Journal mshomphe's Journal: Self-reference getting outta hand? 1
What is it with current culture and self-reference? It seems that for any witty medium, eventually it turns back into itself. Slashdot has numerous examples of this (from "Imagine a Beowulf cluster of..." to "And someone's going to say 'Imagine a Beowulf cluster of....'"). "The Simpsons" have this problem, too. I've noticed it of late in the newer episodes. This isn't to say that there was never self-referential humor in the show ("If there were any justice in the world, it would be my face on a bunch of worthless junk"), but it's different. It's referencing episodes within the show.
Is this the natural progression of a creative outlet? Eventually you starve so much for material that you start to self-cannibalize? Isn't that the point where you should quit?
Self-references (Score:2)
Not necessarily, though when the self-referential humour becomes the main crutch the medium uses, then it is time to pack your bags and go home. Self-references can be a very good tool to use in comedy when used properly. It shows a willingness on the creator's part to look honestly at themselves and can tap into the current popular opinion about the material itself.
The Simpsons in particular used self-references early in the life of the show and this was done to make fun of not only the blatant commercialism of current TV shows but to also show that the show's creators did not take themselves too seriously. Think of it as honsety in trying to rip off the consumers by selling them crap products. Although they are still pimping their merchandise to us through the show, they at least admit that they are pimping the products to us, and we can all enjoy the inherent humour in the situation.
I haven't watched many of the more recent Simpsons episodes though, so I can't comment on whether or not they are relying too much on this device to get some cheap laughs...
'Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back' is one movie that includes lots of self-referntial humour (many scenes where the characters will turn to camera and give a knowing look and many references to previous movies/cartoons based in the same universe) but this tactic was not over-used IMHO. Like all things, used wisely and in moderation, it can be a good thing.