How The Simpsons Effect Children

How The Simpsons Affect Children

Many people believe that what we hear, say, and watch reflect how we act in society. The Simpsons is a cartoon sitcom which makes fun of everyday issues which Americans in today's society are faced with. The question is whether or not the information being conveyed is okay for our society, and especially the children of today? Most people believe that this so-called cartoon show is a bad influence towards children, because the ideals that The Simpsons conveys are not always wholesome, and sometimes not even in good taste. Is allowing our children to watch a show where so much violence, and mature content okay for our youth to watch? The answer to this can go both ways, but I say yes, it is a good way to illustrate life, and people should know that this sort of television show is, for the most part, a comedy, and it in no way, shape or form is entirely true. This television show allows us to observe actions from a different angle, allowing us to think twice about the difference between what's moral and immoral.

It was on December 17, 1989, when "The Simpsons" received their television

debut. The Christmas special, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" where Fox received their highest ratings for the television show The Simpsons. Out of an estimated 92,100,000 viewer, and estimated 13,354,500 people sat and watched The Simpsons debut.(Goldberg 4) In this episode Bart received a tattoo, much to Marge's dislike. Their Christmas money was spent to remove Bart's tattoo with a laser. At the same time, Homer, still on his morning coffee break at 4:00 in the afternoon, learns that he will not receive a Christmas bonus from the factory. When he learns that Marge is relying on the money for Christmas, he decides that he will do the Christmas shopping for the year. He quickly buys Marge panty hose, Bart paper, Lisa crayons, and Maggie a dog toy. When he realizes that he is not doing very well, he gets a second job as a mall Santa for the extra money. On the way home from work, he steals a Christmas tree. This example goes to show how a child may be corrupted into believing that all of this non-sense is true. That receiving a tattoo is ok, stealing is tolerated, and that lying isn't deceitful. Much to our demise this stuff would happen without the television. Exploring is what children and adolescents do best, and many people believe that it is shows like The Simpsons which influence them in a bad way. School influences have more of an effect on children and teenagers than a television show, because it's reality, instead of fiction.

Children began showing their affection for The Simpsons by buying Simpsons merchandise, and before we knew it, it was all over America. Every kid wanted an "Underachiever and Proud of It, Man" or an "I'm Bart Simpson, Who the Hell Are You?" shirt. Hats could be seen everywhere Bart was dressed like a devil saying "Go For It, Dude!" or with Homer, his arms open, lunging forward saying "Why You Little." The most popular shirt was a family picture with Homer choking Bart. During the first week of school in 1990, two thirds of the sixth graders in America wore Simpsons paraphernalia. (Dale and Trich, 43) Paraphernalia is a brilliant idea for a network to be seen outside of the television and for certain messages to be reached across the world. These T-shirts and hats have a much larger effect on people because they are experiencing them first hand, and paraphernalia is what shapes America.

As the popularity of The Simpsons grew, so did parents' fears. To their horror, Bart Simpson became a role model. "Aye Carumba!" which litteraly means oh my god, was a popular expression among kids. Almost anything a child did wrong was attributed to "last Sunday's Simpsons television show." (Dale and Trich, 45) Bad ideas continued to be broadcasted into kids' minds, but were they really being influenced by The Simpsons? In the third episode, a baby-sitter robbed the Simpson household of most of it's belongings. In the fourth episode, Homer caused a nuclear accident, got fired, and attempted suicide. Bart stole the head off of the statue of Jebidiah Springfield, Springfield's founder in the sixth episode. In the eighth episode, Bart took a picture of Homer with an exotic dancer and distributed them to the entire town. Marge had an affair in the ninth episode. These episodes are doing nothing more than telling the truth. These actions happen everyday right in front of our eyes.

Some episodes have answered the question of them affecting children on their own. Once, Marge began to protest Itchy and Scratchy cartoons. Itchy is a psychopathic mouse whose only purpose is to kill and torture Scratchy, a cat. Nearing the end of the episode, Marge realizes that Itchy and Scratchy is not hurting anyone. They take a satirical view to the situation when a group of mothers try to stop Michaelangelo's David from visiting the Springfield Museum of Art by means that it is pornographic. (Koger and Wolodarsky) Unlike many sitcoms, The Simpsons is more like everyday life. Homer works in a power plant. In many other sitcoms, the father works a popular job, such as an accountant, or with a television studio. The Simpson family is not a wealthy family living in a $300,000 house. Many children can relate to this, and many children. For many children this is an escape from what they refer to as normal, but to the normal person it would be abnormal. (Rebeck, 622)

The Simpsons is often viewed as one of the biggest threats to Christianity. The Simpson family goes to church on a regular basis, but Bart and Homer loath it. In one episode, Homer quits going to church and falls in love with life. He claims to have his own religion so he doesn't have to go to work on holidays, such as the Feast of Maximum Occupancy.

The Simpsons affects kids, just as anything around them will. Perhaps people fear The Simpsons because they can see a little of The Simpsons in themselves. We all have inner child's trying to get out that behave just like Bart. We all do "pull a Homer" sometimes. It just happens. The show doesn't make us do it, it just happens. If this world did not have "The Simpsons" children would behave in the same manner, they just might not laugh quite as much.