Consortium for Media Literacy | Uniting for Development | Connections

It’s hard to find criticism that considers such shows as The Simpsons and The Family Guy as cultural artifacts worthy of serious study.  And yet many children do pay attention to the social landscape of these shows.  Here’s a quote from one young viewer of The Simpsons: “Although TV fathers are unrealistic, my Dad is more like Homer Simpson—trying to understand me even if we’re worlds apart.  I love the fact that he tries” –Mia, Age 12 (from Perceptions of Fathers in the Media: In Search of the Ideal Father, companion DVD).

The focus of this MediaLit Moment is a scene from The Simpsons Movie which highlights the father-son relationship between Bart and Homer Simpson.  Our appreciation of the relationship between these characters is complicated by the fact that they appear in an animated comedy—a cartoon.  They’re having a great deal of fun, but their rough play is so dangerous that no viewer in their right mind would ever “try this at home.”  If the scene is to be taken at all seriously, a viewer of any age might ask, “Is Homer a responsible Dad?” 

In this MediaLit Moment, your students will have the chance to explore varied and even conflicting reactions to an animated sequence.  They’ll be able to more fully study the generic conventions of cartoons; and, of course, they’ll have an opportunity to apply Key Questions and Core Concepts of media literacy to the characters they see on the small screen. 

This lesson is adapted with permission from “The Error of Our Ways,” a lesson by Dr. Janice Kelly from Perceptions of Fathers in the Media: In Search of the Ideal Father, a curriculum created by staff of the New York State Fatherhood Initiative and published by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.    

Have students answer questions to stimulate their moral imagination about the family relationships in an animated feature, and relate their discussions to Core Concepts/Key Questions #2 – 3. 

AHA!:  It’s not so easy to say if Homer Simpson is a positive portrayal of a Dad when he’s a cartoon!   

Key Question #3:  How might different people understand this message differently?

Core Concept #3:  Different people experience the same media message differently. 

Key Question #2:  What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

Core Concept #2:  Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.

Grade Level:  6-8 

Materials:  DVD of The Simpsons Movie and DVD player.

The sequence in question shows Homer and Bart on the roof of the family home.  On a dare, Bart climbs up to the top of the TV antenna while Homer attempts to shake him down.  Bart rolls down the roof and is left hanging onto the rain gutter when Flanders, the next door neighbor, asks Homer if Bart might become a “paraplegarino” if he falls.

Activity:  Begin by asking students for their initial reactions.  Next, ask if they think Homer is behaving in a fun or irresponsible manner.  This discussion should last no more than a few minutes, but do draw attention to the differences in their reactions to “prime” them for a later discussion of audience and Core Concept #3.   In this activity, students will study this sequence from a few different angles. 

Ask the class to form groups of three to four students which will complete one of three tasks: 

1)    Ask students to compare other TV/Movie father-son relationships. Have them make a list of TV fathers (and sons) and poll members of their groups to find out which fathers are most appealing to them and why.  What do they like or dislike about the father-son relationship of Homer and Bart Simpson?  Is there any difference of opinion between group members as they answer these questions?  If so, can they explain why they feel the way they do?    In addition to asking students to spend time evaluating what they like or dislike about the relationship between Homer and Bart, this task asks students to focus on Core Concept #3 (Different people experience the same media message differently).  As they poll each other and discover differences of opinion, they may also become aware that they are attracted to different kinds of characters or relationships for different reasons.   

2)    Have students write a short scenario in which the elements of the sequence from the Simpsons Movie are played out as an action movie.  Just like the Simpsons sequence, one character is shaken off of a TV antenna, and one character falls through the roof. Alternatively, students can write a real-life scenario utilizing the same basic elements. The purpose of this task is for students to understand that audience expectations are different from genre to genre.  In an action movie, people get hurt more easily, and a scene on a roof suggests a lot of tension.  In a real-life scenario, falling through the roof would count as a tragedy.  If students spend a little time thinking about the fact that animation is a genre to itself, they should have an easier time thinking about the combination of danger and play in the original scene.  This task is most closely tied to Core Concept #2:  Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.    

3)    Ask students to discuss their reactions to Flanders, the next door neighbor. Is he right to be concerned?   Do they think he’s nosy?   Are there any differences of opinion about Flanders within the group?  Also, what reaction do they think that the creators of the movie hoped to generate from the audience by playing Bart and Homer against Flanders in this scene?  This task addresses Key Question #2 as well as Core Concept #3.   As with the groups tackling the first task, students may discover that they react differently to different characters for different reasons.  The question about creative choices hinges on Key Question #2, “What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?”  While an animated feature automatically evokes certain expectations from the audience, the producers of this movie are also working actively to shape the response of the audience as well.   Allow students up to fifteen minutes to complete their tasks, as writing a complete scenario might take a little time.   

Finally, lead a whole class discussion in which students draw from their new knowledge and perspectives to answer the question of whether Homer was having good, clean, fatherly fun with Bart or whether he really should have avoided putting his son’s life in danger.  While discussion should focus on the sequence, do allow them to draw on their knowledge of Homer from other Simpsons episodes that they may have viewed.  In leading the discussion, look for opportunities to help students become aware of the interplay between their reactions to the scene and the reactions--most often the “laughs”--that the producers were hoping to draw out of them.         

In some respects, the students who completed Task #1 are the moral arbiters for the rest of the class.  You may want to ask them to lead a discussion of the general characteristics of what they consider to be good parenting as they talk about the relationship between Bart and Homer.  As they note differences of opinion, they should keep in mind CC/KQ #3. 

With students who have completed Task #2, discuss the fact that different genres (or types) of media often follow different rules in stories where dangerous situations are involved (KQ#2).  You may also want to point out that cartoons often include incidents of “happy violence.”  Those incidents grab the attention of viewers, and the lack of serious consequences makes it possible for audiences to laugh “off” several incidents in a single sequence.  

In discussing the sequence with the students who completed Task #3, you may want to ask students for their character assessments of Bart, Homer and Flanders together.  Flanders is generally one of the “wimpier” characters on the show, so asking this question may trigger a discussion about masculinity.  If that happens, continue to focus on Core Concept #2 by asking what reactions they think the creators of the show hope to generate from audiences by creating different kinds of male characters.         

Extended Activity: Start planning a longer term project on fathers as they appear in different media genres and ask students to take notes and/or collect short samples.  Ask questions as students gather their collection of media Dads.  Who are the advertisers for the shows on which they appear?  What kind of audience do they think each show or movie appeals to?  What patterns do they see in similar media genres?  Do any of these things help them predict the kind of father character they’re likely to encounter in each new media sample?     

The Five Core Concepts and Five Key Questions of media literacy were developed as part of the Center for Media Literacy’s MediaLit Kit™ and Questions/TIPS (Q/TIPS)™ framework.  Used with permission, © 2002-2010, Center for Media Literacy, http://www.medialit.com

In 1976, an epidemic of swine flu was expected in the United States, and the federal government took bold action, releasing public service announcements over television airwaves and vaccinating 45 million Americans, an unprecedented number at that time. The epidemic never came, but three elderly Pittsburgh residents died soon after receiving their vaccinations at the same clinic.  Though scientists believe the deaths were coincidental, some news reports suggested the vaccine had killed them.  “Press frenzy was so intense it drew a televised rebuke from Walter Cronkite for sensationalizing coincidental happenings,” writes Dr. David J. Sencer, then-director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (McNeil, “Don’t Blame Flu Shots for All Ills, Officials Say,” New York Times, September 28, 2009).  In 1976, the CDC did not hold news conferences, and it took five days to respond to the deaths in Pennsylvania.    

Fast forward to the spring of 2009:  A global pandemic of H1N1 swine flu takes off suddenly.  Though the initial fatality rate is low, the rate could easily climb depending on the ways in which the virus mutates over time.  The US government orders 250 million doses of H1N1 vaccine.  A small but influential movement of anti-vaccine activists has raised concerns about infant and child vaccinations. To stave off rumors which could circulate easily on the Internet and on 24-hour television news outlets, the CDC creates a “flu.gov” website, posts updates on Facebook and Twitter, and assembles a media “war room” in its Atlanta headquarters.  News conferences are held there almost daily, all of which are posted to the CDC website (McNeil, op. cit).  

In 2010, the communications of health agencies deserve study because those agencies must make creative decisions about how to frame messages about health risks in a media environment which can encourage panic as well as complacency and even denial.  In this MediaLit Moment, your students will have the chance to compare two health-related PSAs to understand the purposes for which they were created, and to recognize the differing points of view they present with regard to comparable risks.       

Have students compare two public service announcements to demonstrate their understanding of purpose and point of view.

AHA!:  Different strategies for talking about health risks can really change the end product!   

Key Question #5:  Why was this message sent?

Core Concept #5:  Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power

Key Question #4:  What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

Core Concept #4:  Media have embedded values and points of view 

Grade Level:  8-10 

Materials:  computer with broadband access and data projector to display YouTube videos at the following URLs: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASibLqwVbsk    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT9fxhrjoQc 

The first link is for two 1976 PSAs produced by the CDC in anticipation of a swine flu epidemic.  The second PSA, which shows the spread of the virus from person to person, is generally the best for comparison.  The second link is for a PSA produced by the UK Department of Health at the height of the H1N1 epidemic.  This is a humorous PSA which shows how easily any germ can be spread in public spaces. 

Activity:  As always, show videos more than once.  As students give you their reactions, make sure to ask them “What?” questions to compare the content and techniques of the two ads.  What happened? For example, the CDC message shows one infected person travelling to a variety of destinations, while the UK Department of Health ad shows one infected person in an enclosed space (an elevator).  Also ask, What made the first ad scary?  What made the second ad funny?  Questions about purpose come next.  Why did the two agencies produce these ads?  What were these agencies hoping that people would do in response to them?  And ask why the ads were presented in such different ways.  Why did the CDC produce a scary ad, and why did the British government decide to make their ad funny?  What messages were they trying to send about the risks involved in spreading swine flu virus?  Next, divide the class into pairs or small groups, and explain that they’ll be adding something to their ads or changing them slightly to show what they know about the purpose behind them.  Work to ensure that a roughly equal number of groups choose each PSA.  Give your students the choice to write a title for their ad, or to write a different ending or “tag” line for the announcer.  Their lines can be goofy or even make fun of the ad itself, but they still have to demonstrate the purpose of the ad.  When students have finished their work, share and discuss the alternative versions of the ads as time allows.

Extended Activity:  Key Question #3 for Producers:  Is my message engaging and compelling for my target audience?    Ask students to come up with their own concepts for an influenza PSA, and ask students to consider the following as they prepare their PSA concepts:  Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota said that criticizing the government for its aggressive response to the threat of the H1N1 virus is like criticizing officials for building dikes in New Orleans to withstand a Category 5 hurricane when only a Category 3 storm comes ashore (Stobbe, “Is the Swine Flu Epidemic Over?”, AP, February 5, 2010).

Ask students if they were health officials who were uncertain of the threat of mortality posed by the virus, but knew that it could be devastating, what kind of PSA would they produce?  

Have students consider this information as they decide on strategies for getting the attention of their audience: In late September 2009, swine flu cases rapidly increased across the country.  The H1N1 vaccine became available in mid-October, and people waited in lines--sometimes for hours--at clinics offering the vaccine.  By mid-December, the epidemic seemed to be waning.  By the end of January 2010, only a fifth of Americans had received the vaccine, according to data released by the CDC.  A poll taken in late January by the Harvard School of Public Health also found that most Americans had assumed the pandemic was over and thought the threat was overblown (McNeil, “Most American Think Swine Flu Pandemic Is Over, a Harvard Poll Finds,” New York Times, February 6, 2010). 

When this newsletter was published, some health experts still expected a “third wave” of H1N1 in fall of 2010.  In 1976, vaccines were enthusiastically welcomed.  Many parents or grandparents still remembered children dead of smallpox, measles and polio.  Today, anti-vaccine activists reach a wide audience on the Internet, and many concerned parents believe that vaccines may cause health problems in children.  Among parents surveyed in the Harvard poll, many cited fear of side effects as a reason why their families did not receive the vaccinations.           

The Five Core Concepts and Five Key Questions of media literacy were developed as part of the Center for Media Literacy’s MediaLit Kit™ and Questions/TIPS (Q/TIPS)™ framework.  Used with permission, © 2002-2010, Center for Media Literacy, http://www.medialit.com

In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Month, we present this MediaLit Moment in which your students will have the chance to reflect on their perceptions regarding weight and physical fitness, and to think more critically about the values and lifestyles embedded in media images of “fit” people.     

Have students analyze their perceptions of a media text that offers an alternative image of fitness.   

AHA! This woman doesn’t look like most of the “fit” people I see in movies or TV, but does that mean she’s “out of shape”?  

Key Question #3:  How might different people understand this message differently?

Core Concept #3:  Different people experience the same media message differently 

Key Question #4:  What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

Core Concept #4:  Media have embedded values and points of view. 

Grade Level:  9-12 

Materials:  Printed image, slide of the same image and slide projector, or computer with broadband access and data projector to display image at the following URL:  http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images/DOVE-Fat-Fit.preview.jpg This image is taken from a 2004 billboard for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, and asks viewers whether the model shown on the billboard is “fat” or “fit.”   

Extended Activity:  Assign a project in which students do some research on what constitutes physical fitness. Or consult with a health teacher and distribute materials (or direct students to sources) on physical fitness that helps them understand that weight is just one indicator of health that should be considered in context with many other factors.  Or. . . ask them to interview people they think are fit, and ask them what “staying fit” means to them, and why they believe that is true.

Dove took down the billboards when 51% of audiences responded that they thought the model was “fat.”  Why do they think Dove took the billboards down, and why do they think Dove produced this billboard in the first place? If you were in charge of this campaign, would you do anything differently?  You could also ask students to draw or produce their own billboard (well, something that will fit inside the classroom door. . .).   

If you want to broaden the discussion, ask students to visit the Campaign for Real Beauty website  (www.campaignforrealbeauty.com), and ask students why a major beauty products company would decide to create this campaign.     

According to a Cone Consumer Environmental Survey conducted this year, 34% of Americans indicate that they are more likely to buy environmentally responsible products today, and another 44% indicate that their environmental shopping habits have not changed despite the current economic climate (http://www.coneinc.com). Not surprisingly, environmental marketing campaigns have also been on the upswing.

And there is no doubt that a significant number of deceptive (or “greenwashed”) advertisements and product labels have been riding the tide of these campaigns.  Terra Choice Environmental Marketing published a “Sevens Sins of Greenwashing” report this year which asserted that 98% of products reviewed violated at least one of their rules for making legitimate environmental claims (http://sinsofgreenwashing.org).  In fact, this year’s report adds an additional “sin” not included in the 2007 report--“the sin of worshipping false labels,” a practice by which companies give the impression of third party environmental endorsements for their products where no such endorsement exists. 

But enough of the bad news.  The good news is that “green” advertisements and labels provide a great springboard for teaching across nearly all disciplines.  By analyzing these advertisements, students can increase their consumer, health and financial literacy.

In this MediaLit Moment, your high school students will have the chance to consider the moral, social and ecological ramifications of an activity they are becoming familiar with---shaving--against the environmental claims that a major auto maker makes for its cars.    

Have students analyze and evaluate a “green” advertisement’s appeal to them, as well as the message it conveys about their lifestyle choices.

AHA!:  They’re trying to tell me that buying a fuel-efficient car from them is more important than saving resources at home!

Key Question #5:  Why was this message sent?

Core Concept #5:  Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power

Key Question #4:  What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message? 

Core Concept #4:  Media have embedded values and points of view

Grade Level:  10-12

Materials:  computer with high speed internet access, data projector, projection screen, GM E85 (ethanol fuel) car advertisement, accessed at You Tube:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9xgHiBPWw  

Activity:  Have students watch the commercial at least a couple of times.  After the first showing, ask students, what makes this commercial funny?  And also ask, what kind of audience do they think GM was trying to target with this ad? (According to our research, this ad aired only on MTV).

After the second showing, ask students about the environmental claims of this commercial.  What is the carmaker trying to say about the corn-based fuel that the car uses (ethanol) and the water students (boys and girls) use to shave?  

Next, ask them how they feel about the fact that the advertisement is trying to persuade them that their personal consumption habits matter less than the decision to invest in a new Chevy vehicle.  Are they embarrassed when they think of how much water they use?  Are they annoyed by the comparison?  Are they “sold” on the product?  Does the advertisement simply make them laugh?  Can they explain why they feel the way they do?    

Extended Activity: 

Key Question #3:  How might different people understand this message differently? 

Core Concept #3:  Different people experience the same media message differently

Ask your students to rate the environmental claims of this commercial.  Are the environmental benefits of driving a Chevy E85 presented in a credible and appropriate way? Did GM “fudge” the facts a little?  Is this ad a good example of greenwashing?   For example, does the ad present an “apples to oranges” comparison that “sounds” right but cannot be readily substantiated?  Also, is ethanol really a “gas friendly” alternative fuel, or are the claims that GM makes about ethanol and their ethanol-compatible vehicles overblown?  Place students in pairs or teams and ask them to prepare presentations based on their research.  Or organize a debate. . .or a forum. 

Here are some sources that you may want to use to prepare study guides, or to assign to students in their entirety: 

Greenwashing

Recent Federal Trade Commission testimony to Congress on attempts to regulate the “virtual tsunami” of recent green advertising: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/06/P954501greenmarketing.pdf

Understanding and Preventing Greenwash:  A Business Guide, by BSR and Futerra Associates http://www.bsr.org/reports/Understanding_Preventing_Greenwash.pdf

Consumer Reports evaluations of “green” products at http://www.greenerchoices.org

Terrra Choice 2009 report on greenwashing at http://sinsofgreenwashing.org

The Ethanol Debate

Thermodynamics of the Corn-Ethanol Biofuel Cycle, by Ted Patzek, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley http://petroleum.berkeley.edu/papers/patzek/CRPS416-Patzek-Web.pdf

The Debate on Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impacts of Fuel Ethanol by Michael Wang, Argonne National Laboratories http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/347.pdf 

“Ethanol Can Contribute to Energy and Environmental Goals,” by Farrell, Plevin, Turner et al., Science magazine, January 27, 2006 (volume 311), pps. 506-508.  Accessible online at:  http://rael.berkeley.edu/EBAMM/FarrellEthanolScience012706.pdf

The Five Core Concepts and Five Key Questions of media literacy were developed as part of the Center for Media Literacy’s MediaLit Kit™ and Questions/TIPS (Q/TIPS)™ framework.  Used with permission, © 2002-2009, Center for Media Literacy, http://www.medialit.com