| Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture |  | Creators: Timothy M. Dale, Joseph J. Foy
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Category: Book
List Price: $32.50
Buy New: $23.66
as of 9/9/2010 07:57 CDT details
New (19) Used (5) from $23.66
Seller: ANGELFIRE
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 338,028
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 328
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0813125804
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.0973
EAN: 9780813125800
Publication Date: February 4, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780813125800 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
The Simpsons questions what is culturally acceptable, showcasing controversial issues like homosexuality, animal rights, the war on terror, and religion. 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 with Jon Stewart, and The Colbert Report, as well as movies and popular music, to investigate contemporary issues in American popular culture.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Homer does it again! May 14, 2010
Elizabeth Kiester (Logan UT USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love the "Homer" books for their diversity and ability to integrate so many topics! As social scientists, we need to understand how gender, religion, race, economics, mass media, pop culture and politics are all intertwined. Dale and Foy compile essays from experts of not only political science but English, history, American studies, communications, film and media studies, women's and gender studies and business. They then integrate familiar references to iconic classics like The Simpsons and Star Trek, while also appealing to the more individualistic stylings of Jericho and the hip hop of Dr Dre and Lil Wayne. Essays remain contemporary by including references to Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Very few books can cover the 1870 labor movement to Rosie O'Donnell's outspoken lifestyle choices, but this one does it well. There is something for everyone.
Foy states in the introduction that "pop culture becomes a medium for the expression of countervailing ideas in order to advance change and alter the public conversation." This book does just that. It helps promote discussions about the validity of public dissent displayed in pop culture, questions the role of 'legitimate' news sources, and provides new ways of thinking about democratic participation. "In political terms, popular culture is at its best when it provides not a chorus unanimously singing the praises of America and its values but lone voices raising the kinds of questions that must be asked if democracy is to continue to function."
Whether teaching political science, sociology, history, or anything in between, this reader is sure to keep this restless generation of high school and college students interested in learning! I can't wait to see what Homer will discover next!
 "Essential reading for anyone who believes that mass media can be effective in exposing the oppressive powers that be" April 10, 2010
C. Christopher Smith (Indianapolis)
[ This review originally appeared in
THE ENGLEWOOD REVIEW OF BOOKS - 30 March 2010 ]
Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent Through American Popular Culture is a fine follow-up to the earlier volume 2008's Homer Simpson Goes to Washington. In the book's introduction, editor Joseph Foy, gets to the heart of the book's purpose:
In the premiere episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert announces that the viewers of his show are "heroes" who know that "something must be done." He then pounds his fist on his C-shaped desk to inform them that they are doing something right now - they are "watching TV." His proclamation might be met with smirks, guffaws, and skepticism, but the authors of the chapters of this book lend credence to this tongue-in-cheek commentary. Although true activism requires mobilized engagement to inspire change, the empowerment of political dissent via mass media and popular culture reflected in these pages provide an argument that true public, democratic action is occurring through popular culture. We merely have to tune in to join the conversation (14).
The essays in this collection explore a diverse range of media from television (The Simpsons, of course, The Daily Show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and more), to music ("Protest Songs in Popular Music," Hip-Hop) to the movies (M. Night Shymalan's The Happening, and more). Although this is an excellent and engaging book, a few of the essays were difficult to read because I was unfamiliar with the TV show or film that they were examining. Perhaps the most captivating piece, however, was Matthew Henry's "Gabbin' About God: Religion, Secularity and Satire on The Simpsons," which not only explores these themes as they are played out on the show, but also critically examines other books that have explored The Simpsons' treatment of Christianity. Two more of the best essays in this volume were Jamie Warner's treatment of the "Politics of Truth" on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and Carl Bergetz's piece "It's Not Funny `Cause It's True: The Mainstream Media's Response to Media Satire in the Bush Years." On the other hand, Jerry Rodnitzky's essay on "The Evolution of Protest Songs in Popular Music" was rather disappointing because it limited its focus to only the most mainstream of popular songs, ignoring more marginal arenas of pop music like rap (e.g., Public Enemy) or punk/post-punk ( The Dead Kennedys, Rage Against the Machine, etc.).
Homer Simpson Marches on Washington is essential reading for anyone who believes that mass media can be effective in exposing the oppressive powers that be and inspiring people to resist them.
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