Homer Simpson Marches on Washington
Description
A volume of enlightening essays on how TV shows, movies, and music can change hearts and minds. Amid all its frenetic humor, the long-running animated hit The Simpsons has often questioned what is culturally acceptable, wading into controversial subjects like gay rights, the war on terror, religion, and animal rights. This subtle form of political analysis is effective in changing opinions and attitudes on a large scale. Homer Simpson Marches on Washington explores the transformative power that enables popular culture to influence political agendas, frame the consciousness of audiences, and create profound shifts in values and ideals. To investigate the full spectrum of popular culture in a democratic society, editors Timothy M. Dale and Joseph J. Foy gather a top-notch team of scholars who use television shows such as Star Trek, The X-Files, All in the Family, The View, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report, as well as movies and popular music, to investigate contemporary issues in American popular culture.
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Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction. Tuning in to Democratic Dissent: Oppositional Messaging in Popular Culture
- Part 1. Popular Culture as Public Space
- 1. The Revolution Is Being Televised: The Case for Popular Culture as Public Sphere
- 2. The Daily Show and the Politics of Truth
- 3. Mr. Smith Goes to the Movies: Images of Dissent in American Cinema
- 4. The Truth Is Still Out There: The X-Files and 9/11
- Part 2. Popular Culture and Oppositional Narratives
- 5. Unpacking the House: Images of Heroism against the Regulatory State
- 6. "I Learned Prison Is a Bad Place to Be": 25th Hour and Reimagining Incarceration
- 7. Riveted to Rosie: O'Donnell's Queer Politics and Controversial Antics on ABC's The View
- 8. "Gabbin' about God": Religion, Secularity, and Satire on The Simpsons
- 9. It Came from Planet Earth: Eco-Horror and the Politics of Postenvironmentalism in The Happening
- Part 3. Popular Culture and the Dynamics of Dissent and Social Change
- 10. Raising the Red Flag: Culture, Labor, and the Left, 1880-1920
- 11. Iraq Is Arabic for Vietnam: The Evolution of Protest Songs in Popular Music from Vietnam to Iraq
- 12. Hip-Hop and Representin': Power, Voice, and Identity
- 13. "Things in This Country Are Gonna Change Pretty Fast": Dissent, Mobilization, and the Politics of Jericho
- 14. It's Not Funny 'Cause It's True: The Mainstream Media's Response to Media Satire in the Bush Years
- 15. Gender, the Final Frontier: Revisiting Star Trek: The Next Generation
- List of Contributors
- Index
- Back Cover
