When something appears on The Simpsons, you know it’s finally become part of the mainstream consciousness, so I was happily surprised to see that the last two episodes aired were about exactly what we’ve been discussing on men’s sites for a while now. In fact, the first episode – a brand new one – was actually sympathetic.
In the October 2nd 2011 episode, titled “Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts,” superintendent Chalmers accepts Principal Skinner’s challenge to educate Bart. Here’s the plot synopsis on Wikipedia:
Principal Skinner challenges superintendent Gary Chalmers to take over the education of Bart after one of his pranks leads to a school fundraiser debacle. Meanwhile, Chalmers takes an unconventional approach to teaching American history which sparks a fascination of President Theodore Roosevelt. Encouraged by the educational renaissance of Bart, Chalmers takes Bart and his band of “Rough Riders” on an overnight excursion to Springfield Forest, however after a minor accident, the school administration fires Chalmers for taking the boys on an unauthorized field trip. Determined to get Chalmers’ job back, Bart and the boys hold the school hostage until the administration reinstates Chalmers, and they stand up for the teacher who made a meaningful impact to them.
What isn’t included in the Wikipedia writeup is that the show dealt directly with the feminization of schools and how it negatively affects boys. It also included a few jokes about how degrading marriage can be in contemporary America (Marge frequently forces Homer to monitor the boys for what she considers suspicious, boy-type behavior).
The next episode aired was from last winter (Feb. 13, 2011), and featured elements of Game. Titled “The Blue and the Gray,” it portrayed Homer as a “wingman” and Marge as a crazy cat lady.
Plot synopsis:
After spending another Valentine’s Day alone, Moe attends a seminar led by Dr. Kissingher in the hopes of gaining more confidence with women. Moe takes the doctor’s advice and asks Homer to be his wingman. Meanwhile, Marge discovers her first gray hairs and surprises both her family and the neighborhood by going completely gray and sporting a brand new mature hairdo, but Bart is not humored when the neighborhood kids tease him about Marge’s look. Later, Marge confronts Homer when she learns that he is becoming increasingly popular with the young ladies, but Homer helps Marge realize that he only has eyes for her and proves that love is still in the Springfield air.
The Blue and the Gray panned Game a bit, including a Game coach (Dr. Kissingher) and concepts such as the “cockblock.” It was a light-hearted episode, and notable only in that it included material straight from the world of PUAs and Game writers.
However, the October 2nd episode had a message that was both positive toward masculinity and critical of the way boys are educated and their needs overlooked. I was encouraged to see this, especially the sympathetic treatment of Chalmers and the boys. Perhaps even pop culture is starting to wake up to the fact that there’s something good about men being men and boys being boys, and that it’s time for us to take a more critical look at the effects of institutionalized feminism.
