the simpsons - readings
TRANSCRIPT
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THE SIMPSONS
The Simpson
CAST (voices)
Homer Simpson.................................. Dan Castellaneta
Marge Simpson ...........................................Julie Kavner
Bartholomew J. "Bart" Simpson............ Nancy Cartwright
Lisa Simpson........................................ Yeardley SmithMrs. Karbappel......................................Marcia Wallace
Mr. Burns
Principal SkinnerNed Flanders
Smithers
Otto the School Bus Driver(and Others)..........................................Harry Shearer
Moe
Apu
Chief WigginsDr. Nick Riviera.......................................... Hank Azaria
PRODUCERS Larina Adamson, Sherry Argaman, Joseph A. Boucher, James L. Brooks,
David S. Cohen, Jonathan Collier, Gabor Csupo, Greg Daniels, Paul Germain, Matt Groening, AlJean, Ken Keeler, Harold Kimmel, Jay Kogen, Colin A.B.V. Lewis, Jeff Martin, Ian Maxtone-
Graham, J. Michael Mendel, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Frank Mula, Conan O'Brien, Bill
Oakley, Margo Pipkin, Richard Raynis, Mike Reiss, David Richardson, Jace Richdale, Phil
Roman, David Sachs, Richard Sakai, Bill Schultz, Mike Scully, David Silverman, Sam Simon,John Swartzwelder, Ken Tsumura, Jon Vitti, Josh Weinstein, Michael Wolf, Wallace
Wolodarsky
PROGRAMMING HISTORY
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FOX
December 1989-August 1990 Sunday 8:30-9:00
August 1990-- Thursday 8:00-8:30
U.S. Cartoon Situation Comedy
The Simpsons, longest-running cartoon on American prime-time network television,chronicles the animated adventures of Homer Simpson and his family. Debuting on the FOX
network in 1989, critically acclaimed, culturally cynical and economically very successful, The
Simpsons helped to define the satirical edge of prime-time television in the early 1990s and was
the single most influential program in establishing FOX as a legitimate broadcast television
network.
The Simpsons' household consists of five family members. The father, Homer, is a none-too-
bright safety inspector for the local nuclear power plant in the show's fictional location,Springfield. A huge blue beehive hairdo characterizes his wife, Marge, often the moral center of
the program. Their oldest child, Bart, a sassy 10-year-old and borderline juvenile delinquent,
provided the early focus of the program. Lisa, the middle child, is a gifted, perceptive-but-sensitive saxophone player. Maggie is the voiceless toddler, observing all while constantly
sucking on her pacifier. Besides The Simpsons clan, other characters include Moe the bartender;
Mr. Burns, the nasty owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant; and Ned Flanders, The
Simpsons' incredibly pious neighbor. These characters and others, and the world they inhabit,
have taken on a dense, rich sense of familiarity. Audiences now recognize relationships and
specific character traits that can predict developments and complications in any new plot.
The Simpsons is the creation of Matt Groening, a comic strip writer/artist who until the
debut of the program was mostly known for his syndicated newspaper strip "Life in Hell."
Attracting the attention of influential writer-producer and Gracie Films executive James L.
Brooks, Groening developed the cartoon family as a series of short vignettes featured on the
FOX variety program The Tracey Ullman Showbeginning in 1987. A Christmas special followedin December 1989, and then The Simpsons became a regular series.
Despite its family sitcom format, The Simpsons draws its animated inspiration more from
Bullwinkle J. Moose than Fred Flintstone. Like The Bullwinkle Show, two of the most strikingcharacteristics of The Simpsons are its social criticism and its references to other cultural
forms. John O'Connor, television critic forThe New York Times, has labeled the program "the
most radical show on prime time" and indeed, The Simpsons often parodies the hypocrisy
and contradictions found in social institutions such as the nuclear family (and nuclear
power), the mass media, religion and medicine. Homer tells his daughter Lisa that it isacceptable to steal things "from people you don't like." Reverend Lovejoy lies to Lisa about the
contents of the Bible to win an argument. Krusty the Clown, the kidvid program host, endorses
dangerous products to make a quick buck. Homer comforts Marge about upcoming surgery withthe observation that "America's health care system is second only to Japan's ... Canada's ...
Sweden's ... Great Britain's...well, all of Europe."
The critical nature of the program has been at times controversial. Many elementary schoolsbanned Bart Simpson T-shirts, especially those with the slogan, "Underachiever, and
Proud of It."U.S. President George Bush and former U.S. Secretary of Education William
Bennett publicly criticized the program for its subversive and anti-authority nature.
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In addition to its ironic lampoons, it is also one of the most culturally literate entertainment
programs on prime time. Viewers may note references to such cultural icons as The Bridges of
Madison County, Ayn Rand, Susan Sontag and the film, Barton Fink, in any given episode.These allusions extend far beyond explicit verbal notations. Cartoon technique allows free
movement in The Simpsons, and manipulation of visual qualities, often mimicking comic strip
perspectives and cinematic manipulation of space creates an extraordinary sense of time, place,and movement. On occasion The Simpsons has reproduced the actual camera movements of the
films it models. At other times the cartoonist's freedom and ability to visualize internal
psychological states such as memory and dream have produced some of the program's mosthilarious moments.
The unique nature ofThe Simpsons reveals much about the nature of the television industry.
Specifically, the existence of the show illustrates the relationship of television's industrial context
to its degree of content innovation. It was a program that came along at the right place, the righttime, and appealed to the right demographic groups. Groening has said that no other network
besides FOX would have aired The Simpsons,and in fact conventional television producers
had previously turned down Groening's programming ideas. The degree of competition in
network television in the late 1980s helped to open the door, however. Network televisionoverall found itself in an increased competitive environment in this period because of cable
television and VCRs. The FOX network, specifically, was in an even more precarious economic
position than the Big Three. Because FOX was the new, unestablished network, attempting tobuild audiences and attract advertisers, the normally restrictive nature of network television
gatekeeping may have been loosened to allow the program on the air. In addition, the
championing ofThe Simpsons by Brooks, an established producer with a strong track record,helped the program through the industrialized television filters that might have watered down the
program's social criticism. Finally, the fact that the program draws young audiences especially
attractive to advertisers also explains the network's willingness to air such an unconventional andrisky program. The "tween" demographic, those between 12 and 17, is an especially key
viewing group forThe Simpsons as well as a primary consumer group targeted by advertisers.
The Simpsons was a watershed program in the establishment of the FOX network. The cartoon
has been the FOX program most consistently praised by television critics. It was the first FOX
program to reach the Top 10 in ratings, despite the network's smaller number of affiliates
compared to the Big Three. When FOX movedThe Simpsons to Thursday night in 1990, it
directly challenged the number one program of the network establishment at the time, The Cosby
Show. Eventually, The Simpsonsbested this powerful competitor in key male demographicgroups. The schedule change, and the subsequent success, signaled FOX's staying power to the
rest of the industry, and for viewers it was a powerful illustration of the innovative nature of
FOX programming when compared to conventional television fare.
The Simpsons is also noteworthy for the enormous amount of merchandising it sparked.Simpsons T-shirts, toys, buttons, golf balls and other licensed materials were everywhere at the
height of Simpsonsmania in the early 1990s. At one point retailers were selling approximately
one million Simpsons T-shirts per week.
The Big Three networks attempted to copy the success of the prime-time cartoon, but failed to
duplicate its innovative nature and general appeal. Programs like Capital Critters,FishPolice andFamily Dogwere all short-lived on the webs.
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-Matthew P. McAllister
Simpson Ethics
In January of 1990, "The Simpsons" debuted on American television, introducing the nation to
the dysfunctional, nuclear cartoon family. Created by Matt Groening, the series originally
broadcasted as 30-second shorts on the "Tracey Ullman Show." With growing popularity,the Simpson family was given a weekly series, attracting a wide audience of children and
adults. While the children made a model of Bart and his "Eat my shorts" attitude, the shows
keen writing appealed to adults. Today, in its eleventh season, "The Simpsons" continues as
historys longest running prime-time animated show, and currently, longest running sitcom. The
program has triumphed as "TVs most consistent and best written series over the past
decade (Feran)."
Despite the shows animated appearance, having yellow-colored characters with odd hair, "TheSimpsons" is a profound parody of life, "achieving the true essence of satire (Mullin)." The
writers use of "incongruity, sarcasm, exaggeration, and other comedic techniques" gives
the show its true genius. Although with "pratfalls and stupidity that is, at times, nothing short of
brilliant," the show appeals to those "who can laugh at the low comedy, yet understand the
biting satire that truly drives the series (Mullin)." All different aspects of life are scrutinized
to a hilarious effect.
The Simpson family is the heart of the show. James L. Brooks, the series executive producer,
describes the Simpsons as a "normal American family in all its beauty and all its horror(Steiger)." Indeed, the Simpson family is a reflection of the American lifestyle, each member
following the stereotypes and cliches of society. "The Simpsons" seems to express "almostevery facet of American public life and at the same time, in its most condensed humorous ways,appeal equally to the blue-collar worker from Small-Towm, USA, as to the businesswoman
Joanna Smith from the Big Apple (Steiger)."
With popularity comes controversy. Many people have taken offense to "The Simpsons." They
claim characters like Bart, the adolescent delinquent, and Homer, the beer-gulping, ape-likefather, present a bad influence on society ("Biographies"). Comments and jokes made on
different social institutions are received as insulting.
Much of the conflict surrounds the issue of religion. "The Simpsons" has received negative
criticism throughout the nation from the churchs pulpit, denouncing the series as immoral,sacrilegious, and damaging to traditional family values. Former President George Bush stated
in 1992, "We need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons (Pinsky)." As evidence,
protestors cite excerpts from the show. In one scene, Homer Simpson is praying to God.
Dear Lord, the gods have been good to me and I am thankful. For the first time in my lifeeverything is absolutely perfect the way it is. So heres the deal: you freeze everything as
it is and I wont ask for anything more. If that is okay, please give me absolutely no sign.
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study. God answers his plead with a snow day, allowing Bart to pass his exam. Bart thanks God
saying, "Part of this D-minus belongs to God (Pinsky)."
The Simpsons are a family "searching for moral and theological ideals (Pinsky)." Each
member has a separate approach to religion.
Homer, who was described as a "lovable oaf" by creator Matt Groening, wants a "take-my-order
kind of God (Kisken)." Homer is lazy, fat, and incompetent. He once purposely gained enough
weight to be considered handicapped to avoid working. His temptations are numerous, allprompted with a savoring "Mmmmm." In one episode, Homer sells his soul to the devil for a
doughnut. Although he knows by leaving the last bite alone he will not go to hell, Homer stills
consumes the "forbidden doughnut." Homer "never rejects God or the idea of divine justice. Hessimply weak (Kisken)."
Bart, like Homer, knows God exists, but cannot defy his impulses of mischief. On one occasion
of misbehavior, Bart, having been struck by a car, is ascending to heaven on an escalator where
he spits off the side despite warning. Bart is the classic underachiever, rebelling against thesociety to which he cannot conform. He is excited by the topic of hell, makes prank calls to the
local bartender, and is constantly plotting a defiant scheme. His devilish antics though, are
"either thwarted or turn to ultimate good (Bowler)." When Barts escapades cause a teachers
strike, his conscious eventually leads him to right his wrongdoing, leaving a glimmer of hope forBarts future. Bart is an adolescent overwhelmed with immaturity.
The most faithful of the Simpson family is Marge. She represents the foundation on which
Homer and the children depend on for love and comfort. Her affection for her family isexpressed in comments such as "Oh, Homie, I like your in-your-face humanity. I like the way
Lisa speaks her mind. I like Barts I like Bart (Steiger)." Although she is capable of
accomplishing higher goals in life, Marge sacrifices her ambitions in devotion to the family. Sheacts as the stable moral consciousness of the household. When Homer gloats about skippingchurch, Marge states her divine commitment. "Homer, please dont make me choose between my
man and my God, because you just cant win (Vogl)."
Lisa is clearly the most intelligent person in the Simpson household. At the age of eight, she is a
scholarly honor student and an accomplished saxophone musician. A genius unrecognized, Lisashows the maturity of an adult, yet still has the childhood affections of ponies and Malibu Stacy
(Biographies). Like her mother, she possesses strong ethical virtues . Although Marge has
accepted the lesser sins as part of society, Lisa advocates morality in any situation. Herdisapproval of Homer stealing cable television, breaking the eighth commandment, plagues him
of guilt, leading him to eventually sever the line.With her honest principles, Lisa isdisillusioned by corruption in society, often making her "the saddest kid in grade number
two (Steiger)."
Although "The Simpsons" may seem "to make fun of moral standards, it often upholds those
standards in a back-handed way (Pinsky)." Each show ends on an uplifting note or moral
integrity. Good always triumphs over evil.
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Some members of society have complained over the shows reaffirming morality. Atheists have
voiced that the series "is more of a Sunday school program than ever (Sillars)." They feel it
preaches "that the only good people are religious and that those who are not are immoral(Sillars)."
Whether it is blasphemous or uplifting, "peoples honest attitudes about religion" aredepicted on "The Simpsons" (Pinsky).The fact remains that religion is more evident on
"The Simpsons" than any other television show. Watching Homer misquote a Bible verse as"Thou shalt not takemoochers into thyhut" might be offensive, but watching Homer work
day and night to buy Lisa a pony can be considered noble (Bowler). The decision is for the
viewer to choose. Regardless of the critics, "The Simpsons" has made a "mark on television andsocial history that is ever-growing in distinction, and may never fade (Mullin)."
The Simpsons:
An Imperfect Ideal Family
By Eliezer Van Allen (http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/ea.paper.html)
Nevertheless, once Groening, Brooks, and the show's staff began creating thirty-minute episodesin 1989, The Simpsons received harsh criticisms for its portrayal of family life that continue to
this day. Many critics cite shows likeFather Knows Best, which aired on prime-time television
from 1955 to 1963 and which depicts the Anderson family as the model social unit for Americansociety, as appropriate material for American families to watch on television. In this show, the
father is the intelligent ruler and moneymaker; the wife is her husband's "ornament" and is the
person who cleans the house; while the kids are obedient and maturing (Jones, 97-102).Likewise, family members never scream at one another and problems are always solved sensibly
and according to parental wisdom (Himmelstein, 125-126). The title itself, explaining that the
father "knows best," summarizes the show's depiction of a traditional male-dominated familial
sphere. The Simpsons critics have thus argued that such families should set the example forviewers to follow.
Conversely, to some, The Simpsons, in trying to represent the American family, is totally off the
mark. When criticizing the Simpson family, many people turn to Bart, the son, as the greatest
corrupter of the American familial ideal. Bart does not obey his parents, do his homework, orclean his room. His motto, "underachiever and proud of it," made its way out of the mouths and
onto the shirts of kids across the country during the shows early years on television. Parents and
school administrators nationwide have explained that Bart's disrespectful thoughts and actions
are hardly what American children should use as a model (Jones, 267). Bart does not convey theattitudes and beliefs, from parental submission to educational dedication, which parents hope to
instill in their television watching and susceptible children, thus making him a target for criticismabout child raising. He is a "hell-raising" prankster, having committed crimes ranging from
petty vandalism to international fraud that are used by critics to validate such a claim.
Bart is "every authority figure's nightmare," and thus a seemingly terrible role model for
impressionable children (Steiger, 7).
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Similarly, Homer is the target of criticism for those looking for parental role models on
television. People focus their attention on his idiocy and indifference as his main faults. For
instance, when advising Bart about his difficulties with playing the guitar, Homer does not givesupportive tips and provide a role model for his son to follow. Instead, he simply remarks, "Ifsomething's hard to do, then it's not worth doing," (Aucoin, C1). Homer's attitudes are
considered atypical and not ones that would normally be expected of a father, resulting incriticism of Homer and his non-respected place in the Simpson family. In fact, U.S.
Congressman Joseph Pitts in 1999 blamed Homer Simpson for contributing to the decline
of fatherhood in America (Anthony, 3), emphasizing that Homer is perceived as a terrible
model for parents. Senator Pitts' negative comments embody Homer's status as a focus of
criticism for The Simpsons.
Worst Episode Ever
January 24, 2002, ByJaime J. Weinman, Salon(http://www.simpsonsfolder.com/scrapbook/articles/worst.html)
Almost every episode now seems to end with some sort of violent action climax. Already thisseason, Homer survived an assassination attempt by a horde of evil restaurant owners, the kidstorched a pile of evil robot toys and the whole family was attacked by rampaging farm animals.
Some fans point to these outlandish plots as evidence that creator Matt Groening's original
rule for the show -- that "The Simpsons" would never do anything a real, non-cartoon
family wouldn't do -- has been violated.
To the TV critics, what matters most is that the show is still taking on the big cultural targets; the
fans are quicker to object when a joke, however nervy, gets in the way of the characterization --
or worse, when characterization is violated for the sake of an easy joke. In the ninth-seasonepisode "Bart Star," Lisa showed up at football tryouts, expecting to stir up controversy and fight
discrimination against women in sports. When she discovered that the team already had threefemale members, she lost interest and left; she didn't care about football, just about taking up a
new cause. It was a nice bit of self-parody, but many fans saw it as a betrayal of the character, anindication that the writers had misread Lisa's personality, turning her from a sweet girl with a
social conscience into a self-righteous, preachy troublemaker.
You could say that this kind of attitude is presumptuous for supposing that fans know more
about the characters than the writers do. Certainly some of the writers have seen it that way;in one of the episode capsules, a longtime fan recalls getting a private e-mail from a "Simpsons"
writer saying "that he cares more about Lisa than any 'abject admirer of Lisa Simpson.'"
The fans could counter by pointing out that just because someone writes for a show doesn't meanhe's necessarily in a position to understand what the show was originally like. In that notorious
interview, Maxtone-Graham admitted that he had hardly ever watched "The Simpsons"before he was hired. The current executive producer, Mike Scully, didn't join the show
until the fifth season, when, in the opinion of some fans, its humor had already started to
shift toward simple cartooniness, and Homer had started to dominate the show.
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Which brings us to one of the most often-used phrases on alt.tv.simpsons, "Jerkass Homer." This
refers to a new characterization of Homer that has supposedly become prevalent in recent
seasons, a Homer who is not simply dumb but disgusting and semi-sociopathic. This is theHomer who, in the season opener, showed Mel Gibson his wife's wedding ring and said, "It's a
symbol of our marriage, signifying that I own her." Fan Dale G. Abersold wrote, "This new
Homer displays only three characteristics: lust, greed, and stupidity. Yes, [the] old Homer waslustful, he was greedy, he was dumb ... but he was so much more. Can you imagine the current
Homer thrust into the classic episodes of the first two seasons?"
5 Business Lessons From The Simpson
The Simpsons represents an American cultural icon and is the greatest television show of the
20th century, according to Time Magazine. Homer and cast also provide a multitude of businesslessons for any entrepreneur. Here are five good and bad business lessons for your enjoyment
and education.
Avoid Apu-like Hours: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is the Indian business owner of the local
Springfield convenience store Kwik-E-Mart. He is an overly dedicated businessman who says
Thank you, come again! to all customers good and bad, even armed robbers. Apu is a chronicworkaholic who once worked a continuous ninety-six hour shift causing him to hallucinate he
was a hummingbird.
Its far too easy as a small business owner to be constantly busy. Overwork can impact your
decision-making skills and wreak havoc on your family life - not to mention turn you into a
hummingbird. At the onset of building a business, long hours are required. Put systems in place,hire staff, automate, and outsource so you dont have to be a workaholic like Apu.
DOh! Yourself: Who can forget the funny, catch-phrase of Homer when things go wrong? This
phrase has led to memorable show titles including C.E. DOh and We're on the Road toDohwhere. So powerful is the expression that 20th Century Fox applied for trademark
protection.
Every small business vying for attention in todays information glut society can use a
memorable, catch phrase to stand out. Jim Cramer of CNBCsMad Money uses the term, Boo-
Yah referring to are you ready to make some money? Taco Bells Think Outside the Bunpromotes Mexican Food. A good catch-phrase can make you unforgettable.
Protect Your Flaming Homer: In one episode, Homer reveals his drink recipe to Moe's failingtavern business when the bar's taps run dry. The Flaming Homer soon becomes Moes knock-off,
the Flaming Moe, and business booms.
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Every good business has a Flaming Homer. A special product or method of achieving great
results, a Coca-Cola-like formula. To succeed in business; sharing ideas, and getting feedback is
necessary. But dont reveal your secrets to a competitor. When disclosing sensitive information,use a non-compete agreement. Dont get carried away and have everybody sign it. The business
lesson here is to protect your money winners.
Spread the Ned: Ned Flanders' venture into the retail business teaches an important business
lesson. Homer becomes jealous of Neds new left-handed product store, the Leftorium. Homer
doesnt support his friends business and watches as the operation fails. Feeling guilty, Homersteps up and starts telling all the lefties in Springfield of the Leftorium. Spreading the word of
Neds business brings the retail store new found success and a saved friendship.
Word of mouth marketing can mean the difference between success and failure for any start-up,
as Homer learned. Friends telling friends create higher credibility and sales than a one-off ad.
Build the word for your business by actively networking. Create excitement and buzz around
your company. Connect with influential contacts and trend setters in your market.
Dont Krusty a Promotion: Krusty the Clown is hardly a business role model. Krustys
business ethics run beyond unethical, his products include bubble gum containing spider eggsand a home pregnancy test that may cause birth defects. Krusty runs a promotion to capitalize on
the Olympic Games and boost sales at his chain of burger joints. Krusty riggs a scratch-and-win
promotion offering a free Krusty burger to people who scratch the matching event to a U.S. goldmedal win. The problem was that the cards were stacked favoring Soviet-dominated events.
Krusty ends up losing when the Soviets boycott the Olympics.
Running contest and sweepstakes can provide a boost to your business. Take precautions to
abide by the law. For instance, the Federal Trade Commission states "when a 'free' offer is tied tothe purchase of another product, the price of the purchased product should not be increased fromits regular price." Be safe, not a Krusty.
***http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1048/feature.html
Behind all the satire though is the driving force of the main message of the show: family. Whilereligion itself has been scrutinized under a watchful eye, it also has been shown as force to be
reckoned with in time of family crisis. In one episode, religion is being scrutinized again, but in amore friendly way. Homer approaches God in a dream about his own crisis of faith:Homer: I'm not a bad guy. I work hard and I love my kids, so why should I spend half my
Sunday hearing about how I'm going to hell?
God: Hmm, you've got a point there. You know, sometimes I'd rather be watching
football. Does St Louis still have a team?Homer: No. They moved to Phoenix. (Mullin)
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God isn't shown as a vengeful God; here he is shown as a caring father, to one of his own
children. Homer mentions his own family values, and God praises him for it. The show itself
says here, religion shouldn't be what it's all about; it should basically be about being a goodperson and taking care of your family.
You Be the Judge - CFMT-TV re: The Simpsons Verdict
The Verdict
The CBSC's Ontario Regional Council considered the complaint under
the Code of Ethics and the Sex Role Portrayal Code of the CanadianAssociation of Broadcasters (CAB). Although violence was not at issue
here, the Council also referred to the relevant provisions ofthe Voluntary Code Regulating Violence in dealing with the issue of
scheduling. The pertinent clauses that related to this complaint, readas follows:
Clause 3,Code of Ethics
Recognizing that programs designed specifically for children reach impressionable minds
and influence social attitudes and aptitudes, it shall be the responsibility of memberstations to provide the closest possible supervision in the selection and control of
material, characterizations and plot. Nothing in the foregoing shall mean that the vigourand vitality common to children's imaginations and love of adventure should be removed. It
does mean that programs should be based upon sound social concepts and presentedwith a superior degree of craftsmanship; that these programs should reflect the
moral and ethical standards of contemporary Canadian society and encourage pro-social behaviour and attitudes. The member stations should encourage parents to
select from the richness of broadcasting fare, the best programs to be brought tothe attention of their children.
Clause 4,Sex-Role Portrayal Code
Television and radio programming shall refrain from the exploitation of women, men and
children. Negative or degrading comments on the role and nature of women, men orchildren in society shall be avoided. Modes of dress, camera focus on areas of the body and
similar modes of portrayal should not be degrading to either sex. The sexualization ofchildren through dress or behaviour is not acceptable.
Clause 3.1.5,Voluntary Code Regarding Violence
Broadcasters shall take special precautions to advise viewers of the content of programming
intended for adult audiences which is telecast before 9 pm in accordance with article 3.1.3.
Conclusions:
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The Regional Council members viewed a tape of the program in question, andreviewed all of the correspondence. For the reasons given below, they
unanimously agreed that the program did not violate any of the Codes referred toabove. The important issues raised by the viewer's letter are each discussed
below.
The Content of the Program: Parents and Children
It was the view of the Council that the complainant had done the right thing in viewing theprogram with her children. Council assumed that the viewer, having obviously found the
program unfit for her home, would likely have discouraged, if not forbidden, thewatching of the series in future by some or all of her children. This would
represent media literacy in action and would constitute an example to be followedby Canadian parents.
There are, however, circumstances in which programming may beso contrary to thestandards established in one or more of the Canadian broadcast Codes, that it ought not to
air at all. This was the Council's view in 1994, when they dealt with an episode of
the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and concluded that the entire series would likely be inbreach of the articles of the voluntary violence code, and not just the episode in question.
In the case ofThe Simpsons, the Council felt strongly that, despite the fact that the
program is animated, it's not necessarily a program that's intended for children towatch unsupervised. Even though the content is presented in a tongue-in-cheek or
satirical way, the program contains much material that exemplifies whatchildrenshould notdo - such as rudeness to parents, drinking, etc. Because of
this, it's a program whose suitability ought to be judged in each home. Since theCouncil did not consider The Simpsons to be "designed specifically for children," in
accordance with the provisions of Clause 3 of theCode of Ethics, it did not believe that thatCode applied to The Simpsons episode in question.
The Scheduling Issue
Furthermore, the program was aired by the broadcaster from 7:30-8:00 pm - in a time slot
when parents can easily determine the suitability of a program for their own households.Since The Simpsons, or at least the episode in question, did not, in the Council's view, fall
into the category of "programming intended for adult audiences which is telecast before 9pm," the Council did not believe that "special precautions to advise viewers of the content"
were required. The program at issue here was considered an example of programming in
the satirical genre, arguably aimed at older kids, but still a part of the mix of legitimatefamily fare which could be overseen by responsible parents if appropriate.
Council was of the view that the last sentence of Clause 3 of the Code of Ethicsapplied,
namely,
The member stations should encourage parents to select from the richnessof broadcasting fare, the best programs to be brought to the attention of
their children.
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In this case, by offering the program in the 7:30 pm time slot, the broadcaster wasproviding precisely that opportunity to the general viewing community. In its decision, the
Council noted that there had been a tendency, since the introduction of the 9:00 pm"watershed hour," for everyone to treat that moment as the "Great Divide" - that all
programming after 9:00 pm falls into the "adults only" category, and that all programmingbefore 9:00 pm falls into the "suitable for everyone, including young children" category.
Neither generalization is wholly accurate.
The watershed hour is only the hour before which no programming containing scenes of
violence intended for adult audiences may be shown. Private broadcasters have voluntarilytended to extend this principle to all programming containing any material intended for
adult audiences, even if it's not of a violent nature.
But this doesn't mean that all programs aired before 9 pm are suitable for all members of
the family. That would be true of programming intended for children below 12 years of age,which airs in a different time slot, but material broadcast in the early evening falls within
that "rich broadcasting fare" mentioned above, and should be vetted by parents as to itssuitability in their homes.
Similarly, the Council took no position for or against the suitability of the program foraudiences at another hour of the day, such as the 5:00 pm time slot in which the CBC was
airing the series in Toronto at the time of this complaint.
In general, the Council does, however, regret the fact that the standards applied carefully
by it to private over-the-air broadcasters are not applicable across the entire Canadianbroadcasting system for the benefit of all Canadians.
Sex-Role Portrayal
In the portion of the episode in question, Moe, the bart
ender, is portrayed as a chauvinist, a particularly uncouth chauvinist at that. His dialogueregarding the waitress applicant's measurements is hardly role model material. Then again,
much of the behaviour on the program could be characterized in the same way. However,the program does not suggest that this dialogue is suitable, and because of this, Moe's
actions don't amount to exploitation. Nor are there negative or degrading comments on the
role of the waitress. The fact that they are depicted in the same bed together within thehalf-hour show is not exploitation either. If anything, the tongue-in-cheek approach makes
something of a mockery of Moe's behaviour. No approval is implied.
Overall, the Council concluded, the continued exaggeration of Moe's inappropriate behaviouremphasizes the unacceptable nature of such behaviour. The producers of the show have not
made Moe a likeable character and thus, creatively, have not positively reinforced hisactions. To the contrary, the program could be seen as reinforcing the rules within the Sex-
Role Portrayal Coderegarding exploitation and degrading statements.
Broadcaster Responsiveness
This was an unusual case in the experience of the Council, as far as the question ofbroadcaster responsiveness was concerned. In general, Council limits itself to the
broadcaster's written response to the viewer's complaint. In this case, Council also
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considers it appropriate to comment on the viewer's allegations of what happened beforethe CBSC was involved in the dossier.
First, on the level of the broadcaster's obligation to respond by letter to the viewer, the
Council finds that CFMT-TV's letter constituted a sufficient response to the complainant.Consequently, its overall view of this matter is that CFMT-TV had breached neither the
Codes nor the standard of responsiveness.
On the other hand, if the viewer's claims about the initial oral response she had from thestation are correct, the Council hopes that such actions are not the rule for either this
broadcaster or other broadcasters adhering to the various CAB Codes and the principlesestablished in the CBSC Manual. Simply stated, every broadcaster is responsible for all of
the material it broadcasts, whatever its source. A broadcaster may, for quite positivereasons, wish to encourage a viewer to also contact the producer of the program, but it
should not attempt to side step its own responsibility in that regard on the grounds that itwas not the producer of the show at issue.
Canadian broadcasters are also required to direct complainants to Canadian resources,
specifically the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, when they have a problem withmaterial they have aired which they have been unable to resolve directly with thecomplainant. The Council regrets the frustration which the viewer apparently underwent in
attempting to find the correct venue for her complaint within her own country.
The Simpsons:
A Reflection of Society and a Message on Family
http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/eg.paper.html
http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/eg.paper.htmlhttp://www.snpp.com/other/papers/eg.paper.html