The Nineties in America - Salem Press (2009)

lampoon news topics, such as President Bill Clin-
ton’s well-publicized affair with Monica Lewinsky,
the grunge rock movement and Lollapalooza, as
well as the dot-com boom. These kinds of popular
culture motifs typically do not take center stage but
rather appear as subtle elements of story lines involv-
ing the central characters. For example, Bill Clinton
often appears inThe Simpsonsas a lusty and shame-
less womanizer, Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic
Youth make appearances as part of the Hullabalooza
festival Homer joins as part of the sideshow, and
Homer attempts to start his own Internet business,
only to be thwarted, mob-style, by Bill Gates himself.
Unlike the satirical depictions of American cul-
ture on a show likeSaturday Night Live,The Simpsons
not only criticized but also paradoxically became
American culture. Merchandise touting phrases
such as “Eat my shorts” and “I’m Bart Simpson. Who
the hell are you?” made these taglines common
property to the point of cliché, and Homer’s an-
noyed grunt of “D’oh!” eventually became so ubiqui-
tous that theOxford English Dictionar yincluded it as a
word in its own right.

Impact The influence ofThe Simpsonsis immeasur-
able. The success of the show created a new category
of animated television programs aimed at adult au-
diences and is cited as directly influential in the cre-
ation of such other Fox series asKing of the Hill,Fam-
ily Guy, andAmerican Dad!as well as the Comedy
Central hitSouth Park, to name but a few.

Further Reading
Alberti, John, ed.Leaving Springfield: “The Simpsons”
and the Possibilities of Oppositional Culture. Detroit:
Wayne State University Press, 2004. A collection
of essays of cultural criticism, the basic premise of
which examines the conflict between the show’s
parody of American consumerism and the show’s
simultaneous complicity in this state of affairs.
Episodes are discussed at length and in a variety
of academically appropriate critical approaches.
Cantor, Paul A. “The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and
the Nuclear Family.”Political Theor y27, no. 6 (De-
cember, 1999): 734. CoversThe Simpsonsin terms
of its links to previous family sitcoms and the ways
in which the edgy series comments on the state of
the American family in light of idealistic nuclear
families such as that onLeave It to Beaver.
Irwin, William.“The Simpsons” and Philosophy: The
D’oh! of Homer. Chicago: Open Court, 2001. A col-

lection of eighteen essays centered on philosoph-

ical theory—from Aristotle to Friedrich Nietz-

sche and beyond—applied to the series. The

various articles are funny, scholarly, and thought-

provoking.

Pinsky, Mark I.The Gospel According to “The Simp-

sons”: The Spiritual Life of the World’s Most Animated

Family. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox

Press, 2001. Examines in a comical manner the

various levels of spiritual and religious motifs of

the show.

Turner, Chris.Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Master-

piece Defined a Generation. Cambridge, Mass.: Da

Capo Press, 2004. Turner’s text, while perhaps

not scholarly in nature, is a whole lot of fun, exam-

ining the series to such an extent that fans and

would-be fans alike will be able to follow the en-

tertaining premise of this book.

Christina C. Angel

See also Cable television; Comedians; Comic

strips;South Park; Television; TV Parental Guidelines

system.

 Slang and slogans

Definition Informal, or nonstandard, language

particular to a subculture and short, catchy

phrases used as expression of identity,

branding, or advertisement

During the 1990’s, the slang and slogans characterized not

only the culture but the decade, the vernacular typifying so-

cial, commercial, and technological influences.

As informal, euphemistic, and even vituperative ver-

nacular, 1990’s slang was a result of and a contribu-

tor to the culture in general and dominant subcul-

tures in particular. Taking power over standard

language, people coined new phrases, words, and

terms. To perpetuate the trend and/or to profit

from it, just as many others outside the group origi-

nating the slang borrowed from the uniquely

formed nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and other

parts of speech now turned slang and subsequently

turned slogan. Some language, breaking with con-

vention, was colloquial. Some was euphemistic.

Some was borderline abusive, treading the lines be-

tween legitimate and taboo.

The Nineties in America Slang and slogans
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