2013/01/16 by David Feltmate · 2 citations
Psychology · Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Humor Studies and Applications #Rhetoric and Communication Studies #Media Studies and Communication #Piety #Morality #Politics #Depiction #Popular culture #Assertion #Stereotype (UML) #Sociology #Gospel #Aesthetics #Elite #Literature #Media studies #Religious studies #Psychology #Art #Social psychology #Philosophy #Epistemology #Law #Political science
paper · doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfs100
openalex publication_date 2013/01/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The Simpsons' depiction of the evangelical Ned Flanders has become a well-known stereotype in contemporary American popular culture which has been discussed in academic and popular circles. This article uses a critical analysis of Flanders to challenge journalist Mark Pinsky's assertion that The Simpsons is “funny because it's true” (The Gospel According to the Simpsons: Bigger, and Possibly Even Better! Edition, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007, 226) and Conrad Hyers' theorizing of humor's religiousness by demonstrating that Flanders is a satire who contributes to ongoing political debates in the United States. This is accomplished through a cultural analysis of Flanders in light of political debates since the 1960s in which evangelicals have had a significant role. It is argued that Flanders' actions are simultaneously mocked and praised in a way which denigrates evangelicals and their political participation while supporting the individual acts of piety and Christian morality which do not lead to behavioral prescriptions for others.