Critical Analysis of Pop Culture

Many use tropes as a way to develop a premise for shows or episode ideas. Generally, these involve commonalities within our culture--some at first could look like stereotypes to the non-media scholar. However, there are a plethora of choices, combinations, and variations from the diverse number of troupes to draw upon. According to Ott and Mack, Cultural studies scholars address the shortcomings of accurate depictions portrayed in media that  "...represent a skewed or partial vision of society in relation to class gender, sexuality, age, disability, and a host of other social constructs." It could be said that troupes are a vehicle used by Creatives to bring together entertaining or thought provoking productions or shows that are relatable or believable premises for entertainment delivered by the means of varying media platforms or mediums. Earlier in the year, I brought-up what I have parroted by many pundits and others as the attack on the patriarchal family structure o...

The shows opener is with an effeminate captain of a US navy submarine who is dropping all kinds of innuendo. First, a sailor returns from the boiler room shirtless, and the captain denies the sailor asking, “permission to put on my shirt, sir” Following this, he is “Going down the hull” when he learns the torpedoes wont load” The skit ends with the captain riding a torpedo yelling, “ Here I come you Nazi bastards” The skit is largely stereotypical: Gay Men are effeminate is an example of this and the hegemonic norm of him going down “to the hull (pronounced ‘hole’) presents a kind of [reverse?] hegemonic norm that all gay men are interested in back door types of sex. My own research has found that this is not the case; there are as many ways that LBGT men relate intimately as there are ways in heterosexual interactions.    Let us move on… Please, Drake! Although the next skit can be said to foster racial stereotypes as well implement the process of assimilation. ...

The episode, "Last Exit to Springfield" satirizes workers/unions v. management/owners by perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing beliefs using over-dramatizations.  First, we see flagrant OSHA safety standards typified in the worker on a scaffold literally, "hanging-by-a-thread." Mr. Burns--discussing the organized workers--goes on to reminisce about   how “…things were not always this way,” cutting to a scene of crowded slums during the Industrial Revolution depicting child labor or lack of 20 th Century labor laws. Second, we see the example of the Japanese as out-producing US workers; curiously used is the word shiftless--often a code-word [adjective] from our racist past to classify lazy Negroes [sic]. Burns, satirizing management/owners means of production, responds by calling the Japanese, "sandal-wearing gold-fish-tenders. Third, there are HBO ads showing gratuitous violence using firearms by the holier-than-thou purveyors of hypocritical CIA...