Ed Driscoll points to an article by Tim Blair pointing out contradictory concepts. I’d like to point out number 11, specifically.

11 The same people who believe Americans have no sense of humour laugh their heads off at The Simpsons.

I’m not going to address whether this is a contradictory concept; this one just resonated with me because of a trip Marion and I made to Australia a year ago. We made a side trip to Adelaide so I could visit relatives, which was quite nice (apart from having to avoid Uncle Mike’s insane doberman). However, I was shocked to learn that my cousin and his son felt that watching The Simpsons gave them an accurate picture of the US and its inhabitants.

Think about that … then wonder how widespread that sort of thing might be, and what effect it may have on world attitudes about the US. My relatives get their ideas about the US from The Simpsons. Perhaps others use Desparate Housewives, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force, or Lethal Weapon?

Now think about this … what are your impressions of other countries based on?

This entry was posted on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 11:15 pm and is filed under Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “”

  1. Friedbeef says:
    April 17, 2007 at 8:02 am

    I guess the issue is with how ppl are exposed… TV is the easiest form. Perhaps CNN would be a window to the world for many americans

  2. wheels says:
    April 17, 2007 at 8:09 am

    I’m sure it is. The BBC is probably one of the main sources of information about the US for those who watch it. That’s the point, though … for those who watch it. The question is, what else are people overseas watching that they believe is representative of the US?

  3. Mike says:
    April 17, 2007 at 10:49 am

    I remember watching Italian TV in the Naples USO and grimacing that our exported culture was Charlie’s Angels….dubbed. – omnes viri shipmate