Here's how The Simpsons is like any other animated series created by a prominent television network--it outsources its animation to South Korea; here's how it's not like every other show—it allows graffiti artiste and trickster extraordinaire, Banksy, to do an intro that presents the aforementioned outsourcing in ghoulish terms. After seeing Banksy’s “street art disaster flick,” Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Simpsons’ executive producer, Al Jean, asked the man behind the mask to do an introductory segment, which aired on Sunday.
That the clip was removed from YouTube for a period of time implies that the higher ups may not have been so pleased with Banksy’s fun poking. As many episodes of The Simpsons demonstrate, Fox is surprisingly open to being mocked by its created characters; yet the network that dangles from Murdoch’s media empire has its limits, and the darkest corners of this commentary--in which rats pick at the bones of dead workers and a shackled laboring unicorn comes crashing down before our eyes--may have been one mock too many.
This is a portrayal of a sweatshop, folks; it's not going to be pretty. What is pretty, however, is the satisfying symmetry in the merger between these two engines of satire, Banksy and The Simpsons. Both sides aim to lay bare often-bleak sociopolitical realities by employing great big doses of comedy, whimsy and idea play.
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Comments
Honestly, this makes me not want to watch any animation now, its depressing!
However... we only have ourselves to blame. We (me included) are addicted to cheap stuff. Socks, dog collars, CDs, computers, iPods, Bart Simpson dolls, shoes, jeans, underpants, and dishes. ALL of it. Almost everything in my house (and I'd hazard a guess yours too). If that stuff were manufactured in environmentally safe ways, within the US (and under US environmental laws), and paying people a living wage with benefits and paid vacations, we wouldn't be able to afford any of it.
Maybe that's a good thing.
When my socks get a hole, I throw them away. It's not worth my time to mend socks. When my DVD player dies, I throw it away and buy a new one. It costs more to fix it, if you even could, than to buy a new one.
The Pacific Northwest is starting to show trace amounts of mercury, coming across the Pacific from factories and coal-fired power plants in China. But who are we to blame them? We're buying the stuff. They're selling it to us.
I'm just as guilty as the next person. But follow the money. This isn't Fox's fault. It's all of our faults.
Would you pay $20 for a stuffed Bart Simpson doll? Would anyone? Does the world really need a container-load of Bart Simpson dolls?
Sorry... I'm done ranting now. Thanks for posting this. For every finger I point, there are three pointing back at me.
Genius. God, that unicorn.
Best Wishes,
Blittie
John: Thanks, buddy! Now go stare at the painting by someone named Dwight.
bobbot: I know. I was really impressed with their letting it run.
Matt: ooh, very interesting references. I must look up!
Ken: oh yes there are! your ignorance of one-horned creatures saddens me
katy b: yup, totally
Cranky: so damn gutsy!
berrycomposer: I hope you're wrong on that one, but I worry that you're not
hyblaean-Julie: right???
Nick: ha! They should have.
Jonathan: glad you enjoyed
Caracalla: yes, a Banksy GI Joe: Cobra intro would truly be something else
Sarah: why, thank you
froggy: you're so right that we sit there shaking our heads at the commentary on sweat shops while behaving in ways that makes them necessary.
Owl: I already have a crush
consonantsandvowels: I know! The unicorn slays me
anthony: I think there's still a definite core of subversiveness
Blittie: it's so interesting because of all the elements involved--the commentary on how the animation is created done within the animation. As one of my blogging friends pointed out, how do you think the South Korean animators felt animating that sequence?
wadeS: it was so very refreshing. I totally agree
Lunchlady2: exactly!
Jeff: it's so sad and the image sticks with you
aim: glad you didn't miss it
scanner: i always feel that way, too. No matter how much I look, I always miss something
vanessa: I know. that's exactly how I felt when I saw it for the first time
themanhattankid: I'm thinking the hipping up of both, but then again I was a fan of the intro. I think that what makes Banksy's work important isn't so much his technical prowess (which I don't have a problem with), but where he positions things. If he just painted a picture of children digging a hole through a wall, it wouldn't be so impressive, but the fact that he painted this on the Israeli West Bank barrier is.
old new lefty: and now you know--unicorns and pandas!
Algis: glad you enjoyed it
tomreedtoon: that it's a common practice is what makes this commentary all the more important
Trudge: yes, indeedy
-George Orwell