Blog #2 Class struggle in springfield

In episode fourteen of the seventh season of the Simpsons, the title “Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield”, the show starts out where their grandfather breaks the family television. The family decides it is finally time to go look for a new one. The kids insist that they should go look for these televisions at somewhat expensive stores like Sharper Image or The Nature Company, but Marge states that they do not need any type of fancy television and instead go to an outlet mall in Ogdenville. Although Marge insists that the family needs to save money and buy a cheaper television, she gave in to buying a new dress which she knew was a little out of her price range. The Marxist approach in this case would be how Marge explains to use the $90. She explains how the $90 could be used toward a suit, that the whole family could potentially use. However, Lisa convinces her that the dress is marked down and she would look really good in that Chanel suit. Marge gives in by saying how this will benefit the economy.

            At the gas station, Marge runs into an old classmate from high school who sees her dressed in her new Chanel dress she recently just purchased on clearance from $2800 to $90. This incident gets Marge invited to a country club filled with wealthy people. Marge feels like she needs to make a good impression with these people to let her in the club. She hides things from them such as their beat-up car and their middle-class lifestyle to avoid any flaws in herself. In the episode, Marge makes Homer park the car far away from the club so they will not be spotted.

            In today’s world most of us are caught up in buying materialistic things to catch people’s attention. Whether it’s the type of clothing we wear or the type of vehicle we drive, most of us want to look well off to appear to society that we are successful. Marge wants to appear to her “friends” at the country club that she has made a life for herself after high school. She lets the excitement of acting wealthy change her personality. This ties into the idea of American capitalism where some of us are simply trying to fit in. Marge is striving too hard throughout most of the episode to become like every member of the country club when in reality she does not fit in with any of these members.

            The rest of the family is only in this for Marge with her constant efforts to keep up with the rest of wealthy people. At the end of the episode, Marge realizes that she let her ego as a high-end lady manipulate the other family members. The Marxist approach to this entire scenario is that people pretend to be something they’re not. The idea of letting our ego and appearance get to us is a toxic trait that we American’s have inherited and in the end, could hurt ourselves and our loved ones.