Simpsons Ditched for Baywatch
I may be slightly biased as a big fan of The Simpsons, but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this story on the BBC today:
The Simpsons has been dropped from morning TV in Venezuela after being deemed unsuitable for children - and has been replaced by Baywatch.
Now don’t get me wrong, boobies are fine… but in what way are huge boobies — jiggling up and down in a skimpy costume as the likes of Pamela Anderson runs up and down a beach — any less “inappropriate” than a cartoon?
I’m sure Karl will probably disagree because he’s a bit of a boob man (no surprises there) but give me The Simpsons over Baywatch any day!
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The art of The Simpsons is that while many of the jokes on that show are unsuitable for children, those are the jokes kids ignore because they don’t get it. Instead, they laugh because Homer gets hurt or something. Baywatch is DEFINITELY more unsuitable for children. That was a stupid choice on their part.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pmHaha, I heard about this on the radio just a couple of hours ago.
You could always argue that the orbs *cough* on Baywatch teach kids about the effect of gravity…
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 2:56 pmGive me Baywatch over The Simpsons please.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pmUgh. I don’t know how or why they deemed The Simpsons unsuitable; it is educational and certainly not inappropriate. Oy.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 3:41 pmwhat the fuck! simpsons is perfectly fine, baywatch is much more unsuitable. :\
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pmNothing wrong with Baywatch, leave those boobies er…Venezuelans alone.
In other news, the amount of kittens dying as a result of divine intervention has just shot up in Venezuela.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 4:22 pmHaha! Simpsons over Baywatch anyday for me aswell!
Also, I have sent you an email about an issue I’m having but recently my emails have been playing up so if you haven’t recieved it then please would you leave me a comment on my site or something.
Thanks.
Hayley.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 5:30 pmHa! The infamous “unsuitable for children” excuse! Where would we be without it?
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 6:41 pmWe can’t have the children *thinking* early in the morning! It could compromise the mushiness of their little brains!
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 7:13 pmHaha, I heard this on Radio 2 at work. It left me bemused.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 7:41 pmWhile I love The Simpsons very much, I still prefer boobies. But I think that’s exactly the problem! I like boobies for their sexual aspect (and aesthetics…), something which I wish to keep away from kids’ eyes.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 8:59 pmI guess it’s because Baywatch promotes big boobs and hotness while Simpsons promotes violence. =P
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 9:10 pmAm I the only one that’s having trouble viewing the site? All I see is the site stripped down of its layout.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 9:11 pmMmm…Boobies…
Prefer Simpsons though..Baywatch is just so land of cheese..
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 9:27 pm@Katy: I’m pretty sure that there are a few Baywatch episodes that promote violence to. I distinctly remember David Hasselhoff’s chest hairs being threatened by a gun on one episode.
@Chantal: It’s CSS Naked Day.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pmOh my god I’m a freakshow. I’ve never even thought about it, I was never allowed to watch the Simpsons when I was really young, but when I remember always sitting next to my sister watching Baywatch at the same age!
And I wish we had Simpsons on in the morning here…!
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 11:06 pmNah, I can totally understand where this is coming from. The Simpsons is politically and culturally subversive (at least, it was in earlier seasons before everything started getting resolved through the Power Of God), and can be read as glorifying ignorance and stupidity. The only thing ‘inappropriate’ about Baywatch is the boobies; other than that it’s no more culturally challenging than, like, Power Rangers. The US and UK are traditionally pretty prudish about sex, hence bouncing tits are considered “adult stuff”, but Latin countries tend to be more relaxed about sexuality and body image.
When you take out the tits, Baywatch is about doing good deeds. The Simpsons is about glorifying stupidity. I can see where the decision comes from (even if I’d personally rather watch The Simpsons).
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pmThe Simpson’s really isn’t all that bad. I never watched Baywatch, but it seems like it’s a lot more inappropriate than The Simpsons.
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 11:40 pm@Chantel: It’s CSS Naked Day today! :3
Regarding the post: I’ll take Simpsons any day, thankyouverymuch!
Response posted: April 9th, 2008 at 11:42 pmI have to agree with Dee on this. That’s probably how the TV station saw it.
However, if children in this case are in the 3-10 group, I think there should be shows like (dare I say it?) My Little Pony. You can have adventures and teach lessons without skimpy-outfitted females, stupid jokes and political/cultural questioning - But you can teach basic human issues such as stealing being wrong, the importance of friendship, etc.
Not all cartoons are for kids - Many are for adults! The Simpsons actually has A LOT of adult-themes (even sexual suggestion! …and drug use!)
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 12:31 amHAHAHAHA Baywatch.
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 4:50 amOoh. I guess I’m out of the loop once again. Why are thou running on Wordpress?
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 6:46 amHeck no! Those jokes makes The Simpsons funny. Haha.
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 7:46 am104 unread emails? You need a personal assistant.
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 10:15 amAgreed with what D said. Beyond the skimpy clothing and buxom babes, there’s really nothing that could be considered terrible about Baywatch. The simpsons tends to have jokes and scenarios that can be offensive to groups of people. Personally, I wouldn’t choose either.
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm@Dee/Louse/Arwen: are you telling me that children are going to understand the social/political aspect of The Simpsons? To kids, and to many adults in fact, The Simpsons is about a silly family that get themselves into all sorts of adventures. Heck, a lot of the more subtle politcal jokes go over my head because it’s aimed at a US audience primarily.
I don’t actually have a problem with Baywatch or the boobies and I’m all for a bit of free almost-but-not-quite-porn on the TV.. but Louise has a point. If we’re trying to teach kids lessons here instead of purely entertaining them why not go for something a bit more targeted towards the audience (I’m not sure My Little Pony is the right answer though, personally!)
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pmI agree with Jem on this one, The Simpsons actually shows that it is wrong. Baywatch is just full of big boobed sluts to be honest.
Response posted: April 10th, 2008 at 5:34 pmP.S, I have replied to your email Jem
MLP was all I could think of when I was thinking of a show that couldn’t possibly offend anyone (unless you hate cute things).
Well, let’s put it this way: The Simpsons is family entertainment — for the family to watch together. The fact is it was dropped from the morning block — a time when (usually) kids watch TV without parents. Shows purely for children should avoid adult-themes and overuse of jokes and gimmicks.
Response posted: April 11th, 2008 at 3:00 am