Cultural imperialism is meant to be a nation setting certain beliefs, values, norms, knowledge and lifestyle about other countries (Gray). There has been a way that America sets these cultural representations of other countries through the media that is being produced. The Simpsons does this, but to the representation of Americans and that is why other countries like England like this. “The Simpsons is deeply parodic of the sitcom lifestyle and regularly satirizes all manner of American institutions and ideals” (Gray). That is why the show was such a success in England because it satired American values.
A show that started off in England and prevailed in America is The Office. The Office (UK) did not make it past two seasons because not many British people liked it because it was too dry of humor. But then America decided to take the same show and use some actors that are well known in America like Steve Carrell. The show did well because it addressed certain stereotypes or issues in America that people might not notice in everyday life but are always present. The video below shows the crew trying to explain certain stereotypes that are created through American media.
In conclusion, I think cultural imperialism still exists as we see from The Simpsons and The Office. There are many other shows that have went global and have been either dubbed over in other countries or remade in America from other countries to fit the American culture. It looks like more and more shows are coming out or being dubbed over throughout the world recently and doesn’t seem like it is going to stop anytime soon.
Gray, Jonathon. “Imagining America: “The Simpsons Go Global.” Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. (2007): 1-21.
caa5200 says
In my article, I also wrote about how ‘The Simpsons’ was a satire of the typical American family. The U.K. loves this because, how Gray stated, it makes fun of American culture and phenomenon. Your parallel with The Office from the U.K. and it’s U.S. remake is on point with what the articles define as cultural imperialism. The use of the video was also very effective, and drove home the point you were making with the difference of the two shows. It was also pretty funny!
Logan Lott says
Hi Matt! Bringing up The Office as an example is really great, especially that episode from the first season. The Office often quietly (and not so quietly) poked fun at American perceptions of America, in a very funny way. Anytime Michael Scott called a meeting addressing an issue (ageism, people who are disabled, people who are overweight, people who are not white, queer people, etc) the writers and Steve Carrell in particular were making fun of how Americans misconstrued issues in society. It looked at these issues with a similar lens that The Simpsons were so well known for. The Office, like The Simpsons, is shown in many other countries, and France, Germany, Canada, Chile, Israel and Sweden even had their own versions.