Reading
Television
This Study Guide prepared by:
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Elaine Bontempi,
M.Ed.
Catherine Kerley
Learning
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this unit,
the learner will be able to
1.
Write with an
informed and critical understanding of the nature of television content and
programming,
2.
Explain the
techniques used by television;
3.
Describe the
impact of television’s techniques;
4.
Explain how
television produces meaning, how meaning systems are organized, how they
reinforce or subvert cultural or social norms;
5.
Explain how
television constructs reality.
Robert
Abelman, "Taking Television Seriously," Reaching a Critical Mass:
A
Critical Analysis of Television Entertainment.
Robert Abelman
has received the Distinguished Scholar Award at
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1.
The author begins with the premise that
a.
many people avoid television.
b.
virtually all of us watch television.
c.
television is becoming irrelevant to current contemporary
society.
d.
people prefer flat screens.
e.
television is the mot essential educational tool
available.
2.
Which is NOT one of the “indelible moments” of television
mentioned by the author?
a.
The White Bronco Chase.
b.
The Challenger Explodes.
c.
Edith is Raped.
d.
Kramer Goes Tribal.
e.
All of the above.
3.
Television is the stepchild of other media because
a.
film was the first to create the illusion of instantaneous
mass communication.
b.
film was the first to create the sense of experiencing an
event as it was happening somewhere else.
c.
radio introduced the world to the reality of instantaneous
mass communication.
d.
by the time television came around instantaneous mass
communication was nothing new.
e.
all of the above.
4.
Televiewing is considered largely an entertainment
activity, which
a.
tends to keep people from taking it seriously.
b.
makes us realize that even the news must entertain.
c.
makes us view factual information which is presented on
television as “infotainment.”
d.
does all of the above.
e.
does none of the above.
5.
Detractors have told us that
a.
television is not good for us.
b.
television is popular art and nothing more.
c.
television-viewing is passive.
d.
television is all of the above.
e.
television is none of the above.
6.
The physical separation of individual televiewers
scattered across the country is superseded and rendered meaningless by television’s
ability to
a.
diffuse its messages widely so that it can reach a mass
audience at precisely the same time.
b.
make everyone believe that elaborate hoaxes are real.
c.
create addiction.
d.
cause consumers to purchase expensive and useless items.
e.
turn once mindless viewers into critical thinkers.
7.
Television is a pastime, a leisure activity, and as such
it
a.
is important to think of televisions as furniture.
b.
is important to color-coordinate one’s clothing with the
television set.
c.
complements the lives of its consumers.
d.
attracts cockroaches.
e.
is wrecking the travel industry.
8.
Marshall McLuhan was
a.
a television anchor person in
b.
the voice of Loony Tunes.
c.
a professor of English literature at
d.
a partner of the Lumiere
Brothers.
e.
the voice a Vegeta on Dragonball
Z
9.
Marshall McLuhan coined the term
a.
global village.
b.
e-learning.
c.
Wag the Dog.
d.
spin-doctor.
e.
beyond the pale.
10. McLuhan believed that
a.
the one thing of which the fish is unaware is the water.
b.
the very medium that forms its ambience and supports its
existence is the one that is “invisible” to the fish.
c.
the medium is the message.
d.
all of the above are true.
e.
none of the above is true.
Before You
Read
Is television a
“serious” medium? List the elements
necessary for something to be “serious” and describe how and why these
contribute to the credibility or seriousness of a medium.
After You
Read
Explain how you
differentiate between entertainment, infotainment, and “serious”
programming. Use examples to illustrate
your points.
Web Links
Robert Abelman,
“Some Children Under Some Conditions: TV
and the High-Potential Kid”
Bryant, J. Alison, and
http://www.mundanebehavior.org/issues/v2n1/bryants.htm.
Charles M. Young, "Beavis and Butt-Head on What's Cool
and What Sucks."
Rolling Stone
Charles M. Young reviews popular music for
Playboy, Musician, and other publications. In the mid and late 1970s,
Charles M. Young -- known then as The Reverend Charles M. Young -- reviewed for
Rolling Stone. After starting off covering
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1.
Beavis and Butt-head are
a.
dachsunds.
b.
the name of a line of inexpensive lawn furniture.
c.
characters in a popular television comedy.
d.
named in a lawsuit because they allowed their dogs to maul
a neighbor to death.
e.
evil super-villains on Dragonball Z
2.
Beavis and Butt-head were created by
a.
Matt Judd.
b.
Mike Judge.
c.
the grunge band, Judge Not.
d.
the youngest daughter of an executive at NBC.
e.
Eric Cartman
3.
Beavis and Butt-head like to
a.
burn things.
b.
say FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!
c.
snicker Huh-huh, huh-huh instead of responding with an
articulate answer.
d.
all of the above.
e.
none of the above.
4.
Beavis and Butt-head enjoy
a.
scatological humor.
b.
dachsunds.
c.
going to the library and reading Schopenhauer.
d.
visiting universities.
e.
wearing Calvin Klein jeans.
5.
The interviewer claims that people say that Beavis and
Butt-head are
a.
crude.
b.
self-destructive.
c.
antisocial.
d.
all of the above.
e.
intelligent and good examples for children.
6.
Beavis and Butt-head is
a.
a clever satire on the values, attitudes, and actions of
b.
produced by the Home Shopping Channel.
c.
part of the Martha Stewart media empire.
d.
derived from a Dostoevsky novella, Notes from the
Underground.
e.
the longest running show on prime-time television.
7.
In what ways are Beavis and Butt-head critics?
a.
They watch a lot of movies.
b.
They criticize people.
c.
They analyze everything in terms of its perceived
“coolness.”
d.
They write articles on music for The Rolling Stone.
e.
They work for Nike as cool hunters.
8.
What makes something “cool”?
a.
It is intellectually challenging.
b.
It potentially offends or pokes fun at convention and/or
bourgeois values.
c.
It is a fashion statement.
d.
They get paid a royalty for saying they like something.
e.
It is popular in the "hood."
9.
This article is
a.
a probing analysis.
b.
a supposed interview with two television personae.
c.
a translation of the original article, which was written
in Slovenian and appeared in the magazine, Jana.
d.
written by two women who write columns for Salon.com and The
Rolling Stone.
e.
a telling artifact of our culture.
10.This article is a good
way to talk about television because
a.
it makes the reader think about what Beavis and Butt-head
are all about.
b.
one has to think of how and why the audience responds to
Beavis and Butt-head the way they do.
c.
it makes one aware of the ephemeral nature of television
humor, especially that which is based on cultural allusion.
d.
all of the above.
e.
none of the above.
Before You
Read
Have you watched
Beavis and Butthead? Do you think
that it is still “fresh” and/or relevant?
Do Beavis and Butthead still resonate with the viewing audience,
particularly suburbanites who were duped into believing that suburbia equals
utopia?
After You
Read Satires
are usually time and place-specific, and, ripped from their context or milieu,
they lose their humor. Is there anything
timeless about Beavis and Butthead?
If so, what is it? List
examples. So you think there are aspects
of American culture reflected in Beavis and Butthead (fast food
restaurants; fascination with violence) that will be slow to change?
Web Links
Jeff
Schwartz. “On the Couch with Beavis and
Butt-head.” http://www.geocities.com/jeff_l_schwartz/beavis.html.
“Beavis and Butt-head Quotes.”
http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/image/bnb-quotes.html.
Daniel
Murphy. “Beavis, Butthead, and the End
of the Modern Age.” http://history.hanover.edu/texts/beavis.html.
Andrei Zolotov, Jr. “Beavis
and Butt-head Charm the Intelligentsia.” http://www.beavis-butthead.ru/yellow_articles_132.html.
Gary Kamiya. “This Sucks
More Than Anything Has Ever Sucked Before.”
Salon.com http://www.salon.com/dec96/beavis961223.html.
Sallie Tisdale, "Citizens of the World, Turn on Your
Televisions" Salon.com
Sallie Tisdale
is the author of several books, including Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate
Philosophy of Sex (1995) and Stepping Westward: The Long Search for Home
in the Pacific Northwest (1991). Her most recent book, The Best Thing I
Ever Tasted : The Secret of Food, appeared in January 2000. Tisdale is a
contributing editor of Harper's and Tricycle, and columnist for
the online magazine Salon, where you can find her essays archived. She
lives with her family in
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1.
This article is about
a.
Nielsen ratings.
b.
techniques for successful telemarketing.
c.
channel-surfing.
d.
attention-deficit syndrome.
e.
the high cost of Microsoft's X Box.
2.
The first paragraph describes
a.
snippets of what one would see on the various channels of
the television, if one has cable.
b.
the origins of Little House on the Prairie.
c.
how to order angora yarn.
d.
the history of channel-surfing.
e.
the complexity of Tori Amos' lyrics.
3.
Why does Tisdale love “this great heterogeneous culture of
tastes”?
a.
Because it forces her to see how much she defines what is
good and bad in the world.
b.
Because of how strongly she holds opinions about what
people should think and do and want.
c.
Because she is forced to reconsider the centrality of her
point of view.
d.
All of the above are reasons.
e.
None of the above are reasons.
4.
What does Tisdale NOT say about the “great equalization of
a world beamed to all of us”?
a.
Let them eat cake!
b.
You are exposed to enough contradictory Weltanshauungs to
fill a galaxy.
c.
No worldviews are more correct or powerful than the next.
d.
None of the above are said.
e.
All of the above are said.
5.
Tisdale likes television
a.
more than brownies.
b.
a lot better than the Internet.
c.
because she has bought a Watchman and can surf anywhere.
d.
while she is baking brownies for her daughter’s Girl Scout
group.
e.
because her infomercials are shown at all hours of the
day.
6.
According to Tisdale, television is
a.
the world’s common denominator.
b.
the world’s middle.
c.
the third most time-consuming activity in the world.
d.
all of the above.
e.
none of the above.
7.
What ideas about television is Tisdale seeking to
correct?
a.
Television viewing is a waste of time.
b.
Televisions are dangerous when placed in laundromats.
c.
The Internet was a silly fad.
d.
All of the above are factors.
e.
None of the above are factors.
8.
How does Tisdale approach television viewing?
a.
She seeks to immerse herself in the diversity of the
offerings.
b.
She looks at it as worldview-expanding.
c.
She feels it gives her a chance to examine her own
responses to things, and thus develop self-awareness.
d.
None of the above.
e.
All of the above.
9.
Tisdale’s argument is undermined by the fact that
a.
the representation of the world’s diversity is not
accurately reflected in choices available on commercial television.
b.
worldviews are NOT equal on television—those with the most
money and resources dominate.
c.
television, far from a being a great equalizer of people,
simply reinforces the influence of the “have’s” of the world.
d.
all of the above.
e.
television can't hold a candle to the Internet.
10.
Tisdale returns to the following channels repeatedly while
surfing:
a.
QVC.
b.
a channel featuring George Bush talking about war, which
puts her to sleep.
c.
ESPN.
d.
Weather Channel.
e.
all of the above.
Before You
Read
Deep down, in
your heart of hearts, do you believe that watching television is a waste of
time? When? What is the “worst” way to watch
television? Is there a way of watching
television that is not perceived as a waste of time?
After You
Read
Do you agree
with Tisdale’s argument, or do you think she is going a bit too far? Is television programming really
democratic? Doesn’t it cost money to
produce and air television shows?
Support your argument with three points and with explanations of these
points.
Web Links
Sallie Tisdale.
http://www.english.pdx.edu/cew/tisdaleinter.html.
Notable Writer: Sallie
Tisdale.
http://lnf.uoregon.edu/notable/tisdale.html.
FFE Speaker’s Network:
Sallie Tisdale.
http://www.well.com/user/freedom/tisdale.html.
We're here, we're ... uh ... straight?.
http://dir.salon.com/mwt/tisd/1998/09/11tisd.html.
Do you think
"feminism" is, and has always been, on the side of sexual candor?
What camps, feminist or otherwise, have been most resistant to your work?
http://www.nerve.com/Dispatches/voicebox/WomenOnSex/Tisdale_Question2.asp.
Ariel Gore, "TV Can Be a Good Parent" (+gender)
Salon.com
Ariel Gore is
the founding editor of the zine Hip Mama, and author of The Mother
Trip and Hip Mama Survival Guide.
She regularly lectures on the culture and politics of mothering, and has
appeared on CNN, MTV, CBS Evening News, and NPR. She and her daughter, Maia, live in
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1.
Ariel Gore is
a.
a character from a Disney cartoon.
b.
a writer and single mother.
c.
the mother of seven children.
d.
a practicing bigamist from the Utah-Idaho border region.
e.
Al Gore's ex-wife.
2.
When Ariel was stressed out or had deadlines, she found it
was useful to
a.
let her young toddler play by herself in a neighborhood
park.
b.
drop her child off at a friend’s house.
c.
let her child watch television.
d.
cook a gourmet dinner on foodstuff purchased with food
stamps.
e.
drink heavily.
3.
The author of this article points out that
a.
there are numerous educational TV programs for children.
b.
there are programs like Teletubbies that provide a nice,
cheerful view of the world.
c.
there are programs such as
d.
all of the above.
e.
Tipper Gore has had several face-lifts - all of which
failed miserably.
4.
According to the author of this article, the American
Association of Pediatrics is giving advice that can only be followed by
a.
the wealthy.
b.
dogs.
c.
single mothers who work two jobs.
d.
day care workers.
e.
parents who home school their children.
5.
Ariel reports that her own mother did not have to rely on
using the television as a babysitter because
a.
her mother hired a nanny.
b.
her mother lived in a commune and the women shared the
responsibility for minding the children.
c.
the cost of living was lower and decent housing was more
affordable when her mother had children.
d.
her mother took her children with her as she made
deliveries of homemade yogurt and granola bars.
e.
b and c were the conditions.
6.
The problem with many of the policies suggested to single
mothers is that the policies
a.
do not take into consideration the real conditions under
which individuals live.
b.
are unrealistic and presumptuous.
c.
reveal a disdainful attitude toward the working poor and
the lower middle class.
d.
contain all of the above.
e.
require single mothers to re-marry or marry for the first
time within 6 months of learning about the policies.
7.
The author believes that
a.
more “living wage” jobs should be made available.
b.
single mothers should not be ostracized.
c.
children are not harmed by television.
d.
all of the above are true.
e.
dogs make excellent baby-sitters.
8.
According to the author, there is a heavy middle-class assumption at work in the AAP's new policy
a.
that all
of us can be stay-at-home moms.
b.
that we
all have partners or other supportive people who will come in and nurture our
kids when we can't.
c.
that we
have no need for television.
d.
a and b
apply.
e.
that being a single mom is harder than being a single dad.
9.
The author
argues that
a.
we need
more -- and better -- educational programming on TV.
b.
we need to
end the culture of war.
c.
we need to
end the media's glorification of violence.
d.
all of
the above are true.
e.
girls need action figures too.
10.
The author
has been careful to teach her daughter critical thinking in a “one-woman 'mind
over media' campaign” by
a.
starting
with fairytales: "What's make-believe?" and "How would you like
to stay home and cook for all those dwarves?"
b.
later
moving on to the news: "Why was it presented in this way?"
c.
doing
both a and b.
d.
letting
her watch only wholesome Disney programming.
e.
teaching her the Xena war cry.
Before You
Read
Did you watch a
lot of television as a child? What were your favorite programs and why?
After You
Read
What points do
you agree with in Ariel Gore’s article?
Do you think that the key issue is not television-watching in children,
but the factors that contribute to a lack of childcare support? Why?
Please list them and provide a supporting examples.
Web Links
Michelle
Goldberg. “Mama Said.” http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sfmetro/06.01.98/books1-9820.html.
Lynn Siprelle. “Ariel
Gore: A TNH Interview.” http://www.newhomemaker.com/connections/arielgore.html.
Ariel Gore. “The Kidnapping.”
http://www.hipmama.com/features/xiana.html.
Ariel Gore. “Escape from Parenting.” http://www.hipmama.com/features/escapefrom.html
Ariel Gore. “Welfare Cinderella.” http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1997/10/27welfare.html.
Harry Waters, "Life According to TV" Newsweek
Harry F. Waters
is a journalist writing on contemporary culture and television for Newsweek.
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1. Harry F. Waters points out that heavy watchers of
prime-time television, those who watch more than four hours per day, are
receiving
a.
good,
well-balanced family viewing.
b.
instructions
in ethics.
c.
a grossly
distorted picture of the real world.
d.
a user’s
manual for life.
e.
recipes for Datura Shamanistic tea.
2.
According to
the author of the article, viewers
a.
are happy.
b.
are hooked on
the Home Shopping Network.
c.
aspire to go
to college.
d.
tend to
accept these distortions more readily than the real world itself.
e.
are losing
sleep because of their addictions to late night infomercials.
3.
Distortions
include
a.
a belief in
crop circles and alien abductions.
b.
a willingness
to try low-carbohydrate diets.
c.
a negative
image of African-Americans.
d.
a hunger for
South American-style telenovelas.
e.
a belief that
people really can lose a dress size overnight.
4.
Most
television series feature
a.
white people
holding professional jobs, even though 60% of people in the real world hold
blue-collar jobs.
b.
nice furniture
and professionally-designed sets.
c.
angry women.
d.
families with
two-parent households, even though there are many self-supporting minors who
live on their own these days.
e.
shallow,
self-centered yuppies.
5.
Television
creates
a.
an
increased fear of violent crime.
b.
a belief that
violent crime only happens in domestic disputes; (c) a fear of standard-sized
poodles; (d) too much heat in a room.
6.
Representations
of older people are faulty because they
a.
make aging
automatically associated with dementia.
b.
make it appear
as though all people over the age of 55 are feeble and physically challenged.
c.
discount
sexual activity in older Americans.
d.
are all of
the above.
e.
are none of
the above.
7.
Questions
surrounding the media's point of view will lead us to ask:
a.
Who has
created the images?
b.
Who is doing
the speaking?
c.
Whose
viewpoint is not heard?
d.
From whose
perspective does the camera frame the events?
e.
Who owns the
medium?
f.
What is our
role as spectators in identifying with, or questioning what we see and hear?
g.
All of the
above.
8.
All media
productions embody "points of view" about the world. Whether these
viewpoints are consciously intended or not, they manifest themselves through a
variety of choices by the people who make them. Which question(s) determines
the point of view?
a.
What story
will be told (or reported)?
b.
From whose
perspective will it be presented?
c.
How will it be
filmed (camera placement, movement, framing)?
d.
Whose voice
will we hear?
e.
What will the
intended message be?
f.
All of the
above.
9.
A definition
of construct or construction is
a.
as a verb, the
process by which a media text is shaped and given meaning through a process
that is subject to a variety of decisions and is designed to keep the audience
interested in the text.
b.
as a noun, a
fictional or documentary text that appears to be "natural" or a
"reflection of reality" but is, in fact, shaped and given meaning
through the process already described.
c.
a housing
project.
d.
both a and
b.
e.
None of the
above.
10. A narrative
is
a.
how the
plot or story is told. In a media text, narrative is the coherent sequencing of
events across time and space.
b.
a fairy tale.
c.
a kind of
sitcom.
d.
something from
literature that has no applicability to anything else.
e.
an oral
recitation of an epic poem.
Before You
Read
When you watch
television, do you ever have the feeling that it is somehow disconnected from
your everyday life, and that you are watching something that you would like to be
a part of, but are not? In other words,
do you ever feel disconnected or alienated after watching a great deal of
television? When? Which programs contribute to that feeling?
After You
Read
Given that
television is a constructed reality, consider the possibility that its most
deleterious effects could be due to the fact that it has a feeling of
hyper-realism, and it seems “more real than real.” The result is that the viewer has a sense
that his or her own live is more or less a sham, and that the events that occur
are a faded caricature of what happens on television. How can one gain control
of the fantasy and keep from being dominated by dreams (to paraphrase
Kipling)? List five ways.
Web Links
Harry F. Waters,
“David in the Daytime.” http://users.abac.com/ksitterley/nw070780.htm.
Harry F. Waters,
“Charting the Whims of War.” http://www.geocities.com/pleasence/scoop/scoop.html.
Harry F.
Waters. “Review of In Living Color.”
http://pages.prodigy.com/jcarrey/lcreview.htm.
Taking
Television Seriously. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/1884/tts2.html.
“Trashy or Transgressive?
Reality TV and the Politics of Social Control.” http://proxy.arts.uci.edu/~nideffer/Tvc/section3/11.Tvc.v9.sect3.Grindstaff.htm.l.
Katherine Gantz, "Not that
there's anything wrong with that." Straight with a Twist:
Queer Theory and the Subject of Hetereosexuality. Ed.
Calvin Thomas.
Professor Gantz's
research interests include the Decadent movement of fin de siècle in
Multiple-Choice
Questions
- One reason we
differentiate individuals who do not follow heterosexuality is because
- homosexuals are
boring.
- homosexuals act
differently than what society expects.
- it’s hard to tell
who’s straight or gay if we don’t label them.
- homosexuals refuse
to get identification tattoos.
- traditional gender
roles are boring.
- Homosexuality has
gone from being unspoken to being
a.
buried in the closet.
b.
widely accepted.
c.
publicly celebrated.
d.
accepted by the Christian Right.
e.
a common topic of debate.
- Homosexuality acts
like a____________ our culture.
a.
plague on.
b.
doppelganger to
c.
mirror of.
d.
mockery of.
e.
relief from.
- Shows with
homosexual characters are said
a.
to demoralize homosexuality even more.
b.
to be a breakthrough in gay
rights.
c.
to push more gays into the
closet.
d.
to help more gays come out of
the closet.
e.
to confuse children.
- The lesbian couples
on Seinfeld are portrayed
a.
as still needing a man.
b.
being unhappy about their
sexuality.
c.
as terrible parents.
d.
as an accurate example of
American lesbians.
e.
through a heterosexual view.
- The audience prefers
to treat gays and lesbians as
a.
threats to society.
b.
as normal people.
c.
as sinners.
d.
as entertainment.
e.
God’s joke on humanity.
- The essentialists
are a group of people who believe that
a.
identity is determined by
culture.
b.
identity is natural and fixed.
c.
identity is mutable and created.
d.
identity is a figment of the
imagination.
e.
identity has no basic is
reality.
- Thus, essentialists
hold that there are two distinct types of people:
a.
gay and straight.
b.
black and white.
c.
gay and lesbian.
d.
men and women.
e.
fun and boring.
- At first,
homosexuals were only identified in terms of
a.
how they dressed.
b.
whether or not they were cross
dressers.
c.
whether or not the had a lisp.
d.
jargon they used.
e.
their sexual behavior.
- “Queer theory”
focuses on
a.
oddities.
b.
anything that is
considered outside the most conventional heterosexual relationship.
c.
homosexuality.
d.
hate speech toward homosexuals.
e.
anything that is considered
outside the most conventional homosexual relationship.
Before You
Read
How is anything
besides conventional sexuality or a conventional relationship depicted on
television sitcoms? Think of Bewitched,
The Addams Family, The Munsters, Gilligan’s Island, Three’s Company, and
others. Do the views undermine and
satirize conventional, middle
After You
Read
Do you agree
with the view of the author, or do you think he is going overboard; that is, do
you think that the homosexuality and “queer” elements are a “wink-wink /
nod-nod” inside jokes to the audience and not an affirmation of non-normative,
conventional relationships?
Web
Links
“What
Is Queer Theory?” Theory, Gender,
and Identity Resources. http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-que1.htm.
“Judith
Butler and Gender Trouble (1990)”
Theory, Gender, and Identity Resources.
http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-butl.htm.
Martha
Nussbaum. “The Professor of
Parody.” The New Republic Online. http://www.tnr.com/archive/0299/022299/nussbaum022299.html.
Jonathan
Ned Katz. “The Invention of
Heterosexuality.” Frontline: Assault
on Gay America. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/context/katzhistory.html.
“Acquiring
Expertise: Queer Theory in the
Kitchen.” Third Course: Salade. http://www.film.queensu.ca/Projects/Appetites/page3.html.
The Simpsons
Suite
Bill
Brioux, "Keeping Up With The Simpsons." TV Guide (
Bill Brioux
writes on television and popular culture for the
Multiple-Choice Questions
- Even though the show
has been on the air for eight years, The
Simpsons has managed to
- stay as dull as its
first year.
- find new ways to be
offensive.
- have the highest
ratings on TV.
- find new ways to
upset the Christian Right.
- stay fresh and
funny.
- The Simpsons got its start on
a.
Saturday
Night Live.
b.
The Tracy Ullman Show.
c.
d.
Dave
Letterman.
e.
Conan
O’Brian.
- When Homer lurched
violently out of character, the producers
a.
had to pull things back to reality.
b.
started killing him on every
show like
c.
had him arrested.
d.
made him check into rehab.
e.
wrote him out of the show.
- Instead of hiring
writers from sitcoms, the producers prefers to get writers from
a.
soap operas.
b.
The
National Lampoon.
c.
d.
weirder areas.
e.
- One reason the Fox
executives don’t hang around the set is because
a.
hanging out with cartoons is
boring.
b.
Homer and Bart are impossible to
be around.
c.
there aren’t any beautiful young starlets to hangout with.
d.
Lisa is always trying to get
them to sign some petition.
e.
Marge won’t date any of them.
- When asked to do
voices on The Simpsons, many
a.
demanded millions to risk their
careers.
b.
jumped at the chance.
c.
laughed at the producers.
d.
blatantly refused.
e.
were willing to sign if they
could get photo ops with Bart.
- When stars are on
the show, the writers
a.
let the actors have free reign.
b.
have trouble getting the script
right.
c.
go on strike because they are so
hard to deal with.
d.
make the actors write their own
lines.
e.
never write around a star.
- When Liz Taylor
agreed to be on the show she had
a.
a terrible time in makeup.
b.
a hard time dropping the British
accent.
c.
trouble fitting into the
costume.
d.
only one word to say.
e.
way too much to drink and was
fired.
- Groening feels that
if people think the show is subversive and anarchistic
a.
just don’t get it.
b.
are right on.
c.
are stupid.
d.
are too simplistic.
e.
are probably fans of
- The main goal of the show has been
a.
to offend as
many people as possible.
b.
to make fun of
c.
to make the show a celebration.
d.
to make fun of
the Brits.
e.
to make as
much money as possible.
Before You
Read
Before The
Simpsons, can you think of a sitcom(s) that both parodies other sitcoms, and
makes visual allusions to “classic moments” in film and television? What are they, if any? How does The Simpsons allude to “classic
moments” in film and television?
After You
Read
How does The
Simpsons celebrate American popular culture, rather than simply lampooning
or criticizing it? Name specific
instances.
Les Sillars, "The Last Christian TV Family in
Les Sillars is
the Research Assistant for WORLD, and a graduate student of the
Multiple-Choice
Questions
- Sillars claims that The Simpsons is the most
___________________ show on prime time TV.
- awkward.
- religious.
- satirical.
- offensive.
- satanic
- Bowler argues that The Simpsons “takes religion’s
place in society seriously enough to”
a.
make fun of it.
b.
ignore it.
c.
treat it only with respect
d.
include it as part of the show
e.
refuse to include it in the
show’s jokes.
- The name of
a.
the Apostles.
b.
the Saints.
c.
the Eighth Deadly Sin.
d.
the Holy Rollers.
e.
the Soul Bowlers.
- People pray on The Simpsons because
a.
they have nothing better to do.
b.
they’re desperate to get what
they want.
c.
the characters understand that God, the devil, heaven,
hell, and angels are real.
d.
it’s one of the requirements Fox
has to keep the show on the air.
e.
the writers like to mock
religion.
- In one episode,
Homer sells his soul for
a.
ten dollars.
b.
a doughnut.
c.
a hot babe.
d.
better children.
e.
beer.
- When one of his
children swears, Ned sends them to bed
a.
without dinner.
b.
at a neighbor’s house.
c.
in the garage.
d.
after a huge sermon.
e.
without a Bible story.
- Ned’s says his wife
sometimes underlines passages in his Bible because
a.
it makes him mad.
b.
she wants to make sure he knows
that part.
c.
she can’t find hers.
d.
she has a mental disorder.
e.
she thinks the colors are
pretty.
- With the possible
exception of Jeopardy, The Simpsons is likely the most
a.
culturally literate show on the air.
b.
the dullest show on the air.
c.
the most offensive show on the
air.
d.
the most culturally illiterate
show on the air.
e.
finely crafted.
- One atheist fan has
complained that the show
a.
doesn’t have enough atheist
characters.
b.
makes fun of atheists.
c.
doesn’t have enough jokes about
his religion.
d.
is too pagan.
e.
puts the fun back in fundamentalism.
- Bowler says that many Christians have a problem with humor
because
a.
they believe that Jesus never laughed.
b.
the Bible says
jokes are sinful.
c.
they are being
over sensitive.
d.
they have no
imagination.
e.
Jesus didn’t
tell jokes.
Before You
Read
Do you think of The
Simpsons as a television sitcom that respects religious faith? How are television shows that call into
question televangelists treading on dangerous ground? How and why would
After You
Read
What are the elements
involved that allows a culture to laugh at itself, and at its most revered
institutions? Does this require a kind of cynical separation from itself – and
moments of rupture, in which faith in icons and heroes is tarnished (if not
completely destroyed)? What were some of
those moments in American history, and how do they set the stage for a show
such as The Simpsons? (Would you
include Watergate, Monica Lewinsky, Enron, and others similar to that?) Support your answer with specific examples.
Jaime J. Weinman, "Worst Episode Ever" Salon.com
Jaime Weinman is a writer in
Multiple-Choice
Questions
- Some fans have
complained that The Simpsons has
turned into
- a satire that
rivals
- a cold, cynical,
anything-for-a-joke series with one-dimensional characters.
- a capitalistic
sell-out.
- a sorry excuse for
a comedy.
- a bad imitation of
Japanese Anime.
- For the show to
continue its success, some argue that the producer need to
a.
ignore feedback from the
viewers.
b.
honor the requests of Pat
Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
c.
charge more for commercial slots
during the show.
d.
pay attention to feedback from the viewers.
e.
put the show Online.
- The die-hard fans
are more interested in the characters as people – not as
a.
vehicles for social criticism.
b.
action figures.
c.
subjects of academic debate.
d.
pop culture icons.
e.
cartoons.
- Despite its
satirical nature, many viewers consider The Simpsons to be
a.
a drama.
b.
mindless eye candy.
c.
politically active.
d.
a driving force in American
culture.
e.
a character comedy.
- One problem the show
has with satire is that it tends to
a.
do too much with character
development.
b.
forsake character realism.
c.
forget that it’s just a cartoon.
d.
celebrate racism.
e.
be overtly sexist.
- One complaint about
the show is that almost every episode
a.
ends with a violent action.
b.
makes fun of some minority
group.
c.
celebrates masculinity.
d.
promotes alcoholism.
e.
encourages kids to talk back to
their parents.
- One of the most important
things about the show is that it continues to
a.
mock religious minorities.
b.
promote traditional family
values.
c.
include prayer in every episode.
d.
take on big cultural targets.
e.
make fun of the Brits.
- Writer
Maxtone-Graham admitted that he
a.
hates the show.
b.
took the job for the money.
c.
liked the show better before he
was one of the writers.
d.
hardly watched the show before he was hired.
e.
watched the show religiously
before he was hired.
- In recent seasons,
Homer has stopped being just dumb, he is now also
a.
fat.
b.
unemployed.
c.
abusive.
d.
bi-pola.
e.
disgusting and semi-sociopathic.
- Instead of Bart, the show’s new cultural icon is
a.
Marge.
b.
Lisa.
c.
Homer.
d.
Ned.
e.
Maude.
Before You
Read
What makes
social satire so compelling? Does it
have a direct correlation to the sense that a society has of it’s a) own
helplessness; b) awareness of what is happening while others presume the
witnesses are blind; c) a chance to see the high and arrogant brought low in a
gesture of social justice?
After You
Read
After reading the essay, what do you
think of Homer? Do you think he is aptly
described? When can one tell when the
pendulum has swung from social satire, or satire about the human condition, to
being simply cultural ephemera filled with cheap shots that poke fun at the
scandal-du-jour?
Peter
Parisi, "'Black Bart' Simpson: Appropriation and Revitalization in Commodity
Culture/" Journal of Popular Culture Summer 1993, p125-142.
Peter Parisi
teaches courses in journalistic writing and press criticism, theory and history
at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has taught media studies at Penn
State Harrisburg, C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, as well as at
Multiple-Choice
Questions
1. In one parody t-shirt,
Asiatic Bart declares himself
a. “My Hero.”
b. “Cream of the Planet
Earth, Dude.”
c. “Rasta Dude.”
d. “Rastabart, Master of
Respect.”
e. “Home Boy Bart.”
2. Black Bart was
____________________ popular icon appropriated and modified to reflect
African-American culture.
a. the most offensive.
b. the first.
c. the most overdone.
d. the only.
e. not the first.
3. The Black Bart t-shirt
was the most popular Afrocentric
a. appropriation of mass
culture iconography.
b. t-shirt of the early
1990s.
c. cultural irreverence.
d. reflection of oppression.
e. replacement for the Black
Man t-shirt.
4. John Fiske says popular
culture is
a. a load a crap.
b. a ridiculous department
in universities.
c. rarely interesting.
d. always a culture of
conflict.
e. always a culture of
oppression.
5. If we focus too deeply on
black culture as expropriated victim and reactor, we risk
a. feeling guilty.
b. under-valuing its
vitality and effectiveness.
c. being label as elitist.
d. over-valuing its vitality
and effectiveness.
e. confusing identity and
attitudes.
6. African-American culture
be definition and necessity works
a. against dominant culture
products.
b. in opposition against
dominant culture.
c. against being adequately
assessed.
d. to mock white American
entertainment forms.
e. in relation to dominant
culture products.
7. African-American
culture’s ability to actively absorb, rework, and develop
a. does not operate solely
in melodic spheres
b. scares the conservative right.
c. works against itself.
d. operates solely in
melodic spheres.
e. is cheered by the
Democrats.
8. The Black Bart t-shirt
_________________ group identification and cohesion.
a. prevents.
b. delays
c. furthers.
d. hastens.
e. detours
9. Fox Television adapted
the possible connection between
a. black Bart and Asiatic
Bart.
b. black Bart and white
Bart.
c. Black Bart and Michael
Jordan.
d. Rasta Bart and drug use.
e. homeboys and black
Muslims.
10.
For its
wearers, the Black Bart t-shirt possesses
a.
little
importance.
b.
a
passive-aggressive meaning.
c.
an active,
affirmative meaning.
d.
a curious
meaning.
e.
an adaptation
of minority status.
Before You
Read
If you saw a
person wearing a Bart Simpson t-shirt in which Bart Simpson is black, what
would you think? Would the message seem
relevant and timely, or would be like melted ice cream bar – once appealing,
but ultimately ephemeral except for the sticky residue it leaves behind?
After You
Read
What are the dangers in
making a subversion of an already subversive text? Can it backfire? Is that what might happen to the “black Bart”
concept?
Dale
E. Snow and James J. Snow, "Simpsonian Sexual Politics." The Simpsons and
Philosophy: D'oh of Homer. Ed. William Irwin, Mark Conrad, and Aeon Skoble.
Dale E. Snow is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at
Multiple-Choice
Questions
- The Simpsons extends
__________ in three ways.
- its radical notions of feminism.
- its satirical views of the American 1950s.
- conservative sexual
politics.
- American patriotism.
- market shares.
- The town of
a. liberal.
b. conservative.
c. radical.
d. boring.
e. realistic.
- The gender ratio in
a. four men to every woman.
b. perfectly balanced.
c. four women to every man.
d. three men to every woman.
e. three women to every man.
- Marge Simpson is descended from a long line of
a. blue haired women.
b. radical feminists.
c. evil and powerful TV
women.
d. Disney heroines.
e. saintly and
long-suffering TV wives.
- The first sexualized TV moms were
a. freaks of nature.
b. June Cleaver and Wilma
Flintstone.
c. Morticia Addams and Lily
Munster.
d. Shirley Partridge and
Carol Brady.
e. a and c.
- The first TV mom to completely subvert all
traditional roles is
a. Marge Simpson.
b. Peg Bundy.
c. Mrs. Cartman.
d. Harriet Nelson.
e. Jane Jetson.
- The Simpsons is intended as a parody of
a. free-wheeling
capitalists.
b. the normal American
family in all its beauty and horror.
c. communism.
d. mainstream television.
e. bumbling idiots.
- Mr. Burns takes capitalism to its logical
conclusion and reveals it to be
a. an exaggeration of
motherhood.
b. existentialist despair.
c. the construction of the
perfect wife.
d. a load of crap.
e. a barren way of life.
- The real acid test for the influence of Lisa
Simpson’s moral idealism is
a. not Homer, but Bart.
b. Marge.
c. not Bart, but Homer.
d. Mr. Burns.
e. Eric Cartman.
- During Marge’s employment, she didn’t sell a
single house because
a. she lied to every client.
b. she was late to every
meeting.
c. she is a woman.
d. she couldn’t lie to her
clients.
e. she was having an affair
with her boss.
Before You Read
Have you read
such works as the Tao of Pooh, Buddha-Snoopy, Shia’-Crow, or The Dalai Cartman? What do you think of attempts to “read” a
work of art from the point of view of a popularized version of a Buddhism,
Taoism, Islam, etc.? What are a few of
the positive elements? What are negative
ones?
After You
Read
Try your own
hand at “reading” a cartoon in terms of a religious philosophy. Does it help your understanding of the
philosophy or of the cultural context, or is it simply a strategy for reading
and meaning-making that reduces things to their absurd extreme – and thus,
becomes “humor”?
Web Links
Jaime J.
Weinman. “The Worst Episode Ever.” http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2000/01/24/simpsons/index.html
“Trash of the
Titans: Cultural References” http://members.aol.com/JEdraw/Simpsons/5F09.html
“Subtle
Allusions in The Simpsons” Subtly
Simpsons. http://www.westegg.com/simpsons/
Keith
Gessen.
“Simpsons at the Gates” Hermenaut. http://www.hermenaut.com/a108.shtml
Tiina Jarvinen,
“Thoughts on The Simpsons” http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US7/PAPS/simpsons.html
Visual
Analysis
“A
Family Portrait.” Leave It to Beaver, 1957-63.
http://www.tvland.com/shows/litbeaver/.
Essay Questions
1. Describe the family roles of the individual
characters in Leave It to Beaver. In
what way does it reflect an American nostalgia for what it might consider to be
an ideal middle-class family?
2. Look closely at the “Family Portrait.” List ways in which the characters in Leave It to Beaver formed an ideal
family for the 1950s, but perhaps not so for the 2000s. How would one create the ideal “Family
Portrait – 2005” for an updated Leave It to Beaver?
The
http://www.tvland.com/shows/munsters/
Essay Questions
1. The
2. Since The Munsters, have there been
other sitcom families that have subverted or poked fun at the prototypical Leave
It to Beaver-type family? Describe
them and explain how they deviated from the middle-class suburban “norm.”
I
Love Lucy, 1951-58.
http://www.tvland.com/shows/lucy/
Essay Questions
1. Much of what makes I Love Lucy is the
physical humor. What makes Lucy’s antics
funny? Take a look at the photographs in
the “pix” page and describe at least thee of the scenes that use physical humor
to create a humorous effect. Why is
physical comedy funny? Offer three explanations, with examples to support your
claims.
2. What are some of the gender roles that are
being subverted or questioned by I Love Lucy? Analyze the sill shots on the “pix” page and
describe gender expectations that are being subverted. Some may include ideas about women and
glamour, motherhood, the “ideal” wife, women and cooking, women and fashion,
and women and knives or other phallic symbols.
“Family
Portrait.” The Simpsons.
http://www.synergizedsolutions.com/simpsons/pictures/
Essay Questions
1. How does the Simpsons’ “Family Portrait”
differ from that of Leave It to Beaver and the Cleaver family portrait?
2. What makes the Simpsons a hybrid ideal
television family? What are the elements
of that are considered the middle class ideal, and what are the elements that are
not part of the middle-class ideals?
“Deep-Fried
Rat.” Beavis and Butthead.
http://www.beavis-butthead.ru/yellow_articles_107.html
Essay Questions
1.
What has Beavis just done in this cartoon cell? Why is this funny? What does it say about American viewing
tastes, and the desire to reinforce gender roles (boys will be boys) while
self-reflexively commenting on the fact that this is a television sitcom
undermining and subverting television sitcoms?
2.
In what ways does Beavis and
Butthead parody political correctness, and thus speak to the viewing
public’s anxiety or ambivalence about changing roles for women, minorities,
families, etc.? How does Beavis and
Butthead subvert the idea that suburbs would create utopias, and that a
planned community would result in balanced, emotionally healthy and responsible
young people?
Read
and Respond
Web Links
“Television Rots
the Mind” from Font of Knowledge. http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/kungfu/tv.html.
Donella
Meadows. “You Are What Goes Through Your Mind:
Television Rots the Mind.”
http://www.igc.org/traubman/mind.htm.
A&E
Television Networks is defying the notion that TV rots the brain.
Essay Question
How can television be used in a way that
does not “rot the brain”? Is it
possible? Describe five approaches and
cite sources.
Destinations
Gavin McNett. “The Wacky
World of Television.” http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2000/03/13/wackytv/.
Joyce
Millman. “Twenty ways the '90s changed television.” http://www.salon.com/ent/col/mill/1999/12/22/tvdecade/.
Joyce Millman. “Joyce Millman on Television:
Ian
Rothkerch. “24: A Day in the Life.” http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/int/2002/02/05/surnow/?x.
Scott Stossel. “The Man Who Counts the
Killings.” atlanticmonthly.com. http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97may/gerbner.htm.
Nicolas
Johnson. “The Media Barons and the
Public Interest” 1968. The Atlantic
Monthly.
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/media/johnsonf.htm.
Center
for Media Literacy.
http://www.medialit.org/index.html.
Media Literacy Project. http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/home/index.html.
“What
is Media Literacy.”
http://www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/bigpict/mlwhat.htm.