Back when “The Simpsons” was just a short on the Tracey Ullman show, nobody could have predicted that it would end up being such a long-running, critically acclaimed, and influential show. Now, decades later, when “The Simpsons” makes a statement, people sit up and take notice. And the recent episode “Mypods and Boomsticks” was no exception. Thanks to Hulu, you can just watch the whole thing right here:
But if your attention span won’t hold for 22 minutes, I’ll summarize. The “Mypods” part is searing social commentary on the “Apple Lifestyle,” with Lisa getting sucked into the world of Mypods (not iPods, we swear) and Mapple and Steve Mobs. I’m not kidding. Steve Mobs. That was the best they could do. Anyway, she runs up a $1200 Mapple bill downloading music (the writers presumably don’t realize that you pay for music up front, or are just taking a sweeping artistic license by confusing music with the AT&T service associated with iPhones). But that’s not the part of the episode that spurred an interesting reaction.
In what might be considered the “A” plot, Bart makes friends with a little Jordanian boy named Bashir. When it gets out that he and his family are Muslim, Homer’s dimwitted friends convince him that Muslim = Up to Something. In his typical bumbling fashion, Homer sets out to foil whatever nefarious plot Bashir’s parents might be planning. In true sitcom fashion, it so happens that Bashir’s dad is a demolition engineer (who, for some reason, stores work-related TNT in his own garage). This leads to many predictable scenes in which Homer mistakes something completely innocent for signs of a terrorist uprising. Eventually, he is made to realize that he was wrong in judging people based on their religion, and everyone lives Happily Ever After.
It’s nothing particularly notable, especially since plenty of comedies (such as “30 Rock” and “American Dad!”) have covered the exact same ground already. But for whatever reason, this particular episode made the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) take notice. Their spokespeople have publicly commended the show and the FOX network for dealing with this issue, and have urged others to do the same. In a letter to “The Simpsons” creator and producer Matt Groening, the Council said they were pleased with the show’s message:
…[the episode] brought to light how Americans can work toward mutual respect and inclusion by getting to know their neighbors. … The episode also builds on the values that have made America the great nation it is – a nation in which citizenship is about finding common ground and building a better society. American Muslims have been doing just that by making daily contributions to our society that often go unrecognized.
Prejudice of all kinds can be found in our society, but since 9/11, Islamophobia has become a much-discussed phenomenon. While opinions vary on how much (or even whether) it exists, everyone agrees that the concept of fearing Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent has never been more in the limelight. (The issue is, of course, complicated by the fact that many people are unable or unwilling to distinguish between those who identify with religion of Islam and those who hail from the Middle East. While the two groups intersect, obviously not all Middle Eastern people are Muslim and vice-versa. Many people are surprised to learn that high concentrations of Muslims are found in locations like Africa, Malaysia, and other areas not typically associated with the religion. And some polls indicate that only 40% of Americans of Middle Eastern descent identify as Muslim.)
In “Mypods and Boomsticks,” “The Simpsons” went so far as to blame other shows for stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment. When Homer refuses to believe that Bashir’s family is dangerous, he insists that he must see some evidence of this on a popular T.V. show before he can move forward. A brief, obvious parody of “24″ plays, featuring a white character interrogating a Middle Eastern man, and one of Homer’s buddies makes a reference to Jack Bauer. It’s easy to critcize such an issue-heavy and broadly-drawn show as “24,” but let’s not forget that the first season featured a Muslim terrorist who was, very conspiciously, a white, American-born woman. (Ironically, Shohreh Aghdashloo, who voices Bashir’s mother, also played the matriarch of a terrorist family on “24.” Even more ironically, the aforementioned terrorist family had worked to integrate themselves into Western society in order to avert suspicion. The actress, who says she will never return to her home country of Iran, has said: “Their repressed Muslim government hates the fact that I am an actress. But they still all see my movies, even though my films are not allowed to be shown there.”)
When asked for comment, Munira Syeda, communications director of CAIR, stressed that shows like The Simpsons are not obligated to portray any group positively – “however, it’s a show that holds much appeal in our society…what better way to send positive social messages than through humor? We hope ‘Mypods and Boomsticks’ will help build bridges between American Muslims and other Americans.”
That’s the issue, really: if they’re not obligated to portray certain groups positively, what is their obligation? To portray them neutrally? Not to portray them negatively? Must they portray them at all? In confronting the issue of Islamophobia head-on, are they accomplishing more than they could have done by simply giving Bart a Muslim friend and leaving it at that?
“The Simpsons” treads a fairly easy path. No one really expects them to step up to the plate like this, and when they do, praise is heaped upon their heads. All they have to do is not be offensive, and they will be recognized for their fine work. It’s unlikely that a cartoon show about a town with mostly yellow-skinned (yet oddly caucasian) inhabitants would draw criticism for failing to be diverse.
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