Over the years, ‘The Simpsons’ have made a name for themselves for insulting a variety of countries and cultures with intentionally one dimensional stereotypes. First, there were one off characters. Then, for the 16th episode of the 6th season, the show took on an entire country, with the episode, “Bart vs. Australia”.
In the episode, the Simpsons travel down under, so Bart can apologise over a joke call that soon becomes an international incident. The episode first aired in the US in February 1995, then soon after in Australia. And, after the country at the centre of the story saw how they and their culture were represented, there was an immediate backlash.
Despite all the stereotypes that had appeared in ‘The Simpsons’, they were never intended to be malicious, as the show lightheartedly poked fun at the very idea of stereotypes and the ignorance of people who’d take them seriously. Still, even with the obvious and perfectly executed sarcasm and satire that you’d expect from a golden era episode of ‘The Simpsons’, a large number of Australians took the bait and were deeply offended by the show’s clearly intentionally inaccurate parody tribute to their country.
Watch the Fox Studio Australia Simpsons Down Under attraction clips in full:
Antonio Volante
• The Simpsons Down Unde...
19 окт 2023