The Simpsons

For over ten years the animated suburban satire The Simpson's has captivated American families of all races, ages, and ethnicity. Viewers are attracted to The Simpson's because the show represents an exaggerated form of themselves and their own reality. The Simpson's half hour television sitcom does not have a great deal of time to develop characters so must rely on commonly understood attitudes about types of people and their motivations. (Common Culture, 2nd Edition, Berger, page 243) Homer Jay Simpson is the patriarch of the Simpson household, a thirty-eight year old safety inspector at Springfield's local nuclear power plant. Homer's wife Marge is a thirty-four year old homemaker. Together they have three children. Bartholomew Jo-Jo "Bart", their eldest child, is an incredibly mischievous fourth grader. Lisa Marie is the overlooked middle child, an eight-year-old second grader who excels in both academics and music. One year old Margaret, "Maggie" Simpson is the silent youngest child who is addicted to per pacifier.…