A Hopefully-Not-Very-Simpsons Future: What Can We Learn About the Environment from The Simpsons?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock – in which case I envy you because you are blissfully ignorant of how the world seems to have become a long, uninterrupted episode of The Twilight Zone – you know that there is a cartoon by the name of The Simpsons. Created by legendary cartoonist and writer Matt Groening, The Simpsons is a cultural touchstone that reaches so deeply into the collective unconscious of societies across the world that you do not need to have watched a single episode to know who the titular Simpsons are.
Granted, the series’ cynical, highly profane content is sometimes too vulgar – too, dare we say, American? – for some people’s taste. Indeed, the Simpsons are an American family, and as such, they simultaneously embody and criticize the fundamental values of what being “American” means – as long as we ignore the fact that there is no single, unambiguous definition of “American”.
In any case, this article deals with The Simpsons. So, if you prefer to steer clear of cartoonish foreboding, or the mere mention of The Simpsons makes you roll your eyes in disbelief and irritation, then by all means, turn the page and proceed to the next article. If, however, you are still here, allow me to delve into The Simpsons’ clever, at times shocking, knack for presenting environmental warnings, some of which are deeply insightful and even prophetic.
A compelling prediction
Graphics / Margrét Aðalheiður Önnu Þorgeirsdóttir
Countless people have painstakingly dissected, commented on, and even published books on the Simpsons’ unparalleled ability to predict all sorts of disasters and tragedies (the controversial ending to Game of Thrones, for instance). One of these predictions relates to the environment, believe it or not.
In 2007, The Simpsons: The Movie was released in cinemas. It was the long-awaited (and even longer-in-the-making) cinematic iteration of the beloved animated series. A key plot point in the film revolves around environmental pollution, which threatens to plunge the town of Springfield into premature catastrophe. Lisa Simpson, who, like her mother, wields a noble moral compass, yet unlike the latter bears the freedom of youth to exercise it, summons the town’s residents and delivers an apocalyptic speech on the perils of climate change. Her speech, a last attempt to stop the townspeople from polluting the river beyond the point of no return, in many ways mirrors Greta Thunberg’s UN climate change speech.
One would be forgiven for thinking that Lisa Simpson’s speech is meant as a reflection on Thunberg’s actions before the UN. However, Lisa’s speech was delivered in 2007, while Thunberg’s was given in 2019. The similarities are eerie, and, shall we say, very “Simpsonesque.” Like Lisa Simpson, Greta Thunberg is a young activist, and like the speech of her animated counterpart, Thunberg’s speech reads like a last warning to an audience of seemingly clueless and ineffectual citizens of the world.
But not everything climate-related is predicted in The Simpsons. There are numerous unfortunate and sinister events that happen on the show, the type of occurrences that are meant as warnings and foreboding.
A case of very Simpsonesque examinations and warnings
In many ways, it is almost unnecessary for an animated series to remind us of global issues that seem obvious. However, the truth is that climate change is unavoidable at this point, and unless we listen to doomsday speeches with our full attention, we are fated to leave a mess behind for future generations. The Simpsons writers know this, and like pretty much anyone who cares, they are trying to comment on real-world issues that affect the rest of us.
This brings to mind the series’ focus on renewable energy. It’s unnecessary to list every episode that touches on the topic, but suffice it to say there’s one particular episode that stands out. In “The Last Temptation of Homer,” there is a storyline revolving around solar energy. During an energy convention, one of the series’ characters is presenting a solar energy stand. This is quickly reversed, however, as a shady corporation takes the character down and rebrands his stand, favouring the use of fossil fuels.
In this respect, the series finds clever and genuinely honest ways to mock an aggravating situation: capitalist interest, and the system in which the world is set up to function, directly truncates attempts to inspire the use of renewable energy.
No character in The Simpsons’ arsenal more clearly embodies ruthless, unforgiving capitalism than Mr. Burns, the owner of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, which supplies electricity to the town of Springfield. He has long contributed to wildlife damage and wanton pollution and has come to represent the greedy capitalist who prioritizes self-interest at the expense of environmental welfare.
If all of this sounds too obvious, too on-the-nose, then allow me to focus on the series’ main character, Homer Simpson. The quintessential American patriarch, Homer is lazy yet unrealistically dynamic, a cynic with a big heart. A man who creates chaos and endangers his family at every turn, and who by sheer resilience finds the means to sort out his every mess. He is both a perpetrator and saviour. He is American exceptionalism: a patriot as long as he is profiting, particularly financially. And in many other ways, he is an average man who, like many of us, lets ignorance get in the way of his best intentions. In the Simpsons film, the central plot involves Homer not heeding climate change warnings and disposing of toxic material in the most irresponsible way. Homer’s actions are not the product of malice, nor are they a concoction of evil genius. They are simply caused by an ignorant man, one whose self-interest and selfishness blocked him from paying attention to anything bigger than his own life.
Are we not all, to some extent, Homer Simpson? Do we not allow selfishness, self-interest, greed, self-gain, among others, to trample our best intentions? Do our daily habits not harm the environment in both direct and indirect ways? Is there more we could do?
The Simpsons are not here to preach to us on the perils of climate change. They are here to portray a terrifying reality: what happens when good people, with good intentions, decide to turn a blind eye and ignore the bigger picture. Climate change, deforestation, wildlife endangerment, fossil fuels, and many more issues are here to stay. They are the big picture. If it takes an American cartoon to remind us of this, then bring it. I will keep watching and doing whatever I can to contribute.