Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
The Simpsons has done episodes of cultural criticism and satire many times over. “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge” is one of the earliest examples of that, and one that is right in the wheelhouse of a show like this. Plus, it let them get away with a lot of non-sequitur padding!
The idea of censorship is one that media creators often have to deal with. It goes beyond what is appropriate and what isn’t appropriate, but what should be allowed and what should be stopped or altered in some way. Certain entities are allowed to set their own rules, but you can have feelings about those rules. The Simpsons, obviously, ran into that.
“Itchy & Scratchy” is a violent cartoon. It’s basically a parody of Tom and Jerry taken to an extreme. Bart and Lisa love it, but Marge loathes the violence. Then, Maggie seemingly injures Homer by replicating something she saw on “Itchy & Scratchy.” Unfortunate? Sure. A result of parental negligence? Perhaps. However, Marge believes it is the shows fault, and leads a crusade to censor it, and to fundamentally change it.
The twist that arrives is that Michelangelo’s David is touring through Springfield and Marge’s fellow censorship aficionados want to protest the fact the statue is naked. Marge things the statue is great and doesn’t want to censor it. This leads her to reconsider her notions of how creators should be constrained and the old “Itchy & Scratchy” returns.
It’s not surprising that The Simpsons comes down on the side of freedom of expression. Do they do it in the sharpest way? I’m not so sure, but there is plenty of funny in the mix. Also, several “Itchy & Scratchy” cartoons. Which, I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of.
