Who knew that Bart Simpson still had it? Years after "The Simpsons" merged into the American cultural mainstream, the show is still raising hackles--in socialist Venezuela where a government regulatory agency decreed it was "inappropriate for children."
Replacing the "inappropriate" show will be reruns of, and this is not a joke, "Baywatch: Hawaii," the late 90s lifeguard show famous for its incessant portrayals of blondes in bikinis:
Station spokeswoman Elba Guillen said Monday that the decision to hand over the daily 11 a.m. time slot came after the National Telecommunications Commission received complaints from viewers.
"It had to be taken off," Guillen said. "They consider it to be a series that isn't appropriate for that time because it isn't appropriate for children."
The regulatory agency didn't specify which elements of the program were deemed offensive, but said showing the animated cartoon series at that hour could violate national regulations prohibiting "messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls and adolescents."
Gotta love socialist "thought." I'm sure the kids at home--or at least the boys--are finding "Baywatch" very educational.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
What's funny to me about this
April 8, 2008 - 12:51 ET by sarcasmoIs the various political stripes of the panties this cartoon has tied in knots over the decades...Ah, karma. :)
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
If only the show
April 8, 2008 - 12:55 ET by Matthew Sheffieldwere still funny. It hasn't been in quite a while imo. A few good ones here and there but mostly not funny now.
Yeah, it has slipped a bit...
April 8, 2008 - 13:04 ET by sarcasmoMaybe a "too much money" thing like with Jimmy Buffett's later albums vs A1A, or maybe it's just life. We only get one Calvin & Hobbes or a few years of consistently-funny Simpsons cartoons per lifetime.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
It still has its moments.
April 8, 2008 - 13:07 ET by balboaIt still has its moments. It's amazing they've been able to maintain the level that they have for so long.
Very good episode this past weekend, showing Marge in college.
Yeah, that was pretty funny
April 8, 2008 - 13:12 ET by sarcasmoFor me, some of the best moments have been the movie tribute parodies. In one from a movie whose name escapes me, Homer crashes their car into a bronze statue of a deer:
Homer: "D'oh!"
Marge: "a deer!"
Lisa: "a female deer!"
I saw the joke coming as it was happening, but I still laughed so hard that it was difficult to breathe.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
That was the episode where
April 8, 2008 - 13:26 ET by balboaThat was the episode where Homer became friends with Jon Waters, but then was worried that Jon was making Bart gay, so he took Bart out to the woods to shoot deer.
Simpsons stands for Profanity, Nudity, Violence!
April 8, 2008 - 13:16 ET by Daniel BakerBaywatch just has Real Immodesty. Both are rotten.
The world allows more every year, and it mostly effects marriage. Divorces will continue to go up as people are exposed to more pornography. Marriages will decrease. Children will become rare, and societies with children will take over from within
Matthew, I don't see why
April 8, 2008 - 13:17 ET by LeonMatthew,
I don't see why this is so surprising.
South American countries have always had open attitudes concerning displays of the flesh.
Ever been to the beach down there?
Makes Baywatch look Puritanical.
As for claiming the Simpsons is inappropriate for children, many parents feel that way in America.
Venezuela is not Brazil
April 8, 2008 - 13:41 ET by mom_roxWell, not quite, unless the beach scene has changed drastically since I lived there several years ago.
The reason it's not surprising is because this is what can be seen during the primetime telenovelas.
Also, since much of The Simpsons' humor/satire is topical/pop culture references, it may not play well to a non-US audience; whereas, the Baywatch plot needs absolutely no explanation.
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw, 1944
Mom, It might not be as
April 8, 2008 - 13:48 ET by LeonMom,
It might not be as aggressive as Brazil, but last I was there in 2002, the beaches I saw were pretty liberal in terms of exposed skin.
But your point about the telenovelas is certainly true. I didn't even think of that.
Your comment about exposed skin
April 8, 2008 - 14:07 ET by mom_roxYour comment about exposed skin applies to both sexes. ;)
If you saw a woman in a one-piece swimsuit or a guy in swim trunks (not a Speedo), your first thought would be "probably an American". Even overweight women wore bikinis and overweight men wore Speedos. And I can tell you from experience that Venezuelan stores carry very, very few one-piece swimsuits.
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw, 1944
Oh Mom, I know! It's
April 8, 2008 - 14:13 ET by LeonOh Mom,
I know! It's wild. People are pretty comfortable with their bodies down there.
I noticed the men before the women simply b/c I could never imagine wearing a bikini style bathing suit in public!
Now I clearly haven't spent as much time there as you, but in my limited experience, what you've said is so true. Making me laugh at my desk as I type this :)
Govt. controlled
April 8, 2008 - 13:53 ET by bigtimerGovt. controlled agency...this must mean Chavez and crew like watching reruns of Baywatch more than The Simpsons.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
While i don't support
April 8, 2008 - 14:51 ET by AvatarWhile i don't support censorship, I half agree. The Simpsons has become vile show, and don't even get me started about Family Guy. I certainly wouldn't put an 'Appropriate for Children' label on it.
The Avatar
Heh..
April 8, 2008 - 14:54 ET by JeffWeimerThe younger sister of the female lead of Baywatch Hawaii used to work for me, So I guess I have a Hoff number of 3.
Southpark is still more
April 8, 2008 - 16:21 ET by mostlymoderate...DOUBLE POST
Gotta laugh at this one!!!
April 8, 2008 - 17:31 ET by PrairieSky"...messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls and adolescents." I love that! Jiggling babes on Baywatch running around on the beach are much more wholesome for the young set than The Simpsons! Oy vey!!!
Babewatch
April 8, 2008 - 18:46 ET by shawn228I can probably think of a couple reasons why Chavez prefer Pam Anderson to Marg Simpson
One of the last Simpsons
April 8, 2008 - 23:38 ET by Republic1One of the last Simpsons episodes I watched had a very Chavez-friendly scene. It was a gasoline tanker running through the front door of the Republican convention and causing the building to explode in flames (a little subtle political commentary from their hack writer of the week). The early episodes of the series were brilliant, but for me, the show has been unwatchable for a long, long time.
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." -Muhammad
Repub1... I quit watching
April 8, 2008 - 23:57 ET by bigtimerRepub1...
I quit watching a few years ago too for the same reasons, I really loved it in the beginning, now I don't even remember day or time it comes on.
Sad when they do that to a show that I considered a break for laughter that you could enjoy with jabs at all.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Clueless in Venezuela
April 9, 2008 - 00:35 ET by m1xramDo you get the impression that they don't know what either show is about? Neither are kid shows. <action>scratching head</action> Maybe the little ones will learn something about plastic surgery.
they already know
April 9, 2008 - 11:15 ET by mom_roxuhhh, sadly, they already know this. I don't know if Venezuela is the "Official Plastic Surgery Capital of the World", but it has to be one of the top three.
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw, 1944
Agreed. The show has
April 9, 2008 - 18:40 ET by Republic1Agreed. The show has picked up a level of meanness and stupidity that is typical trait of the Hollywood left. Of course, Matt Groening has never made a secret of his intense dislike for Republicans.
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." -Muhammad