Editorial: why Homer Badman is even more relevant today

The best social satire is not only relevant when it's created, it becomes even more so as time passes.

A few weeks back we talked about The Simpsons celebrating its 30th season. That's right, this show has been on TV for 30 years! At the time, Shawn pointed out how on point the series has been with its social commentary, and ability to predict the world we'd inherit years in advance.

Boy, is he right.

I recently rewatched the Homer Badman episode form 1994, wherein Homer is accused of sexual harassment. At the time, the episode was a stark commentary on the then newly minted 24-hour news channels, and media ignoring the facts in favour of being first to break a story.

This is still the world we live in. Now public opinion courts are held on Facebook and other social media, which has news outlets clamouring to stay ahead of each other in a neverending news loop. Plus there's the #MeToo angle, which adds a whole layer to this episode that wasn't there before.

Everyone is watching everyone now, and we're all quick to be offended if something doesn't fit within our moral view of the world, facts be dammed. And our society is willing to condemn those accused of a crime before anyone has his or her day in court. Lives are ruined before all the facts are heard. In fact, no one wants to hear those facts at all.

As Marge says in Homer Badman "...the courts might not be work anymore, but as long as everybody is videotaping everyone else, justice will be done."

That thought was scary back then, and its even scarier now...

Check out the episode here:

Source: Daily Motion

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