Vail, A.D. (1997). A discussion on beavis and butthead. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.

OVERVIEW

Clarifying popular culture can provide insight into sentiments and preoccupations of our age. Difficult to dissect are subjects that voice the growing sense that all is meaningless. Such is the case with "Beavis and Butthead", a popular cartoon shown regularly on MTV. This discussion attempts to present how the cartoon demonstrates an expanding notion of nihilism within youth culture.

Many who have watched "Beavis and Butthead" say that they do not understand or see any humor in the show. It appears to be a pre-adolescent cartoon show with pre-adolescent characters drawn by a pre-adolescent for a pre-adolescent audience. It is commonly disregarded as offensive, mostly by older generations and females. The show seems to be most popular with males between the ages of eight and thirty-five. What does this audience find so entertaining?

Excluding the overtly sexual references, this author finds "Beavis and Butthead" to be humorous. First, it just looks funny. The cartooning seems lifted straight from a seventh-grader’s notebook. It actually seems as if the show was produced by a thirteen-year-old. The main characters, Beavis and Butthead, are themselves comical. In their exchanges with each other and their world, they are utterly foolish. They constantly repudiate people with put-downs, (e.g., "buttmunch" and "wuss"). Their intent in life mirrors the stereotypical, pre-pubescent male: their daily goal is to satiate their primal cravings with food (e.g., nachos and potato chips), entertainment (e.g., music videos), and sex. Sex is especially alluring because of its unavailability. Consequently, women are viewed only as their particular body parts. Often, Butthead exclaims, "We’re gonna score!" before some ridiculous scheme for a sexual encounter quickly goes awry.

They are not unlike "The Three Stooges" in their world interpretation. The audience clearly sees how ludicrous their plans are, but Beavis and Butthead do not. In the same way "The Three Stooges" believe they can jump in and cook a formal dinner, Beavis and Butthead believe they will get rich by making photocopies of a dollar bill. These situations are funny because everyone can personally relate to concocting a silly scheme. The association with personal experience contributes to the popularity of the show.

The essence of "Beavis and Butthead" is demonstrated as they critique music videos. They sit on a torn couch in a trashed room, critiquing the videos that appear on television. (Clips of the actual videos are part of the show.) While producers of music videos utilize enormous budgets, time, and talent to peddle a music group, Beavis and Butthead are seldom impressed. With a sentence or two, they dissect the video as worthless. For example, during a surreal "Silverchair" video, Butthead comments, "Is this, like, supposed to freak you out? Because I’m, like, unfreaked." In this scenario, they are very much like a multitude of Generation X-ers who spend many hours doing the same thing. Thus, they have become a type of "Siskel and Ebert" (well-known American movie critics) for current music videos. During one episode, Beavis and Butthead complimented a "Nirvana" video asserting, "This is cool," and "This rocks." Upon seeing that show, Kurt Cobain, the late singer of "Nirvana", reportedly said, "They like us! They like us!" Nirvana had passed the scrutiny of the ultimate critics.

Most commonly, the judgments are negative. This practice is strangely reminescent of deconstructionism, a literary criticism technique which reduces everything to meaninglessness. Pervasive with a nihilstic worldview (a mushrooming notion in post-modern America), there is no God. There is no law. Life is meaningless. This sentiment is exemplified in the modern term, "whatever" (often accompanied with a shrug of the shoulders). Beavis and Butthead see no value in education or any other higher pursuit. There is no point to achieving. Their simple desire is to feel good by moving from one diversion to the next. They sit amid the garbage of their room as if they themselves were garbage. They watch television and deconstruct popular culture by finding most things worthless and meaningless. Yet, they watch it anyway because there is nothing else to do. The scene is pathetic, yet manages to be funny (in a way) largely because it is animated. Since the show is a cartoon, the viewer gains enough distance to be safely removed from the sad reality of the situation. In fact, a viewer may even sympathize with the pair—viewing within oneself a bit of the deconstructionism Beavis and Butthead portray.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Do you know kids who are influenced by "Beavis and Butthead"? How do you know that they identify with the cartoon?
2. What do you think about the cartoon? Is it beneficial for kids to watch? Is it dangerous? What can be taught from the series?
3. Do you agree that it reflects a nihilistic view of the world? Is that view prevalent with the kids with whom you interact?
4. How can you teach kids that their lives have meaning? Can this cartoon help you teach that lesson, or is it only a hindrance?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Media reflects society. It is important for youth workers to realize that many of their kids feel that life is senseless and worthless—just like Beavis and Butthead.
2. Current popular media offers insight into the values and struggles of today’s youth. A variety of media should be used as informational and relational tools.
3. While Beavis and Butthead—and other types of media—twist reality for kids, youth workers must teach young people that their lives have meaning and value.