Make sure to watch The Simpsons because that's what the essay is on. South Park and The Family Guy were other cartoons we discussed. Make sure to watch at least one of these two. I will watch Family Guy and try to see why some of you like it. Sigh.
But The Simpsons is now canonical.
Write on this blog about the reading and your watching. Have fun.
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20 comments:
I would like to make what i think is somewhat of a bold statement. I dont think that the Simpsons is canonical. Just because it is the first of its kind does not by any means imply that its the standard that people should follow. Yes, the Simpsons started an era of adult cartoons- but then you have to question the issues of adult cartoons as a whole genre. I know adults who watch shows like tom and jerry from time to time. Conversely there are so many young children who watch shows like the Simpson's and family guy, and these children can relate to it because there is that stupid humor that they can understand. At the same time the same stupid jokes can have a deeper meaning and appeal to the older more intellectual crowd. I think it is hard to categorize the majority of writing, publications, all media, as canonical because everyone is always going to have some differing opinion to go against you.
Carl Matheson says "The show does not promote anything." about The simpsons which I totally agree with. I watched one episode as my first time, and I was disappointed. I thought it would be so much more interesting since the show was described as "Canonical". The show was using "Quotations" and "Hyper-ironism" with full of sarcastic comments, but did not send any moral message to me. I just felt that it only tries to make people laugh by undercutting.
I also watched the South Park, and I thought it was quiet different from The Simpsons. They both are based on quotationism and hyper- ironism. However, while The simpsons talks about problems depending on liberal family values, South Park talks about political, even bigger issues.
I thought that "South Park" was even worse than "The Simpsons" because the South Park basically makes fun of everything and criticizes them. On the other hand, as Matheson said, at least The simpsons has heart-warming family moments." Therefore, I believe, The Simpsons is not trash as the South Park.
I totally agree with Michael's opinion! good points!
I admit that I have never watched an entire episode of the Simpsons, South Park, or Family Guy before I had to watch it for this class. I have watched parts of them and I've had to turn them off because I think the comedy in them is honestly, just dumb. However, I do think it's genious of the producers of these shows to push the limits on national TV and mock political figures, famous actors/actress and other touchy subjects in the form of a cartoon. I believe that this quotationalism is the basis of every "adult cartoon" and is very necessary so people dont get too offended.
I agree with Courtney and Brianna! The use of quotationalisim is not only necessary but it interests the reader and relates it to current pop culture which viewers love. I especially wanted to focus on our discussion in class, about how The Simpson’s seem to get away with way more because they butter it up with a moral or a family lesson, even if people take it as a joke. In South Park all the issues seem either racist or sexist and the jokes are so offensive that you must know the shows reputation in order to accept them. In one episode, the kids make Mexicans do their weekend homework for them, making them seem above them in social status. On the Simpson’s, they do the same sort of thing except tied into the episode there is something either intellectual or a hidden moral lesson that makes it not only tolerable but more accepting and meaningful to watch. The icing on the cake makes a big difference.
I really enjoyed family guy. I was never a fan. I watched the episode where Peter opens a restaurant and he wont let handicap people inside. It is so stupid but yet so entertaining. I laughed so hard when Peter broke his leg and he was forced to a wheelchair. It just showed karma and how people are all the same. Dumb! I know but so funny. I think the Simpson’s and family guy are so closely related that you can see where family guy got some of their ideas. I see South Park in a league of its own. It has such original ideas and takes everything so far across the line.
South Park to me is my favorite animated show on television. It is funny and attacks everyone. I think that is why they can get away with so much. It is amazing when you compare T.V. Land with shows of today. I am not sure why or how are standards of television have changed so much so fast. I’m still not sure if this for the best or worse but there is a tremendous changed
I agree with Courtney, Brianna, and Molly because quotationalisim is what makes the show what it is. It is what draws me in at least. With relating it to what is going on in the world makes it not just interesting but entertaining.
I also agree with Molly's comment. I think that "quotationalism" plays a big role in adult cartoons. The humor can seem silly and immature but more often than that there is a witty line that only the more intellectual and educated audience can catch. However, I feel that adult cartoons are mostly based on "hyper-ironism" because the beauty of cartoons is that you have the power to distort reality in a much greater way than with live actors. Cartoons can be made to look just like real people and they have the power to do more outrageous and exaggerated actions. They have the power to mock and make sarcastic judgements about many more topics because the cartoons give the information a much lighter feel.
Although I do not watch adult cartoons on a regular basis, I do find them to be very entertaining. When I was younger I would occasionally watch an episode of The Simpson’s or South Park and laugh at the stupid jokes and some of the dirty parts but didn’t fully understand a lot of the jokes. As I have gotten older and learned more about politics, pop culture and what is going on in the world I seem to get much more out of these shows. I used to think of these shows as rather mindless but really you do have to think to get a lot of the jokes. Some are a lot less obvious and you may not get them until watching the show a second time.
I would agree with the others that quatationalism does make these shows. I find it funny how these shows seem to take place in a different world and are sometimes very unrealistic but then refer to actual people or things going on in the real world. It is unexpected and makes fun out of serious situations. There are also many more possibilities with what they can do with cartoons then with real people cause they can animate whatever they want without having to do special effects. Cartoons can often get away with more because things seem less offensive when made fun of by a cartoon then a real person.
I haven't seen too many episodes of the Simpsons, but I did see the movie and I think that sums most of it up. As much as I hate to admit this, the Simpsons I think does show some sort of morality, from the few episodes I've seen. In the movie for example, sure the whole idea behind it was pretty dumb and the fact that a city was put in a giant bubble is just hilarious. It somehow makes you look at pollution. (for those of you who haven't seen the movie...i'm about to give away part of it...sorry...but to understand where I'm going you have to know that springfield has pollution issues...homer screws it up...and springfield is put in a bubble...). The thing that kills the morals though is that no one actually pays attention to them anyway; they're too busy paying attention to the stupid things going on...
I'm going to have to disagree wtih o'keefe. The fact that other cartoons DID follow the simpsons is what makes it arguably canonical. How many cartoons before the simpsons were created for adults that were able to mock politics and social issues and get away wtih it? Now we have South Park (who takes it to the complete extreme though...) doing it as well as Family Guy, (thought Family Guy is different in its own sense, it still takes adult situations and turns them into just something to laugh at)
This was my very first time watching an entire episode of The Simpsons. I thought the show was hilarious, yet I found myself lost in some moments when I was not familiar with the "quotations" that they were using.
I thought it was completely sarcastic in a somewhat sardonic tone. Yet, they still had some "morality moments" when the family does come together as a real, normal family.
Like Signs mentions, I do believe that they add those educational, more familiar-tolerated moments in the show to prove that the show is different than many others shows. It also helps the viewers at home to tolerate the show a little more and to relate to it a little.
In some circumstances I do agree with Signs, yet I also believe that The Simposons is completely humorous in a sardonic tone.
I also watched South Park for the first time. I was outraged when I found out that the South Park kids are in Elementary School. Both shows are humorous yet in a completely different level. South Park is more "adult" funny because in order to get their jokes one has to be more familiar with the world.
Maria A.
I agree with annie, when she mentions that "these shows seem to take place in a different world and are sometimes very unrealistic but then refer to actual people or things going on in the real world."
The shows do make fun of or somewhat relate their story to what's making the news. Which makes the show more interesting and the viewer can truly relate to what they are trying to say.
I also agree with Brianna's point when she mentions that, "The simpsons talks about problems depending on liberal family values, South Park talks about political, even bigger issues."
I guess because The Simpsons IS a family show is why they focus more on family values and issues. Yet, South Park is not really a family show and that's why is more appropiate for them to talk about more political issues. The viewer can sort of expect that from them due to their overall presence of the show itself.
I think that shows like the Simpson's and South Park are more intellectual than they seem. One needs to be up to date with pop culture and politics to understand the humor. In South Park each episode pokes fun at a new topic. These topics include global warming, Tom Cruise and scientology, and Michael Jackson. Some of the humor is obvious and nearly anyone will pick up on it; however, the rest of it is dry humor and little jokes that many people will not even notice.
I agree with Annie that adult cartoons can get away with almost anything because they are fictional characters making fun of real people. They are able to find humor in serious situations and make them enjoyable. I remember watching South Park with my older brothers when I was younger and hating the show. I found it disgusting, and I didn't understand the jokes about politics; however, now I am a huge fan of the show and am able to looks beyond the obvious and at times gross humor and laugh at the political and cultural jokes.
I definitely don't watch these shows constantly, but I have seen enough episodes to know a good amount. I do believe that The Simpsons was the cartoon to really spark the others such as South Park and Family Guy. I see more similarities between The Simpsons and Family Guy then I do with South Park. This is because South Park seems to have taken the humorous aspect of their show to a whole new level. I never really understood this growing up, but now when I look back I understand why I wasn't allowed to watch South Park but was allowed to watch The Simpsons. The Simpsons is able to make some racy comments as well, but they seem to pull it off better and then bring everything together at the end of the episode by showing that they have values. South Park on the other hand is in your face about it and does not try to hide it. When I was younger I didn't fully understand everything that was said on these shows, but now that I understand it I feel that there is more to these cartoons than we think. I also think quotationalisim is a big aspect to these cartoons, and I really agree with what Molly had to say about it.
As for the reading about The Simpsons in Signs, for the most part I agreed with what was said. I think The Simpsons is an entertaining show and I would actually go as far as to say that I really like it. As for South Park, I feel like its a bit harder to love. I do find it very interesting how they add world news, events, and celebrities into their episodes, but a lot of the time I find them crossing the line with some of their comments. Family Guy is more similar with the Simpsons because they also pull the entire episode together at the end by showing family values.
Annie said:
As I have gotten older and learned more about politics, pop culture and what is going on in the world I seem to get much more out of these shows. I used to think of these shows as rather mindless but really you do have to think to get a lot of the jokes. Some are a lot less obvious and you may not get them until watching the show a second time.
Hmmmm. This is typically one of the ways critics have made distinctions between "great literature" and just books. I tend to think that better books can be read many times and yield multiple meanings. In other words, if you can read a book many times and keep getting new and deeper meanings from it, it's a better book than one that you can swallow whole the first time. (Although whether there are ANY books that don't have multiple meanings, I don't know . . . )
I would argue that this is also true for television shows. Some you can watch multiple times and just rest your mind. AS Springer says, it's like "chewing gum." But some make jokes that you might miss the first time around or have subtler criticsm than you noticed on a cursory read.
While the Simpsons and South Park both fall under the same genre of humorous cartoons; I don’t feel like they can be looked at under the same light. To me, it is like comparing apples and oranges. The two shows are much too different and have different purposes to compare them to each other, even though many consider them the same type of show.
I have only been a South Park fan for the last year. When the show first came out I was never really able to get into it. While I was not a child, I still do not think I was mature enough to grasp many of the topics/themes of the show. South Park has multiple layers of meaning behind its humor. Its humor ranges from politics to family values to just plain stupidity; which in my opinion is why the show is so great. But you must think about who this show is directed towards, and who the viewers of the show are. South Park is a humorous adult cartoon. If you were to have a child watch South Park, he would still probably laugh at the show. But that is only because there is a universal aspect of humor to the show, which is the ridiculous looking characters and the sounds of their voices. They would not be laughing at the sarcastic remarks of how corrupt our government is, or vulgar jokes made about the behavior of women or other races such as Jews.
Many have said that The Simpsons is not trash because it adds in a moral aspect to the show and South Park does not. I will agree that the Simpsons do provide morality to their show, and South Park does not for the most part. But why should South Park have to? The show is a comical cartoon for adults. If you don’t have your basic moral principles established by the time you’re an adult than I’m not sure what to say. I don’t think the fact South Park lacks moral principles is a reason to lessen the quality of the show. The Simpsons only provide basic moral concepts that a child might take into consideration, but for the most part that side of the show is over looked because it is so lightly put into the scheme of things.
I can’t argue that The Simpsons is cannon because its impact on the world’s pop culture is too great. But what I will argue is that South Park is of lesser quality then the Simpsons. I think both shows appeal to their different fan bases, which is why they are so popular.
stewie is cooler than bart! vote for Family Guy
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