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HUM 100 Project 1 Artifact Chart
Although you will work on various assignments throughout the course to support you in
completing this assignment, this project is not due until Week 6.
Artifact
What is your chosen
artifact
? Include a link
to or a picture of the artifact.
The Simpsons
S9 E14**
The Joy of Sect
Original Air Date:
February 8
th
, 1998
[ CITATION Kam20 \l 1033 ]
I.
Describe the artifact
in detail. For
instance, how would you describe it to
someone who could not see it?
Episode 14 of Season 9 of
The
Simpsons
is titled
The Joy of Sect
. In
this episode, we begin at Springfield
International Airport where Homer and
Bart Simpson meet two members of the
religious group “The Movementarians”
who invite Homer to a free weekend
retreat. Homer agrees but only with the
intention of taking advantage of a
charity. While at the retreat, The
Movementarians attempt to brainwash
the members of Springfield by forcing
them to watch religious propaganda,
wearing them down with poor
nutrition, and by influence of group
mentality. The citizens of Springfield
fall into the movement and give up all
their possessions to the leader and
move to the group’s compound. While
most of Springfield is pro-leader,
Marge is not. She concocts a plan with
Reverend Lovejoy, her neighbor Ned
Flanders, and Groundskeeper Willie to
save her husband and children from the
grasp of the Movementarians. They
kidnap Homer and the kids by
impersonating the leader and
reintroduce Homer to beer right before
the Movementarians lawyers rush in to
stop them. Homer goes back to the sect
willingly. However, this time his
intention is to expose the leader as a
fraud by revealing that there is no
spaceship in the barn to take them to
Blisstopia. When Homer opens the
barn door, a spaceship flies out and
**this episode also shows up as episode 14
depending on what source you use.
Wikipedia says it is episode 13, but Disney+
says it is episode 14
tells Homer he ruined the group’s
chances of eternal bliss. At that
moment, the spaceship falls apart
exposing the group’s Leader on a
makeshift flying machine with money
bags tied to it. He flies away only to
crash on Cletus’s front porch, where
the leader asks
Cletus if he is looking
for a messiah, Cletus answers “No, but
I’ll take those bags of money.” The
show ends with the Simpson family
back at their house where they are
watching
Fox
and robotically repeat
after the announcer “We are watching
Fox”.
II.
Choose
elements of the artifact
that you believe are most important to how you
experience it and explain why. For instance, what particularly catches your senses or
makes you want to keep experiencing it? Does the choice of medium impact your
experience?
The Simpsons
is experienced both aurally and visually
.
The Simpsons
is an animated
television series that parodies the everyday life of Americans
. The main characters are
yellow, and the wife, Marge, has a blue beehive hairdo. While this series is primarily
focused on one family and their antics, it wouldn’t be the same without the existence of
its supporting characters. Such as Religious Neighbor Ned Flanders, Town Drunk
Barney, Evil Millionaire Mr. Burns, Indian Immigrant Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu, and
the list goes on. Each character represents different cultures in the American Society.
During times of stress, it’s important to be able to laugh, and the creators of
The
Simpsons
give their audience a comedic release on some serious topics. For example,
in this episode they put a comedic twist on how cults entrap followers by means of
brainwashing, propaganda, and threat of alienation. When it comes to experiencing
The
Simpsons
aurally, the creators use a number of sound effects to portray what is
happening in the show. From the beginning we hear chalk on a chalk board and a
school bell, a number of vehicle sounds (doors opening, horns, revving gas, etc.) and
the all too famous Simpsons tune “do do do do do dodo dodo dodo”. The creatures also
use a number of sounds throughout the show from food being eaten to riots breaking
out to group chants such as “Na Na Na Na Leader.”
I believe that if
The Simpsons
were not an animated television show it would impact
my experience. I don’t think the creators could have portrayed the series the same if it
were a book or live action show. If it were a literary piece, such as a comic book, the
audience would be able to get the satire and the visualization aspects of the series.
However, they would not get the personalities portrayed by the characters through their
voices and actions. If it were a live action show, I believe a lot of their satire would not
come across to the audience as well. We think nothing of an animated series portraying
characters in unsavory ways, we find it funny and we joke about how that would never
happen in real life. However, seeing a real life infant or toddler shoot an elderly person
[ CITATION GTE18 \l 1033 ]
or a boy being choked by his alcoholic father
[ CITATION Met20 \l 1033 ] would not come across as comedy, and would change the
feel of the show as a whole.
Assumptions about your artifact
III.
State your opinion on what you believe is the
purpose
of this artifact
and the
success of the creator in achieving the purpose. For instance, what message do you
believe the creator is trying to express, and is that message successfully
expressed?
In my opinion, the purpose of this artifact was to poke fun at the ridiculousness of
religious cults and their followers’ undying loyalty. I think “The Joy of Sect” did a
great job at showing the viewer the simple ways cults like scientology brainwash
and often entrap their members, such as: forcing religious propaganda, spreading
unfounded “facts”, breaking down their self-esteem, etc. At the end of the episode,
Homer shares with the Springfield citizens that the leader is a fraud who is
stealing their money for his own gain. To me this is a perfect example of how cults
work. They find influential people who are looking for something to believe in,
brainwash them, and use them for their own gain.
IV.
Discuss how the artifact
reflects the culture
(or context) in which it exists. Be
sure to address what aspects of culture have relevance for this artifact: politics,
history, religion, social perceptions, technology, media, education, and so on. In
other words, how do the artifact and its culture interrelate? For instance, how
would a particular form of body modification reflect the urban culture in which
you encountered it?
While this episode originally aired in February 1998, it still reflects parts of our
culture today. This episode was influenced by religious cults such as Scientology,
Heaven’s Gate, and the Unification Church[ CITATION Wik201 \l 1033 ]. With
the vast array of information available at our fingertips nowadays, many people
are becoming increasingly aware of cults passing themselves off as a religion such
as Scientology. Leah Remini’s television show
Leah Remini: Scientology and the
Aftermath
is a good example of the extremes this particular cult will go to just to
keep their secrets and their members[ CITATION Lat18 \l 1033 ]. This episode is
reflective of the Scientology culture and how the church of Scientology entraps
their members by signing billion-year contracts. This episode brings to light the
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fact cults are a scam, that they don’t hold any ground and you are not going to find
sanctuary on a distant home planet.
V.
Use the artifact to discuss how acts of creative expression
impact
and are
impacted by the people and situations that surround it. How might the artifact and
the person who created it have impacted each other? For instance, how might the
geographic location where the artifact was made, the materials used to create the
artifact, the medium of the creative process, or the environment where the artifact
is displayed influence the creator’s life or future creative work? How might the
artifact and the culture or context in which it was created have impacted each
other? For instance, does the artifact add to the understanding of the culture from
which it was created? What contributions does it make to continuing on a dialogue
about that culture and the importance of its artifacts?
The Simpsons in general, not just this episode, have had a HUGE impact on the
creative future of adult animation. At the time of its creation, it was expensive to
create animated shows for primetime making it a lone contender. Adult animation
wasn’t really a thing; the last successful prime time animated show was
Wait till
Your Father Gets Home
in the 1970’s[CITATION Wik202 \l 1033 ]. However,
with the success received over the last 32 seasons, it has opened doors for many
other creators to develop other adult animation shows. Shows such as
King of the
Hill
,
South Park
,
Family Guy
, and
American Dad
all got the starts because Matt
Groening came up with a good idea for a show at a moment’s notice. The
Simpsons made it okay for an animated show to produce adult humor. Seth
MacFarlane, creator of
Family Guy
, is quoted as saying “
The Simpsons
created an
audience for prime-time animation that had not been there for many, many
years ... As far as I'm concerned, they basically re-invented the wheel. They
created what is in many ways—you could classify it as—a wholly new
medium"[ CITATION Wik202 \l 1033 ].
VI.
Questions: Pose questions
you have after thinking deeply about this artifact.
What more do you want to know regarding:
A.
The relationship between human
culture and expression
B.
Question 1: In regard to the specified episode, at the time this episode was created, what
was happening that made the creators focus on cults? Was it just curiosity? Was it
personal? Why did they primarily focus on, what I perceive to be, Scientology?
Question 2: In regard to
The Simpsons
in general, did the creator ever think that this show
would have such an impact on audiences in a way that its been on for over 30 years? Did
he think this show would ever jump generation gaps when he came up with it?
C.
Your
personal assumptions
about artifacts of this sort and why they exist
D.
Question 1: Why do I like
The Simpsons
more than similar shows like
Family Guy
or
American Dad
? Is it because I watched it as a child and have found memories of it?
Question 2: Why do I assume that artifacts of this sort have to be comedic in order to be
successful?
C. How
your
values
have shaped and are shaped by your expression and that of others
Question 1: After watching this show as a child, how has it shaped my values as an adult?
How has it shaped how I express myself in life?
Question 2: How do shows such as
The Simpsons
shape the values of others? Do others
express themselves with humor when they are in a tough spot in life?
E.
The relationship between the possible
intent
of the creator and your own
interpretation
of its meaning
F.
Question 1: Did creating this episode shed light on cults such as scientology or did the
American people just pass it all off as satire? Did the creator intend to call out scientology
as a fraud?
Question 2: What was the intent of having the Leader crash on Cletus’ land? Was it just to
rub the Leaders face in the fact that he was found out?
VII.
Speculate on how you would go about
answering
these questions
. For instance,
what sorts of things would you study about these kinds of artifacts and their
contexts that might begin addressing these questions?
culture and expression
I would first start by researching what was happening with Scientology in the
news during 1997-1998 in order to get an idea of whether it was a snub at the cult
as a result of their presence in the news or media or if it were a personal attack
brought on by the cult and the creator of the show.
I would then look up any interviews done by Matt Groening in regard to creating
The Simpsons
and see if that explains what his intent and hopes for the show are.
Interviews from the start of the show to the present can give me insight on what
his thoughts were at the beginning and how they have changed through the years.
personal assumptions
If I am being honest, I think these are question’s that I may not be able to get clear
answers to. I can evaluate what I like about
The Simpsons
and what I don’t like, as
well as what I like about similar artifacts and don’t like. It could just be a comedic
choice preference. For example, I think
The Simpsons
father Homer is an idiot, but
he is a good father and has a caring heart, at the end of the day he has his family’s
best interest in sight. As opposed to
Family Guys
father Peter Griffin, who lacks
brain cells, is a town drunk, quite possibly mildly disabled. He treats his kids like
after thoughts and his jokes aren’t really funny. I think I just answered this
question.
your
values
I could begin to answer these questions, or find answers, by researching studies
done on the effects of exposure to shows such as this at an early age, and how they
effect the developing brains of children.
Intent and interpretation
Regarding question 1, I think this would be done again by researching the creator
and the times this show was created in.
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References
Entertainment, G. (2018, April 25).
The Simpsons- Mr burns is shot + Shooter Revealed [Video]
.
Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/FiI4Blte0ic
Kamp Krusty. (n.d.).
Episode 13: The Joy of Sect
. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from Kamp
Krusty: http://www.kampkrusty.altervista.org/img/Seasons/S09E13_01.png
Scar, M. (2020, May 4).
The Simpsons: Funniest Homer Strangling Bart Moments [Video]
.
Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/kzdvidaqw4Y
Trailers, L. (2018, December 18).
Leah Remini Scientology and the Aftermath 2016 New Trailer
HD
. Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/KJ2TBAp86IM
Wikipedia Contributors. (2020, November 23).
The Joy of Sect
. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Joy_of_Sect&oldid=990245509
Wikipedia Contributors. (2020, December 2).
The Simpsons
. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=The_Simpsons&id=991838175&wpFormIdentifier=tit
leform