But the satire of The Simpsons is not primarily aimed at political figures. It is aimed at all of society s false pieties and therefore works at many more levels than other TV shows. Serious issues like environmentalism, immigration, gay rights, and Christian fundamentalism get the full treatment. Many jabs are highbrow and well hidden, making them all the more rewarding. What should dismay liberals about this is that so many of today s pieties are constructs of the Left.
Conservatives are accustomed to being mocked constantly in the popular culture.
But the experience must come as something of a shock for hothouse liberals. For example, Homer Simpson s mother is a 60s radical still on the lam. I had help from my friends in the underground. Jerry Rubin gave me a job marketing his line of health shakes. I proofread Bobby Seale s cookbook.