“HEY! THEY’RE TRYING TO LEARN FOR FREE!”: AN ANALYSIS OF THE SIMPSONS AS A SATIRICAL PORTRAYAL OF NEOLIBERAL INFLUENCE ON PUBLIC EDUCATION A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Administration University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada by Jonas Kiedrowski © 2011, Jonas Kiedrowski PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, the researcher agrees that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. The researcher further agrees that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised this thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Educational Administration or the Dean of the College of Education. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without the researcher’s written permission. Granting the use of this thesis to the Libraries of this University is done with the condition that there will be no penalties payable by the borrower to the University if this thesis is on loan and returned after the due date. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to the researcher and to the University of Saskatchewan in any use which may be made of any materials in this thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis, in whole or in part, should be addressed to: Department Head Department of Educational Administration College of Education 28 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada S7N 0X1 i ABSTRACT Rooted in the philosophy of Michael W. Apple, this thesis examines how The Simpsons has portrayed neoliberalism’s influence on public education. This thesis begins by reviewing literature related to The Simpsons’ ideological thrust. It considers how The Simpsons is rooted in a left-of-centre antagonism towards American hegemony, yet the program will mock anything it deems worthy of ridicule. Next, a framework of neoliberalism as it relates to public education is built using the works of Michael W. Apple. Four specific categories are put forth: privatisation, marketisation, performativity, and the enterprising individual. These categories form the basis of the conceptual content analysis that sampled each of The Simpsons’ 12 seasons before the 2001 introduction of No Child Left Behind, the United States’ widely-discussed neoliberal reform package to public education. The research data is explicated in a series of four chapters, each discussing how The Simpsons’ portrayals of education reflects neoliberalism as perceived by Apple. What emerged was that while The Simpsons tended to critique teachers and schools in a manner similar to what neoliberal ideology contends, when Springfield Elementary enveloped the neoliberal values and reforms that are believed to be a “fix” for education, it was most often further damaged. Because of this cynicism towards neoliberal reforms, this thesis concludes that The Simpsons provides wider opportunity to expose and discuss the folly of neoliberalism’s influence on public education. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Last June I attended three days billed as professional development but intended to sell computer products: the 2010 International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. Assembled at my final breakout session—the ISTE Leaders Roundtable forum— were the educators who made up ISTE’s leadership alongside senior management from technology manufacturers. At the roundtable, they congratulated one-another on increasing sales to schools. They complained that Education professors were not steeped in technology applications. They asserted that teachers lacking technological skills would not be working in schools. Then Jim Vanides, Senior Program Manager of Hewlett-Packard, told the assembled leaders and delegates that “I would like to formally proclaim that Larry Cuban was wrong.” Applause erupted. I looked from teacher to executive, and from executive to teacher, and from teacher to executive again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. The closing of George Orwell’s Animal Farm had just been reconstituted for a neoliberal education system. This experience would have been lost on me had it not been for this learning process. But how does one acknowledge all those involved in gaining new understandings? It extends from professors to school teachers, from family to friends, and from parents to best friends’ parents. Assembling this list is the ultimate delimitation. Many are missed, but those closest to this research deserve acknowledgement. Foremost, Dr. Bonnie Stelmach deserves great recognition and gratitude for wisely, trustingly, and even-handedly guiding me through constant disarray. Also deserving recognition and sincere thanks are Dr. Woodhouse, who challenged my conceptions of common sense; Dr. Burgess, who put fear—or possibly respect—of process in me; and Dr. Prytula, who demonstrated graduate research is a challenge but need not be an inquisition. Finally, imperative is the extension of my gratitude to the Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan, for their generous support and unprecedented trust in my professional judgement. And Adam Blüm, for his generous support and unprecedented trust in my personal judgement. iii DEDICATION I hereby dedicate this thesis to myself. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE . i ABSTRACT . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iii DEDICATION . iv CHAPTER ONE: THE SIMPSONS, SATIRE, AND POLITICAL IDEOLOGY . 1 Primary Research Question . 2 The Simpsons: A Synopsis . 2 The Approach .. 5 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations . 7 Significance . 10 CHAPTER TWO: THE SIMPSONS’ SATIRICAL THRUST . 12 The Simpsons as Foundationally Sound Political Satire . 13 The Partisanship of The Simpsons . 13 Postmodern Political Satire Delivered Through Neoliberal Media . 15 The Simpsons as Canonic and Accessible Satire . 18 Episodic Indicators of The Simpsons’ Neoliberal Satire .. 20 The Simpsons as Political Satire. 21 The Simpsons as Educational Satire.. 26 Use Value and Exchange Value in Springfield . 31 Summary. 32 CHAPTER THREE: THE CONCEPTUAL CONTENT ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK.. 34 The Research Method. 34 Data Making Procedure. 34 Analytical / Representational Techniques . 36 Trustworthiness. 38 Rationale of the Framework for Analysis . 40 Michael W. Apple: The Context and Analytical Construct . 42 Privatisation. 44 Marketisation. 46 Performativity . 47 Enterprising Individual. 49 Apple’s Theoretical Beliefs in Summary.. 51 Summary . 52 CHAPTER FOUR: PRIVATISATION . 53 Professionalism and Producer Capture. 54 Progressivism and Elitism. 61 Local Control . 64 Private Delivery Alternatives.. 67 Private Tutoring and Home Schooling.. 67 Privatised Schools and Authoritarian Populists . 69 Privately-Operated Schools. 71 Summary. 72 v CHAPTER FIVE: MARKETISATION . 74 Bureaucracy. 74 Efficiencies, Inefficiencies, and Funding.. 77 Corporate Intrusion . 80 Summary. 82 CHAPTER SIX: PERFORMATIVITY . 84 Standardised and Reductive Tests. 85 Performativity and Teaching Practice. 89 Performativity and School Management .. 92 Summary. 94 CHAPTER SEVEN: ENTERPRISING INDIVIDUAL . 95 Choice in Schooling Beyond Springfield Elementary. 96 Export of Blame and Individualism.. 99 Maximising Personal Benefits in a Business Values Environment . 100 Enterprising Individuality, Truth, and Education’s Purpose .. 103 Summary. 105 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSIONS . 107 Recommendations for Discursive Application. ..