Quote 327 of 495

"The Simpsons" message over and over again is that your moral
authorities don't always have your best interests in mind.  Teachers,
principals, clergymen, politicians--for the Simpsons, they're all
goofballs, and I think that's a great message for kids. ...

But you know that there are all these little unspoken rules on TV:
Characters can't smoke; everyone has to wear their seatbelt; drinking
is frowned upon. And on "The Simpsons," of course, our characters
drink and smoke, don't wear seatbelts, and litter. On the other hand,
right-wingers complain there's no God and religion on TV. Not only do
the Simpsons go to church every Sunday and pray, they actually speak
to God from time to time. We show him, and God has five fingers.
Unlike the Simpsons, who only have four.
		-- Matt Groening, interviewed by Brian Doherty, Mother
		   Jones, March/April 1999
		   http://www.motherjones.com/arts/qa/1999/03/groening.html

Tags: religion god authorities politicians principals motherjones seatbelt seatbelts clergymen tvcharacters mattgroening unspokenrules goofballs briandoherty fivefingers rightwingers