This episode wasn’t as funny as previous episodes only because of how true the ideas were in relation to society today. This episode of the Simpsons dealt with consumer spending and how families are being forcibly evicted from their homes because of fiscal irresponsibility. The show opens up with the Simpsons hard at work preparing the festivities for their annual mardi gras party.
This annual mardi gras party is just one of the fiscal irresponsibility’s that the Simpsons had plagued themselves with over the years. Unfortunately this time the bank had refused to loan them anymore money and had set their new monthly payments to a figure they just couldn’t afford. The Simpsons ended up losing their house.
Unfortunately; this is a true social commentary on America today. Too many people had spent past what they were able to afford and now our economy as a whole is suffering because of it. The Simpsons did manage to poke fun at big banks, but in all honesty it’s not just the banks fault. It was families like the Simpsons (not just Homer) that pushed their credit to the limit.
The rest of the episode was a slightly complicated and hysterical combination of moral values, legal ramifications, evictions and backstabbing neighbors.
As hard as I tried to enjoy this episode, it hit closer to home then I would like. I was born and raised in Vestal, New York. Across the river is Endicott, once home to the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company and one of the reasons that our community was founded. In later years IBM was also founded here and in recent years, it has packed up and left many without jobs. Growing up in elementary and middle school a lot of my friends parents had worked at IBM; it wasn’t uncommon for both parents to work there and consequently both parents had been laid off at the same time.
Even though my town doesn’t directly relate to the Simpsons lack of responsibility the connections of what the Simpsons had gone through are very similar to the positions a lot of my friends were/are in. This is the first time in history that the Simpsons had hit home.
I personally have not seen this episode so I am not sure exactly what it is about. From your blog however I got a very good idea. I do agree with you, this is not a funny matter, especially since it does hit reality. I can see what you mean when you say that the economy as a whole is suffering because of the mistakes families make in terms of financial spending. Homer, along with many different families, will never understand how to spend their money correctly which turns around and bites the rest of America in the butt. There are alot of familes out there who are also suffering on personal levels because of mistakes they have made and now are learning how to fix them. Is it too late though? When you mentioned how parents are being laid off of works that they've committed too, that too hits home for me. I can relate to this blog because I understand how serious the topic is. I don't think I would have thought this episode would be funny either, but I think I'd be interested in how they interpret the situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree very strongly with what you had stated in your blog. I, too, feel that this situation is not one to be taken so lightly. I understand why the creators used the current economic issue to make an episode, however, I just would have rather they looked back at the issue and used it after our country starts to get itself back on its feet. I also know many who have been laid off and while I have not known any who have been so strongly affected by it that they are forced out of their homes, I hate to think that someone who has been would watch this and get upset about it.
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