Politics in The Simpsons
Encyclopedia
Politics
is a common theme in the animated television series The Simpsons
, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics
. U.S.
conservatives
voiced opposition to the show early in its run, when it was still controversial for its crude humor and irreverent take on family values. Former U.S. President
George H. W. Bush
said that the U.S. needed to be closer to The Waltons
than to The Simpsons. The show's admitted liberal
slant has been joked about in episodes such as "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
", in which a reference is made to "hundreds of radical right-wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening
." More recently, however, conservative bloggers and commentators have enthusiastically promoted cultural memes from the series, such as Groundskeeper Willie
's derisive term for the French
, "cheese-eating surrender monkeys
".
Political topics addressed on The Simpsons include homophobia and gay marriage (in the episodes "Homer's Phobia
" and "There's Something About Marrying
"), immigration and border control (“Much Apu About Nothing
,” “Midnight Rx
”, “Coming to Homerica
”), drug and alcohol abuse ("Brother's Little Helper
", "Weekend at Burnsie's
", "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
", "Duffless
", "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
", and "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses
"), gun rights ("The Cartridge Family
"), environmental issues ("The Old Man and the Lisa
", "Trash of the Titans
", "Lisa the Tree Hugger
", "The Wife Aquatic
", "The Squirt and the Whale
", in addition to being an important plot device in the feature-length film
), election campaigns ("Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
", "Sideshow Bob Roberts
", "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
", "See Homer Run
", "E Pluribus Wiggum
"), and corruption ("Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington
").
admitted in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive ideals, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum. In the DVD commentaries, creator Matt Groening
and the majority of people who work on the show state several times that they are very liberal, but some, such as John Swartzwelder
(the writer of many episodes), are conservative. So the two main political parties of Springfield, the Republicans
and the Democrats
, reside in a stereotype Dracula
n castle, and in a public salad bar respectively; the on/off Mayor, Joe Quimby
is represented as a Democrat and Sideshow Bob
as a Republican during his brief tenure as Mayor. Occasionally third parties are also mentioned on the show, such as Flanders in danger of losing the title to his struggling fledgling store, which was due to become headquarters for Springfield's Libertarian Party
, which Flanders hopes will do better than his store. The show portrays government and large corporations as callous entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons, politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are indifferent to churchgoers, and the local police force is both incompetent and corrupt.
made a speech during his re-election campaign that ignited the feud between the Simpsons and the Bushes. At that point family values were the cornerstone of Bush's campaign platform. So he gave the following speech at the National Religious Broadcaster's convention in Washington. "The next value I speak of must be forever cast in stone. I speak of decency, the moral courage to say what is right and condemn what's wrong, and we need a nation closer to the Waltons
than the Simpsons. An America that rejects the incivility, the tide of incivility and the tide of intolerance".
The next broadcast of the Simpsons was a rerun of the third-season premiere
, "Stark Raving Dad
" (1991), on January 30, 1992. In that broadcast there was hastily included a new opening, which was a response to Bush's speech. The scene begins in the Simpsons living room. Homer, Patty, and Selma sit on the couch. Maggie is in her high chair next to the couch. Bart and Lisa are sprawled on the carpet. They all stare at the TV and watch Bush's speech. When Bush says, "We need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons," Bart replies "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too."
The producers of the show developed their response further by making the episode "Two Bad Neighbors
" (season 7
, 1996), which had Bush move into the same neighborhood as the Simpsons. Josh Weinstein
said that the episode is often misunderstood. Many audiences expected a political satire, while the writers made special effort to keep the parody apolitical. Bill Oakley
stresses that "it's not a political attack, it's a personal attack!", and instead of criticizing Bush for his policies, the episode instead pokes fun at his "crotchetiness".
While Bush Senior has been a particular target for The Simpsons, other presidents have also been teased, usually in episodes that corresponds with the president's term. One example showed Bill Clinton playing his well-known saxophone then having Moe yell "Get back to work, Clinton!", a likely remark that during Clinton's first term he gave the image that it was a jolly time to be in office and was seen more doing recreational activities and not officious duties.
" (season 19
, 2008) caused controversy in Argentina
prior to its broadcast there. The controversy is over an exchange between Lenny and Carl. Carl says "I could really go for some kind of military dictator, like Juan Perón
. When he 'disappeared
' you, you stayed 'disappeared!'". Carl's comment is a reference to the Dirty War
, a period of military dictatorship during which as many as 30,000 political dissidents disappeared, and is largely regarded as having begun at least two years after the death of Perón. The clip was viewed on YouTube
over ten thousand times in Argentina and some politicians in the country called for the episode to be censored or banned.
Lorenzo Pepe, former Justicialist Party
congressman and president of the Juan Domingo Perón Institute, said "this type of program causes great harm, because the disappearances are still an open wound here." Some reacted negatively to Lenny's response to Carl's comment: "Plus, his wife was Madonna
", a reference to the film Evita
, where Madonna played Eva Perón
. Argentinians had protested the filmmakers' decision to cast Madonna in the role of their beloved first lady. Pepe added "the part about Madonna—that was too much." Pepe's request for banning the episode was rejected by the Federal Broadcasting Committee of Argentina on freedom of speech
grounds.
In an unprecedented decision, Fox decided not to air the episode in Latin America
. In an e-mail sent later to the media, the network said that this decision was based on "the possibility that the episode would contribute to reopen wounds very painful to Argentina". The Federal Broadcasting Committee made it clear that the episode was not aired in Argentina by Fox's own choice.
tourist board found the season 13
episode "Blame It on Lisa
" (2002) so offensive to the Brazilian people that they threatened to sue the producers. The board's exact words were "What really hurt was the idea of the monkeys, the image that Rio de Janeiro was a jungle ... It's a completely unreal image of the city". The Brazilian president at that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso
, found it to be "a distorted vision of Brazilian reality". Rio de Janeiro had just spent millions promoting the city internationally. Their reputation was already damaged because of an outbreak of dengue fever
a few years earlier. Producer James L. Brooks
apologized to "the lovely city of Rio de Janeiro", adding that "if this does not settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to fight with the Brazilian president on Celebrity Boxing
". After the apology, the issue did not go any further. However it was international news for a while.
"Blame It on Lisa" has been a source of academic studies in both the United States and Brazil. Alessandro de Almeida, a History
master
from the Federal University of Uberlândia
, links the depiction of Brazil in the episode with the "social chaos" of Cardoso's second term as president. In his opinion, "the association of the figure of president Fernando Henrique Cardoso with those of the decaying celebrities of Celebrity Boxing is interesting to think about the political meaning of the episode". At that moment, in which Brazil was facing serious social issues due to the Asian financial crisis, "confidence in the Brazilian federal government was severely shaken and the image of the Brazilian president was undoubtedly in decline". He also argues that the episode's criticism "is not focused only in Brazil", citing that while "in the U.S. Bart use to watch violent cartoons
, in Brazil he watches 'educational' programs linked to sexuality". The character's scape from reality, according to him, "demonstrates problems of contemporary societies". He concluded his article by saying that the episode could generate a debate about the Cardoso administration that would benefit the Brazilian society, had it not been banned from broadcast television airing by Rede Globo
.
, which gained notoriety in the United States
, particularly in the run-up to the Iraq War. The phrase was first popularized in the Simpsons
episode "'Round Springfield
" (season 6
, 1995). Groundskeeper Willie
, the school janitor, an unkempt immigrant from Scotland
, is teaching French
due to budget cuts, dressed in a striped jumper and a beret. He greets the class with (in heavy Scottish
accent) "Bonjourrrrrrrrr, yah cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys!"
The line was first picked up and used predominantly by Republican
American politicians and publications. They were led, according to the British national newspaper The Guardian
, by Jonah Goldberg
, a popular columnist for the U.S. bi-weekly National Review
and editor of their website National Review Online. Goldberg's online-only column, the G-File, is written in a more casual, personal manner and in the late 1990s often contained Simpsons (and other pop-cultural) references. Goldberg's repeated aggressive use of the phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" led to its more widespread use amongst his readers, although Goldberg had stopped using it by the time the phrase was gaining mainstream popularity post-9/11
.
France opposed many U.S. positions and actions, in particular, the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. Some argue the phrase's success reflects deep antipathy in the U.S. towards countries such as France who oppose the U.S. in international forums. The New York Post resurrected the phrase "Surrender Monkeys" as the headline for its December 7, 2006, front page, referring to the Iraq Study Group
and its recommendation that U.S. combat brigades be withdrawn from Iraq by early 2008.
The first Simpsons episode to feature international travel was The Crepes of Wrath
, where France was not so much portrayed for its politics, but rather winemaking. Bart is abused by two French winemakers who put him to work without compensation
, but are brought to justice when Bart is able to communicate with the French police that the winemakers are adulterating wine with dangerous chemicals
. Bart is rewarded by being given the red carpet
treatment by the French for the remainder of his stay. The episode seems to parody the stereotype that the French are condescending to Americans, but Bart says "I met one nice French person", remembering the policeman who saved him from the tormentors.
" (season 9
, 1997). Sam Simon
had pitched an episode for one of the first seasons which saw Homer getting a gun and nobody wanting him to have it. The episode concluded with Homer foiling a robbery and stating that although guns bring destruction, it worked for him. However, this episode was pitched by Scully for either season seven or eight, before being used for season nine. This provided the basic outline, and John Swartzwelder
wrote the script. A lot of lines in the episode put guns in a positive light, as the staff felt that they could not just make an episode about how bad they were. Several of the staff are "pro gun" although others, such as Matt Groening
, are very left wing and completely against them. That said, the episode was designed to be unbiased and does portray each side of the argument equally. Scully noted that if there is any message in the episode it's that a man like Homer should not own a gun. The censors were nervous about some of the episode's subject matter, such as Homer pointing the gun in Marge's face, and Bart aiming the gun at Milhouse with the apple in his mouth, but ultimately let it go.
themes several times. The first incident was the episode "Simpson and Delilah
" (season 2
, 1990) in which the character Karl (voiced by Harvey Fierstein
) kisses Homer. "Homer's Phobia
" (season 8
, 1997) was the first episode to entirely revolve around homosexual themes. The episode features the gay character John (John Waters
), who is not immediately identifiable as a gay man and does not conform to the typical gay stereotype. After initially being fond of John, Homer acts strongly against him when he finds out about his sexuality ("[But] not because he's gay, because he's a sneak! He should at least have the decency to admit he's ... that way!"). Later Homer accepts John for who he is and is fine with the way he leads his life. Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
called it "a shining example of how to bring intelligent, fair and funny representations of our community onto television"; and awarded it the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV - Individual Episode. Two later episodes that explored LGBT issues were "Three Gays of the Condo
" (season 14
, 2003) and "There's Something About Marrying
" (season 16
, 2005). The later was centering on the right for homosexuals to get married and revealed that Marge's sister Patty was a lesbian. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation described this episode as a "ray of light".
The character of Waylon Smithers
seems to represent the stereotype
of the closeted
gay
man, and numerous overt allusions and double entendres concerning his homosexuality
are made. Although he has not declared himself to be gay, he has several gay friends, frequents Springfield's gay village
and goes on a vacation to a male-only resort. Smithers is shown to have a passionate and deep love for Mr. Burns; as late as 2007, during the show's 18th season, Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks
wrote in an interview that Smithers, being focused on one particular individual, was not homosexual, but "Burns-sexual". Smithers has occasional fantasies about Burns: he turns his computer on, it shows a nude Burns with an audio montage saying: "Hello Smithers. You're quite good at turning me on." Smithers has openly declared his love for Burns on at least two occasions, such as in "Lisa the Skeptic
" (season 9
, 1997), when, believing the world is ending, Smithers says "Oh, what the hell!" and kisses Burns on the lips, later explaining it to him as "merely a sign of my respect." Another is Smithers' fantasy of a naked Mr. Burns popping out of a birthday cake in "Rosebud
" (season 5
, 1993). "Marge Gets A Job
" (season 4
, 1992) has a dream sequence where Smithers is sleeping and Burns flies through a window. The sequence shows Burns flying towards him and Smithers looking happy; the scene causing some controversy due to the positioning by the animators of the character's knee. In the episode "Homer Defined
" (season 3
, 1991), as they think they are about to die, Smithers tells Burns "Sir, there may never be another time to say: I love you, sir."
In a 2006 study conducted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, it was determined that nine of the 679 lead and supporting characters on scripted broadcast television were gay or lesbian, but Smithers was not included. Patty Bouvier, Marge Simpson's lesbian sister, was included on both lists. A list published in 2008 by the same organization included Smithers.
In an interview, Matt Groening
expressed his friendship and support to gay individuals. According to him, "gay men are starved for positive portrayals of lasting love".
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN), which was in the middle of running a campaign to prevent casual use of the adjective
"gay", criticized Nelson Muntz
's line "the Grand Pumpkin is super gay" in "Treehouse of Horror XIX
" (season 20, 2008). A spokesperson for the GLSEN said "many people say gay without even realizing what they're saying is bad, we're trying to educate people that this is a term that is hurtful to young people when used in a negative way." Several similar jokes have been made throughout the series without controversy.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
is a common theme in the animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, and this phenomenon has had some crossover with real American politics
American politics
American politics is an area of study within the academic discipline of political science. It is primarily, but not exclusively, studied by researchers in the United States...
. U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
voiced opposition to the show early in its run, when it was still controversial for its crude humor and irreverent take on family values. Former U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
said that the U.S. needed to be closer to The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
than to The Simpsons. The show's admitted liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
slant has been joked about in episodes such as "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on Fox on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and...
", in which a reference is made to "hundreds of radical right-wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
." More recently, however, conservative bloggers and commentators have enthusiastically promoted cultural memes from the series, such as Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
's derisive term for the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, "cheese-eating surrender monkeys
Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys", sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", is a derogatory description of French people that was coined in 1995 by a writer of the television series The Simpsons. The phrase has since entered two Oxford quotation dictionaries...
".
Political topics addressed on The Simpsons include homophobia and gay marriage (in the episodes "Homer's Phobia
Homer's Phobia
"Homer's Phobia" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 16, 1997. In the episode, Homer dissociates himself from new family friend John after discovering that John is gay...
" and "There's Something About Marrying
There's Something About Marrying
"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons. In the episode, Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage to increase tourism. After becoming a minister, Homer starts to wed people to make money. Meanwhile, Marge's sister Patty comes out as gay and...
"), immigration and border control (“Much Apu About Nothing
Much Apu About Nothing
"Much Apu About Nothing" is the 23rd episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 5, 1996. In the episode, a referendum is created that will require all illegal immigrants from Springfield to be deported...
,” “Midnight Rx
Midnight Rx
"Midnight Rx" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season. It was the first new episode of 2005.-Plot:Mr. Burns reserves the Springfield Air and Space Museum for a plant company party. While there, Burns acts strangely kind to all of his employees. At the end of the party, Burns announces...
”, “Coming to Homerica
Coming to Homerica
"Coming to Homerica" is the twenty-first episode and season finale of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 2009. Its name is a parody of the 1988 film Coming to America. The storyline is a pick on illegal immigration to the United States,...
”), drug and alcohol abuse ("Brother's Little Helper
Brother's Little Helper
"Brother's Little Helper" is the second episode of The Simpsons 11th season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1999. In the episode, Bart floods the school gymnasium, which prompts the school's principal Seymour Skinner to diagnose Bart with ADD...
", "Weekend at Burnsie's
Weekend at Burnsie's
"Weekend at Burnsie's" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on April 7, 2002. In the episode, Homer Simpson is prescribed medicinal marijuana after getting pecked in the eyes by a murder of crows. While his...
", "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment
Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment
"Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons eighth season, which originally aired March 16, 1997. Prohibition is enacted in Springfield and Homer helps fight it by illegally supplying alcohol to the town. It was written by John Swartzwelder, and directed by Bob...
", "Duffless
Duffless
"Duffless" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons fourth season and originally aired on the Fox network on February 18, 1993. After getting arrested for drunk driving, Homer tries to remain sober, at Marge's request. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to prove that Bart is dumber than a hamster after he...
", "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)
"E-I-E-I-" is the fifth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 7, 1999. In the episode, inspired by a Zorro movie, Homer begins slapping people with a glove and challenging them to duels...
", and "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses
Days of Wine and D'oh'ses
"Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 9, 2000...
"), gun rights ("The Cartridge Family
The Cartridge Family
"The Cartridge Family" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Pete Michels. In the episode, Homer purchases a gun to protect his family, of which Marge disapproves...
"), environmental issues ("The Old Man and the Lisa
The Old Man and the Lisa
"The Old Man and the Lisa" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons eighth season, first aired by the Fox network on April 20, 1997. In the episode, Mr. Burns becomes bankrupt and asks Lisa to help him become rich again. On the condition that he will lose his evil manners she helps him, and the...
", "Trash of the Titans
Trash of the Titans
"Trash of the Titans" is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons ninth season and the 200th overall. It originally aired on the Fox network on April 26, 1998...
", "Lisa the Tree Hugger
Lisa the Tree Hugger
"Lisa the Tree Hugger" is the fourth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 19, 2000...
", "The Wife Aquatic
The Wife Aquatic
The Wife Aquatic is the tenth episode of The Simpsons eighteenth season, which originally aired January 7, 2007. 13.9 million viewers watched this episode, making it the highest rated of seasons 17–20.-Plot:...
", "The Squirt and the Whale
The Squirt and the Whale
"The Squirt and the Whale" is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season, which premiered on the Fox network on April 25, 2010 as the 460th episode for the series overall. In the episode, the Simpson family attempt to save a beached whale that washed up onshore, only for it to...
", in addition to being an important plot device in the feature-length film
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
), election campaigns ("Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 1, 1990. In the episode, Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a river downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant...
", "Sideshow Bob Roberts
Sideshow Bob Roberts
"Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and it originally aired on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns as villain Sideshow Bob, who, in this episode, wins the Springfield mayoral election through electoral fraud. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh...
", "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
"Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" is the fourteenth episode from The Simpsons 14th season which aired on March 9, 2003.-Plot:While watching a very late episode of The Three Stooges , the Simpsons feel the ground shaking. They discover an airplane flying dangerously close to their house...
", "See Homer Run
See Homer Run
"See Homer Run" is the sixth episode of the 17th season of The Simpsons.-Plot:On Father's Day, Homer is profoundly impressed by Bart's gift — a Leather Buddy multi-function knife, holding which he fantasizes about rescuing Marge from pirates — and proudly tells Bart that it is the...
", "E Pluribus Wiggum
E Pluribus Wiggum
"E Pluribus Wiggum" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, first broadcast January 6, 2008 on Fox. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Michael Polcino, and it guest starred Jon Stewart and Dan Rather as themselves...
"), and corruption ("Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington
Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington
"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" is the second episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 26, 1991. In the episode, Lisa enters in an essay contest to write an essay about America's greatness. When she successfully wins it, she and...
").
Political bias
Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a left-wing bias. Al JeanAl Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
admitted in an interview that "We [the show] are of liberal bent." The writers often evince an appreciation for progressive ideals, but the show makes jokes across the political spectrum. In the DVD commentaries, creator Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
and the majority of people who work on the show state several times that they are very liberal, but some, such as John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
(the writer of many episodes), are conservative. So the two main political parties of Springfield, the Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, reside in a stereotype Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
n castle, and in a public salad bar respectively; the on/off Mayor, Joe Quimby
Joe Quimby
Mayor Joseph "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe," is a recurring character from the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an F". A member of the Democratic Party, Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a...
is represented as a Democrat and Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
as a Republican during his brief tenure as Mayor. Occasionally third parties are also mentioned on the show, such as Flanders in danger of losing the title to his struggling fledgling store, which was due to become headquarters for Springfield's Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
, which Flanders hopes will do better than his store. The show portrays government and large corporations as callous entities that take advantage of the common worker. Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an unflattering or negative light. In The Simpsons, politicians are corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are indifferent to churchgoers, and the local police force is both incompetent and corrupt.
Criticism of values
On January 27, 1992 President George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
made a speech during his re-election campaign that ignited the feud between the Simpsons and the Bushes. At that point family values were the cornerstone of Bush's campaign platform. So he gave the following speech at the National Religious Broadcaster's convention in Washington. "The next value I speak of must be forever cast in stone. I speak of decency, the moral courage to say what is right and condemn what's wrong, and we need a nation closer to the Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
than the Simpsons. An America that rejects the incivility, the tide of incivility and the tide of intolerance".
The next broadcast of the Simpsons was a rerun of the third-season premiere
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
, "Stark Raving Dad
Stark Raving Dad
"Stark Raving Dad" is the first episode of the third season of American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 19, 1991...
" (1991), on January 30, 1992. In that broadcast there was hastily included a new opening, which was a response to Bush's speech. The scene begins in the Simpsons living room. Homer, Patty, and Selma sit on the couch. Maggie is in her high chair next to the couch. Bart and Lisa are sprawled on the carpet. They all stare at the TV and watch Bush's speech. When Bush says, "We need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons," Bart replies "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too."
The producers of the show developed their response further by making the episode "Two Bad Neighbors
Two Bad Neighbors
"Two Bad Neighbors" is the 13th episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1996. In the episode,the Simpson family is having a garage sale. Right when the sale gets moving, George H. W...
" (season 7
The Simpsons (season 7)
The Simpsons seventh season originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995 and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining...
, 1996), which had Bush move into the same neighborhood as the Simpsons. Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans High School; Weinstein then attended Stanford University and was editor-in-chief of the...
said that the episode is often misunderstood. Many audiences expected a political satire, while the writers made special effort to keep the parody apolitical. Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley
Bill Oakley is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Oakley and Josh Weinstein became best friends and writing partners at high school; Oakley then attended Harvard University and was Vice President of the Harvard Lampoon...
stresses that "it's not a political attack, it's a personal attack!", and instead of criticizing Bush for his policies, the episode instead pokes fun at his "crotchetiness".
While Bush Senior has been a particular target for The Simpsons, other presidents have also been teased, usually in episodes that corresponds with the president's term. One example showed Bill Clinton playing his well-known saxophone then having Moe yell "Get back to work, Clinton!", a likely remark that during Clinton's first term he gave the image that it was a jolly time to be in office and was seen more doing recreational activities and not officious duties.
Argentina
The episode "E Pluribus WiggumE Pluribus Wiggum
"E Pluribus Wiggum" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, first broadcast January 6, 2008 on Fox. It was written by Michael Price and directed by Michael Polcino, and it guest starred Jon Stewart and Dan Rather as themselves...
" (season 19
The Simpsons (season 19)
The Simpsons nineteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 23, 2007 and May 18, 2008.-Production:The nineteenth season of The Simpsons is the first one produced after the movie and contained seven hold-over episodes from season 18's JABF production line...
, 2008) caused controversy in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
prior to its broadcast there. The controversy is over an exchange between Lenny and Carl. Carl says "I could really go for some kind of military dictator, like Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
. When he 'disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
' you, you stayed 'disappeared!'". Carl's comment is a reference to the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
, a period of military dictatorship during which as many as 30,000 political dissidents disappeared, and is largely regarded as having begun at least two years after the death of Perón. The clip was viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
over ten thousand times in Argentina and some politicians in the country called for the episode to be censored or banned.
Lorenzo Pepe, former Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
congressman and president of the Juan Domingo Perón Institute, said "this type of program causes great harm, because the disappearances are still an open wound here." Some reacted negatively to Lenny's response to Carl's comment: "Plus, his wife was Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
", a reference to the film Evita
Evita (film)
Evita is the 1996 film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name based on the life of Eva Perón. It was directed by Alan Parker and written by Parker and Oliver Stone. It starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce...
, where Madonna played Eva Perón
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
. Argentinians had protested the filmmakers' decision to cast Madonna in the role of their beloved first lady. Pepe added "the part about Madonna—that was too much." Pepe's request for banning the episode was rejected by the Federal Broadcasting Committee of Argentina on freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
grounds.
In an unprecedented decision, Fox decided not to air the episode in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. In an e-mail sent later to the media, the network said that this decision was based on "the possibility that the episode would contribute to reopen wounds very painful to Argentina". The Federal Broadcasting Committee made it clear that the episode was not aired in Argentina by Fox's own choice.
Brazil
In 2002, the Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
tourist board found the season 13
The Simpsons (season 13)
The Simpsons thirteenth season originally aired on the Fox network between November 6, 2001 and May 22, 2002 and consists of 22 episodes. The show runner for the thirteenth production season was Al Jean who executive-produced 17 episodes...
episode "Blame It on Lisa
Blame It on Lisa
"Blame It on Lisa" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 2002. In the episode, the family goes to Brazil in search of a Brazilian orphan named Ronaldo whom Lisa has been sponsoring...
" (2002) so offensive to the Brazilian people that they threatened to sue the producers. The board's exact words were "What really hurt was the idea of the monkeys, the image that Rio de Janeiro was a jungle ... It's a completely unreal image of the city". The Brazilian president at that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, found it to be "a distorted vision of Brazilian reality". Rio de Janeiro had just spent millions promoting the city internationally. Their reputation was already damaged because of an outbreak of dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
a few years earlier. Producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
apologized to "the lovely city of Rio de Janeiro", adding that "if this does not settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to fight with the Brazilian president on Celebrity Boxing
Celebrity Boxing
Celebrity Boxing was a FOX television show, in which celebrities whose careers and/or notoriety had diminished were pitted against each other in exhibition boxing matches. The contestants wore headgear during the fights, which were scheduled for three rounds apiece...
". After the apology, the issue did not go any further. However it was international news for a while.
"Blame It on Lisa" has been a source of academic studies in both the United States and Brazil. Alessandro de Almeida, a History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
master
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the Federal University of Uberlândia
Federal University of Uberlândia
The Federal University of Uberlândia is an institution in the southwest of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a public university located in Uberlândia...
, links the depiction of Brazil in the episode with the "social chaos" of Cardoso's second term as president. In his opinion, "the association of the figure of president Fernando Henrique Cardoso with those of the decaying celebrities of Celebrity Boxing is interesting to think about the political meaning of the episode". At that moment, in which Brazil was facing serious social issues due to the Asian financial crisis, "confidence in the Brazilian federal government was severely shaken and the image of the Brazilian president was undoubtedly in decline". He also argues that the episode's criticism "is not focused only in Brazil", citing that while "in the U.S. Bart use to watch violent cartoons
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
, in Brazil he watches 'educational' programs linked to sexuality". The character's scape from reality, according to him, "demonstrates problems of contemporary societies". He concluded his article by saying that the episode could generate a debate about the Cardoso administration that would benefit the Brazilian society, had it not been banned from broadcast television airing by Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
.
France
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys", sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", is a satirical and insulting phrase referring to the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which gained notoriety in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly in the run-up to the Iraq War. The phrase was first popularized in the Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "'Round Springfield
'Round Springfield
"Round Springfield" is the 22nd episode of the sixth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on April 30, 1995. In the episode, Bart is rushed to hospital after eating a jagged metal Krusty-O and decides to sue Krusty the Clown. Whilst visiting Bart, Lisa meets her old mentor, jazz musician...
" (season 6
The Simpsons (season 6)
The Simpsons sixth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 4, 1994 and May 21, 1995 and consists of 25 episodes. The Simpsons is an animated series about a working class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
, 1995). Groundskeeper Willie
Groundskeeper Willie
William McDougal, usually referred to as Groundskeeper Willie, is a recurring character on The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is head groundskeeper at Springfield Elementary School. Willie is a Scottish immigrant, almost feral in nature and immensely proud of his homeland...
, the school janitor, an unkempt immigrant from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is teaching French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
due to budget cuts, dressed in a striped jumper and a beret. He greets the class with (in heavy Scottish
Scottish English
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
accent) "Bonjourrrrrrrrr, yah cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys!"
The line was first picked up and used predominantly by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
American politicians and publications. They were led, according to the British national newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, by Jonah Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Jonah Jacob Goldberg is an American conservative syndicated columnist and author. Goldberg is known for his contributions on politics and culture to , of which he is editor-at-large...
, a popular columnist for the U.S. bi-weekly National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
and editor of their website National Review Online. Goldberg's online-only column, the G-File, is written in a more casual, personal manner and in the late 1990s often contained Simpsons (and other pop-cultural) references. Goldberg's repeated aggressive use of the phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" led to its more widespread use amongst his readers, although Goldberg had stopped using it by the time the phrase was gaining mainstream popularity post-9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
France opposed many U.S. positions and actions, in particular, the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Some argue the phrase's success reflects deep antipathy in the U.S. towards countries such as France who oppose the U.S. in international forums. The New York Post resurrected the phrase "Surrender Monkeys" as the headline for its December 7, 2006, front page, referring to the Iraq Study Group
Iraq Study Group
The Iraq Study group , was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and making policy recommendations...
and its recommendation that U.S. combat brigades be withdrawn from Iraq by early 2008.
The first Simpsons episode to feature international travel was The Crepes of Wrath
The Crepes of Wrath
"The Crepes of Wrath" is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired April 15, 1990. The episode was written by George Meyer, Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti, and was directed by Wes Archer and Milton Gray. In the episode, Bart is sent to France on a student...
, where France was not so much portrayed for its politics, but rather winemaking. Bart is abused by two French winemakers who put him to work without compensation
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, but are brought to justice when Bart is able to communicate with the French police that the winemakers are adulterating wine with dangerous chemicals
Wine fraud
Wine fraud is a form of fraud in which wines are sold to a customer illicitly, usually having the customer spend more money than the product is worth, or causing sickness due to harmful chemicals being mixed into the wine...
. Bart is rewarded by being given the red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
treatment by the French for the remainder of his stay. The episode seems to parody the stereotype that the French are condescending to Americans, but Bart says "I met one nice French person", remembering the policeman who saved him from the tormentors.
Gun rights
The theme of gun rights were explored in the episode "The Cartridge FamilyThe Cartridge Family
"The Cartridge Family" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, which originally aired on November 2, 1997. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Pete Michels. In the episode, Homer purchases a gun to protect his family, of which Marge disapproves...
" (season 9
The Simpsons (season 9)
The Simpsons ninth season originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997 with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". The show runner for the ninth production season was Mike Scully...
, 1997). Sam Simon
Sam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...
had pitched an episode for one of the first seasons which saw Homer getting a gun and nobody wanting him to have it. The episode concluded with Homer foiling a robbery and stating that although guns bring destruction, it worked for him. However, this episode was pitched by Scully for either season seven or eight, before being used for season nine. This provided the basic outline, and John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
wrote the script. A lot of lines in the episode put guns in a positive light, as the staff felt that they could not just make an episode about how bad they were. Several of the staff are "pro gun" although others, such as Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, are very left wing and completely against them. That said, the episode was designed to be unbiased and does portray each side of the argument equally. Scully noted that if there is any message in the episode it's that a man like Homer should not own a gun. The censors were nervous about some of the episode's subject matter, such as Homer pointing the gun in Marge's face, and Bart aiming the gun at Milhouse with the apple in his mouth, but ultimately let it go.
Homosexuality
The Simpsons have explored lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
themes several times. The first incident was the episode "Simpson and Delilah
Simpson and Delilah
"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of The Simpsons second season and first aired on October 18, 1990. Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. Homer grows hair, and is given a promotion at work which allows him...
" (season 2
The Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
, 1990) in which the character Karl (voiced by Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
) kisses Homer. "Homer's Phobia
Homer's Phobia
"Homer's Phobia" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 16, 1997. In the episode, Homer dissociates himself from new family friend John after discovering that John is gay...
" (season 8
The Simpsons (season 8)
The Simpsons eighth season originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The show runners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
, 1997) was the first episode to entirely revolve around homosexual themes. The episode features the gay character John (John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
), who is not immediately identifiable as a gay man and does not conform to the typical gay stereotype. After initially being fond of John, Homer acts strongly against him when he finds out about his sexuality ("[But] not because he's gay, because he's a sneak! He should at least have the decency to admit he's ... that way!"). Later Homer accepts John for who he is and is fine with the way he leads his life. Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media...
called it "a shining example of how to bring intelligent, fair and funny representations of our community onto television"; and awarded it the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV - Individual Episode. Two later episodes that explored LGBT issues were "Three Gays of the Condo
Three Gays of the Condo
"Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode in the fourteenth season of The Simpsons and aired April 13, 2003.-Plot:Marge brings an "Oprah's Puzzle Club" jigsaw puzzle to the Simpson Family Wednesdays, for everyone to work on except for Grampa and Maggie, as the box clearly reads for ages...
" (season 14
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
, 2003) and "There's Something About Marrying
There's Something About Marrying
"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons. In the episode, Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage to increase tourism. After becoming a minister, Homer starts to wed people to make money. Meanwhile, Marge's sister Patty comes out as gay and...
" (season 16
The Simpsons (season 16)
The Simpsons 16th season began on Sunday, November 7, 2004 and contained 21 episodes, beginning with Treehouse of Horror XV. The season contains six hold-over episodes from the season 15 production line....
, 2005). The later was centering on the right for homosexuals to get married and revealed that Marge's sister Patty was a lesbian. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation described this episode as a "ray of light".
The character of Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers
Waylon Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open...
seems to represent the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of the closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man, and numerous overt allusions and double entendres concerning his homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
are made. Although he has not declared himself to be gay, he has several gay friends, frequents Springfield's gay village
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
and goes on a vacation to a male-only resort. Smithers is shown to have a passionate and deep love for Mr. Burns; as late as 2007, during the show's 18th season, Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
wrote in an interview that Smithers, being focused on one particular individual, was not homosexual, but "Burns-sexual". Smithers has occasional fantasies about Burns: he turns his computer on, it shows a nude Burns with an audio montage saying: "Hello Smithers. You're quite good at turning me on." Smithers has openly declared his love for Burns on at least two occasions, such as in "Lisa the Skeptic
Lisa the Skeptic
"Lisa the Skeptic" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons ninth season, first aired on November 23, 1997. On an archaeological dig with her class, Lisa discovers a skeleton that resembles an angel...
" (season 9
The Simpsons (season 9)
The Simpsons ninth season originally aired between September 1997 and May 1998, beginning on Sunday, September 21, 1997 with "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson". The show runner for the ninth production season was Mike Scully...
, 1997), when, believing the world is ending, Smithers says "Oh, what the hell!" and kisses Burns on the lips, later explaining it to him as "merely a sign of my respect." Another is Smithers' fantasy of a naked Mr. Burns popping out of a birthday cake in "Rosebud
Rosebud (The Simpsons)
"Rosebud" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 21, 1993. The episode begins by showing how on the eve of his birthday, Mr. Burns starts to miss his childhood teddy bear Bobo...
" (season 5
The Simpsons (season 5)
The Simpsons fifth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 30, 1993 and May 19, 1994. The show runner for the fifth production season was David Mirkin who executive produced 20 episodes. Al Jean and Mike Reiss executive produced the remaining two, which were both hold overs...
, 1993). "Marge Gets A Job
Marge Gets a Job
"Marge Gets a Job" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It was first broadcast on November 5, 1992 on Fox. In this episode, Marge gets a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to pay for foundation repair at the Simpson house. Mr. Burns develops a crush on Marge after seeing...
" (season 4
The Simpsons (season 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
, 1992) has a dream sequence where Smithers is sleeping and Burns flies through a window. The sequence shows Burns flying towards him and Smithers looking happy; the scene causing some controversy due to the positioning by the animators of the character's knee. In the episode "Homer Defined
Homer Defined
"Homer Defined" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 17, 1991. In the episode, Homer accidentally saves the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant from meltdown by choosing a button to a counting rhyme...
" (season 3
The Simpsons (season 3)
The Simpsons third season originally aired on the Fox network between September 19, 1991 and May 7, 1992. The show runners for the third production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss who executive produced 22 episodes the season, while two other episodes were produced by James L. Brooks, Matt...
, 1991), as they think they are about to die, Smithers tells Burns "Sir, there may never be another time to say: I love you, sir."
In a 2006 study conducted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, it was determined that nine of the 679 lead and supporting characters on scripted broadcast television were gay or lesbian, but Smithers was not included. Patty Bouvier, Marge Simpson's lesbian sister, was included on both lists. A list published in 2008 by the same organization included Smithers.
In an interview, Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
expressed his friendship and support to gay individuals. According to him, "gay men are starved for positive portrayals of lasting love".
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is an organization in the United States that seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in K-12 schools. GLSEN is headquartered in New York City and the District of Columbia...
(GLSEN), which was in the middle of running a campaign to prevent casual use of the adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
"gay", criticized Nelson Muntz
Nelson Muntz
Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role...
's line "the Grand Pumpkin is super gay" in "Treehouse of Horror XIX
Treehouse of Horror XIX
"Treehouse of Horror XIX" is the fourth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 2008...
" (season 20, 2008). A spokesperson for the GLSEN said "many people say gay without even realizing what they're saying is bad, we're trying to educate people that this is a term that is hurtful to young people when used in a negative way." Several similar jokes have been made throughout the series without controversy.