism but as well of sexual discrimination being the biggest problems. In the episode of “Please Homer don’t hammer’em,” Marge has a great ability to fix wood works, she can not get a work as a carpenter. The reason being, that Marge is a woman. Sexual discrimination in this case was a form of feminism, the discrimination that was against logic was the problem that has to be disappeared and still lived in modern America society.


Through Simpsons, I can see the modern America society as two different aspects and that can be easily compare with the real world that I was living in. American families have an equal right of freedom to speak their mind where they are all in the same position. The right of equality in a family can bring a wide sociological equality. I think this was a motive to lead developed modern America society. On the other hand discrimination particularly sexual discrimination and racism is the biggest problems impeding on the development of America. The Simpsons was made for entertaining however this animation represents the modern America society for foreigners to easily learn easily about the country.