The Simpsons
'The Simpsons' may have earned the reputation of predicting the future but the makers' recent move of ripping the show's parent company has become the talk of the town. The season finale of the popular show called out Fox News, Tucker Carlson and Facebook for spreading misinformation, stoking fear and a fondness for dictators with the help from Hugh Jackman & Robert Reich.
A few days after Fox made a portfolio pitch to advertisers at its upfront showcasing Fox shows, including The Simpsons, and Fox News in the same breath, Matt Groenig & Co. shot back. As per Deadline, at one point, a Tucker Carlson-like character is shown saying, "Putin for president, next on Fox News." At another point the lyrics, "Facebook feeds our fright. They convince us things were great when gas was cheap and men were white" are heard as a Mark Zuckerberg-like character presses a red button that reads "death of democracy."
"I'm saying you'll definitely never get a job like your dad's, and you'll have a tough time finding something significantly worse," sings the character.
He's joined by Clinton-era U.S Labor Secretary Robert Reich - playing himself - who intones, "The decline of unions, rampant corporate greed, Wall Street malfeasance and the rise of shortsighted politics all contributed to increased economic inequality, widespread real unemployment, wage stagnation, and a lower standard of living for millions of Americans."
Simpsons writer Tim Long tweeted that producers "recorded both @RealHughJackman and @RBReich last November. Jackman was a dream, doing take after take after take. At one point, he announced, 'I love singing!' And it shows!" He further revealed that the inspiration for the segment was a piece last year in the Atlantic titled 'The Life in 'The Simpsons' Is No Longer Obtainable'. That story details how the 1990s-era lifestyle of America's favourite dysfunctional animated family is now "an almost dreamily secure existence."
Reacting to this, a user said,"Now that’s a Simpsons episode I’ll watch." Another wrote, "Love it! Congratulations! You made the big times!" A third comment read," It will be interesting to see how the Simpsons will address this issue without pointing the finger at those who are truly responsible for our current economic woes."
(With IANS inputs)
