Satire and social commentary: episode suggestions....

Due to the strange nature of my high school, one of my teachers and I have been considering doing a class sometime this year in which we would analyze various Simpsons episodes for their satire and social commentary, and perhaps even open discussion on the topics the episodes take on themselves. Now the dillemma is coming up with a good concrete list of episodes we could use. Here's the ones we have so far (in a VERY tentative list):

Bart the General Two Cars in Every Garage Homer Badman Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield Itchy and Scratchy and Marge Homer's Phobia Homer the Heretic Much Apu About Nothing

the VERY maybe ones: Bart's Inner Child (good, rather hidden commentary on governmental structure in the third act) Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy Day the Violence Died Lisa the Vegetarian Bart Gets Famous Lisa the Beauty Queen Moaning Lisa/Lisa's Sub (leaning more toward Lisa's Sub, if either)

So, can anyone give me some input on my list, or, better yet, help add to it with other episodes? Please give examples as to why any given episode would work....

You know what's funny. Homer wasn't a heretic. He still believed in God (Because he had that divine epiphany when God pulled the roof off of his house, came in, and talked about football), and thought that God was everywhere, not just at a church.

On Tue, 20 Aug 2002 21:21:27 GMT, Yama wrote:

Heresy and atheism are not the same thing.

I think that you are confused by the meaning of the word "heretic".

Please play again.

fishy wrote:

Heretic: Anyone who dissents from Roman Catholicism. They're all heretics in Springfield!

The word originates from a time when the Catholic Church was the only church to dissent (within English and Germanic countries, at least). Now we use it generally for anyone who opposes the dogma of a church, or even more generally (questionably so), the dogma of any established field.

Also: Are there no Roman Catholics in Springfield?

fishy wrote:

There's that Irish priest guy that told Reverend Lovejoy to have sex with his wife or something. But, apparently, everyone goes to the same church.

Including Moe, who is alternately a "snake handler" or "banned from the church."

I tend to think of the Springfield Church as being an amalgam of most Christian churches... a town with many Protestant churches would ruin all those nice crowd scenes.

Yama wrote in message news:...

He was at first. He wouldn't go to church, and he founded his own "religion" which involved lying around in bed, watching TV, and whizzing with the door open (and loving it).

How about Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment. It has a strong message about stealing and a lot of social commentary on pop culture as well.

"UnderdunkT" wrote in message news:[email]...

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I would also recommend the episode where Lisa enters the Reading Digest essay contest and they go to Washington. We watched that in my government class last year. ________________________________________________________________

If love of money is the root of all evil, why do churches want it so badly?

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