Homer Simpson gets a gun...

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I can't tell if this was a pro-gun or anti-gun episode (I did miss the first half). Anyone else see it and have an opinion?
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Love that episode - it's really neither pro nor anti, but *slightly* anti, with the painting of all NRA members as just a bunch of rubes (except that one fairly upstanding member of society, Dr. Julius Hibbard, was also among their ranks, IIRC). Also, as you mention, the gun is taken away from him, which is an anti view, but then he's saved by guys with guns, as you mention. Then at the end, Marge insists the gun is thrown away, but then sees herself with it in the mirror and gets a high off of it and keeps it.
 
Then there was the episode when Lisa led the crusade to ban guns (for the children), and of course, once Mayor Quimby proclaimed Springfield to be "gun-free and therefore utterly defenseless", the zombies and aliens all immediately began attacking.
 
The Simpsons is no different than Family Guy or American Dad or South Park.
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The Simpsons and South Park people would HATE to hear that.

They like and respect each others' work, but neither like nor respect Family Guy.

See Matt and Trey's commentary on the DVD, for the crossover episode where Simpsons characters show up in South Park.
 
I'm watching the Cartridge Family episode right now and it certainly seems anti gun to me. Homer buys a gun, they show an NRA meeting as a bunch of crazy people, tell Homer there's a 58% chance he'll shoot a family member instead of an intruder, Marge says she feels her life is in danger, and Homer leaves the gun in a place where Bart gets to it and almost shoots someone. "Until you decide what's more important, you're gun or your family, we can't live in the same house." More Hollywood writing morons.
 
I can't tell if this was a pro-gun or anti-gun episode (I did miss the first half). Anyone else see it and have an opinion?
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I saw an interview with some of the writers of the Simpsons and they (the writers) are an extremely leftist crowd. When I've seen this episode, I felt as thought they (writers) were portraying all gun owners through Homer, who's a careless, selfish, thoughtless, and irresponsible idiot. One of the top reasons that I don't watch that show anymore, but it is very funny stuff, especially that episode.
 
Longest running show on the tube speaks for itself. That said, no matter how much you enjoy anything, there will be times you don't agree with something they say or do. IMO, "The Simpsons" (in it's 20th year) is the funniest show on TV...certainly one of the sharpest and insightful when it comes to humor!
 
Sorry If this was already brought up, I didnt take time to read every post. But in the opening credits where Maggie is scanned through the cash register at the grocery store it says "NRA4EVER" where it normally shows the price. Apprently they only did this for one episode, I dont know which one. The rest of the time it reads "$847.63" the amount of money required to raise a baby for one month in the US. I always figured the simpsons to be pro gun. Even in the episode where Marge makes Homer get rid of the gun at the end she keeps it for herself.
 
The NRA episode of the Simpsons did get me feeling defensive, but at the end I felt that it could have gone either way. A lib anti could have laughed about how they portrayed gun owners, but I kind of saw it as spoofing the ridiculous way antis view us. A little bit of the episode actually was placating the rtkba folks I think. Matt Groening is an alumni of Evergreen State college though, the school that in my mind exemplifies the most radical brick throwing/ bandana-over-face type 'blame America first' crowd. Maybe those types aren't necessarily anti 2ndA, but they vote in droves for the anti side of the ticket.
 
I don't care what political statement the Simpsons try and make I will always love that show. I grew up watching the show and even I don't agree with all their views I find the show consistently entertaining.
 
"I for one, think that Homer is smarter than the head of the incoming administration."

That could be said about the current one as well.

I love moe's double barrel pump, that thing is sweet.So is that 1740 that is floating around here.
 
The simpsons doesn't have any real stance on guns, besides that they are a necessary evil.

2 halloween episodes have Lisa getting rid of guns somehow, and both times tragedy strikes and guns save the day (1- lisa wishes for world peace and everyone destroys their weapons. aliens attack from outer space. they eventually get defeated by boards with nails in them. 2- guns get taken away and historical zombies lying in wait for this to happen attack and take over the town, until a time travelling homer changes the towns minds about firearms and gets their guns back and the townspeople blow the zombies away)

the episode that started this thread showed guns in a neutral light. they are good in the right hands but bad in the wrong. which is the smartest viewpoint possible. because guns alone do nothing by themselves.
 
Any subject is game on the "Simpsons!" All in all they've given us a fair shake. When Homer had the bad fish and thought he was dying, Larry King on the bible tape Homer was listening to said "I think the San Antonio Spurs will go all the way." And, by golly it came to pass.... and kept on comin'! Who can argue with that.

BTW, before I get chastised for going off topic, it will be almost impossible for there to be an administration as inane, self serving and just plain detached than the outgoing circus!
 
It is just a tv show. I think its hilarious. Either way, who really cares?
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While I watch, on ocassion, all of these shows I think we would be remiss if we failed to realize that a great portion of the USA actually formulates its opinions based upon what messages they get from TV-- often humorous TV.

While I don't see it as a contrived "plot," but rather the internal beliefs of the writers coming out, I do see that some shows have gained popularity only to begin their move to the left later on.

A perfect example is Jon Stewart's The Daily Show. I remember when it came out originally. Stewart really seemed to be "middle-of-the-road," He took shots at both sides with equal proportion. As seasons drew on, I noticed that his humor was more "harmless" towards the liberals and more scathing towards the conservatives. This reached its zenith in the months leading into this last Presidential election.

The exact same can me said of Stephen Cobert's The Cobert Nation. What is worse with him is that it is set up to be a parody of a conservative show.

At this point, neither Stewart nor Cobert make any special effort to veil their political leanings.

Many reports have indicated that a larger than expected percentage of Americans actually get their news from the above sources.

If I were to see this as an orchastrated plan, I would akin it to raking leaves. You reach out into your base and pull towards you. You won't get every leaf on each pull, but you will get a few. Now, do that for 120 episodes. See what I mean?

I almost want to believe that WAS the plan of Stewart and Cobert. It if WASN'T a plan, it, in effect, WAS the model that they followed.

Now... those are news parodies. But I mention them because they ARE entertainment-- just like the shows mentioned here.

Sadly, there will be a percentage of citizens that WILL forumulate opinions based upon the opinions delivered via the TV-- EVEN cartoons.

And then they go and either vote or spread that opinion. Eventually, it will spread to someone that actually does vote, or they will become an activated voter in a charged election such as we just experienced.


So, I do pay attention to the "messages" of shows.


-- John
 
I'm watching the Cartridge Family episode right now and it certainly seems anti gun to me. Homer buys a gun, they show an NRA meeting as a bunch of crazy people, tell Homer there's a 58% chance he'll shoot a family member instead of an intruder, Marge says she feels her life is in danger, and Homer leaves the gun in a place where Bart gets to it and almost shoots someone. "Until you decide what's more important, you're gun or your family, we can't live in the same house." More Hollywood writing morons.
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I disagree. The NRA meeting seemed to show that gun owners are a diverse group. The members at the NRA meeting were Krusty (celebrity, jewish, kind of a jerk), Dr. Hibbert (doctor, black, very friendly), Moe (bartender, kind of sleazy but law-abiding) and Cletus (redneck stereotype, not smart at all). There were a few others, but the point is that they put several different personality types into the NRA. I should also point out that Monty Burns carries a revolver in a shoulder holster, and while the show doesn't show him in a positive light, he is one of the smarter characters on the show.

I think that the point of the episode was responsible firearm ownership. It wasn't anti-gun. It was anti-irresponsible-gun-owner. The main points of the show are that homer uses his gun carelessly, is completely unsafe with it, leaves it where children can get to it, and so on. The show goes on to point out that even Cletus can understand that owning a gun comes with responsibility, and he is supposed to be pretty stupid.

The show does make fun of some gun laws and it also jokes in support of the gun laws. I think that it is important to remember that the Simpsons is a humorous cartoon. It's not meant to be taken too seriously, and most of the "points" that the show makes are light hearted anyway. The point about the waiting period to buy the gun and homer says "5 days?! but I'm angry now!" was not a huge political statement, it was a joke. It was meant to be funny, and if you can't take it that way, maybe you need to lighten up a little bit.

Anyway, my point is that this particular episode's moral was that gun ownership comes with responsibility. The final point of the episode, when marge poses with the gun and puts it in her purse was more of a point about how fascinated with guns Americans are, but it didn't really show that as a bad thing. Marge is generally shown as a responsible person, and the Simpsons follows it's story line. Marge's gun never shows up again in any future episodes, so that almost makes a positive point about how you don't need to have a good reason to own a gun, as long as you treat it responsibly.
 
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