Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays
Encyclopedia
"Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons
fifteenth season
. After Lindsay Naegle forms an anti-children group, Marge fights back with a group led with Mr. Burns' power. The episode originally aired on January 4, 2004. It was written by Jon Vitti
and directed by Bob Anderson
. This episode earned FOX ratings of 6.7/10.
and Lisa
fight over what to watch on TV, they accidentally change the channel to a show hosted by a children's entertainer named Roofi
. This does not appeal to Bart and Lisa, but Maggie
adores the show, and after Bart and Lisa accidentally say there is a Roofi CD so that they can get the TV back, Marge
buys the disc that she plays everywhere, much to the annoyance of Bart, Lisa, and Homer
. Marge goes as far as to even buy tickets to Roofi's concert, which is to be held at Cletus Spuckler
's farm. However, because the concert was oversold, it ends up packed and is then cancelled due to rain. Soon, the babies riot, an event referred to in the news as the "Tot Offensive".
In a response to the disaster, all the adults of Springfield
who do not have children (the singles, the teenagers, dating couples, and homosexuals) are up in arms, because Kabul
has declared they will no longer be Springfield's sister city and Mayor Quimby forcibly took $1 million from the audience to cover the damages. Lindsay Naegle arrives to form an anti-youth group named "Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays Against Parasitic Parents" (SSCCATAGAPP) to rid the town of anything that provides comfort to families. A statue to America's deadbeat dads is erected, a school bus ignores kids waiting at the stop to take senior citizens on a gambling junket, and a new ordinance allows children who act up in public to be taser
ed.
A furious Marge lobbies to get an initiative: "Families Come First", as she lobbies "Proud Parents Against Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays" (PPASSCCATAG). Her lobbying efforts do poorly at first, and she fends off a $50,000 offer from America's tobacco lobby, but fair support grows after Mr. Burns loans his signature on Marge's petition because he cares about children (specifically, their "supple young organs").
Other Springfield residents follow his lead (as Carl notes, "Rich guys always want what's best for everyone!"), and the proposition (Proposition 242) gets on the ballot. Homer tries to help with the campaign but screws up badly by placing the wrong information on bumper stickers and buttons for the voters, while his Rudy Guiliani-featuring ad is a disaster and the opposition slanders Marge with an ad where an actress posing as Marge says even she is against Prop 242, and "now it's time to do some coke off the blade of a knife". Bart and Lisa soon concoct a plan. When everyone goes to the voting polls, they are stopped in their tracks by the (literally) infectious hugs of children. Proposition 242 passes easily, and Homer decides to celebrate by dumping his kids at an R-rated movie with no supervision while he and Marge go some place nice by themselves.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
fifteenth season
The Simpsons (season 15)
The Simpsons 15th season began on Sunday, November 2, 2003 with "Treehouse of Horror XIV".The season contains five hold-over episodes from the season 14 production line...
. After Lindsay Naegle forms an anti-children group, Marge fights back with a group led with Mr. Burns' power. The episode originally aired on January 4, 2004. It was written by Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti
Jon Vitti is an American writer best known for his work on the television series The Simpsons. He has also written for the King of the Hill and The Critic series, and has served as a consultant for several animated movies, including Ice Age and Robots...
and directed by Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (director)
Bob Anderson is an animation director on The Simpsons. He also contributed additional sequence direction on The Simpsons Movie....
. This episode earned FOX ratings of 6.7/10.
Plot
When BartBart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
fight over what to watch on TV, they accidentally change the channel to a show hosted by a children's entertainer named Roofi
Raffi (musician)
Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC , better known by his stage name Raffi, is a Canadian-Armenian singer-songwriter, author, essayist and lecturer...
. This does not appeal to Bart and Lisa, but Maggie
Maggie Simpson
Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James...
adores the show, and after Bart and Lisa accidentally say there is a Roofi CD so that they can get the TV back, Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
buys the disc that she plays everywhere, much to the annoyance of Bart, Lisa, and Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. Marge goes as far as to even buy tickets to Roofi's concert, which is to be held at Cletus Spuckler
Cletus Spuckler
Cletus Delroy Spuckler is a recurring character in the Fox animated series, The Simpsons, and is voiced by Hank Azaria. Cletus is Springfield's resident hillbilly stereotype. He is very messy and is usually portrayed wearing a white sleeveless shirt and pair of blue jeans.- Biography :Cletus was...
's farm. However, because the concert was oversold, it ends up packed and is then cancelled due to rain. Soon, the babies riot, an event referred to in the news as the "Tot Offensive".
In a response to the disaster, all the adults of Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
who do not have children (the singles, the teenagers, dating couples, and homosexuals) are up in arms, because Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
has declared they will no longer be Springfield's sister city and Mayor Quimby forcibly took $1 million from the audience to cover the damages. Lindsay Naegle arrives to form an anti-youth group named "Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays Against Parasitic Parents" (SSCCATAGAPP) to rid the town of anything that provides comfort to families. A statue to America's deadbeat dads is erected, a school bus ignores kids waiting at the stop to take senior citizens on a gambling junket, and a new ordinance allows children who act up in public to be taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
ed.
A furious Marge lobbies to get an initiative: "Families Come First", as she lobbies "Proud Parents Against Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens and Gays" (PPASSCCATAG). Her lobbying efforts do poorly at first, and she fends off a $50,000 offer from America's tobacco lobby, but fair support grows after Mr. Burns loans his signature on Marge's petition because he cares about children (specifically, their "supple young organs").
Other Springfield residents follow his lead (as Carl notes, "Rich guys always want what's best for everyone!"), and the proposition (Proposition 242) gets on the ballot. Homer tries to help with the campaign but screws up badly by placing the wrong information on bumper stickers and buttons for the voters, while his Rudy Guiliani-featuring ad is a disaster and the opposition slanders Marge with an ad where an actress posing as Marge says even she is against Prop 242, and "now it's time to do some coke off the blade of a knife". Bart and Lisa soon concoct a plan. When everyone goes to the voting polls, they are stopped in their tracks by the (literally) infectious hugs of children. Proposition 242 passes easily, and Homer decides to celebrate by dumping his kids at an R-rated movie with no supervision while he and Marge go some place nice by themselves.
Cultural references
- After Moe turns the R in the Toys "R" Us logo, a tearful Milhouse can be seen. This scene is a reference to a World War II photograph of a Frenchman witnessing the fall of Paris to German forces on June 14, 1940.
- In the beginning of the Roofi Concert, he is playing Gimme ShelterGimme Shelter"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling...
by The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. - Comic Book Guy mentions Herman's HeadHerman's HeadHerman's Head is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1991 to 1994. The series stars William Ragsdale as the titular character, Herman Brooks.-Synopsis:...
as an example of the only petitions he ever signs: those calling for canceled TV shows to be brought back on the air. CBG's mention of the show is ironic because the character is voiced by Hank AzariaHank AzariaHenry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
, who was one of the stars of HH and has been candid about finding the show subpar and not among his favorite roles. - At the very start of the episode, they make fun of Steve IrwinSteve IrwinStephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
when he gets bitten by a saltwater crocodile and then gets eaten and killed. Although Irwin later died while on the job, syndicated repeats of the show have included this sequence. - In Scene 1 of the SSCCATAGAPP rebellion play the song My GenerationMy GenerationMy Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
by The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
; in Scene 2, the song "Signs" by TeslaTesla (band)Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...
is played. - Homer refers to Ben AffleckBen AffleckBenjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
as a childless celebrity advocate who lives out of state. Since this episode aired in 2004, Affleck and his wife Jennifer GarnerJennifer GarnerJennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
have had two daughters together and are currently expecting their third child. - Homer says he is using Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
.com as an unaffiliated source for his message board. Most syndicated airings of this episode edit out any mention of the Qatar-based news organization. - The final lines after the children have infected the adults with flu by Lisa parody the last lines of the H.G. Wells classic War of the Worlds.