Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture [Hardcover]

Joseph Foy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2008

The modern landscape of American entertainment is filled with commentary on the state of the union. Many people now get their news from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report instead of Fox or CNN, and satirical political films such as Bulworth and Wag the Dog resonate with audiences and reviewers alike. The cartoon sitcom The Simpsons has used American politics to shape its plotlines since its debut in 1989, and many Americans view the current war on terror through the eyes of Jack Bauer, the fictional hero of the controversial action show 24. Politics has always influenced entertainment, and Americans increasingly use popular culture to make sense of the U.S. political system and current debates. There is, however, another facet to the relationship between politics and popular culture: education. Exposure to political ideas through television, film, and music generates interest and increases knowledge among viewers and listeners. The presentation of political ideas in popular media often begins a dialogue through which citizens develop opinions about and interest in political ideas. The resulting discussions of politics and civic life have a significant value as a means to educate Americans about their government. In Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture, Joseph J. Foy and other contributing scholars offer a variety of perspectives on politics through the framework of popular culture. From the classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to the cutting-edge television program Chappelle's Show, the authors use a wide spectrum of entertainment media to explain the complexities of U.S. politics and how audiences engage them. The authors not only explain fundamental concepts such as civil rights, democracy, and ethics but also examine common assumptions about government and explore the use of controversial ideas in entertainment. Jennifer J. Hora uses The West Wing to introduce the heroic-president model of executive leadership, and Dean A. Kowalski presents V for Vendetta as a vehicle for understanding American political thought. Other essays test the impact of entertainment news on political knowledge and investigate the presentation of broadcast news in film to determine how well the media serves the people. The book also looks at folk music's ability to popularize protest and offers an insightful commentary on social movements in U.S. history. Popular culture and politics have never been so intertwined in the American consciousness as they are today, with films, television shows, and songs contributing to the debate over the promises versus the realities of democracy. As political knowledge becomes increasingly valuable, Homer Simpson Goes to Washington explains how popular culture can actually help connect people to their government.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this informative and entertaining essay collection, Foy largely succeeds at breaking down the artificial barriers between American politics and popular culture. Referencing films, television programs and other forms of mass entertainment—from Bob Dylan song lyrics to Dave Chappelle's show—as a lens through which to view abstract political ideas and teachings, each chapter breaks down a specific aspect of American government. Particularly illuminating are the essays distilling Hobbes and Locke's social contract theory through the dystopian eye of the Wachowski brothers' V for Vendetta and the world of political lobbying through Jason Reitman's satire Thank You for Smoking. For every fresh insight, however, there exists a simplistic summary of an overly examined film—Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, for example—that dulls the collection, as do the essays that only peripherally link entertainment subjects to their intended ideas. Overall, however, Foy has compiled an energetic assortment of analyses that convincingly argue that an interest in popular culture can counterbalance the growing tide of political apathy in the United States. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

""This book collects interesting and illuminating commentaries on the relationships between popular culture and politics, and shows that popular culture can in fact provide pathways to discussion and better understanding of political phenomena."--Timothy M. Dale, coauthor of Political Thinking, Political Theory, and Civil Society" --

""This book offers a wide-ranging set of essays that document the vitality of American popular culture and its continuing relevance to our understanding of American politics. Looking at everything from movies and television to popular music and folk songs, the contributors explore the intersection of and the interaction between culture and politics in the modern American media."--Paul A. Cantor, author of Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization" --

""In this informative and entertaining essay collection, Foy largely succeeds at breaking down the 'artificial barriers' between American politics and popular culture.""Foy has compiled an energetic assortment of analyses that convincingly argue that an interest in popular culture can counterbalance the growing tide of political apathy in the United States."--Publishers Weekly" --

""In a society where more people are interested in voting for their favorite American idol than their next president, it is essential to have increasingly more literature and entertainment that is both interesting and educational."Jon Morris, The Forum" --

""Homer Simpson Goes to Washington accentuates the positives of what used to be called "low culture."-- Thomas Allen Heald, The Rapid City Weekly News" --

""The text would make an excellent supplement or resource in any number of popular culture and similar courses. Highly recommended."--Choice" --

""Homer Simpson Goes to Washington as a study of popular culture, as a barometer, disseminator and replicator of values and ideas is a useful and important exercise."--Megan Yarrow, MCreviews" --

""Will entice readers -- an audience of political science scholars, popular culture critics, and the average citizen looking to bridge the gap between the reality and the ideal of America."--Journal of Popular Culture" --

""Maybe those people who get all of their political news from The Daily Show aren't so far off track."--Politics" --

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky; 1 edition (August 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081312512X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813125121
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something fun for everyone, August 19, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Kiester (Logan UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture (Hardcover)

As a person about to re-enter the world of academia in the pursuit of a masters degree in political sociology, I picked up this book as a means of refreshing the basics. The title intrigued me as a fan of Jimmy Stewart and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I hold a BA in both political science and sociology, and loved every minute of it!
I find that this collection of works would be well suited to many disciplines; be it political science, sociology, communications, or journalism. Each element of the political process is covered, from the offical institutions (executive, legislative, & judicairy) to the unoffical (media, lobbyists, and interest groups). Sources are as diverse as Democracy in America, The Federalist Papers, The Colbert Report, and of course, The Simpsons. As the first reviewer also noted, there is no need to be familiar with any or all of the "pop culture" references, because each author uses simple explanations and day-to-day analogies.
Homer Simpson Goes to Washington is a perfect example of its own thesis; a combination of education and entertainment!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Way to Learn More About Entertainment & Government, August 17, 2008

By 

Angele D. Mott Nickerson (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture (Hardcover)

I purchased "Homer Simpson Goes To Washington" on the recommendation of a friend and I am very pleased that I did so. While I studied politics in college it has been a few years so the book was like a fun refresher course on media and government. There is no denying the two topics are linked and the goal of this book is to show that the connection has a positive place in our democratic society.

The book is written in essay form by multiple authors which makes you feel as if you are receiving the highlights of each author's knowledge. As with all books, some sections really stand out though the book as a whole reads very well. It of course makes liberal use of references to popular television shows, news shows, music and movies. I would be lying if I said I recognized all the references made to `pop culture' however the many authors did a great job of always getting their point across. Not once did I feel I missed the knowledge they were trying to share just because I had never watched the TV show or movie.

All and all this is a great book that covers an interesting and timely topic. It is not so overly intellectual that it talks down to the reader or makes you feel as if you are missing the point of the author's arguments. While the majority of people will talk about the melting of politics and entertainment (for good and bad depending on your view) this book provides actual, documented proof of how the general population is exposed everyday to this phenomenon. The fact of the mater is most people are moved in someway by the shows they watch and the music they listen to. We know our environments influence us so we should try to more deeply understand what those forces are and how they can change us. I know I will watch a little more closely movies and TV shows that mix politics into their storylines and one-liners. It is not a negative that entertainment teaches people, after all as "Homer Simpson Goes To Washington" points out laughter can be a great teacher and the starting point to very serious conversations about our government.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining Primer on American Politics, August 6, 2008

By 

William Peate "PoliticsGuy" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture (Hardcover)

This book contains an interesting and entertaining collection of essays that attempt to explore core concepts and questions in American government and politics through popular culture artifacts like "The Simpsons", "Chappelle's Show", "V for Vendetta", "Thank You for Smoking", "24", "The Daily Show" and more. Each chapter focuses on a particular element of politics ranging from political thought and culture to the presidency and Congress to ethical questions surrounding "enhanced interrogation techniques," and explains that using familiar examples from politically relevant shows, movies and music. The book got a good review from Publisher's Weekly and The New York Post, so I thought I would check it out. I was not disappointed. Although written by scholars in political science, philosophy, music, English, the law, history and cultural studies, this book is designed to be accessible to a casual observer of politics (or fans who are looking to thinking about their favorites tv shows or movies in a different light). Each author is mostly successful at achieving this goal, which makes this a good entrance into the study of American government and politics. Some of the more interesting issues raised were competing versions of the American dream as shown in The Simpsons, foundations for American political thought and the Declaration of Independence through "V for Vendetta," heroic images of the presidency in "The West Wing," racial and economic biases in the legal system using "Chappelle's Show," and critiques of pluralist democracy and interest group politics using the political satire "Thank You for Smoking." Readers may not be enthusiastic about every chapter contained in this book, but there is certainly enough there to keep almost anyone who has an interest in politics happy.