America’s silliest show is also probably the most telling of our cultural heritage. The Simpsons regularly takes jabs at education, labor relations, politics, and environmental concerns in a way that makes us laugh, but helps us to understand these issues better.

Sociologist Tim Delaney believes there is a real connection between the gags on The Simpsons and social relations in America. As a guest on your show, he will run through audiences’ favorite episodes and point out the parallels between life in Springfield and life in America.

Audiences will be entertained and intrigued as Delaney reveals…

• The Simpsons’ hilarious take on New Age religion in the episode when Homer joins a cult.

• Krusty the Clown’s political commentary on the impact of television on popular culture.

• Why Homer’s relationship with his father, Abe Simpson, is a satire of American attitudes towards aging.

• How Springfield deals with issues like gun ownership, community responsibility, feminism, and the corporate greed of Mr. Burns.

• Why the structure of the loveable Simpson family
— working dad, stay-at-home mom and three kids — is a barometer of family structures in America.

CREDENTIALS: Tim Delaney is the author of SIMPSONOLOGY (Prometheus Books, 2008). He is an assistant professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Oswego. His previous books include SEINOLOGY: The Sociology of Seinfeld and American Street Gangs.

AVAILABILITY: New York, nationwide via telephone
and by appointment
CONTACT: Lynn Pasquale, (800) 853-7545 (NY), LPasquale@prometheusbooks.com