Genderama
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For any writer to bequeath their creative talents to a franchise such as the Fox Network's 'The Simpsons', one needs to possess "a healthy disrespect for everything Americans hold dear" (Scully in Chocano 2001). This rare characteristic is vital because of the dysfunctional, discomforting, and overall disrespectful nature of America's (and probably Australia's) favourite television family. Someone who obviously has no respect for anything dear to Americans is the series creator Matt Groening, who has been working with the Simpson family for over 15 years. In 1999, Groening launched a very 'Simpson-like' side project called 'Futurama' to give his creative genius some refreshment. The finished product tells the story of Fry, a pizza delivery boy who is accidentally transported into the future. Here in the year 2999, Fry meets many quirky characters and has a number of interesting experiences, many of which reference certain gender problems and stereotypes. In this essay, I will analyse two Futurama episodes ('Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love' and 'The Cyber House Rules') using concepts of family values, gender issues, the target audience, and how the episodes work within the conventions of genre and narrative.
The expression 'family values' can have a number of meanings. To some, it is just another term used for 'family morals'. For others, it is an idiom that causes the individual to feel like throwing up every time they hear the phrase!..