The Simpsons is a parody of traditional family values that satirizes many topics through intertextuality, eclecticism, and fragmentation. It borrows conventions from other works and genres to comment on society and critique authority. Episodes often have tangents and digressions that subvert grand narratives. The show attacks established beliefs and institutions through its skeptical and iconoclastic portrayal of incompetent or corrupt authority figures, challenging the idea that anything can be known with certainty.