“The Simpsons” : Trump Presidency is Not a Joke Anymore

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All of 28 seasons to date and viewers that can never get enough, The Simpsons have a long way to go. And obviously, a number of surprises at hand. Trump presidency is not so different.

In the wake of Trump’s win in the U.S. presidential elections, we look at a new America. This America, rather say Trump’s America instils nothing but fear in everyone’s heart. Americans write a history better seen as a blotch on its so-called reputation. The “first world”, the “civilised white man”- a white American cannot hide behind this façade anymore. Trump’s American flag is a beacon of fear and hatred.

However, that is not what grabs the attention at this hour. The one thing that has everyone stumped is The Simpsons’ prediction of Trump’s presidency. No wonder people cannot wrap their heads around it. Well, viewers of The Simpsons are no stranger to their surprising predictions. The episode titled Bart to the Future that aired in 2000 shows the future of the characters. Least to say, it is shell shocking, especially looking at the present scenario.

Bart to the Future

The aforementioned episode shows Lisa Simpson as an incumbent of the White House, questioning her staff. The head of the oval office, Lisa gathers a crumbling America. The issues at hand are the chaos and deteriorating economy left due to Trump’s presidency. The reply goes something like this, “we’re broke”. It does not get any scarier than that. While a lot of us can laugh it away, it is definitely no joke. The time to laugh is long gone; the reality sets in with Trump and his xenophobia at the cusp. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s writer Dan Greaney explains that the show stands as a “warning to America”.  According to him, “That just seemed like the logical last stop before hitting bottom. It was consistent with the vision of America going insane.” No surprises there. However the present havoc and hatred shows deep-rooted xenophobia and not insanity.

Although The Simpsons’ Trump does not talk of creating walls and deporting people of different ethnicity. Nevertheless, it sure does show a president who is in for his own good. Moreover, everyone is a witness to the self-serving attitude of the now President Donald J. Trump.

At the same time, the show created another episode-referencing Trump’s candidacy, Trumptastic Voyage. Though he had already nominated himself as a Republican candidate for the race. The show publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The aim of the show’s creators was to give a gist of the future that is beyond repair due to President Trump. We all have to witness that yet. It is downhill from now any way.

This is one of the many instances where The Simpsons have predicted a future incident. Here’s hoping there is nothing more like what happened with Trump. One can only hope.