ch organization are both outrageous. But the exaggeration is the basis for the satire. At the time this episode, schools across the nation were banning "The Simpsons" t-shirts that depicted Bart Simpson glorifying his "underachiever" status. Although a case may be made for the difference between David and the t-shirts, the underlying issue here is free speech. The pro-free speech message in this episode was not intended for children watching, but for adults who may have began to understand the satirical messages within the show.But, as the years progressed, "The Simpsons" slowly became accepted as a sitcom like any other. People started to consume the show in the manner in which it was intended, not as a simple cartoon, but as the satire of American life it truly is. Furthermore, the way the show finds humor in the topics that most sitcoms wouldnt dare is testament to its creativity and intelligence. Take, for example, the episode entitled Homer Badman.A babysitter accuses Homer of sexual harassment. Homer is hounded by the media; the exaggeration being the ridiculous number of media that cover the case and the way they portray Homer. This episode, which originally aired on November 27, 1994 during the shows sixth season, not long after the Clarence Thomas / Anita Hill sexual harassment hearings that garnered extraordinary media coverage. Without the Thomas case as background, the episode could not be consumed in line with the writers intention."The Simpsons" have tackled such topics as alcoholism, government corruption, and inter-office relations among a multitude of other difficult issues. The irresponsible Homer does not seem like the person any sane adult would want as a security officer of their local nuclear power plant, but the average teenager or preteen will most likely not understand this subtle humor. Nor would a child understand the understated humor such as seen on the sign for the Springfield Hall of Records wh...
