Matt Gets Political

The Simpson's Get's Political - SE01 E06 - Moaning Lisa Script synopsis:  Lisa becomes depressed, which begins to affect her performance in school. Neither Marge nor Homer are able to make Lisa happier. One night, she hears distant Jazz music and sneaks out of her room to follow it. She meets Bleeding Gums Murphy, who teaches her how to express her feelings via the saxophone. When Marge drops Lisa off at school the next day, she suggests that Lisa smile no matter how she feels. However, Marge sees that Lisa is being denied her creativity and realises that that's what is disappointing her. Marge tells Lisa to just be herself, and the entire family go to see Murphy perform at a local Jazz club. Issue raised: Depression as a political issue. Note:   In this post I examine a cultural artefact and a social position which is not my own, namely rap music and it's relation to racialised oppression. I do not occupy the social position of which I am talking about. The...

The Simpsons Gets Political - SE01 E05 - Bart The General "We are happy, we are merry, we've got a rhyming dictionary!" Script synopsis: After defending Lisa from school bully Nelson Muntz, Bart becomes Nelson's latest school bullying target. Sick of the harassment and torment, Bart, Grandpa Simpson, and Herman (a slightly deranged military antique store dealer with a missing arm) rally the town's children into fighting back against Nelson and his cronies. Ultimately forcing Nelson to sign an armistice treaty recognising Bart's right to exist and relinquishing any official power and agreeing to never again raise his fists in anger - only remaining a figure of menace in the neighbourhood. Issue raised: Just War Theory - which claims that war, whilst generally undesirable, is not always the worst option. Furthermore, certain things can justify going to war and sets certain criteria which must be met in order to claim a war as just. Traditiona...

The Simpsons Gets Political - SE01 E04 - There's No Disgrace Like Home Script Synopsis:  After a disastrous family picnic at Mr Burns mansion. Homer decides its necessary for the family to go to counselling together. He pawns the TV and they head over to Marvin Monroes Family Therapy Centre. A shocking time is had by all. Realising that his methods aren't working Munroe terminates the therapy session - Homer reminds him that the advert promised results, or double their money back. Meaning the Simpsons get to leave to buy an even better TV - which ultimately brings them all closer together. Issue raised: The situation where-by the Simpsons find that the only way to afford the family counselling - is to pawn the TV. And the alternative to expensive credit - mutual aid and credit unions. One of which is a theory, the second of which refers to a concrete alternative to legalised loan sharks such as Wonga. No person, and no family, should ever find itself in the positio...

The Simpsons Get's Political  - SE01 E03 - Homer's Odyssey Script synopsis:  After being fired from the nuclear power plant for negligence Homer sinks into a depression as he struggles to find work. One evening he decides he is a drain on his family and goes to attempt suicide by jumping off a bridge. Discovering his suicide note just in time the family rush to stop him. They are almost run over as they cross a road to save him, leading him to run and sweep them out of the path of oncoming traffic. After observing that the bridge should have a stop sign Homer becomes a safety activist. Succeeding in having any danger in Springfield, no matter how minor signposted or made safe. It doesn't take long however for the safety elephant in the room to rear its head and he sets his sights on the Nuclear Power Plant - Homer faces a crisis of conscience when Mr. Burns tries to silence him with a new position and a raise. He takes the job, and this is how he becomes Safety Inspec...

The Simpsons Gets Political - SE01 E01 - Bart the Genius R squared D R R, Har-dee-har-har. Script synopsis: After a night spent playing scrabble ends with Bart securing victory by making up a word and winning we cut to Bart taking an intelligence test. He cheats on this, swapping his paper with Martin Prince - the class genius. Hilarity ensues when as a result of the recommendation of the school psychiatrist Bart is transferred to a school for gifted children, a setting he feels out of place in. However, Homer and Bart begin to bond now that Homer believes Bart to be a genius. Bart begins to feel bad for deceiving Homer as well as being alienated by his friends now they consider him to be a nerd. Eventually Bart admits to the deception and all returns to normal - but not before Homer has chased Bart through the house in anger. Issue raised: Academic selection, or why it's inappropriate to divide students by school based on presumed aptitude. But surely, I hear you cr...

Sundays are a time for family. But as mine live three-hundred miles away from me I've had to improvise. So on this blog at least. Sundays are a time for a specific family. Namely - The Simpsons. Basically, the idea is that each week I'm going to take an episode of the Simpsons, working through from Season One, Episode One - and ending whenever they decide to give up the ghost or more probably about Season Eleven after which is gets pretty unwatchable, and relate a political issue via the medium of a Simpsons episode. This combines my two greatest passions, gassing on to anyone who'll listen/read about my political beliefs and The Simpsons. Perfect? No? Starting with, as I said; SE1 E01 - The Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire Script synopsis:  It's Christmas time in the Simpsons household, and to hide the fact that he didn't get his Christmas bonus, Homer takes a second job as a store Santa. When his employers as Santa deduct ridiculous fee's and ch...