Features of the representation of class conflict in modern western mass culture on the example of “The Simpsons” TV series

The paper attempts to analyze the peculiarity of the reflection of the class structure and class conflict in the products of modern Western mass culture. The most successful of these cultural products are popular all over the world and influence the attitudes and ideas of people far beyond the boundaries of local communities. Moreover, we can talk about the lack of a comprehensive understanding of exactly how classes in general and class conflict are represented in the products of Western mass culture. As part of the study, using content analysis and discourse analysis, the American animated series «The Simpsons» is analyzed to determine the presence and characteristics of the representation of class conflict. According to the result of the study, it becomes clear that the class polarization in American society, as it is presented in the animated series, is indeed present, however, the low level of class consciousness and the absence of institutions that promote the articulation of class interests leads to leads to the fact that class conflict, even with significant potential, is not realized in its current form, is not expressed in direct actions and political acts of both normative and counter-normative order. At the same time, there is a significant transformation of the classes themselves, which are already seriously different from the classical understanding that is associated with the era of industrial capitalism. Not only class boundaries are changing, but also the social conditions and frames that are involved in the formation of class identity in modern Western society.