Same Old Mess

There has always been a division between the very wealthy and cripplingly poor in this nation. Diego Rivera's mural Frozen Assets illustrates this point with poignant clarity. The era during which this mural was painted was one of total uncertainty, the stock market crashed, and the Dust Bowl shrunk America's food supply. Cut forward to present times, and we still see the same economic disparity that plagued Diego's time. During this day and age, the cries of protest  don't come in the form of murals, taking sly jabs at the economic structure of our nation. Today the suffering masses are galvanized by shared tales of financial disaster, the all too similar stories of feeling intentionally misled and betrayed by our banking institutions, tied together by the mass and instantaneous communications now available to us.

The Occupy Movement could only have been born in this era of the Internet, an era where any American who feels mistrust towards our economy or has a story of hardship can not only share, but find anyone and everyone who is going through the same thing.

What I see in Diego's work is a world where the lowest class of American's are treated as assets, not people. This world, not unlike our own, is one where your hard earned money is the plaything of the banks, something to take a gamble with, rather than something to protect. When a bad decision is made, the repercussions extend far beyond a loss of money to a bank, it ruins the lives of those who readily entrusted their earnings to these institutions.

Now, unlike then, every American can be heard, protests are organized across entire cities in the blink of an eye, and the rage and anger of millions of citizens can no longer be ignored and marginalized, like a mural being painted over by the rich men who commissioned it.

My Inspiration

As I mentioned during the warm up question in class, I'm inspired by old episodes of The Simpsons. Something about the timing and absurdity just makes me smile. Years later, I find myself laughing at an episode I hadn't seen in years. It's still fresh and funny, and I can't help but laugh out loud. No other show makes me laugh so loudly.

Honestly, a lot of comedy really makes me inspired, but I feel that The Simpsons has been a source of inspiration for all my favorite comedians and TV shows. An episode of South Park deals with the idea that any funny idea that you can think of, The Simpsons has done it first, and better.

They recently announced that this season of The Simpsons is that last one. I'm a little sad, but I'm positive The Simpsons will continue to inspire and make people laugh for years. It's the father of all animated sitcoms, and I can't wait for it to be picked up for syndication by a cable network so it can inspire more people. Hopefully it will show those Family Guy fans what real comedy looks like!

I find myself saying things that I can't remember where I heard it from. I go all day thinking about it, and when I remember where it came from, it is of course from The Simpsons. Every old episode is packed from top to bottom with memorable lines and back and forth between characters. Some one across the room can say something from some obscure episode, and any Simpsons fan can jump in and laugh and remember with them.

The word 'D'oh', the phrases 'aye caramba' and 'howdily doodilly', they've all penetrated our culture, because The Simpsons inspires all of our creative people, and for that I'm glad. I can't imagine a world where yellow people with bulging eyes don't make me laugh madly. Thanks for all the laughs Simpsons family. You we be sorely missed.