582 ChaPter^11
Century, that kind of television dialogue became increasingly popular as the
country was beset by political and economic problems at an alarming rate.
Popular culture began to reflect the pessimism and darkness of Afghanistan, Iraq,
and economic crisis. Hollywood, rather than showcasing the traditional hero—
John Wayne’s western characters, Jack Ryan’s Cold War thrillers, Jack Bauer in
24 , Indiana Jones, of course James Bond—featured the darker side of life.
Americans saw on screen, both big and small, characters who did not ride in to
save the day, but instead were conflicted men and women who did what they
could, often with mixed results. The message was clear: America was not only
fallible, but maybe even fading. Power, cultural and material, had its limits.
Popular culture, as we have seen many times, often reflects the realities, and
problems, of American society. In the past generation, 4 shows in particular
have been wildly popular not just for their entertainment value, but because
they spoke to larger issues of culture, economic, and politics. Though satirists
on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were explicitly critical of politicians
and celebrities, they did not have the same sharp impact as The Simpsons, The
Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. Collectively, those shows have told us
about, and exposed us to, some of the more troubling aspects of American life.
The Simpsons debuted in the late 1980s, first as shorts on another show, and then
with their own series starting in 1989. Behind the antics and comedy of the
dysfunctional Simpson family and their friends in Springfield [the state has always
been in question] lay some of the most subversive topics and dialogue ever
witnessed on the small screen. The entire family symbolized certain types of
people: Homer, the “everyman” dad who was short on brains but had an incred-
ible series of adventures: astronaut, bootlegger, music star in a barbershop quar-
tet, food critic, and even geek in a “Lollapalooza” like music festival, stood out.
Amid Homer’s apparent stupidity was a sharp critique of what was hap-
pening in the U.S. that offered a marked contrast to the information, and
propaganda, one got from politicians and the media. In a culture where
people were increasingly drawn to the often-contrived positive thinking of
Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil, Joel Osteen and others, Homer saw through it and
told his son that “trying is the first step towards failure” and even encouraged
him to find ways to “weasel out” of obligations and responsibilities. Sometimes,
the politics was overt. Homer became, by freak coincidence of course, a sub-
marine commander and headed his boat toward Russia, reviving fears of Cold
War conflict. The local TV personality, Kent Brockman, an empty suit of the