The Simpsons as a satirical portrayal of neoliberal influence on public education

Abstract

Rooted in the scholarship of Michael W. Apple, this study examined how The Simpsons portrayed neoliberalism’s influence on public education prior to the introduction of ‘No Child Left Behind’. A framework of neoliberalism as it relates to public education was built using four specific categories put forth by Apple: privatisation, marketisation, performativity, and the enterprising individual. These categories formed the basis of a conceptual content analysis that sampled the first 12 seasons of The Simpsons. What was found was that while The Simpsons tended to critique education in a manner similar to what neoliberal ideology contends, when the programme’s schooling enveloped neoliberal values and reforms believed to be a ‘fix’ for education, schooling was not improved but rather further damaged. This cynicism towards neoliberal reforms suggested that The Simpsons provides wider opportunity to expose and discuss the folly of neoliberalism’s influence on public education.

Keywords:

• neoliberalism
• The Simpsons
• Michael W. Apple
• popular culture
• market reform