This Day in Simpsons' History- December 14th

Christmas Music Simpsons Style



'Tis the Fifteenth Season

First aired December 14, 2003

Homer is given a Joe DiMaggio rookie card by Mr. Burns (who has no idea how much it's worth), so he sells it for a lot of money. After spending most of it on himself, Homer comes to realize his greedy ways when he sees "A Christmas Carol" on TV. So he reverses course and starts to do favors for everyone he can, making Flanders jealous by becoming Springfield's new king of nice. He and Flanders then engage in a head-to-head "nice-off". Guest stars Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony.

I don't think this episode of the Simpsons is in the running for my favorite, in fact I know it's not. But, it was blog about this Day in Simpson History or National Bouillabaisse Day, and how much can you really say about Bouillabaisse. It is a seafood stew, made with saffron. Okay, we're done there.

I happen to have a respect for the Simpsons as a social commentary of American life. And I especially have a fondness for Simpsons Christmas and Halloween episodes.

I came across this article today:

"Unlike many shows on TV, The Simpsons works to encourage critique, demanding that viewers be active in their consumption. Without hesitation or apology, it ridicules the advertisements, slanted news stories, and inane talk shows that appear on their own beloved TV set. Other societal institutions are similarly targeted. The systems of law and justice, religion, the medical profession, the political structure, and the educational system all are revealed to be hollow and almost always, narrowly self-interested. Very little is sacred on The Simpsons. The ability of The Simpsons to entertain us while at the same time pointing out things that we might not otherwise see about ourselves, our beliefs, and our institutions, is surely a mark of quality."(The Simpsons as Quality Television
By Dan Korte)

To read the rest of the article see here.

So, anything that helps us to look outside of ourselves, question what is going on in the world, and see truth, real truth that comes from life, and not from the point of view of newscasters, has some merrit, even if it's the Simpsons. And the writers of the show throw in so many literary illusions that you have to be very well read to catch them all, but it's fun to try. But, I have to admit, especially to those out there who have, in the past, called me a literary snob, sometimes it's just plain fun to laugh at the silliness of the cartoons. :)