Conclusion

The Simpsons is well known for its satire. In this episode, as I predicted, Homer is satirized much more than Marge. My findings illustrate that 80% of satirical blunders are committed by Homer Simpson while Marge Simpson is only responsible for 20%. Both Homer and Marge do very few things successfully, with a total sum of 4 counts only. Within this figure, Marge does 75% of things right, while Homer only successfully does 25%.

Are we able to state that watching The Simpsons is active or passive? Understanding television seems to be very easy, but in reality it is a very complex process. Grossberg states that "People are interpreting what they see and hear all of the time, but they usually take their interpretations, and the ways they arrived at them, for granted" (Grossberg 1998). The messages in the Simpsons are not messages that can be taken for granted. It is necessary for viewers to think about what is being satirized.

The fact that the Simpson family has been satirized means they have been compared or projected under a certain value. In order to understand this satire, we have to be able to identify the value system and interpret the meanings from it. Herrmann says, "we have all grown up learning to interpret the conventions of television in order to put a meaning to the images shown". He further states that "If we would not have learnt to 'read' television, we could not understand it" (Herrmann).

In The Simpsons, the man has been presented as being more stupid than the woman; he has been more highly satirized. This is intentionally set up by the show’s producers; we are intended to see Homer as an idiot and most of us do that. If viewers notice this 'setup', then it is because they have learned the conventions of television and are able to interpret the message accurately. We constantly have to refer to our knowledge and experiences both in the reality and in the television world.

To understand satire, we have to have a certain level of culture and social knowledge, as well as knowledge of television conventions, in order to decode and interpret the television medium. Even first time viewers will notice that, "The Simpsons" are a family that is extremely unusual and unlike any families that we have ever known. This is a comparison of television conventions with the real world social norms. Therefore, people watching "The Simpsons" who have noticed the satire and the setup of this unusual family can be identified as active viewers, proving Herrmann's thesis correct.

Tsung (Michael) Hsieh

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