“Home-Sweet-Home-Dum-Diddly” – Are Homer and Marge Bad Parents? from decipheringthesimpsons.com “The nation should be closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons.” – President George Bush (August 17, 1992) Politicians will say just about anything to get elected. Just a few months before the 1992 elections, President Bush vilified the Simpson family in an attempt to show his support for family values. And yet, he failed to recognize that the Simpson family is a parody of the average American family, which has values of its own that don’t conform to the Christian ideal. This defamation of The Simpsons makes even less sense considering that many devout Christians enjoy The Simpsons because they see themselves in the Flanders family. Bush’s calumny against The Simpsons and his support for family values was a political failure because the traditional family was practically extinct, and today we see this is truer than ever. A family is important despite its dysfunctions, as we see in “Home-Sweet-Home- Dum-Diddly.” The Simpson family established itself as one of the first dysfunctional sitcom families, and by 1995, when “Home-Sweet-Home-Dum-Diddly” first aired, The Simpsons had been a hit show for years and was already in syndication. The Bush comments were long forgotten, but the question still remained as to whether or not The Simpsons sets a bad example for other families because it doesn’t represent traditional family values. Of course, if traditional family values are the desired norm, then Homer and Marge are bad parents, and Ned and Maude are good parents because the Flanders family embraces the Christian values of the traditional family. In “Home Sweet- Home-Dum-Diddly,” the Simpson children are taken away from Homer and Marge and brought to the Flanders’ home, which contains a large collection of bibles that includes, “The Thump Resistant Bible,” “Hebrew National Bible,” and “Holy Bible!” The Flanders family greets the Simpson children by placing lays around their necks upon their arrival, a Hawaiian tradition of welcoming guests. The Flanders family wants to give the Simpson children the feeling that they’ve gone to a better place, but the true motive of the Flanders family is convert the Simpson children to become good Christians. In Ned’s opinion, good Christians go to bed early, eat moderately, and study the bible. But most importantly, good Christians are baptized, and when Ned discovers that the Simpson children have not been baptized, he rushes to perform the act himself. The Flanders family attempts to proselytize the Simpson children, not out of love, but instead out of a desire for everyone to embrace traditional Christian values, which Ned believes is the foundation of a model family. But if the Flanders family is perfect, then why would Rod not know that television violence isn’t to be mimicked in real life? Bart recommends that they watch Itchy and Scratchy, a notoriously violent cartoon that is a parody of the show The Simpsons itself. In most episodes of The Simpsons that feature Itchy and Scratchy cartoons, the message of the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon represents the message of the episode. In this episode of The Simpsons, the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon is titled, “Foster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” which is a reference to the Russ Myer movie, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! In this movie, escape convict women drive around the desert killing men in a classic display of sex and violence for the sake of sex and violence. And in, “Foster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” Scratchy takes Itchy (disguised as a baby) into his home as a foster child. Itchy breaks his bottle on the doorway and uses the remains to stab Scratchy in the chest. Then, Itchy jumps free, runs into Scratchy’s house, and steals Scratchy’s television. Scratchy is left to ask aloud, “Why? Why? My only son,” though it’s worth noting that this line is cut in syndication. Scratchy let someone into his home to be his child and then wondered why this child had betrayed him, but the child was never really Scratchy’s and therefore could not be influenced by him. Itchy went to Scratchy with his own intentions, just as Bart and Lisa went to Flanders’ home with their own ideals. Bart and Lisa were already formed, and they brought with them an appreciation of violent cartoons, which take over the television of the Flanders’ home. Rod and Todd, however, are deeply affected by the cartoons because they are taught to believe what they are told. Because his overzealous Christian upbringing, Rod was never exposed to anything that he shouldn’t do, and therefore he asks Ned, “Daddy? Should I poke Todd with a sharp thing like kitty did?” He doesn’t understand the difference between right and wrong because he lives in a world where he sees only the right. In addition, if this Itchy and Scratchy segment represents The Simpsons in general, then it could be interpreted that The Simpsons is guilty of disingenuously taking over America’s televisions with violence under the guise of a children’s show. However, the responsibility of letting The Simpsons into the house is that of the parent (in this case, Scratchy), and it’s unrealistic for a parent to wonder, “Why?” when they allow violence to enter their home. The Simpsons acknowledges its own violence and does not pretend to be a substitute for raising a child. Besides, the Fox Network isn’t exactly known for its wholesome values. In fact, it has a reputation for the exact opposite. Even the owner of the Fox Network, Rupert Murdoch, is considered to be an unscrupulous character. During the 1980’s he tried to publish his own racing form newspaper, though he was unsuccessful. The gambling industry is looked down upon by proponents of family values, and it’s not a coincidence that when the Child Welfare Agents enter the Simpson home, they find Grampa Simpson passed out with a “Racing Form” on his chest. So if the Simpson family isn’t beyond reproach, and the Flanders family isn’t beyond reproach, then what families can we look up to as a nation? The Kennedy family? In the beginning of this episode, Marge provides Lisa with a stack of old newspapers, and the headline of the newspaper on the top of the pile reads, “America Loves Ted Kennedy.” This is a reference to the Chappaquiddick Scandal in 1969, when Ted Kennedy drove his car off of a bridge. Not only was he drunk, but also there was a young woman (who was not his wife) sleeping in the backseat of the car. The young woman drowned, and yet Ted Kennedy was exonerated of any blame for her death. This story resurfaced for the 1980 election, when Ted Kennedy was hoping to take away the Democratic seat for president from the incumbent president, Jimmy Carter. However, this story helped Jimmy Carter to win the nomination. Despite the problems with all of these families, there are families who are worse, and examples of them can be found in the court-ordered classes that Homer and Marge attend. There is Cletus, who cannot provide his family with electricity, which is evident from his comment, “Duh, light switch?” Kearney attends these classes as well, implying that he is a father even though he attends Springfield Elementary school. Mrs. Skinner, the classic overprotective mother, is worried that her son Seymour will be taken away because the police had to intervene after her screeching and screeching at him over a bath pillow. The fact that they couldn’t share the bath pillow implies that they were bathing together. Also, there is a man in the class who is infested with lice and dressed in a potato sack, much like Bart is earlier in the episode, however, Bart contracted his lice from a monkey and his shabby outfit was from the school, while the man in class most likely contracted his lice and shabby outfit from living in unsanitary conditions. Finally, it’s notable that many of the other students in the class not only carry guns, but are also quick to shoot them off – they do so when Homer and Cletus hug during the role-playing exercise and on graduation day. The destitute, the uneducated, the incestuous, the filthy, the gun-shooting, and the drug-addicted (though everyone in class eventually tests negative) are undoubtedly all examples of parents who are worse than the Simpsons, but the question still remains as to whether or not Homer and Marge are truly unfit to have children. In front of the judge, Homer admits, “Ok, I’m not going to win father of the year. In fact, I’m probably the last guy in the world who should have kids. Well, well, wait, can I start again?” Then, Homer forgets that he has three children and tells the judge that she has the wrong file when she asks about Margaret. He even goes so far as to tell the judge to shut up when she tries to tell him that listening is important. Homer’s bad parenting goes even further than being stupid: Lisa says she misses how Homer would “call radio stations with fake traffic tips,” which shows that he’s a bad influence as well. Bart remembers that, “he spent all day with Maggie after she swallowed that quarter,” which shows that Homer is only interested in Maggie when a quarter is at stake. And toward the beginning of the episode, we see that Homer has no moral objection to taking a test drive of a car that he clearly can’t afford (it’s a Bentley that’s worth more than $300,000) in order to receive free spa tickets. Most of all, Homer is a bad parent because he’s quick to solve discipline problems through choking. He does this to Cletus in the role-playing activity after Cletus says that he cut his finger on the screen door, something that Cletus can’t really be blamed for. In addition, when Homer comes home from court without his children to find that his houseplant is dead, he notes that he’s not even fit to take care of that and proceeds to choke the dead houseplant until its leaves fall off. Here, Homer again brutally punishes something that is blameless, however, this time Homer is the one to blame for the houseplant dying. Homer’s choking is his misguided way of disciplining his own negative influence. Homer is a sinner, and he seems to revel in this. Before Ned attempts to baptize Bart in the Springfield River, Ned asks Bart, “Do you reject Satan and all of his empty promises?” Homer yells out “Nooooo!” and jumps in the way of the baptismal water in a slow-motion scene. Homer emerges from the river covered in mud and mumbling nonsense, resembling the Swamp Thing. Then, Lisa asks Homer how he feels while he’s still in this shaken state and he replies, “I feel like Saint Augustine of Hippo after his conversion by Ambrose of Milan.” Augustine wrote the book, Confessions, in which he describes all of his former sins that he had partaken in before converting to Christianity. Ned recognizes this and asks, “What did you say, Homer?” but the moment is lost and Homer replies, “I said shut up Flanders.” Homer isn’t a good Christian, he doesn’t want to be a good Christian, and he doesn’t want his children to be good Christians. And yet, Homer loves his children. But Marge takes better care of them. In fact, the episode opens with a scene that shows exactly how good of a homemaker Marge is: cooking breakfast, helping Lisa with her school project, catching Bart putting a sign on Lisa that says, “I’m a stupid baby,” giving the two of them bag lunches with separate lettuce so that the sandwich doesn’t get soggy (just like the McDLT, which was available at McDonalds at the time), and shoo-ing away a spider from Homer’s keys without resorting to killing it. Homer gives her the tickets to the spa, but she’s reluctant to leave because of the “dirty dishes, the trash needs to be taken out, and the living room is a mess.” She’s also reluctant to leave Maggie, but she agrees to go only because Grampa is there to baby-sit. Marge takes pride in her home, and she is a good mother. In her own words, “The only drug I’m high on is love for my son and daughters. Yes, a little LSD is all I need.” Despite Marge and Homer’s love for their children, the Child Welfare workers find sufficient reason for taking Bart, Lisa, and Maggie away because the workers believe that they will be better off in another home. However, the Child Welfare workers do much more harm than they do good, despite their good intentions, and this is because they go to the Simpson home looking for any excuse to take the children away. When they arrive, they find Grampa, whom they describe as “malnourished and dehydrated,” even though it’s impossible for them to determine this by glancing at him. Agent Goodman goes on to observe, “dirty dishes, trash not taken out, living room a mess,” which are the exact same observations that Marge made. Also, the agents note on their report that the toilet paper is hung in the incorrect, overhand manner. In addition, when Agent Goodman finds Maggie drinking out of the dog’s water dish with the sign on her back that reads, “I’m a stupid baby,” he comments that, “stupid babies need the most attention.” While this may be true, the judgment that Maggie is stupid is not true. The sign on Maggie’s back is another example of a superficial indicator that Homer and Marge are bad parents. All of the observations that the agents make are purely subjective and show why Child Welfare cannot always work. Child Welfare makes itself out to be the hero. Its spinning logo is a reference to the 1960’s television version of Batman, and the Batman theme music plays in the background as they speed off to the Simpson home. Of course, it’s important to note that in their haste in getting there, the Child Welfare agents run over a tricycle with their van, but the bigger issue is that they automatically assume that the alleged criminals are guilty, just like Batman does. Batman only has a loose affiliation with the law enforcement agencies, and therefore he does not have to deal with due process, which Child Welfare services are allowed to ignore as well. Also, Child Welfare services do not need a warrant to enter a home if it is believed that the children are in danger. While Marge and Homer are relaxing in the mud-baths of Mingled Waters Spa, a tape plays in the background with a woman’s calm, soothing voice that repeatedly says, “All is well.” This is taken from the movie, 1984, which is based on the George Orwell book that describes an authoritarian society in which the government intrudes into every aspect of the citizens’ lives. While Homer and Marge are hearing that all is well, the agents are searching their home. Before Homer and Marge return, the agents are trying to entertain Maggie with a Bongo doll. Bongo is a cartoon character from Matt Groening’s comic strip, Life In Hell. In the comic strip, Bongo’s mother abandons Bongo after a few years and leaves him with his father, who previously had no idea that he was a father to anyone. It could be construed as ironic that the agents use this character to entertain Maggie, or it could be construed that this gesture implies that Bongo is for stupid babies. Either way, they want to take Maggie away, even though Maggie just wants to be with her mother. Maggie doesn’t have a strong bond with the other members of the Simpson family, and she’s also very young. Both of these reasons explain how she is so easily manipulated by the Flanders family. When Ned plays peek-a-boo with her, she plays back, imitating his gestures and enjoying doing so. When everyone gets together to play “bombardment… of bible questions,” Maggie has a star on her forehead. This not only means that she participated in the game, but this is also a sign of the devil, the mark of the beast. Maggie’s conversion to Christianity is portrayed as evil, and when she calls Ned “daddily-doodily” in the car, her head t urns 180 degrees around, like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. Maggie adapts to her Christian surroundings, but this isn’t necessarily for the best, and in the end, she chooses to be with her mother rather than the Flanders family, despite the idyllic appearance they give. Also, we learn the Flanders family has a dark secret of their own: the old paint cans in the garage. This episode strikes back at those who are the biggest critics of The Simpsons: the government officials who promote family values and the overzealous Christians. But there is another group of Simpsons naysayers that this episode speaks to: the elderly. It’s very possible that The Simpsons receives many angry letters from elderly people who have plenty of time to write letters and who prefer more wholesome television broadcasting from the past, such as The Waltons. This episode strikes back at this demographic group as well by having one of their own, Grampa Simpson, responsible for the Simpson children being taken away, and Grampa responds to Homer and Marge’s complaints by saying, “Oh, bitch, bitch, bitch.” Perhaps this is how the show feels about complaints from the elderly about the less-than-pristine language used on the show, and this is The Simpsons way of getting even. Despite its critics, the Simpson family works. There are parents who shouldn’t have children, but these parents are much, much worse than Homer and Marge. At the same time, families that support traditional values aren’t necessarily the ideal because they have problems of their own. Usually, the best place for children is in their own home, despite its problems. No family is like the Waltons or the Bradys. In fact, most American families probably resemble the Simpsons more than they do the Bradys. This is the point that the opening couch gag in “Home-Sweet-Home- Diddly” makes by parodying the multiple-split-screen opening of The Brady Bunch.