There are quite a few episodes of the Simpsons that profess a loyalty to ideology which is found in almost all media. One of those episodes is in the episode entitled “The Ned-Liest Catch”.
In “The Ned-Liest Catch” Flanders is newly single. This episode calls dominant American ideological assumptions into question because of the event of Flanders dating soon after his wife passes away. Central American ideological assumptions that come into play are the assumption that a person must be able to handle any event with a grain of salt and be able to move on from that experience quickly, regardless of what the situation entails. Flanders seemed to be seeking love and acting out for the interest of his friends, the Simpsons, rather than truly taking the time to mourn his wife. Another way that “The Ned-Liest Catch” calls dominant American ideological assumptions is through the use of the viewers. This episode of The Simpsons provided a cliffhanger for the audience concerning whether or not Ned should or should not pursue his budding relationship with the woman he just met after his wife’s death. After the episode, viewers had the opportunity to go on The Simpsons’ actual website and vote for the whether or not Ned should continue his romantic pursuit. According to Vessey, “…people act out of interest rather than out of principle…” (128). Most people that participated in the poll were not concerned for what Flanders needed, which is time to heal after his loss, they voted to see what could possibly transpire between Flanders and his new lady; but of course it is just a cartoon. Although The Simpsons is just a cartoon, the series still provides a touch of realism, helping viewers to reassess their own ideological views and further providing the writers of the show with more material for future episodes, reestablishing ideological opinions in a never-ending process.
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Furthermore, ideological assumptions that emerge from any episode of The Simpsons help to stimulate more of what Wallace presumed all along, which is that ideology preserves social power, and allows the characters on The Simpsons and the viewers of the show to be swayed by what is presumed to be normal acts and behavior within a given situation.
- Vessey, D. (2001). The simpsons and philosophy: The d\. (Vol. 02, p. 128). Chicago, IL: Open Court.
