Homer Simpson and Contemporary American Values of Fatherhood Essay Example for Free

Homer Simpson and Contemporary American Values of Fatherhood Essay The Simpsons is one of the many television shows in the United States of America which features a full length cartoon narrating the everyday lives of a family. The show makes us confront the absurdities of how some Americans live through the jovial portrayals and behaviors of the characters in the animated show. While each of the members of the Simpson’s family represent a several prevalent attitudes of Americans—some bordering on the obscene and some bordering on the good—the viewer’s perceptions not only about the American society in which he or she lives in but also about his or her self is challenged. The show seems to attempt to push its viewers to reexamine their lives, reflecting on each character in the Simpson’s family and the rest of the characters in the show. In general, the Simpson household is a dysfunctional family, never aging through the course of the show in years and often ends the show portraying the family members still loving one another despite the odds. For the most part, the Simpson’s family both reinforce and subvert contemporary American values in a number of ways. Each episode highlights the struggles of the family members of the Simpson household and the neighborhood, sometimes reaffirming several social stereotypes and sometimes challenging our comfort zones and our accepted beliefs. In any case, it is important to note that even the seemingly absurd gestures and encounters of every character in the animated show point to contemporary American values that may be either subverted or reinforced, depending on the interpretation of the viewer in most cases. Homer Simpson, the father of the household, embodies the typical American dad. He is a father who enjoys drinking his beer—specifically called â€Å"Duff†Ã¢â‚¬â€who is physically overweight and who is protective of his family. He works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant despite his careless characteristic, thereby suggesting that he has this potential to bring chaos to the rest of the community with his slightest mistakes while at work. Apparently, Homer’s characteristics reflect the typical American father who has the responsibility to raise his kids and secure the welfare of his family. His character subverts the contemporary American perception that divorce oftentimes results from a family that is dysfunctional. Despite his failures to provide for several needs of the Simpson household, he has never resorted to divorcing his wife, Marge. At the end of the day, Homer finds himself at home together with his wife in bed looking forward to the coming day ahead. Moreover, Homer has been shown to have a strong regard for the welfare of his family in difficult times, such as in â€Å"Lisa the Beauty Queen† (1992) where he sold his prized car in order to enter her daughter, Lisa, into a beauty pageant to make her feel better and in â€Å"A Millhouse Divided† (1996) where he arranged for a second wedding for his wife, Marge, to compensate for their unsatisfactory first wedding ceremony. On the other hand, some of Homer’s characteristics also reinforce some contemporary American values. One of these values is the thinking that typical American fathers spend their time drinking beer and submitting themselves to their weaknesses quite easily. Some of Homer’s weaknesses are his strong craving for doughnuts, his aggressive behavior in difficult times or in times when he is not able to complete his tasks and his low intelligence. In general, these things reinforce the stereotype of the American dad, reflecting the cultural struggle of the American father in the American landscape, losing his intellectual edge along the way. Looking at the ways in which Homer Simpson handles himself before his family, it can be said that his character implies the binary opposition between depth and superficial, centering and dispersal, and distance and participation. For one, the character portrayal of Homer suggests the depth of his personality, one that can be easily interpreted as the typical American father at first glance but one that can also be interpreted as an unusual American dad on closer inspection. Despite raising a dysfunctional family on a daily basis, Homer has not given up on his task as a father although there are times when he seems to be on the verge on giving up on things. While he is considered to be a borderline alcoholic, he does not end up entirely succumbing to his habit. On the contrary, he is able to maintain his fatherly figure and image and goes on to raise his family even when it meant attending to several jobs on many occasions. There is both the depth and the superficial qualities in Homer Simpson that represent American fathers in contemporary society. While at that, Homer’s character is also able to create distance and participation among the viewers. It is not surprising at all if the viewers of the show are able to relate to the experiences of the Simpson household because the experiences of Homer’s family might just as well be the same daily experiences that other households experience. By focusing on the typical experiences of American families, the animated show is able to draw the attention of the viewing public and, in a way, to allow them to â€Å"participate† in the show at least in terms of being able to relate to and find a part of themselves in the show. However, the animated show is also able to distance the viewer from the characters. In the sense that the nature of the show—meaning, its â€Å"animated† structure—makes the characters open to seemingly absurd situations, it is not always the case that the viewers are able to expect an exact representation of their daily experiences. That is, the cartoon characters can perform unrealistic behaviors that the real-life viewers can hardly imitate. The binary opposition between distance and participation in the show is also reflected in terms of how the show portrays the stereotypes prevalent in American society and, in the process, causes its viewers to identify themselves first with the show’s characters and eventually causing them to redefine themselves. The fact that The Simpsons explores the negative stereotypes in contemporary American society suggests that its viewers may or may not be able to fully relate to these stereotypes. Those who are able to relate to these stereotypes are more or less likely expected to distance themselves from these stereotypes or, more specifically, from Elizabeth Traube calls as â€Å"the fictional self that it (stereotype) constructs† (Traube, p. 129). Chandra Mukerji and Michael Schudson further suggest that popular culture has not only been the offspring of society’s â€Å"beliefs, practices and objects generated from political and commercial centers† but has also become â€Å"an entity on its own† (Mukerji and Schudson, p. 53). Thus, it is not surprising to say that there will be so-called â€Å"popular culture† so long as there are conduits for expressing the generally observed patterns of behavior among people. The Simpsons is just one of the many social elements that showcase such patterns. The assumption here is that some television shows such The Simpsons do not only serve the purpose of highlighting parts of the generally observed behaviors of people—behaviors that are parts of stereotypes—but also reinforce and subvert such observations at the same time. The very presence of these kinds of television shows help people realize what they have become. They aid the human civilization to notice the things that have become so familiar they no longer strike the vein of our senses and sensibilities. In â€Å"The Visible Evidence of Cultural Producers†, Maureen Mahon suggests that forms of popular culture serve as â€Å"arenas in which social actors struggle over social meanings and as visible evidence of social processes and social relations† (Mahon, p. 467). Apparently, Homer Simpson’s character in the animated series struggles over social meanings within the context of the show. The context of the show, however, is anchored on the realities happening in the society. That, in turn, suggests that, indeed, the character of Homer is a visible evidence of several social processes and social relations in real life, from his struggles to raise his family and his role as a father. Jerry Herron also suggests that Homer Simpson is not only a â€Å"reminder† of how much of contemporary America has declined but is also a symbol for challenging our attitude towards the social stereotypes. In particular, Homer Simpson is â€Å"an appeal to the sensibility of the public towards popular culture to redefine themselves from the negative to the positive† (Herron, p. 12). But what exactly are these positive and negative aspects and how are we able to identify them without confusing one over the other? The answers do not seem to be as clear and as simple as they seem. Based on Jerry Herron’s article â€Å"Homer Simpson’s Eyes and the Culture of Late Nostalgia†, it appears that Homer Simpson is both a criticism to society’s stereotypes and, at the same time, as an embodiment of those stereotypes. Homer plays the role of an intellectually challenged but loving father. He takes the role of the typical American dad who loves to drink his favorite beer and yet his is a character that challenges the contemporary attitude towards dysfunctional marriages and families. He directs the viewer’s attention to his character while making them reflect on their own lives and society at the same time. He shows some of life’s worse obscenities and yet allows the viewers to realize the stark contrasts between a life worth living and a life that is worthless. In essence, Homer Simpson subverts and reinforces contemporary American values. In â€Å"Stereotypes and Registers of Honorific Language†, Asif Agha argues that stereotypes â€Å"are consciously grasped† and are, hence, â€Å"reportable, discussable, open to dispute† and that â€Å"they serve as models for some individuals and counter-models for others† (Agha, p. 152). Following Agha’s interpretation of stereotypes, the social perception towards the stereotype American father is still open to dispute and can in turn serve as the â€Å"counter-model† for what the American should be. Using Homer Simpson as an example, our notion of the â€Å"right† American dad can be derived from some of the qualities of Homer Simpson. The conscious exposure of the viewing public towards The Simpsons can be an eye-opener for reassessing our standing perception of the stereotype American father. While the image portrayed by Homer is â€Å"an entity on its own†, it is nevertheless still created from the social realities that persist in contemporary America. It is only through a radical change in the contemporary American value system can the American society be lifted from its status quo. But that is not to say that the task of removing the binary opposition between depth and superficial, centering and dispersal and distance and participation begins at the stage where the American public is able to realize the stereotypes and recognize the â€Å"counter-models†. Rather, it begins right at the criticism of such stereotypes prevalent in popular culture. The creation of the character of Homer Simpson is perhaps the first stage in bringing the things that â€Å"dumb down† America into the public awareness. Of course, it is not enough to have shows such as The Simpsons, among others, to emphasize the cultural problems of America and to compel people to address these problems. However, it is only necessary to first bring elements of popular culture into the surface, elements that both reinforce and subvert contemporary American values in order to proceed with the tasks of criticizing what has become of this nation and its people and of resolving what needs to be resolved.

Interview Essays - A Local Rock Star -- Interview Essays - A Local Roc

Local Rock Star Sitting at the table with long, thick, blonde hair and a hint of Brad Pitt’s facial features sits Brian. He is a 17 year old high school junior, a guitarist in a local band, and he is my interview. He will begin nearly all his sentences with â€Å"uhh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but then proceeds to long, interesting answers. I started by asking him about when he became interested in music, and who his influences were. â€Å"I’ve always listened to music,† he said, â€Å"my first album ever was Nirvana’s Nevermind; it was a cassette tape. I also listened to a lot of Michael Jackson—don’t laugh, I mean like Thriller and stuff.† What inspired you to play an instrument? â€Å"The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ CD Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic was the first time I realized I wanted to play an instrument.† What instruments do you play? â€Å"I’ve played guitar for the last four years, saxophone for the last two—though only in the school band,† he said. â€Å"The keyboard, bass and drums I can ‘musically understand,’ though I don’t usually play them.† So tell me about the band. What’s the significance of the band’s name, No Name Charlies? â€Å"Uhh†¦ well we had, like, 100 names that we had gone through and we didn’t really like. Then Greg, our former trombone player, said that whenever his teacher in elementary school would get an essay without a name on it, she’d call it a ‘no name Charlie.’ We all kind of liked it; it’s definitely grown on us since then.† He told me the band came together in November 2001, and their first show was in spring 2002. There has been a lot of movement in terms of the band members: some have come and gone, some have come, gone and come back again, some switch instruments, and others have stepped in. The configuration, as i... ...ur first one,† he says, referring to their 2003 demo Shut Up and Listen! They met Pat Kays, bassist for the band Catch 22, when they opened for his band last year. Kays told the boys he liked their sound, and was interested in engineering and, to an extent, producing. â€Å"It was mutual,† Brian said, â€Å"because we had been wanting to record, and he had wanted to engineer. It all kind of fell into place.† Youthful endurance, continuing optimism and a small—but steadily growing—fan base have all contributed to the No Name Charlies’ local success. When asked whether the band would take the chance to become famous—if the chance was given—Brian said they would take it without question. However, he thinks balance is important, and would not sacrifice a college education for it. When asked if he thinks the band will make it big, Brian replied, â€Å"I’d like to think so.†

Competitors Essay

Introduction Section 1: Tesco core competencies come from its strong customer focused strategy which is made very clear on their website home page were it states, â€Å"We are a team of over 530,000 people in 12 markets dedicated to bringing the best value, choice and service to our millions of customers each week†.Hamel and Prahalad (1990) suggested that a core competency must meet the following criteria: †¢Customers should benefit †¢Competitors should find it difficult to imitate †¢Core competence can be transferred to many products and markets. In more recent years we have been able to utilize the use of the Tesco club card to reward the customer but most importantly at the same time we have been able to collect vital information which has enabled us to analyze and understand the customer so much better. A USP which Tesco have been able to gain from the use of the Club card is their ability to almost predict what each individual is going to put into their baskets and this subsequently allows them to adapt each of their from their services to their stock. This all contributes to Tesco adding value to the overall customer experience. In a large complex company like Tesco it can become important for the organization to define the company as a set of strategic business units (SBUs). The reason behind this is mainly because when businesses become large they generally are slow, awkward and unmanageable and so SBUs are put in place to prevent/reduce this. The SBU I am going to be focusing on throughout my report is Core UK, its he adquarters are in the UK and it takes care of the UK grocery operations. The grocery industry is still Tesco’s most important part of the business and is operating in a fiercely competitive market. Section 2 Tesco currently hold the largest share in the grocery market which is one of the most fiercely contested markets in the UK. The term marketing  environment is used to describe all of the elements that have some impact on the actual performance of a market, these elements can occur both in and outside of the market itself, they can be called the macro environment and the microenvironment. The marketing environment enables us to understand the different forces that have a certain influence on the marketplace and how the market will react to different forces in different ways. For Tesco the marketing environment has a huge influence on how well the business is doing annually, for example the macro environment is always changing which affects Tesco The table below shows what channels make up the UK grocery market in for 2013: ChannelShare in billions Hypermarkets and superstores £74.1 Small super markets £34.9 Convenience stores £35.6 Discounters £9.5 Online £6.5 Other retailers £9.2 The market environment is a term that is used to collectively identify all the elements that have some impact on the actual performance of a market. This includes events and factors that occur within the context of the market itself and also any elements that are based outside the market. The idea behind defining the market environment is to understand what forces are exerting some amount of influence in the marketplace and understand why and how a market reacts to those forces in certain ways. Importance of environmental analysis (Debate & Evaluate) -How can the marketing environment be defined? How can the marketing environment be defined to your company? -Can you summarise / synthesise information creatively in the form of tables / figures. -What are best practice approaches to environmental analysis? Here it may be tempting to go overboard and write very generically about environmental analysis but it is important to evaluate from the perspective of your chosen company: What is important in defining and approaching environmental analysis from the context of your company?

Do Men With Excessive Alcohol Consumption And Social...

Many current studies are being done on the topic of â€Å"addictive personalities. This has been a debatable topic over the years.† In this article, researchers are analyzing the men who had consumed excessive amount of alcohol vs. those in a controlled population. The main objective of this article, is to provide the statistical information, as to rather or not men who consumes alcohol have different personalities to those who are under a controlled population. Questions to be determined are: Do men with excessive alcohol consumption and social stability have an addictive personality versus those who are in a controlled set population? Are there any hidden traits that could cause addictive personalities? Are there any specific personality patterns in those who excessively drink? To evaluate both sets, they were separated into groups or into multidimensional typologies. The males who excessively drink (n=100) and those in a controlled population (n=131). The heavy drinkers wer e then recruited by advertisement in a regional daily newspaper, while the controlled group was based Swedish Twin Registry. These personalities were then assessed by the Karolinska scales of personalities (KSP). Which were then compared with the normative data. To investigate further, the researchers then used a multivariate projection based approach to look for any hidden structures of traits and any relationships within the groups of heavy drinkers vs. the controlled population to see what would beShow MoreRelatedDo Men With Excessive Alcohol Consumption And Social Stability Have An Addictive Personality?1148 Words   |  5 Pagesthe article, â€Å"Do Men with Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Social Stability Have an Addictive Personality?† (Roman Balldin, 2011), offers some statistical research on the issue on the effects of alcohol consumption. The study was conducted on men that were between the ages of eighteen to sixty-five years old, and they consumed additional alcohol then they wanted to. The men that were in the study have permanent housing, they are not dependent on any substance that is not alcohol or nicotine,Read MoreBritish Imperialism Of The Nineteenth Century3025 Words   |  13 Pages According to Keep and Ronall (1999), â€Å"the degree to which British imperialism of the nineteenth century was invested in and maintained by the global traffic in addictive substance is well documented. At mid-century, opium was a major export commodity for Britain’s largest colony, India, and the British government was very sensitive to the profits that could be realized through the sale of the drug. Keep and Ronall claimed that â€Å"addiction was use in the policing of â€Å"otherness† thatRead MoreThe Social Impact of Drug Abuse24406 Words   |  98 PagesNum ber 2 THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE This study was originally prepared by UNDCP as a position paper for the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995) Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter Part one: background I. The drug problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A. B. C. D. E. TheRead MoreInternet Addiction: Government Policy or Personal Responsibility?4485 Words   |  18 Pagesis increasing at a rapid pace. A Pew Internet and American Life Project study finds two thirds of all Americans use the internet to frequently participate in internet related activities (Fellows, 2008). Another study shows that 55% of all Americans have high speed internet in their homes and even higher among college or academic arenas. (Saville et al, 2010). Needless to say, the possibility of becoming addicted to the internet is now easier than ever. The average American is presented with internetRead MoreSubstance Abuse15082 Words   |  61 Pagessituation where an addict feels he/sh e must have drugs in order to live; this is the term to describe psychological dependence. Physical dependence occurs when the body metabolism adapts to the presence of the drugs, when the drug is removed strong withdrawal symptoms are produced. This withdrawal syndrome is experienced as sickness, stomach upset and muscular pain. Hallucinations and convulsions may also occur. EXPLAIN WHY ALCOHOL IS A DRUG Alcohol is a drug because it affects the body tissuesRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRiver, New Jersey 07458. Many of the designations by manufacturers and seller to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whetten, David A. (David Allred) Developing management skills /David A. Whetten, Kim S. Cameron.—8th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references andRead MoreCase Studies67624 Words   |  271 Pagescase appear in the next section. Student preparation for case discussion If you are inexperienced with the case method, you may need to alter your study habits. A lecture-oriented course may not require you to do intensive preparation for each class period. In such a course, you have the latitude to work through assigned readings and review lecture notes according to your own schedule. However, an assigned case requires significant and conscientious preparation before class. Without it, you willRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pages597 CASE STUDIES ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 598 ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 599 Guide to using the case studies The main text of this book includes 87 short illustrations and 15 case examples which have been chosen to enlarge speciï ¬ c issues in the text and/or provide practical examples of how business and public sector organisations are managing strategic issues. The case studies which follow allow the reader to extend this linking of theory and practice Do Men With Excessive Alcohol Consumption And Social... Statistics are used in a various amount of cases to show the effects on individuals and on the communities. Statistics can also offer advice to different career studies. Within the article, â€Å"Do Men with Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Social Stability Have an Addictive Personality?† (Roman Balldin, 2011), offers some statistical research on the issue on the effects of alcohol consumption. The study was conducted on men that were between the ages of eighteen to sixty-five years old, and they consumed additional alcohol then they wanted to. The men that were in the study have permanent housing, they are not dependent on any substance that is not alcohol or nicotine, and they have some type of income, whether it is a job or a pension. The pivotal point of this research is how alcohol affects the men and if they have an addictive personality or not. The articles research study shows how potentially touches each man that it studies differently: the â€Å"mean drunkâ €  or the â€Å"happy drunk† or the â€Å"suicidal drunk† and so on. Additional to the typologies of alcoholism given by Barbor, Leach, and Walter in 1996, at the same time there is also type one and type two alcoholism, which were developed by Cloninger, Bohman, and Sigvardsson in 1981 (Roman Balldin, 2011, p 257). People who have type one alcoholism tend to have less social anxiety type two alcoholism. These issues show that type two alcoholics have much profounder ranger of problems than those of type one alcoholicsShow MoreRelatedDo Men With Excessive Alcohol Consumption And Social Stability Have An Addictive Personality887 Words   |  4 Pagesof â€Å"addictive personalities. This has been a debatable topic over the years.† In this article, researchers are analyzing the men who had consumed excessive amount of alcohol vs. those in a controlled population. The main objective of this article, is to provide the statistical information, as to rather or not men who consumes alcohol have different personalities to those who are under a controlled population. Questions to be determined are: Do men with excessive alcohol consumption and social stabilityRead MoreBritish Imperialism Of The Nineteenth Century3025 Words   |  13 Pages According to Keep and Ronall (1999), â€Å"the degree to which British imperialism of the nineteenth century was invested in and maintained by the global traffic in addictive substance is well documented. At mid-century, opium was a major export commodity for Britain’s largest colony, India, and the British government was very sensitive to the profits that could be realized through the sale of the drug. Keep and Ronall claimed that â€Å"addiction was use in the policing of â€Å"otherness† thatRead MoreThe Social Impact of Drug Abuse24406 Words   |  98 PagesNum ber 2 THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE This study was originally prepared by UNDCP as a position paper for the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995) Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter Part one: background I. The drug problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A. B. C. D. E. TheRead MoreInternet Addiction: Government Policy or Personal Responsibility?4485 Words   |  18 Pagesis increasing at a rapid pace. A Pew Internet and American Life Project study finds two thirds of all Americans use the internet to frequently participate in internet related activities (Fellows, 2008). Another study shows that 55% of all Americans have high speed internet in their homes and even higher among college or academic arenas. (Saville et al, 2010). Needless to say, the possibility of becoming addicted to the internet is now easier than ever. The average American is presented with internetRead MoreSubstance Abuse15082 Words   |  61 Pagessituation where an addict feels he/sh e must have drugs in order to live; this is the term to describe psychological dependence. Physical dependence occurs when the body metabolism adapts to the presence of the drugs, when the drug is removed strong withdrawal symptoms are produced. This withdrawal syndrome is experienced as sickness, stomach upset and muscular pain. Hallucinations and convulsions may also occur. EXPLAIN WHY ALCOHOL IS A DRUG Alcohol is a drug because it affects the body tissuesRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRiver, New Jersey 07458. Many of the designations by manufacturers and seller to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whetten, David A. (David Allred) Developing management skills /David A. Whetten, Kim S. Cameron.—8th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references andRead MoreCase Studies67624 Words   |  271 Pagescase appear in the next section. Student preparation for case discussion If you are inexperienced with the case method, you may need to alter your study habits. A lecture-oriented course may not require you to do intensive preparation for each class period. In such a course, you have the latitude to work through assigned readings and review lecture notes according to your own schedule. However, an assigned case requires significant and conscientious preparation before class. Without it, you willRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pages597 CASE STUDIES ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 598 ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 599 Guide to using the case studies The main text of this book includes 87 short illustrations and 15 case examples which have been chosen to enlarge speciï ¬ c issues in the text and/or provide practical examples of how business and public sector organisations are managing strategic issues. The case studies which follow allow the reader to extend this linking of theory and practice