Opinion

Philosophy in primetime

Cartoon laughter, blood and broken bones heals all

By Marshall Dury

Posted on Nov. 07, 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

Since the dawn of television, there have been hundreds of shows. Some of which we’ll never forget, and others we wish we could erase from time. Of all the programs I’ve ever seen, of all the shows I’ll probably ever see, “The Simpsons” is the best television show of our generation, hands down.

I’m not your average “Simpsons” geek who knows the catalog numbers FOX uses for every episode. I have a love for the show because it really is something more of a phenomenon rather than a cult following.

The plots have arguably gone downhill as one would expect of a show in its 13th season. The cast has grown from several individuals to hundreds of quirky one-timers to keep things fresh and bizarre. But why is this show still around? How can a cartoon survive on cable television, showing from 8-8:30 p.m. on Sundays? The answer is attachment.

“The Simpons” dug our hearts out of the gutters of trash TV like “Married With Children” and “Beverly Hills 90210.” We have clung to the show like the friendly blanket we can’t bear to part with because it still does something for us.

I believe I caught the first episode of the show in second season reruns, when the future of “The Simpsons” was still unsure. Looking back, the animation was kind of weak and Bart’s cheesy one-liners were unsettling.

With all history aside, the show is very similar to the media. It takes what is happening in our lives and magnifies the absurdity of the actions by 100. The plots analyze the lives of actual events with a humorous spin – nothing magical about it all. The actual characters give a great deal of character development. If you’re into reading, it’s just like a good book.

Homer hates his job but loves his family. This usually leads to self-loathing upon placing his family before his material desires. Who can’t relate to that?

Bart, like most disenchanted youths, can’t stand school. He struggles for personal identity while fighting the capitalist system that he is so entrenched in.

Maggie . well, Maggie is like everyone’s Zen – the stoic in us all. If only all of us could learn to express all our emotions with one simple bodily function.

In all reality, “The Simpsons” will be remembered for its laughter. The show capitalizes on the ability to take an ordinary, situation and make it not so ordinary with memorable episodes like “Behind The Laughter” – spoofing VH1′s “Behind The Music.”

Whether it is the mysterious disappearance of a foreign exchange student named �ter or Milhouse’s struggle with his sexuality, “The Simpsons” has created a new genre in American culture. All the misguided hearts looking for an escape from their own drinking problem or housework can find comfort in the not-so-normal activities of “The Simpsons.”

With rumors of a full-length movie in the works, “The Simpsons” shows no visible sign of slowing down. As some characters have been killed off (Maude Flanders, Bleeding Gums Murphy) and others have been added on (Duff Man, Disco Stu), no one can argue whether or not “The Simpsons” have had an impact on the past decade and a half of television programming. Their staying power, social comments and good ol’ fashioned laughter prompted by broken bones and cartoon misery will hopefully continue for many years to come.

Marshall Dury is a junior journalism major who has yet to buy “The Simpsons” first and second seasons on DVD.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 7th, 2002, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.