¡Ay, Caramba! The Linguistic and Cultural Hegemony of Los Simpson in Spanish Language Entertainment
[Generated AI] Course: Spanish Media & Cultural Studies Date: October 2023 ¡Ay, Caramba
In authoritarian-leaning or highly polarized Spanish-speaking societies (such as Mexico under PRI rule or Venezuela during the crisis), Los Simpson became a safer vehicle for political dissent than local news satire. The character of El Sr. Burns represents unchecked neoliberal greed; El Superintendente Chalmers represents bureaucratic incompetence. Memes from the episode “El que puede, hace” (“Homer the Smithers”) are regularly used to criticize Latin American presidents who cannot perform basic governmental functions. The show provides a shared allegorical framework: because the characters are yellow and American, criticizing them avoids direct censorship, yet the critique lands squarely on local politicians. Burns represents unchecked neoliberal greed