The Simpsons Movie Isn't Liberal Enough

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/..._sell_out.html

Quote:

It is almost a given in elite liberal circles that you are, or once were, a devoted fan of The Simpsons. The show skewers every social stereotype with both sophistication and silliness.

While it occasionally indulges in South Park-esque pox-on-both-their houses humour, such as teasing Lisa's earnest liberal activism or European backpackers' self-righteousness about America's backwards politics ("problem with America: no universal healthcare" says a young German who is staying in a hostel the Simpsons open in one episode), it always seemed as if the show had a loving tone towards liberals while the take on conservatives was generally a colder assessment. You giggled gently when Lisa slapped a "US out of everywhere" sticker on her bicycle, or shouted "Free Tibet" every time she found a megaphone in her hands. The viewer is meant to laugh at Lisa's sweet but naive intentions in a sympathetic way.

But conservatives were a different story. While Lisa is the show's primary vessel for laughs on liberalism, the show's archetypal conservative was the evil, elderly miser C Montgomery Burns.

The wealthy owner of a nuclear power plant, Mr Burns is absurdly villainous. Greedy and heartless, Burns entertains himself by collecting clothes made from endangered animals, firing employees for no cause, and releasing his aggressive hounds on visitors. And, of course, Burns is a Republican. In one episode he calls to order a meeting of local Republicans (typical members include the "Rich Texan" character whom Lisa tried to prevent from chopping down an old-growth forest) by asking "what act of unmitigated evil should we Republicans unleash today?"

The humour is so sharp-edged, and apparently liberal, that you wonder how they were able to get away with saying that on network television (Fox, no less). Other examples of The Simpsons' liberal politics abound. Insane murderer Sideshow Bob runs for mayor as a Republican, and last year's Halloween episode included an alien invasion segment that was clearly a critique of the Iraq war (final lines: "But you said we'd be greeted as liberators! Maybe Operation Never-Ending Occupation wasn't such a good idea after all").

Certainly critics could quibble with the assumption that The Simpsons is entirely liberal in its politics. Some would argue that making Marge a housewife who stands by her man despite all his shenanigans hardly sets a feminist example for younger viewers.

Others might counter that The Simpsons' depiction of Homer (and men generally) as impulsive dolts is intended to subvert the father knows best cultural paradigm. Whatever one reads into the show's cultural assumptions, however, it's the case that when it comes to explicitly partisan politics, the show clearly leans left.

That's why it was so disappointing to see the hilarious new Simpsons movie engage in some weirdly illiberal gags. The plot device driving the action and denouement is that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, named Russ Cargill, runs amok and isolates Springfield in a glass bubble to prevent a contamination from spreading.

When that fails he decides to simply blow Springfield up (and presumably kill everyone living there). Obviously it is meant to be hyperbolic. But the irony may be lost on the average viewer.

The anti-environmental thread runs throughout the movie. Lisa's presentation at a town meeting on the pollution in Lake Springfield is called "An Irritating Truth". Lisa and her new boyfriend are presented as self-righteous nags for badgering the town about pollution and environmental efficiency.

Of course, one could just as easily say the movie is mocking the incurious attitude of average citizens toward environmental degradation for slamming the door in Lisa's face when she goes canvassing. But fundamentally the movie shows environmentalists as aggressive busybodies, starting on a slippery slope to mass murder in the name of the environment.

Certainly there are jokes that liberals would find politically congenial. The president is Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and his detached management style allows Cargill to take drastic measures without proper oversight (and partly to enrich himself: He owns the company that makes the glass bubble). The analogy to the current president and his relationship with Vice President Cheney is obvious. But wouldn't it be more accurate, and more effective, to make the bad guy, say, the secretary of defence instead of the EPA administrator?

Ultimately The Simpsons movie takes the same political approach that so many comedies do: a "no one is safe" attitude that makes fun of everyone. Disaffected libertarians like the South Park creators and Christopher Buckley have done the same in movies like Team America and Thank you for Smoking, respectively.

And in the hands of the deft Simpsons writers the result is hilarious. But the favouritism that they've historically shown the left is missing. It's not that liberal fans shouldn't see The Simpsons movie - it's still a very enjoyable experience. But don't expect to leave the theatre feeling that the film did something larger, something the show so often did in its heyday: using over the top comedy to tell the truth about the real world.

Preview of the new More Liberal Simpsons:

YouTube Video

Jam it back in, in the dark.

So people are complaining now that films don't live up to their hoped for political agendas?

Before they invented the internet these people had to make do with pissing off people in the pub with their inane bullshit, now thanks to Brady's relentless hunt for online fools we all have to suffer.

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Shin, are we to believe that sad-sacks like this would have ever populated a pub?

It's amazing the new and wonderous ways people find to complain about things though.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by OmagnusPrime

Shin, are we to believe that sad-sacks like this would have ever populated a pub?

How many TRUE dives have you been to in your life, mate? Find the seediest dives in your general area and you will be shown true ignorance. At least in your country you have the luxury of having English accents; here in the States those accents sound a lot like our president.

Also, perhaps we should just wait until "Drawn Together: TOOT IS F***ING FAT - The movie" is made so that we can fill the HUGE VOID left by that paltry drivel known as The Simpsons.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Can we just leave the political bullshit out of this and just agree that The Simpsons Movie isn't good enough.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Paco Vato Loco

Also, perhaps we should just wait until "Drawn Together: TOOT IS F***ING FAT - The movie" is made

I endorse this idea. Drawn Together is vastly underrated.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Merv Burger

Can we just leave the political bullshit out of this and just agree that The Simpsons isn't good.

There we go =o

And I loathe drawn together. I tried sitting few episodes, but it relies on toilet humor and beating to death the proportions on a horrid Betty Boop parody. I saw it once late at night (channel surfing) and it seemed that it was "UNCUT HOUR~". Disgusting. Maybe the two or three eps I saw were the worst, but they were very, very disappointing.

South Park remains the only good reason for me to watch Comedy Central (but I've lost track of new seasons as of late). That is, until Futurama starts up on it...

FELIPE NO

Ok so hey guys here's my idea on how to make The Simpsons more liberal:

Lisa comes up with a plan to make solar power an efficient means of energy production and Marge thinks it's a great idea, but Homer doesn't 'cuz men are dum am i rite?

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Paco Vato Loco

"Drawn Together: TOOT IS F***ING FAT - The movie"

I second Crash's motion. I mean, Comedy Central STOPPED SHOWING THE SHOW halfway through the third season and hasn't seen fit to DVD release the 2nd.





oh, and they need to bring Stella back. Unsubtle subtlety is tops.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I really don't trust The Guardian to determine if anything is partisan enough...

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by wvlfpvp

oh, and they need to bring Stella back. Unsubtle subtlety is tops.

If you haven't seen The Baxter you should totally get it. Not quite the same style humor as the show, but still hilarious.

Also at the article. Next review will be Moore sold out; doesn't attack everyone but himself enough.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I think the point missed in the quoted article is that the Simpsons is a satire largely about current events (with some history, literature, and pop culture thrown in for fun). As such, the past ten years (over half of its life) have been done during periods in which Republicans controlled the Congress, the Presidency, or both. Naturally, the "ruling party" is going to take the brunt of the jokes as they are the ones dictating the course of the country and current events.

However, as the current opinions of the country lean more toward the liberal side and Democrats begin to find themselves in a position of power, they will become the targets of the Simpsons more and more. In other words, how funny would a show be if all it did was agree with the currently espoused viewpoint no matter how silly or extreme it may be?

Those old enough to remember the first few years of the Simpsons (or anybody with the DVDs) would quickly point out the show was largely about Bart's horrible behavior in the beginning. It wasn't until later in the run that the producers and writers realized the gold mine they had in Homer's stupidity when placed in the context of the modern society.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

The problem with The Simpsons is that I don't find it to be quite as satirical as it was back in the day. Although I lean left politically, that is unrelated to my views on the show. I was drawn (pun intended) to The Simpsons because its satire was edgy, well executed, and--most importantly--funny. I just feel as though the recent seasons have been pandering to the "college humor" crowd, if you will. =/

The movie wasn't half bad, but it wasn't as satirical as I would have hoped.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Merv Burger

Can we just leave the political bullshit out of this and just agree that The Simpsons Movie isn't good enough.

Exactly. The Simpsons in general has kind of started sucking, in my opinion. A show that old is bound to start getting stupider after all these years. People who get all wound up over politics in random silly movies bug me. Like the whole "american way" thing in Superman. It's just a stupid movie, it's just there to make money.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Aurora

Exactly. The Simpsons in general has kind of started sucking, in my opinion. A show that old is bound to start getting stupider after all these years.

People have been saying this about the Simpsons for the past 10 years. I think it's actually been getting a bit better than it used to be five or so years ago.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by RacinReaver

People have been saying this about the Simpsons for the past 10 years. I think it's actually been getting a bit better than it used to be five or so years ago.

I'm amazed you're still watching it to find out. I just gave up on it a long time ago, and I don't feel the need to tune into any new episodes anymore.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

It's pretty funny if you take it for what it is now. =\

I think it's taken some unfortunate queues from Family Guy and Adult Swim with total random bullshit jokes that aren't funny, but for the most part the show seems to have returned to story-driven humor.

Jam it back in, in the dark.