The Simpsons and Michael Moore

[Cindog]

The Simpsons and Michale Moore

Did anybody catch last night's episode of The Simpsons? In the episode, a newsman was interviewing Michael Moore about his latest film and asked him where he got his facts. Michael Moore replied "Your mother." Nice to see even the Simpsons taking a shot at Moore's credibility (or lack thereof).

 

[blades67]

I look forward to catching that rerun!

 

[Mark Tyson]

I saw it. The Simpsons is a little liberal leaning, but they do make fun of everyone. My favorite episode remains the one where Homer buys a gun (gee, wonder why?).

Another favorite scene was in the episode where Krusty the Clown is elected Senator. On the steps of the capitol, holding a copy of the constitution, he declares: "I have sworn to uphold and defend this sacred document. So relax, gun nuts, I can't touch you." Whereupon several people in the audience fire into the air in celebration.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

See the credits? Michael Moore voiced the part himself.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0096697/guests

"The President Wore Pearls" Episode: #15.3 - 16 November 2003
Michael Moore .... Himself (voice)

 

[JimJD]

Yeah, saw that episode last night.
That was funny.
I love the fact they make fun of everyone too, themselves included.
The Simpsons are always good for a laugh or two.

 

[45R]

I love the Simpsons!!!

 

[Teufelhunden]

The best gun one I've seen is a Halloween episode when Lisa tries to convince Springfield to disarm because she's sad over William Bonney's tombstone, on which is engraved "I dream of a world without guns". They do disarm, and make a playground out of the firearms (think of the children!). The mayor gets up on stage and makes his speech, which goes something along the lines of "I now declare Springfield to be defenseless!"

As some of us know, William Bonney is Billy the Kid, and he and some cohorts rise from the grave to terrorise the now defenseless Springfield. The professor ends up giving Homer a time machine and he goes back to the past, convinces the town Lisa is wrong, and they all go unload on William Bonney's grave until he jumps out of the ground and runs out of Springfield.

It's kinda hard to explain, but most of the Simpsons Halloween episodes are...

-Teuf

 

[dinosaur]

I saw it too but he looked too clean. The artists didn`t have any sleaze colored paint?

Maybe they "sandbagged" him to get him to do the part?

 

[36fan]

If you look close, in the opening of the show, when Maggie is swipped across the scanner at the grocery store, the digital readout on the cash register reads, "NRA4EVER"

The Simpsons is one of the best shows to have ever graced the TV waves. The symbolism is great, and the way it exagerates the American lifestyle is make a point is ingenious.

 

[Mad Man]

If you look close, in the opening of the show, when Maggie is swipped across the scanner at the grocery store, the digital readout on the cash register reads, "NRA4EVER"

No it doesn't.

From the Simpsons FAQ at http://snpp.com/guides/lisa.html (see Section 3.1)

How much does Maggie cost in the opening titles?

Maggie is listed as costing $847.63, a figure once given as the amount of money required to raise a baby for one month in the US.

But the trivia question in The 138th Episode Spectacular said that the cash register read "NRA4EVER". What's going on here?

The trivia questions in The 138th Episode Spectacular are gags made to troll the audience, just like the images of Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon in the episode are not what those people really look like. The cash register question is a gag referring to the people who have labeled the show as "the most liberal on television" by portraying it as having an ultra-conservative slant.

The actual line from "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is:

Announcer: In the opening credits, what does the cash register say when Maggie is scanned?

The cash register says, "NRA4EVER", just one of the hundreds of radical right-wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening.

 

[Zer000]

I saw it too but he looked too clean. The artists didn`t have any sleaze colored paint?

Too clean, and about 100 pounds too light. I'm suprised he actually did the voice-over, it didn't sound like him to me.

 

[MeekandMild]

IMHO the program applies multilevel propaganda techniques. The idea is to introduce degenerate ideas as normal to the more naive, while giving a satirical humorous message to the critics. The critics aren't the target of the programs ideology-changing message, which they ignore. The naive ones can't see the satire.

 

[Bahadur]

IMHO the program applies multilevel propaganda techniques. The idea is to introduce degenerate ideas as normal to the more naive, while giving a satirical humorous message to the critics. The critics aren't the target of the programs ideology-changing message, which they ignore. The naive ones can't see the satire.

Good God! "The Simpsons" is a propaganda program? If you think so, perhaps you agree with this person about "The Smurfs":

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/3117/sociosmurf2.htm

 

[Justin]

IMHO the program applies multilevel propaganda techniques. The idea is to introduce degenerate ideas as normal to the more naive, while giving a satirical humorous message to the critics. The critics aren't the target of the programs ideology-changing message, which they ignore. The naive ones can't see the satire.

Wow. And I thought I had a cynical view of the rest of humanity.

As for 'The Simpsons' being left-wing propaganda, not hardly. At least not since the first couple of seasons. While it started with a decidedly left-wing slant the show has since become much more balanced. After all, if you make fun of both sides the number of topics and people you can lampoon immediately doubles.

 

[Sean Smith]

I agree, The Simpsons basically mocks the hell out of everything in existence. Not a bad thing.

 

[MuzzleBlast]

It's kinda hard to explain, but most of the Simpsons Halloween episodes are...

Friggin' BRILLIANT!
They spend as much time making fun of Lisa's idealistic liberalism as they do conservatism.

 

[HankB]

They spend as much time making fun of Lisa's idealistic liberalism as they do conservatism

One of my favorite episodes had Lisa and the rest of the Springfield kids stranded on an island. Getting hungry, Lisa looks around and sees a wild pig . . "Look" she says "That wild pig is licking moss off those rocks! That means the moss is edible! We have food!"

In the next scene, Lisa is licking moss off the rock, while the rest of the kids, sitting around a fire, are eating BBQ pork.

 

[Don Galt]

Love the simpsons. Love it even more when things I believe are the targets of their attack--- like the Ayn Rand Daycare. (Even tough they attack the perception of objectivism rather than actual objectivism.)

Homer gets a gun is a great episode, and the one where Lisa disarms springfield is great to-- just saw it recently.