The Uses of Religious Stereotypes on Television - Essay Example

October 13, Evangelical Stereotype The Simpson’s satirically depict the evangelical Ned Flanders together with his wife named Maude and their two children Todd and Rod. In this work the Simpson’s satirically address the way religion has been perceived and the possible things that could be running up the clergy’s mind in his challenge of bringing people closer to the Kingdom of God. They cite such claims as the work of the courts which he flaws for trying to keep the children with the morals and the codes set by the constitution or the laws governing the land where as the only good thing that he claims they can do is to advice women on what to do with their bodies. This critique of the judicial system is categorical and common yet satirically depicted to show the claims made by the evangelical man. They brings out the religious flaws in yet another satirical explanation by showing some of the proposals that Ned Flanders could make such as saying that children should be forced to pray and praying for the power to torture people and make them start praying. This appears funny as it seems no clergy can make such prayers or propose such weird concerns yet it appears to depict how the same is done in the society. In this work Ned is depicted as the evangelical stereotype and he is used to show how people who de the religious work can make weird decisions or criticize the systems that are already created in the land. The Simpson’s through the cartoon theatrics play an important role in the society as a critic of various systems that are affecting the lives of the people. Through their well-researched topics which include political and religious pieces they are able to address different situations by adding a pinch of humour and make the whole idea appear less serious. However, looking keenly at the way they address the evangelical stereotype and using Ned and his family to show how a person who is a preacher heads his family and interacts with other members of the society, it is clear that they need to be taken seriously. According to Lewis (2002), the humour depicted in the work is used to hammer the points and ideas less seriously and satirize its subjects thereby revealing the hypocrisy that is depicted through the individual characters in the work. This is a good way of representing the American religious life that has been accused on various occasions of harbouring hypocrisy and having players who are misleading the people or advocating for unrealistic ideologies which are subscribed to by their naïve followers. Therefore the humour used by the Simpson’s in addressing the issue plays a positive role in bringing out the worst practices that go unnoticed in the American religious field. Another idea that need to be critically addressed is the way the Simpson’s use satire to prove that the religious ideas being taught or spread are foolish and with time it is evident that science will overtake such and change the whole world in an amicable manner. The television series represents the real religious society. Though a bit exaggerated, the characters are real stereotypes of their counter parts in the society. For a long time, people have feared to question religion due to the fear that they may encounter the wrath of the Supreme Being in Christianity being God. Over the years, religious leaders and evangelists have banked in that knowledge to instil fear into the people and in the meantime advocate for the ideologies that will further keep the people in fear as they reap big from the set up (Feltmate, 2013). However, science has played a big role to emancipate the people from religious slavery and give them the power to think independently and question the systems that they feel are not following the correct codes or are advocating for unreasonable policies. I therefore back the way the Simpson’s use satire to address the issue. Though not exactly like Ned, such individuals are present in the society. It is common seeing the religious people making some rigid and less researched decisions in serious matters and criticizing the systems that have been developed. An example is criticizing the judicial system and claiming it cannot correct the ways of the youth yet the only work it is accomplishing successfully is advocating for the rights of women and saying how they should handle their bodies. Though it does not happen exactly that way in real life, it has been seen in various occasions the clergies criticizing how the courts handle different matters that relate to national issues such as justice and security. Ned Flanders represent the religious extremists in the society. Many people who preach the wok are religious radicals who are so resistant to change. They can be depicted by the way they try to conserve the old ways that were used in the land or becoming resistant to anything that they feel is not in line with what they think is right. Such people lead miserable lives starting from the way they run their families to the way they handle the church. This can be seen in this work in the way the television series show how Ned, his wife and two children relate with each other and the suspicion that thrives there in. The religious traditions have been criticized in many forums by the way they address serious issues affecting the people and being insensitive in addressing the fears the people have. On the contrary, they have been in the fore front in inflicting more fear and pushing the people to subscribe to oppressive ideologies without having the power or audacity to ask anything. This must be one of the motivating factors that made the script writers chose to do such kind of work. According to Alberti (2004), the way the traditional religious set up fails to articulate with other systems such as the political set up and the judicial system must have been a motivating factor and a burning issue needing to addressed categorically. However, due to the sensitivity of the issue and wanting to maintain the integrity of the show they have to cover the whole topic in a satirical way but address all the issues that need to be addressed without causing more strife between the parties involved. The religious traditions should not be immune to criticism as long as it is positive criticism (Arbuckle, 2008). As well as they also play a part in criticizing other system, they should also be subjected to the same criticism. Over the years, they have been criticized in the way they address issues but very few people have been able to surface strongly and make the claims substantial. This television series therefore plays a very important role in this. It should be noted that there is a difference between positive criticism and ridicule. If the latter is done, it may cause strife among different parties and this calls for a better strategy while addressing the issue. This is the main reason why the Simpson’s use satire and humour while addressing the issue. Conclusion Literature plays an important role in the society. It is through it that different messages are delivered to the people and therefore play a role in shaping the society. Different situations call for different devices in literature to be addressed effectively. The Simpson’s uses satire and humour to address the issue of traditional religion and they successfully bring out it’s set up in a well-crafted familial set up that later include the societal interactions. This shows the way literature should be in shaping the direction a society take sin various situations. Works Cited Alberti, John. Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Detroit: MI, Wayne State University Press, 2004. Print. Arbuckle, Gerald. Laughing with God: Humor, Culture, and Transformation. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008. Print. Feltmate, David. It’s Funny Because It’s True? The Simpsons, Satire, and the Significance of Religious Humor in Popular Culture. Journal of American Academy of Religion, 81(1), March, 2013. Print. Read More