Proposition
Infinity:
The
Influence of Sexual Orientation on Television
Futurama
has many aspects of society that it criticizes through exaggeration
and humor, such as sexual orientation. I will be discussing how
sexual orientation is perceived from the influence of television and
how its increased acceptance in society thus changes how television
presents it. Sexual orientation affects the way that people view
television that shows individuals with different sexual preferences
than the norm that they grew up knowing. In Futurama,
sexual orientation is showcased as the main reason why people do what
they do in society.
Futurama
is a society ruled by emotion, technology, and acceptance of almost
all walks of life and situations. One episode in particular shows how
society affects television, but in turn that episode changed the
perception of the part of society that viewed it. Episode four of
season six is titled “Proposition Infinity”
(shown as “Proposition ∞”)
that criticizes the current and approaching views of sexual
orientations and the effect that the combination of the two views
will have on society in the future. It begins with Amy Wong (the
alien heiress intern) and Bender (a robot with a bad boy attitude)
fall in love. Robo-sexuality is illegal at the time. So, they rally
together all of the different sexualities of the universe and protest
the ban with Proposition Infinity to try to get the law repealed.
They get it repealed. This proposition is much like California's
Proposition 8 where the Californians were trying to get same-sex
marriage banned, and it passed. This kind of societal influence is
what I will be discussing.
I
will explain how sexual orientation has an effect on society through
criticism. Futurama
depends on the chaos and hidden agendas that the American society
tries to mask over. This is while the viewers are hoping for some
insight into their own “identity and empowerment based on
fundamental ideological concerns in American culture” that they can
use to learn about what is around them, whether they realize the fact
or not (Geraghty 292). The viewers who are watching this show are at
the age where it can make a difference to the future generations with
adult viewers ranging from ages 18 to 54, men and women 18 to 49, and
teenagers (Hilton-Morrow 86). The last of that demographic is the
most important because the teenagers are the adults and parents of
the next generation. This means that the shows and views that they
develop when watching shows like Futurama
will not only influence them, but how their children view the world
as well.
Sexual orientation
is the “direction of...sexual interest towards members of the same,
opposite, or both sexes” (American Heritage 1). In Futurama,
this definition is taken to extremes with the concepts of
robo-sexuality (sexual interest in robots) and interplanetary
sexuality (sexual interest in individuals from other planets). What
the show is trying to convey with these concepts is that the view
that people have on the sexual orientations now will change and
expand as time goes on, whether welcome to all or not. Sexual
orientation, whether shown on television or seen in reality, has some
kind of effect on the individual who has the experience of meeting
them.
This is an important
subject to discuss because the ideas in
Futurama
are “used and adapted” according to how society views the show
season after season (Geraghty 291). In fact according to Katey Sagal
(the voice of the spunky, one-eyed captain, Terunga Leela), “The
fanbase for Futurama is fiercely loyal” (Keller paragraph 4). She
further explains how the fans are the ones who have kept the show
from permanent cancellation on repeat events. This means that they
are definitely being affected by the show's content because they
watch it with such enthusiasm, obviously. An
example of the importance of sexual orientation is the “offered
freedom of choice” that differing ideas give to people of opposing
views to the normal that society used to be accustomed to (Geraghty
298). Futurama shows this freedom in many, if not all, of its
episodes as an opportunity to take because it is coming anyway.
Sexual
orientation affects many aspects of society. The parts of society
affected the most are the youth of today and television, two parts of
the American culture that are very familiar with each other. In fact,
viewers have come to expect the “presentation of alternate
viewpoints and more-or-less challenges to the prevailing values and
social norms” (Tueth 133). This means that the information on the
television is implanting alternative views right into the minds of
today's generation of teenagers. As the youth, they believe pretty
much anything they hear or see on television. So, the acceptability
of this kind of presentation is fairly high, especially with having
grown up with it, and thus, they assimilate the ideas into their own
realities. According to Schiappa, Gregg, and Hewes, the “cultivation
theory suggests that watching television, viewers' attitudes and
beliefs through a process whereby the world as portrayed by media
comes to be perceived by viewers as an accurate reflection of
reality” (2). If this is true, then the young minds of these
viewers are taking in every piece of media that they see shown on
television and thinking of it as reality which, in most cases, it is
not.
The
cartoon Futurama
affects
society by being “artistically sophisticated, intellectually
demanding, and socially relevant” (Geraghty 291). The artistic
portion of the show pulls in the viewers by being something drawn
well, the demand of intellect presented makes it easier for the
viewer to relate to it, and the social relevance keeps the viewer
watching. The animation that it shown in is decidedly a “safer way
to push the envelope” of acceptability for the creators (Sandler
90). This means that they can put controversial or usually
inappropriate content into a cartoon; and because it is animated, no
one catches the dangerously biased concepts that are casually slipped
into the viewers' minds. This just goes to show that the lines of
what behavior is socially acceptable have been re-drawn in order to
include the new generation of individuals whose mindset on sexual
preference have been changed in the slow fade of what was morally
wrong to past generations (“The Societal Influence of Media” 4).
This has been the influence of the content on television that has
skewered what used to be the standard of family-friendly
entertainment.
Since
Futurama
is
animated, important, and controversial subjects discussed in the show
seem less threatening and more acceptable. In fact according to
Geraghty, “animation is 'an innocent medium, ostensibly for
children'” (291). However, this is simply no longer the case. The
Hanna-Barbera studio held a survey and found that the majority of
cartoon watching audiences were adults, 65% in fact (Hilton-Morrow
75). So, Hanna-Barbera created a cartoon that aimed at their adult
audiences. Plus, the generations today were the children of
yesterday who were watching cartoons. This is the first generation of
adults who were watching television as kids (Hilton-Morrow 81). This
makes them more comfortable with the concept of an adult cartoon and
also makes them more susceptible to the views displayed in the
content of the animated series. Because these viewers grew up with
this kind of media, they are “more willing to try something new”
that may be shown as cool or the norm in the show; or in this case,
try to be more accepting of individuals with different gender
preferences than they were taught in childhood (Hilton-Morrow 82). In
any case, the animation part of it that is assumed to be innocent is
affecting its viewers in some way (Wells 16). This innocence
assumption is based solely on the fact that cartoons originated as
being just for kids.
The
animation of this show affects the viewers because, whether they
realize it or not, they “consume...programs in ways that articulate
their own social relationships and identities” (Geraghty 292). With
a popular show, viewers get to know the characters, their situations
and backgrounds. This is how the television program pulls in its
viewers who turn into loyal watchers. With this empathy that the
viewers begin to feel for the characters, the viewers mindset towards
that kind of person in reality is changed. These viewers begin to
experiment with the world around them by trying to meet and get to
know someone with similar preferences. That little bit of influence
goes a long way when it comes to the youth who is continually
becoming “overly sexualized” because of the content on television
(“The Societal Influence of Media” 2).
The
cartoon science fiction genre is “culturally relevant...through the
traits of individuality and self-help” that many viewers crave
(Geraghty 292). Their need is sufficed temporarily by the show, but
in order for them to feel it is fulfilled, they need to assimilate it
into their own lives. Otherwise, they feel like it is just useless
information. This mindset that viewers are put into quickly become
“socially suggestive” towards their own situations with the
relatability that they have with the characters and their fake
situations (Wells 16). In a way, television is changing the cultural
ideas about how families are formed and “explores the cultural
fascination” of different kinds of sexual orientation (Sharp
284-5). This shows that television changes the way viewers see
different lifestyles in reality because they have become fascinated
with that way of living. With this combination of television
influence and the real-life experiences occuring, the attitudes in
television are “mutually reinforcing” of the developing world of
new sexual orientations (Fisher, Hill, Grube, Gruber 11).
Society's
view on sexual orientation has become more accepting and lenient
because of the concept that Futurama
demonstrates.
The main reason as to how this can be is best described by Deborah A.
Fisher: “Just as people form positive or negative attitudes toward
other people in 'real life,' television viewers 'develop an affinity
with the persona they watch on television'” (4). This alone shows
how people assimilate what they see on television into their lives.
Because they like a certain character on a television show, they are
easier to like a person in reality who displays the same kind of
sexual orientation. It also helps the viewers to relate to the show's
content because it is no particularly talking about a nonheterosexual
world's views, but instead demonstrated by narratives that relate to
“general human value and concerns” (Makela paragraph 3). This
makes it to where it seems more acceptable to even those viewers who
were raised more conservatively, like myself. I had not thought that
other gender preferences were even remotely acceptable, until I had
watched only a few episodes of Futurama.
The way television represents those of different sexual orientations
has been carefully crafted and “straightened out” so that the
general audience both understands and is more likely to accept what
is being shown (Fisher, Hill, Grube, Gruber 11). However, they are
still providing scripts for sexual behaviors that the youth may
enact. In fact, one in every five teenagers say that the
entertainment on television is “their most important source of
sexual information.” This kind of view of television plays a huge
part in to the reason as to why some young viewers become “confused
about their sexuality” (Schiappa, Gregg, Hewes 1). It is because
their favorite character on television that is about their age is
confused about it, as well. This, in itself, has changed the
generation that is up and coming, because their perception of society
and sexuality is changed without them even realizing it until later
in life.
The
perception on sexual orientation has changed because viewers
“internalize and use the social knowledge conveyed” in this
cartoon (Geraghty 291). This kind of knowledge is taken in to the
mind of the viewers and accepted a little bit more each time because
the concepts are under the disguise of humor and wonderment. This
makes it to where the viewers are “perpetually destined to question
the status quo” that they may have been taught and what their
parents may have grown up with (Tueth 146). This change is due to the
scenarios that are displayed in shows like Futurama. These scenarios
that are “depicted greatly affect the perception of what is
acceptable,” thus challenging the concepts and boundaries that
previous generations upheld. In this challenge and without knowing
it, today's teenagers feel the “need to mimic” what they see on
these shows in order to be an accepted individual of society (“The
Societal Influence of Media” 2-3).
The
concept shown in Futurama
diminishes
the blow of the new sexual orientation ideas that used to not exist
in society through the use of humorous lines, funny circumstance, and
the wonder of science fiction. This sense of wonder that this
animated series gives is not just entertainment, but an invitation of
what the future might have in store for coming generations (Geraghty
291). In fact according to Geraghty, the stories that are told
“reveal much more about the times in which they were created and
watched” (291). What Americans have set up as the normal in today's
society is not what I was looking forward to having as a child.
Having
been brought up in a very conservative home and community most of my
life, I am appalled at the idea of the legacy my generation is
leaving to the coming ones. But because this kind of content is
culturally relevant to the traits Americans have with an emphasis on
“self-help and individuality,” many adults and new parents see
nothing wrong with how society is turning out. However, I never
envisioned having a culture that is so dependent on their sexuality
and being accepted according to the television's content as the one
that I would leave to my future children to have to try to handle. My
focus on sexual orientation is due to the massive importance that
this subject holds in American society and under immense criticism
today. Its value is not diminished as part of society. It is also no
longer disguised in the “face of cultural myth” that previous
generations saw it as, but embraces its uniqueness as a new part of
open society (Geraghty 292). If shows like Futurama continue to air,
our society will change to the point that the show's exaggeration of
today will become the reality of tomorrow.
Works Cited
Fisher,
Deborah A., Douglas L. Hill, Joel W. Grube, and Enid L. Gruber. “Gay,
Lesbian, and Bisexual Content on Television: A Quantitative Analysis
Across Two Seasons.” NIHPA Manuscripts (2007):1-6. Internet.
Geraghty,
Lincoln. “Drawn to Television: American animated sf series of the
1980s.” Science Fiction Film and Television: Vol.3, Iss. 2. (Autumn
2010):291-299. Print.
Hilton-Morrow,
Wendy and David T. McMahan. “The Flinstones to Futurama: Networks
and prime time animation.” Prime
Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture
(2003):74-88. Print.
Keller, Joel. “Katey
Sagal talks about contentious Futurama negotiations – TCA Report.”
AOL TV (2009). Internet.
Makela, Sanna.
“Influence of Sexual Orientation in the Identification with
Characters and Enjoyment of Lesbian Narratives.” Metropolia (2012).
Sandler, Kevin S.
“Synergy Nirvana: Brand equity, television animation, and Cartoon
Network.” Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American
Culture (2003):89-109. Print.
Schiappa, Edward,
Peter B.Gregg, and Dean E. Hewes. “Can One TV Show Make a
Difference? Will & Grace and the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis.”
Journal of Homosexuality (2006):1-11. Internet.
“Sexual
Orientation.” (n.d.) The American Heritage Medical Dictionary
(2007).
Sharp,
Sharon.
“Television, Gender, and Space: An Overview of Lynn Spigel.”
Science Fiction Film and Television 2.2 (2009): 281-292. Print.
“The
Societal Influence of Media.” Scribd (2011). Internet.
Tueth, Michael V.
“Back to the drawing board: The family in animated television
comedy.” Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American
Culture (2003):133-146. Print.
Wells,
Paul. “'Smarter than the average art form': Animation in the
television era.” Prime
Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture
(2003):15-32. Print.
