Homer Simpson Explains our Postmodern Identity crisis, Whether we Like it or not: Media Literacy after “The Simpsons” (original) (raw)

This article suggests that "The Simpsons" is a sophisticated media text about media that forces educators who teach media literacy into an encounter with postmodern theory. The meaning of postmodern theory for media education is explored through a focus on two ongoing themes in "The Simpsons": the changing conception of personal identity and the consequences of a relentlessly ironic worldview. Icons of popular culture can be used to teach about philosophical constructs. From its inception "The Simpsons" has posed a significant challenge to educators. The program, which ridiculed all forms of authority and turned Bart Simpson into a wildly popular anti-hero, initially provoked an intense reaction from the education community, in some schools leading to the banning of paraphernalia bearing Bart's images and regular denunciations of the series. As the series grew in popularity-and eventually was joined by other cartoon series that were seen to be even more educationally offensive, such as "Beavis and Butthead" and "South Park"-the furor died down to a ongoing but passive hostility toward the program, at least in the classroom.