Typical Family?

Gee, I hope not. But the Simpson family and all of the other residents of Springfield make us take a good, hard look at ourselves and wonder if we really come across that way. "The Simpsons" has the highest concentration of stereotypes of any show I have ever seen. Homer is the lazy dad, Bart's the bratty brother, Lisa the intellectual sister, Marge the down-to-earth mom, Abraham the cantankerous grandpa, and Maggie...well, she's just a baby. Beyond the Simpsons, there is Ned Flanders, the cheerful do-gooder with a family to match; Moe, the cranky bartender; Apu, the Indian corner store clerk; Willie, the Scottish janitor; Reverend Lovejoy, the hypocritical pastor; Mrs. Lovejoy, the town gossip; Jessica Lovejoy, the devilish pastor's kid; Edna Kerbopple, the disgruntled teacher; Seymour Skinner, the clueless principal; Barney, the town drunk; Nelson, the bully; Montgomery Burns, the Scroogish billionaire; Whalen Smithers, the... You get the picture.

Behind every bright yellow four-fingered character is a stereotype of a particular type of person. Though much of it is blown out of realistic proportions, it still is grounded in truth and offers a rather sobering look at our society. For the most part, "The Simpsons" does not paint a terribly flattering picture. At the same time, however, it manages to put some meaning in the lives of the harried, provincial characters. Some episodes have very good messages, once you get past the somewhat crude humor. For instance, the episode which reunited Krusty the Clown with his father, a rabbi. Or the one in which Maggie found Mr. Burns' teddy bear and returned it despite her growing attachment to it. Or when Bart prayed fervently for an extra day to study for a test and got it, then proceeded to squeak by with a D-. Nearly every episode says something worthwhile, though you sometimes have to look deep to find it. This is a cartoon geared more towards adults than children, but it's worth watching once in a while. It's a good show to watch as a family, especially with older kids, and maybe discuss later. There's a lot we could learn from it.