"Sam Garcia" wrote in message news:943dbg$1f7$01$[email]...
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There's a level of irony and smugness to her statement. We can thank the media for making celebrities out of criminals (or, vice-versa). Marge was very much caught-up in the anti-Krusty frenzy, which became larger and more exaggerated as more people joined the cause.
You understand how rumors start. A boy kisses a girl on the hand, and by the end of the week--the story becomes that they had monkey sex on the cafeteria table. This is similar.
This is the type of "joke" that flies over most people's heads, because it is an implied insult. It's like calling a sarcasm detector "a REAL useful invention." It's just not as obvious an ironic statement as CBG's.
If someone shoplifted a candybar, and someone else called him an "insane criminal genius," could you see the humor then? It's very tongue-in-cheek. The "smug" factor is that Marge appears to be serious. She probably is. But, the joke rests behind Marge's seriousness.
I'll put this in terms of a Season 9 - 12 joke:
Marge: Such cute merchandise. Who would've thought it was inspired by an insane criminal genius? Lisa: [upset] Krusty's not an insane criminal genius! Everyone: Lisa! Go to your room!
Anyone see why the later seasons suck, by such comparison? Jokes are ruined by narration. We know Krusty's not an insane criminal genius; it's up to us to notice the irony in Marge's statement.