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Woodcock, Pete

The Polis of Springfield: The Simpsons and the Teaching of Political Theory

Original Citation

Woodcock, Pete (2006) The Polis of Springfield: The Simpsons and the Teaching of Political
Theory. Politics, 26 (3). p. 192. ISSN 0263-3957

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 The Polis of Springfield: The Simpsons and the Teaching of Political Theory

Pete Woodcock – The University of Huddersfield

Abstract

When students commence the study of political theory, they often lack the vocabulary

necessary for that study and any specific examples of political societies other than

their own. As a result of this, this article examines The Simpsons for examples that

might help teachers of political theory to communicate key themes in political thought

to undergraduates. In particular this article suggests that Springfield is a model of a

deliberative and participatory democracy, and therefore can be used as a model of

these ideals, as well as providing examples of some of the challenges that they may

face. In addition, it examines how The Simpsons may be used in teaching Mill’s

‘Harm Principle’, and Plato’s Republic.

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the members of the University of

Huddersfield Politics Reading Group, and students of mine both past and present who

have had to put up with my incessant Simpsons references. I am also indebted to Dr

Sarah Hale for her comments on an early draft of this paper, as well as the anonymous

referees who provided comments as part of the submission procedure for Politics.

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The Polis of Springfield: The Simpsons and the Teaching of Political Theory

Theory and examples

In his article examining role playing as a means to gain a deep holistic approach to

learning, Andrew Schaap points out that political theory is ‘necessarily abstract and

general’, and that the language involved ‘either alienates or inspires’ students

(Schaap, 2005, p. 46, p. 51). He invites us, therefore, to think of alternate methods of

delivering our subject to teach this abstract and general language. Schaap also defines

learning political theory as being ‘about acquiring a vocabulary that enables one to

reflect more critically and precisely about the terms on which human beings (do and

should) co-operate for and compete over public goods, symbolic and material’

(Schaap, 2005, p.46), a vocabulary, we must assume, that learners lack when

embarking upon a particular course. When students have started to get to grips with

political theory and its vocabulary they do indeed relish it as ‘it provides them with a

space in which to reflect on their own, previously unexamined, but cherished, views

on what politics is for’ (Coleman, 2000, p.152).

A problem facing any teacher of political theory is that learners in the early part of

their degree course often have limited examples of the political make-up of political

societies other than their own to which they can apply the vocabulary of political

theory. Reading and study of a variety of political and sociological disciplines will, of

course, provide learners with these kind of concrete examples, however, this article

will suggest that most learners already have a bank of examples that teachers can call

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upon to illustrate political ideas in practice, and that examples from the television

programme The Simpsons provides a model of a democracy that teachers may exploit.

Popularity of the Simpsons

Slowly but surely The Simpsons has become part of the collective consciousness,

building from a short series of sketches on the Tracey Ullman show in America, to a

syndicated show being broadcast worldwide. Chris Turner (2004, p.5) likens The

Simpsons to a ‘climate change: it built incrementally, week by week, episode by

episode, weaving itself into the cultural landscape slowly but surely until it became a

permanent feature’. What marks The Simpsons out from other cartoons not

necessarily aimed at children (such as Mike Judge’s Bevis and Butthead and King of

the Hill, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park), and therefore makes it a

legitimate subject for academic enquiry and use, is its multi-referential nature.

The writers of The Simpsons refer to, and make use of, a variety of differing artistic

genres in the production of the show. One episode, for example, where the

Springfield Elementary school bus crashes off a bridge and is swept into the ocean

leaving the schoolchildren to start a new civilization on a deserted island is a thinly

disguised parody of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (Das Bus: 5F11).1 Another

episode (Homer vs. The Eighteenth Amendment: 4F15) briefly shows a shot of a diner

which is depicted as similar to that in Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Film references

are also legion, such as the episode entitled 22 Short Films About Springfield (3F18),

which contains numerous parodies of Quentin Tarentino’s Pulp Fiction.. The writers

of The Simpsons, therefore, are prepared to make reference to and discuss a variety of

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different sources, from films to art. Indeed, as we shall discuss later on, there is even

an episode that is based upon Plato’s Republic. Whereas this gives us some idea as to

the serious intent in the writing of The Simpsons, it is less their references to culture

that will interest us at first, but more the model of everyday society that they create in

Springfield.

The Simpsons and Democracy

‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again’ states Kent Brockman, Springfield’s news

anchor in Episode 2F11 (Bart’s Comet), ‘Democracy simply doesn’t work.’

Brockman’s ire is prompted by Congress’ failure to pass a bill to evacuate Springfield

when it is threatened with annihilation by a comet whose trajectory is in line with the

city. Brockman’s frustration here, however, is directed at the US federal government,

and the failure of the representative system therein, not at the local democracy he sees

around him every day in Springfield. Therefore his statement that democracy simply

doesn’t work is slightly misleading as at the local level in Springfield, as we shall see,

democracy works very well indeed. Springfield’s citizens enjoy ‘a surprising degree

of local control and autonomy’ (Cantor, 1999, p.743), and can be regarded as, and

used by teachers as a model democratic society. Indeed, if we define a deliberative

democracy as a system whereby citizens have ‘not only equality of votes, but also

[the] equal and effective opportunity to participate in processes of collective

judgment’ (Warren, 2002, p.174), in order to ‘draw forth the otherwise unarticulated

knowledge and insight of citizens’ (Kymlicka, 2002, p.291), then Springfield can be

regarded as a model of a deliberative democracy.

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For example, there is the ubiquitous use of public meetings in Springfield that,

although they do not always lead to successful policies, do allow the citizens to

participate in the governance of their town. The Mayor of Springfield, ‘Diamond’ Joe

Quimby seems perfectly content with allowing issues to go to a general vote in town

meetings and for citizens to raise issues and come up with ideas from the floor. The

decision to build a Monorail in Springfield was taken by a public meeting (Marge vs

The Monorail: 9F10), admittedly after the travelling con-man Lyle Lanley had

influenced (or possibly manipulated) the meeting with a catchy song. Perhaps more

remarkable about this meeting was that the Mayor allows the citizens to decide how to

spend the $3 million the City has just received (a court imposed fine on Mr Burns for

dumping toxic waste in the park). This was not the only time that Quimby turned to

town meetings to look for ideas. In episode 1F08, $pringfield (or, How I Learned to

Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling), the Mayor calls a town meeting to ask

for ideas on how to rejuvenate the City’s economy. Principal Skinner proposes, and

gains public support for his suggestion that Springfield legalise gambling to increase

revenue. A town meeting was also held to recall Homer from his disastrous spell as

Springfield’s sanitation commissioner (Trash of the Titans: 5F09) where in order to

cover his massive spending on uniforms and other maladministration, he had to allow

other cities to dump their garbage in Springfield’s abandoned mines. This action

results in garbage erupting from the ground, and so the people of Springfield decide to

move the entire town five miles down the road to avoid this pollution.

Not only do the citizens of Springfield have the opportunity to make decisions and

deliberate on matters of public concern, but the citizens also staunchly portray

themselves as being morally equal participants in this decision making process.

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When Principle Skinner and teacher Edna Krabappel begin a romance Superintendent

Chalmers tells Skinner to either end this workplace relationship or be fired (Grade

School Confidential: 4F09). To this Edna democratically suggests that they ‘take

[their] case directly to the townspeople’ for approval. Chalmers mockingly replies

‘who do you want to talk to first? The, the guy with a bumblebee suit, or the one with

a bone through his hair?’ Sideshow Mel (the one with a bone through his hair) replies

to this indignantly ‘[m]y opinions are as valid as the next man's’.

Town meetings are not, however, the only source of citizen participation in civic

affairs in Springfield. The local media, despite their flaws, seem open and accessible

to an extent that townspeople can participate in political discussion and air their

opinions. In They Saved Lisa’s Brain (AABF18), Lisa Simpson has an open letter to

the people of Springfield published in the town’s newspaper the Springfield Shopper

in which she decries the lack of culture in Springfield saying: ‘we have eight malls,

but no symphony. Thirty-two bars but no alternative theatre. Thirteen stores that

begin with ‘Le Sex.’’ This is a recurrent theme in The Simpsons as when Lisa

discovers from Grampa that she will soon become stupid due to the ‘Simpson Gene’

(which she later discovers only effects Simpson men) she manages to get on a

Channel 6 newscast in order to tell people to ‘treasure their brains’ whilst they still

have them (Lisa the Simpson: 4F24). Elsewhere, Channel 6 allows Lisa and Bart to

set up their own news programme entitled Kidz Newz (Girly Edition: 5F15), to the

delight of Lisa who claims that this will allow her to ‘tackle all the hard-hitting

children’s news the grown up controlled media won’t touch.’

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Adults can also make put forward their views on TV, as Marge discovered when she

founded the pressure group Springfieldians for Nonviolence, Understanding, and

Helping (S.N.U.H). The aim of S.N.U.H. was to end violence in cartoons after

Maggie Simpson, imitating an incident from an episode of Itchy and Scratchy, hit

Homer on the head with a mallet (Itchy & Scratchy & Marge: 7F09). Marge gains

adherents to her cause, and is asked to defend her views on Kent Brockman’s

television programme Smart Line. Despite the belief of Roger Myers, the producer of

Itchy and Scratchy, in his discussions with Marge that ‘one person cannot make a

difference’, her campaign ends with such force that violence is removed from

cartoons. This campaign is a double edged sword for Marge, however, and she begins

to realise that censoring what people can see is problematic when her followers ask

her to lead the campaign against the exhibition of Michelangelo’s David on the

grounds that it is full frontal nudity. Marge believes that David should be exhibited,

and as a consequence begins to realise that it is difficult to argue in favour of one kind

of censorship, and against another. This episode can be used to discuss a variety of

political issues that touch on what should, and what should not be censored, and could

provide for an interesting discussion of, for example, Mill’s Harm Principle (the idea

put forward by Mill in On Liberty that the sole basis for preventing a person from

doing what they wished is to prevent harm to others). Homer was clearly harmed by

being hit on the head by a mallet, however was this harm a direct result of Itchy and

Scratchy, or could it be said that Maggie was the only one directly harming Homer.

Likewise, the discussion could be broadened to look at whether being offended by

something constitutes harm, and therefore if we should ban something because it

offends people. We should not doubt that many members of S.N.U.H. were indeed

offended by the exhibition of the nude figure of Michelangelo’s David, but does being

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offended by something constitute the type of harm that gives us reason to ban

something, and precisely where do we draw the line on this issue?

Finally, in an age of lack of participation in politics and in society in general,

Springfield provides us with a refreshing example of a city with abundant social

capital with people being members of numerous different organisations, clubs and

networks. Community events in Springfield are legion; there are, amongst others, the

Swap Meet (Homer’s Barbershop Quartet: 9F21), the Chilli Cook-Off (El Viaje

Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer: 3F24), the Renaissance Faire (Lisa’s Wedding: 2F15),

and the Food Festival (Guess Who’s Coming to Criticize Dinner: AABF21), all of

which gain a large amount of support from the local community. There are

organisations such as the ‘Investorettes’, where women combine to own and run a

small business (The Twisted World of Marge Simpson: 4F08), indeed Springfield even

puts on a franchise fair to encourage such local investors. The Parent Teacher

Association is robust, and takes over the running of Springfield Elementary School

when a strike threatens to disrupt the children’s education, and local residents stand in

as teachers (The PTA Disbands: 2F19). There is also an extremely popular bowling

league in Springfield, with teams that represent every area of the community (Team

Homer: 3F10), so there is no need to go bowling alone in Springfield.

Therefore, Springfield provides us with a model of a deliberative democracy and a

participatory society that might ring true with learners that are new to political theory.

Indeed, Springfield may be a Utopia, but for the presence of one man: Springfield’s

oldest resident and Nuclear Power Plant Owner Mr C. Montgomery Burns, whose

villainy knows no bounds. His pollution of the local environment has resulted in

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three-eyed fish to populate Springfield’s fishing lake (Two Cars in Every Garage and

Three Eyes on Every Fish: 7F01), although this issue did result in him losing his

gubernatorial election. He is a dreadful employer, sexually harassing his female

employees (Marge Gets a Job: 9F05), taunting his employees with dismissal until

they have a heart attack (Homer’s Triple Bypass: 9F09) and exchanges his employees’

dental plan for a keg of beer (Last Exit to Springfield: 9F15). Despite his wealth, he is

not civically minded in the slightest, and one time designs a device to block out the

sun, which he refers to as his ‘greatest nemesis’ that ‘still provides our customers with

free light, heat, and energy’ (Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One): 2F16). The Simpsons,

therefore, can be used to demonstrate not only democracy, but also the challenges that

it sometimes faces.

The political world that The Simpsons portrays is, of course, one that will be more

immediately recognisable to American students than to UK undergraduates. It

portrays a world of gubernatorial elections and elected Sanitation Commissioners

whereby decisions are made by powerful Town Mayors as well as town meetings all

of which are (with the possible exception of elected town Mayors) alien to the

practical political experience of most UK undergraduates. Whereas this political

world is alien to them in a practical sense, it is not (due to programmes such as The

Simpsons) alien to them in the theoretical sense and as a result can aid understanding

of the differences between the American and UK system of politics. The Simpsons

provides learners with a familiarity, therefore, of a system of politics of which is

different from their own and therefore gives them the opportunity to reflect on this

political world and compare it to their own. It is for this reason that The Simpsons

provides the teacher of political theory with such a rich bank of resources; students

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who are familiar with The Simpsons will have a bank of political examples that are

different from the political system that they have grown up in.

Plato’s Republic and the Simpsons

Providing an example of a deliberative democracy is not, however, the only use the

Simpsons has for teachers of political theory. It also provides us with an episode that

outlines Plato’s Republic, which could be used in the classroom. In the episode They

Saved Lisa’s Brain (AABF18), Lisa, disgusted by the antics of her fellow residents in

a ‘gross-out competition’ that descends into a food fight, writes a letter to the local

media denouncing Springfield as being a town of ‘lowbrows, no-brows, and

ignorami’. When this letter is read, Lisa receives an invitation to join the local branch

of Mensa, the high IQ society. At Lisa’s first Mensa meeting, the local GP and

Mensa member Dr. Hibbert bemoans the fact that those that govern are less intelligent

than them asking why ‘do we live in a town where the smartest have no power and the

stupidest run everything?’ This all changes, however, when a mix up over the

booking of a gazebo in the local park takes Lisa and her fellow Mensa society

members to the office of ‘Diamond’ Joe Quimby. Quimby, ever involved in shady

deals, misunderstands their intentions, and believing them to be about to uncover his

corruption, flees Springfield.

Following Quimby’s departure, the town charter is consulted, which states that in the

absence of the Mayor, ‘a council of learned citizens shall rule in his stead’. The

members of Mensa self-appoint themselves to this role, and take control of the reins

of local government. Lisa suggests that ‘with our superior intellects, we could rebuild

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this city on a foundation of reason and enlightenment. We could turn Springfield into

a Utopia.’

The similarities with Plato’s republic here should appear obvious, and can be used to

reinforce his critique of democracy. Firstly, Dr. Hibbert’s lament printed above can

be linked in with the idea of the craft analogy (the idea, as propounded by Plato’s

tutor Socrates, that just as you would go to an expert in, say, the training of a horse, so

to should you go to an expert (the wisest) to lead people). Secondly Lisa’s argument

about governing upon the basis of reason can be used as illustrative of Plato’s belief

that reason should govern society. The Springfield Mensa members, therefore,

become Philosopher Kings, dominating the rest of society; however this is not where

the analogy ends, as further developments in this episode allow us to look at some

criticisms of Plato’s theory.

The reforms the Springfield philosopher kings introduce are indeed sweeping. For

example they notice how nobody likes to turn up to jury service, so they re-brand the

experience along the lines of a comic book; jury summonses now read ‘you have been

chosen to join the Justice Squadron, 8 a.m. Monday at the Municipal Fortress of

Vengeance.’ Mensa’s goals, however, do not cease at this re-branding of jury service,

and divisions appear amongst the junta and opposition forms against them with Comic

Book Guy’s plan to allow breeding only once every seven years. This causes an

argument amongst the members of Mensa as to who is the most intelligent, and

complaints from the towns people about the power held by the elite. The situation is

resolved by Stephen Hawking’s appearance (played by himself as the guest voice),

disputing why they should govern as they have a lower IQ than him. This could, of

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course, open up classroom discussion as to precisely who we regard as being the most

intelligent in society, and precisely how we measure that intelligence.

So far we have addressed how The Simpsons are relevant to a number of discussions

in politics, and have hinted on how this could be used in a classroom setting. As a

practical example of this, try the exercise in figure one in a seminar group as an

introduction to political philosophy, having already delivered a lecture on Plato (or

used an alternative method to introduce Plato’s ideas). This exercise does two

important things that will aid enjoyment and understanding of political theory. Firstly

it will allow students who are new to the study of politics and political theory to

engage in a discussion around the idea of who should govern in society, and it will

allow learners to assess the justification for Mensa’s role in Springfield, along with

the policy decision that they make. They will be able to judge, therefore, whether it is

reasonable for the intelligent to govern (and if not who should), and what powers

those that govern should have and what decisions should be left in the hands of

ordinary citizens (linking in to the towns people’s critique of Mensa’s rule). This

discussion will introduce them to many of the key ideas in political theory. Secondly,

it will enable learners to link the episode with Plato’s republic, and delve further into

the idea of what Plato meant by the idea that reason should govern. This second

opportunity is perhaps the most important as whereas The Simpsons provides an

excellent introduction to the discussion of political theory and a way to make it

accessible, this article does not intend to suggest replacing the core texts and ideas of

political theory with a discussion of The Simpsons alone.

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Figure One

Watch The Simpsons episode "They Saved Lisa's Brain", and answer the

following questions:

(A) What justification did the members of Mensa give for taking control of the town?

(B) How similar is this to the argument laid out by Plato in The Republic?

(B) Is this a good argument for justifying who governs? Is it democratic?

(C) What objections did the townspeople give to the junta’s new policies?

(D) How did Stephen Hawking challenge their power?

Conclusion

This article has not attempted to extract any political truths from the Simpsons, nor

has it tried to show that the Simpsons favour one political party or another (for a

discussion of this issue see Cantor (1999), pp.734-5). It has been an attempt to show

how we can, as teachers of politics, make use of this remarkable multi-referential

television programme that provides us with a model of society.

References

Cantor, P. A. (1999), ‘The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family’ in

Political Theory, 27/6: 734 – 49.

Coleman, J. (2000), ‘The History of Political Thought in a Modern University’ in

History of Political Thought, 31/1 :152 – 71.

Gimple, S. (ed) (1999), The Simpsons Forever! A Complete Guide to Our

Family…Continued. London: Harper Collins

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Kymlicka, W. (2002), Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

McCann, J.L. (ed) (2002), The Simpsons Beyond Forever! A Complete Guide to Our

Family… Still Continued. London: Harper Collins.

Richmond, R. and Coffman, A. (eds) (1997), The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our

Family. London: Harper Collins.

Schaap, A. (2005), ‘Learning Political Theory by Role Playing’ Politics, 25/1: 46 –

52.

Turner, C. (2004), Planet Simpson. London: Ebury Press.

Warren, M. (2002), ‘Deliberative Democracy’, in A. Carter and G. Stokes (eds),

Democratic Theory Today. Cambridge: Polity

1
All episode details come from either Richmond & Coffman (1997), Gimple (1999) or McCann
(2002).

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