(Make sure you read part one) It’s been over twenty years since I can remember the first time I saw Matt Groening’s “crudely drawn” family of five deal with the almost surreal problems that life seemingly presents on a daily basis. From that moment I laid my eyes on “The Simpsons” I became enamored and, eventually, a life-long fan (more than likely I’ll be re-watching episodes when I’m old enough to shout at clouds). During my time as a “Simpsons” viewer I’ve discovered many relatable life lessons that I plan to share with you. Welcome to “The Simpsons Life Lesson” series (season seven – part two).
Don’t Be So Judgmental of Others’ Beliefs (Episode 5 – “Lisa the Vegetarian”)
Who knew visiting a children’s amusement could change the course of one’s life like it did for Lisa Simpson. Encountering the cutest lamb possible, Lisa was overcome with grief over her meal that night consisting of lamb chops. It doesn’t take long for Lisa to realize she can’t eat meat ever again. Even the thought of cutting through a living worm disgusted Lisa to the point even the school had to step in by showing Lisa’s class a film created by the Meat Council that was seemingly dated twenty years before Lisa’s birth. Lisa, dubbed an “agitator” by her principal, grew more aware of this lifestyle change colliding with others’ beliefs.
To make everyone see the error of their ways, Lisa stepped up and hijacked the proverbial crown jewel of her father’s highly promoted barbeque: a large pig ready to cooked in front of everyone. Lisa’s actions not only ruined the event, but also angered Homer to the point the two had an argument that witnessed Lisa condemning her father for his “pig-like” nature before leaving her home and running back the awaiting “arms” of meat. But thanks to the trickery of “Kwik-E-Mart” owner Apu and a pretty famous musician, Lisa saw the error of her judgmental ways when the mirror was turned back on her by a celebrity no less. Lisa’s acknowledging her faults also helped Homer (and potentially others) open his eyes to how he treated people (or at least his daughter) who thought or acted differently than himself.
It isn’t wrong to eat meat or not eat meat. What’s wrong is to condemn others for their beliefs just because they don’t correlate with your own – and you don’t need Paul and Linda McCartney to tell you that.
Obesity Has its Benefits & its Disadvantages (Episode 7 – “King-Size Homer”)
Exorcise hasn’t been and seemingly never will be Homer Simpson’s thing. So of course when his employer initiated a morning calisthenics program Homer did everything in his power to avoid five minutes of almost-effortless aerobic exercise five times a week. Finding out that one could avoid exercising and actually stay at home to work, Homer entered the world of “hyper obesity” where a person weighing 300 pounds qualified for disability. Bart assisted his father in completing his goal by feeding him greasy fish sandwiches, ice cream aplenty and even Play-Doh (well, the last item came at the help of his baby daughter, Maggie). The “hard” work paid off and Homer was able to enjoy the benefits of working at home while dressing in a loose-fitting muumuu, even if it meant his kids being mocked and Marge finding herself more than less attracted to her husband.
Eventually, Homer’s penchant for laziness came back to haunt him after one of those “drinking bird” novelty items he positioned to continuously tap the “Y” key on a work terminal now installed in his home tapped the indication of “Yes” one too few times and fell over – resulting in an imminent nuclear meltdown. Homer, carjacking an ice cream truck in a sheer moment of irony, made his way to the Nuclear Power Plant to manually shut down the plant’s system. Before Homer could complete his task, the explosion occurred and morbidly obese Simpson plummeted toward the source of said explosion to become a living cork that prevented the release of toxic gas.
Though it’s never okay to be so willingly large that one can’t wear regular clothes or sit in a theater comfortably while not hindering fire exits, there’s always a chance the gargantuan size of an individual can turn a potential Chernobyl into a “mere Three Mile Island.”
A Parent’s Love Goes Beyond Understanding (Episode 8 – “Mother Simpson”)
Once again, Homer Simpson’s hatred for performing manual labor caused him great misfortune when he, unbeknownst to his wife, faked his death to avoid a day of cleaning up the highway purchased and owned by his boss, Mr. Burns (a man who also detested something like clearing a road of trash and debris). After the news of Homer’s death spread throughout the town, Homer was forced to correct the situation at the Springfield Hall of Records. In a shocking turn of events, Homer righting an unnecessary wrong discovered his long-thought deceased mother was actually alive when she returned to Springfield to find someone (her son) occupying an empty grave made for Homer J. Simpson (or as his sisters-in-law-purchased tombstone read, “We are richer for having lost him”).
The reunion twenty-seven years in the making wasn’t easy for anyone involved including Mona “Grandma” Simpson. Mona (voiced by Glenn Close) explained the story of her leaving Springfield including her inspiration for freethinking thanks to football legend Joe Namath’s long hair. Joining a group of hippies protesting Mr. Burns’ germ warfare laboratory, Mona helped set off an “antibiotic bomb” before escaping and encountering the person witnessing his greatest feat to date wither away without harming anyone as intended. Mona, in her mind, had no choice but to leave her family behind so she wasn’t jailed, and husband Abraham and son Homer weren’t exposed to the prejudice of justice and mother Simpson matriarch vilified.
Communications through care packages were hampered by the stupidity of Springfield’s post office and Mona’s worst fears eventually came true thanks to said post office refusing to change a “Wanted” poster from almost three decades ago – getting arrested on a trumped up charge crafted by Mr. Burns. Homer broke his mother out of imprisonment during the bus ride to Springfield Penitentiary (mostly thanks to a tip from Chief Wiggum – whose asthma was cured by the bomb during Wiggum’s time as a young Head of Security at the laboratory). Mother and son had a touching goodbye so Mona could continue her life as a fugitive and keep the FBI from harassing her family. Sometimes parents do things to help their family that no one other than themselves can understand. The heart-breaking action(s) might cause emotional scarring and years of lost time together, but the end result can be more beneficial than one could ever imagine.
