I have to admit that in the parlance of the phrase, “Truth is Stranger Than Fiction,” this past week has been a real wake-up call. Like it or not, it’s time to start watching “The Simpsons” FAR more carefully!!
Yes, as has been reported by loads of sources, we are reminded that it was the Simpsons that predicted a “President Trump.” And this wasn’t a “jump on the Trump-wagon” prediction, but one that came in an episode from the year 2000…SIXTEEN YEARS AGO. Yikes. Now THAT is a true case of “Homer-Damus” that really makes you want to stop and take a closer look at some of the other things that the Simpsons have predicted accurately.
So…let’s do it.
The Trump Presidency is a Big One. But even in this short clip, there are broader questions to ask, and wonder about.
Refilling the Ocean? That sounds ominous. The “balanced breakfast program” creates ultra-stong super criminals? That sounds dangerous!
But, other than the “President Trump” prediction, there isn’t much meat to this.
Then there is THIS ARTICLE (which amazingly doesn’t even mention the Trump Presidency).
I have to admit, there are more than a few of these “predictions” that actually seem like reasonable outcomes of our actions…but a couple of these are pretty amazing.
Mutant tomatoes? OK. Yes. That seems predictable by anyone covering the Monsanto bit. Siegfried and Roy getting attacked by Tigers? Come on. I would have attacked them if I got a chance. Keeping Tigers in Vegas…and poking them with sticks for 4 shows a day is going to bring about a logical conclusion…for sure.
The Rolling Stones on Tour? Really? What else would these guys do? Can you see Mick Jagger doing a talk show? Or becoming a captain of industry? Or Prime Minister of England? OK. Scratch that last one…after this week in America, anything seems possible.
All of this seems pretty “Fluffy.”
But perhaps Prognostication needs the appropriate “Gravitas” to sell the scary side of predicting the future. And THIS VIDEO is loaded with Creepy, Foreboding Delivery…. as well as a bunch of Creepy, Foreboding, Predictions.
Ebola? 9/11? OK. Now you have my attention…
But, again, with the Grease Stealing? This is one that really has lost its edge in country with an oil glut (fracking and daily earthquakes be damned).
But HOLYFREAKINSHIRT!! Again with the prediction of FARMVILLE! (one of the truly greatest disasters to hit mankind in generations). I jest. Mostly. Miley Cyrus and her “Wrecking Ball” video is a FAR greater human disaster!!
OK… So, maybe we really DO have to start paying attention to The Simpsons to help us understand and predict what is coming in the world.
There have been more than a handful of full episodes (as well as a number of THOH episode shorts) that are SET in the Future, or Look Forward… are there Clues to be found HERE???
Certainly, there are enough troubling prognostications to make us forget about the election in THIS EPISODE... Maggy Marries GERALD????????
And speaking of relationships…In all of the “Future Episodes” Lisa never really seems to escape making bad decisions about her choice in men. Even when she seeks the advice of a fortune teller, she is told. “Lisa questions the fortune teller about her “true love” and the fortune teller reveals that although Lisa will have a true love, she “specializes in foretelling relationships where you get jerked around.” And there seem to be no shortage of those. Please Lord. Not Milhouse.
As we ARE coming to the End of the THOH 2016 Event (thankfully), I want to remind you of a THOH episode where Homer goes back in time, but keeps changing the present, with minor actions in the past… as per the WIKI…
“TIME AND PUNISHMENT- Part of THOH (S6E5) which also included “The Shinning” (features randomly in this update) and “Nightmare Cafeteria” (where a “Soylent Green” future is predicted by the lunch lady, with Skinner’s help, starts serving “bad kids” for lunch). Creeeepy!
But it’s the middle section, “Time and Punishment” that is the most intriguing. “While attempting to fix a broken toaster, Homer accidentally turns it into a time machine. It transports him to prehistoric times where he realizes he must be careful not to do anything to change history. After swatting a mosquito, he returns to the present to find a dystopia where Ned Flanders is a dictator of the world. Homer travels back in time again attempting to set things right; however, he accidentally kills a walking fish, and after returning to the present, he finds Bart and Lisa are giants, narrowly avoiding being crushed by them. He then sneezes and infects the dinosaurs with a cold virus while defending himself from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which proceeds to cause their extinction. He is initially pleased with the results in the present; amongst other perks, the family is now extremely wealthy and Patty and Selma have died, but is horrified upon discovering that donuts do not exist in this timeline and flees, only seconds before donuts begin raining from the sky. In another world, Willie attempts to help Homer, but is again struck in the back with an axe, this time by Maggie. After several more trips back and forth in time, Homer eventually arrives in a reality that appears normal; he finds humans eating with lizard-like tongues, but finally decides that it is “close enough“.
What this points out…is that even if we COULD go back and change the past, do we want to risk the outcome that follows? (and no…I’m not pimping the horrible TV show “Timeless.” That. Is. AWFUL!).
So…let’s just agree that we need to start taking the Simpsons More Seriously as it comes to predicting the future. Is there something that YOU remember about the series….or even the game of TSTO…which should stop and give us pause?
I wouldn’t have given any of this a second thought…until this week. So, put on your thinking caps! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK may be part of our collective futures…as predicted by the Simpsons or TSTO!
NOTE…for all of you still hoping for political discussion…this isn’t the place. But, you are more than welcome to read my opinions about said election on CrankyOldGuy.com
The Donald Trump one was a coincidence, and until Arnold Schwarzenegger gets into the White House like he did in the Movie, I will continue to believe it was a coincidence.
The Simpsons predicting 9/11 was freaky though. Hollywood definitely knew about it years beforehand (see: The Lone Gunmen practically listing out all the reasons the US government would bomb their own WTC).
An American Brexit 😂
I think they also predicted a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire. Eeek.
That was probably less a prediction and more an inspiration; there are probably countless playwrights, composers, producers, and more who dream of making “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!”
Always knew that Homer was the Messiah!
Not sure I’d go that far…but, Homer-damus is pretty powerful.
No, he is deffinitely the Messiah.
This just proves that Matt Groening is a time traveler, the robot take over is coming soon.
Bah. If you people elect your first female president after Trump, then I might give this “prophecy” some credit.
By the way, here in Brazil people like to say the Simpsons also “prophecized” that Brazil would lose the World Cup after Neymar suffered an injury (in the “El Divo” episode). Blah blah blah…
LOL…OK. So maybe you aren’t seeing me with my tongue firmly in my cheek? Do you ACTUALLY think I believe in Homer-Damus?
Hahaha, no, not really. But I know A LOT of people actually do…
It’s all just coincidence, if they were really able to predict anything, they would win the lottery every week
😃 🇬🇧
LOL…have you actually seen how many times Groening has won the lottery? It’s mind-boggling.
I think holding licensing rights for The Simpsons is like a lottery ticket every paycheck. Pretty sure Groening is the richest cartoonist in history.
Really? More than Disney, or Hanna & Barbera? I don’t think so.
Eh, predicting Trump is president is easy. Predicting the Cubs won the World Series…Well that’s something spectacular..
I still cannot believe Simpsons predicted lost of things I knew most of them except for the three eye fish one and what was Donald trump episode
I think you can look at the world you live in and draw upon it to determine the most likely outcome. Building on that, those involved in The Simpsons and Futurama have (or had) a grasp of that, drawing upon the un-fun aspects of our world to make it funny and more easy to accept if (or when) it happens. For me, I’m loathing the day that the female judge votes count less than those of males on the Supreme Court.
So , Lisa is your next president ?
Hoping President Arnie happens
If The Simpsons staff has this much power they better start watching what THEY write.
How about…[insert my controversial fantasy sequence here] 😜
Similar train of Matt Groening predicts the future: In Futurama episode “three hundred big boys” from 2003 the president gives everyone money. In 2008, the economic stimulus act.
http://www.snopes.com/simpsons-trump-prediction/
no, just no.
He pulled the images, but the context is correct. As he’s talking about the episode where Lisa references President Trump
“The animated series did feature a joke about Donald Trump’s becoming president in a 2000 episode entitled “Bart to the Future,” but since Trump had been flirting with the idea of making a presidential run since at least as far back as 1999, such a “prediction” wasn’t as prescient as it might seem in retrospect”
Away with you and your reasonable explanations!
https://frinkiac.com/meme/S11E17/595960.jpg?b64lines=IEFTIFlPVSBLTk9XLCBXRSdWRQogSU5IRVJJVEVEIFFVSVRFIEEgQlVER0VUCiBDUlVOQ0ggRlJPTSBQUkVTSURFTlQKIFRSVU1QLg==
https://frinkiac.com/meme/S11E17/603760/m/SE9XIEJBRCBJUyBJVCwgClNFQ1JFVEFSWSBWQU4gSE9VVEVOPwoKV0UnUkUgQlJPS0Uu
Well, never Have I had doubts in my mind about the insight of the Simpsons, but Trump for president wow! Amazing! You’ve done it again Simpsons!
Some very interesting observations and thoughts.