The TV program "The Simpsons" has long provided the cultural anchor for the Joe Baker family.  On Sunday evenings, regardless of spatial dispersion, the Simpsons provides a cosmological connectiveness that has a unifying influence.  The simple knowledge that somewhere out there a Baker is wasting their time viewing the Simpsons has somewhat of a calming influence.

Each Baker views the Simpsons in a different light.  Kelly takes somewhat of an academic approach, archiving episodic minutia and dazzling the uninitiated with her detailed knowledge of useless Simpson facts.  Jody sporadically employs Simpson anecdotes to produce chuckles and groans from her doting audiences.  Erin's stance is  Toquevillesque in nature, only offering insight when prompted.  Nate and Reagan have allowed themselves to slide into what is clinically termed the "Simpson Stupor," completely surrendering themselves to unmitigated Simpson nirvana.  Jesse uses the Simpsons to sharpen his already impressive memory, gleefully repeating ver batim details of last weeks program.

Perhaps the only "anti-Simpson" Baker is the proud matriarch Susan.  There are two competing schools of thought regarding this:
 

• The "Cultural Elite" theory:  this theory holds that TV viewing is likely a waste of one's precious time, therefore one must  be selective.  Viewing the Simpsons entails high opportunity cost as it is difficult to imagine any activity with less merit.
• The "Incomplete Knowledge" theory: this theory accepts the portion of the "Elite" theory regarding the social value of television.  However, proponents of this view argue that Susan has yet to grasp the subtle life lessons embedded in each Simpson episode, and therefore is misplacing the program on her personal axiology.