Living in the Age of the Simpsons

[rpannier]

Here's an incident that practically leaps out of a Simpsons episode.

First: The Simpsons
From the episode: Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on a Fish
This is the episode where Burns runs for governor

Burns: But don't take my word for it. Let's ask an actor portraying Charles Darwin what he thinks.
To which Burns goes up to some guy cheesily dressed as Charles Darwin.

Now the article: "Tea party" activists drawn to Williamsburg and its portrayal of Founding Fathers
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/31/AR2010073103051.html


"General, when is it appropriate to resort to arms to fight for our liberty?" asked a tourist on a recent weekday during "A Conversation with George Washington," a hugely popular dialogue between actor and audience in the shaded backyard of Charlton's Coffeehouse.

snip

The executives who oversee Williamsburg said they have noticed the influx of tea partiers, and have also noted a rise in the number of guests who ply the costumed actors for advice about how to rebel against 21st-century politicians. (The actors do their best to provide 18th-century answers.)

**********

So basically, "Let's ask an actor portraying General Washington what advise I can get from the late-General Washington to deal with my feeling that I'm oppressed."

[whyverne]

1. Good one! n/t

[miscsoc]

2. haha i remember that episode

the parallel never occurred to me

[woo me with science]

3. Ask any actor

how many of his fans seem to think he is actually the character he portrays.

When "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" started, Mary was supposed to be a divorcee. Besides general unease about divorce, one of the reasons the network made her single instead is that they feared they would alienate hordes of viewers who would believe she had divorced Dick Van Dyke/Rob Petrie.

[EOTE]

4. Reminds me of "American Carol".

If anyone needs any proof that conservatives are simply the most unfunny beings on earth, this "satire" should be it. A film so incredibly bereft of comedy or ideas, it needed to put John Voight in a George Washington getup to espouse his disgusting political ideology. The colonial garb didn't make his words any less offensive and it didn't prevent Washington from rolling over in his grave as Voight destroyed the intent of our founding fathers.

The tea partiers need any form of reassurance they can get to assure themselves they're not batshit insane. If that reassurance comes from people who play dress-up for a living, so be it.

[neverforget]

5. The Tea Party gives the Simpsons another 22 years of material

because you just can't make this shit up.