I grew up running around riding my bike outside for hours then coming in to lay in front of the TV and watch Rocket Power do it all over again. I was best friends with the Rugrats, I despised Helga from Hey Arnold! and sketched the afternoon away with Mr Squiggle. It's become extremely fashionable lately to note that you know all the words to the Captain Planet or Pokemon theme songs (I can do both), or reminisce about how Gumby was top quality television viewing. Young adults spend hundreds of dollars trying to look 'grunge' (totally besides the point if you ask me) or on cameras with ACTUAL film in them (omg). It's like we are permanently trying to capture that time in our lives where everything was just that much simpler. When we didn't have to worry about bills, or work or uni. Being a kid is something that evades us in the blink of an eye, and we spend the rest of our years trying to get back our innocence.
One thing that has not 'escaped' us Generation Y-ers as we have gotten older is the a program that has probably been one of, if not the most successful in television history. Yes I'm talking about our four-fingered, yellow alter egos, The Simpsons.
When I think about childhood I don't usually include Homer and the gang in, and I guess it's because they have always remained with us, following us throughout our teenage years and continuing on with us today. In fact, I don't ever think I could even imagine the demise of the program because it's become almost ingrained in our everyday behaviour, it's a part of our lives and I don't think that 6:00pm could be the same without them.
My first memory of The Simpsons was when my little sister was born. I was 3 years old and being an only child my parents thought that the birth of another sibling might come as a shock for my poor, spoilt self. When I went to visit my sister in hospital I was presented with a gift that the baby had apparently brought with her when she had been dropped off by the stalk. It was a Lisa Simpson doll, complete with saxophone and all. Looking back I can safely say that it was my Dad who had brought the toy- I was 3 years old and hadn't even HEARD of The Simpsons, and I highly doubt my Mum would have ever let me watch it anyway. I loved it though and it was all the more special because my sister had brought it just for me.
When I was older my Mum finally let us watch the series. I was maybe 10 or 11 and I had never seen anything so hilarious. Let's not forget that at that age I really didn't get most of the gags, or any of the 150 million pop culture references that they make in each episode, but that is what makes this show so special- it transcends generations. For years my mother was appalled and outraged that we could sit in front of the TV for 4 hours every weekend for 'Super Simpsons weekends' only moving when the laughter got too much for us to handle (or the pancakes were ready). We watched SO much of the show that it started to interfere with my work at school.
I distinctly remember my year 9 science 'parent-teacher interview'. The teacher sat my mum down and started to explain how well I was going in class. He then mentioned that 'Rebecca seems to relate EVERYTHING we do in class to The Simpsons'... That was it, Mum cracked the shits HARD at me and said right there and then that the show was banned from viewing at our house from now on. My heart was broken, that is until my teacher explained how it was a GOOD thing! Apparently all the other kids had started to understand our science curriculum too. Thanks to my constant Simpsons references I had clearly made science a more enjoyable experience. Who woulda thunk it?
From then on I have religiously watched the series and it has brought me so much joy. It has also helped me in my academic career beyond that of high school science classes. I wrote a 2000 word essay for university on postmodernism and based the entire essay around the example of a Simpsons episode. I got a HD for that essay (one of the best marks I've ever received).
I owe a lot to the Simpsons, and it's not just because it has helped me academically, I truly believe that whilst the show can be silly and funny, it conveys many important morals and ethics to us by mirroring general society and exposing it's flaws. Every character in the Simpsons is flawed- and in the most perfect way. Even Ned Flander's has his low points, and that's what makes the show special, we can learn so much from each character as they plow their way through this harsh and often merciless world.
Even the world that they live in is horrible, society is full of drunks (Barney), drug addicts (Otto) and evil corporations (Mr. Burns), yet Homer and his family fight them all and bring a sense of good into this world (if only for one episode).
The value of love and family is so honest and beautiful. Homer and Marge's love story is real, and it is so endearing. Homer seems to treat Marge like a piece of crap but his love for her is eternal and he would do almost anything for her. Each character is so fleshed out and unique it's hard to imagine life without all of Springfield's greatest.
For 23 years of my life I have watched and loved the show. I will defend its integrity and it's value, not only as a piece of art, but as a reflection on our own society and how to improve upon it. The Simpsons is a show with a quote for EVERY moment in life, it will be something that I hope my children get to enjoy, along with music from The Beatles, and movies by Disney. They are a part of our everyday lives and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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