Abe Simpson

Pictured here is Simpsons character Abe Simpson, looking grumpy, as his archetype intends. His character was apparently written to demonstrate the cranky stereotype of old men that many people hold, supporting the idea that elderly men are portrayed as grumpy nostalgists who can't be bothered with anything in the modern day.

          Also, Abe Simpson is a veteran from both World Wars which makes him a hard, quick tempered character. Often examples of grumpy old men are characterised by their history of participation in war of some kind.

  

1) How realistic is it? Is this the only way for this group of people to be?

As with every case of stereotype, sometimes it does fit the bill. Sure, you may find grumpy old nostalgic men who are tough skinned and cranky, if only for their impatience with everything. But just because the media bombards us with this message, does not mean all old men are like this. Take a man like the one pictured on the right: Alfred from The Dark Knight is nothing if not wise,

consoling, friendly and above all good humoured. He is not especially nostalgic either.

There are also many other examples of ungrumpy old men, such as Lucius from the same film. The list of contradictions to the stereotype is endless.

2) What are the implications or issues around what they are choosing to highlight or ignore?

With a TV show such as the Simpsons that has a huge following, many of whom are probably children, any messages conveyed have the risk of being taken a little too seriously. Much like copycat serial killers go too far with fictional crimes and enact them in the real world, so too do people with messages. The idea that all old men are grumpy buggers is so familiar to us and ingrained in us that if we're not careful we might actually start to believe it. While more mature people are likely to take this stereotype with a grain of salt and sift fact from fiction, younger minds who haven't yet developed that sort of reasoning and haven't seen both sides of the story are at real risk of being brainwashed.

3) How effective are the features (techniques) in creating the representation?

This is a very interesting question as it brings to light the extent to which the media is able to manipulate consumers. When we first lay eyes on Abe Simpson in the top left we think 'It's an old man who looks angry.' That is not just an aspect of what the image is, that is the image in its entirety. The image serves to draw a connection between old age in men and a cranky attitude.

          The features of the picture are extremely basic and extremely effective. We have the wrinkles representing old age and the eyebrow and mouth positions showing anger. On the surface it is a simple cartoon image, but at the deeper level it's a simple cartoon image that fulfils the stereotype we are so often bombarded with - the 'grumpy old man' one.