How Social Class is Portrayed in The Simpsons

          In a 1995 episode of The Simpsons, Homer walks with Marge along a downtown sidewalk. He tells Marge to be careful because the streets are dangerous for “us upper-lower-middle-class types." Although this is the first time in the series where Homer admits he is a member of the middle class, this is no surprise for many viewers. After all, the Simpson family lives in a decent house in the suburbs, and Homer has a job which does not require much skill. Furthermore, there are many characters which live higher lifestyles than him, and other figures exist who have lower social standings. Through analyzing how class is portrayed in The Simpsons, it can be concluded that the show views the upper class at the best place to be, although getting there may be challenging and lead to a lifestyle filled with negative connotations.

            Cletus Spluckler is one of the characters in The Simpsons who is a member of the lower class. He is a hillbilly who is often seen dressed in blue jeans and a singlet. He is the father of several children who wear worn-out clothes which do not properly fit. This is an indicator of Cletus being a member of the lower class because it shows that he cannot afford decent clothing for his offspring. 

Cletus also has low intelligence, which is another sign of having a low social standing. This is, however, believed to be the effect of inbreeding or mercury poisoning. When speaking, Cletus and his family often disregard proper grammar and use slang. Because this is a rather sloppy manner of speaking, these characters are regarded as uneducated members of the lower class who are not very sophisticated.

Homer, while a member of the middle class, still exhibits some traits which make him seem uneducated and poor. He is usually lazy and speaks in a casual manner. His main job is a nuclear safety inspector, which appears to be very simple considering the amount of time he often spends relaxing in his office or conversing with coworkers in various episodes. Furthermore, Homer drives an economy car with a dented fender and drinks frequently. Both of these actions are commonly done by members of the lower and middle classes. Other aspects of his lifestyle further enforce the idea that Homer is a member of the middle class. Homer and his family live in a modest house in the suburbs and often consume fast food from restaurants such as Krusty Burger. 

In addition, Homer tends to complain about his job and wish he had a more prestigious and high-paying occupation. Although Homer’s life is somewhat better than that of Cletus and other members of the lower-class, it is still clear that the middle class is viewed as undesirable in The Simpsons.

While the series may portray members of the upper class as well-educated elites who have better lifestyles than others, it also depicts them as dubious individuals with malicious intentions. Sideshow Bob, for example, speaks in a very sophisticated manner and properly pronounces each word he says. Some episodes even feature him speaking in other languages, including French, Spanish, and Old Scottish. The suggests that Bob knows had an exceptional education when growing up, which is common of members of the upper class. It should be noted, however, that Sideshow does act in malevolent ways throughout the series. In season one he tries to frame Krusty the Clown for an armed robbery, and in later seasons he tries to kill Bart as revenge for Bart discovering the truth about the incident in question.

This suggests that although he is an intelligent member of the elites, he prefers to use his knowledge for evil rather than good. A similar case about upper-class individuals abusing their power can be made about Mr. Burns. Despite being a very wealthy and successful businessman, Burns treats his employees poorly. He has cut the dental plans of his employees and ignored worker safety regulations. Furthermore, in one episode Burns hits Bart with his car and refuses to care about the boy’s health. 

He later tries to offer Homer one hundred dollars to make up for the incident, which disgusts Homer. This again proves that although those in the upper class may have an education and money, they are made to look like terrible people. Although The Simpsons depicts the upper class as a better place to be than the lower classes, it suggests that being there also comes with a fair share of corruption and deceit.

Although being in the upper class is desired by most characters, getting into this niche is very difficult. Vox analysts compiled a list of the dozens of jobs which Homer had over the course of the show’s first twenty-seven seasons. Nearly half of these occupations are taken by members of the middle class, where Homer belongs for most of the program’s run. When the salaries for each of Homer’s jobs were studied, it was revealed that his median salary was approximately forty thousand dollars. While this is more than what he makes during his usual job as a safety inspector, this salary still places him comfortably in the middle class. When these salaries were graphed over the course of the series, it was determined that Homer never really advances in social standing despite what job he gets. 

Even though some episodes involve him working in jobs which are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, such as a company executive and a union leader, Homer always manages to fall back to having a job which places him in the middle class. This suggests that although those in Springfield may be able to prosper in the workforce, they will soon resume being a member of their original social class. Through analyzing Homer’s jobs over the show’s run, it can be determined that although having a higher social standing may be desired by many characters, obtaining such a position for long is very challenging.

Although The Simpsons poorly portrays the lower and middle classes, it makes the upper class seem like a place for corrupt people. Despite members of the upper class being well-educated and wealthy individuals, they are also associated with crime and greed. The upper class is still desired over the lower classes, however, for the increased money, respect, and standing those in this group have. Unfortunately Homer’s experience working various jobs has proven that although becoming an elite in Springfield is possible, staying there for a while is a challenge. Although class may be an issue which divides those in Springfield, it also provides people with different backgrounds to impact who they are, making the show more interesting. Although the presence of social classes in The Simpsons may improve the show, it also permanently affects the lives of most of the characters.

Sources:

Crockett, Zachary. "What Homer Simpson's 100+ jobs tell us about America's middle class," Vox, 16 Sep. 2016. https://www.vox.com/2016/9/6/12752476/the-simpsons-homer-middle-class

Eckman, Moses. "Are These the 3 Worst Things Mr. Burns Has Ever Done?," WatchMojo.com, 7 Sep. 2018. https://www.watchmojo.com/blog/2018/09/07/are-these-the-3-worst-things-mr-burns-has-ever-done

Peterrson, Jessica. "Social Class in the Simpsons," University of Gothenburg, 2010. Retrieved from https://gupea.ub.gu.se

The Simpsons: The Complete First Season. Created by Matt Groening, Twentieth Century Fox, 1989-1990.