by John Petty

Created on: October 27, 2008   Last Updated: December 21, 2011

In 1545, church leaders convened in Italy for what would be known as the Council of Trent, a gathering whose explicit purpose was to reform the perceived moral laxaties of the Roman Catholic Church. One of these serious issues facing the Council, an issue that was seen to be undermining spiritual and cultural values throughout the known world, was the use of polyphony in sacred music; that is, music that was written for more than one vocal line. Instead of allowing such radical musicians as Palestrina and Vittoria to corrupt the mind and souls of innocent listeners, the Council mandated a return to single-line Gregorian chant, thus saving the world, and society at large, from the evils of sacred part music. Clearly, in their eyes, more than one vocal line in sacred music was a threat to their cultural values, a threat that they were determined to stamp out at any cost.

Of course, the above is written with more than a little tongue in cheek, as no one today would find such an inoffensive thing as part music a threat to civilization as we know it. For many people, the oft-cited debate about such "boundary-pushing" shows as "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy" sounds the same as the Council's argument that part-music was antithetical to religious worship or that violent video games cause school shootings.

"The Simpsons," like virtually every other TV show, is not a creator or influencer of our cultural values, but a reflection of them. Just like world leaders, we get the television that we deserve. Yes, the humor in these shows can be crude, and, at times, tasteless, but just look at the level of discourse in the 2008 Presidential election to see just how crude and tasteless our so-called "leaders" have become. When men and women who aspire to the highest office this nation can offer stoop to name calling and baseless innuendo to garner votes, there's more wrong with society than one can ever pin on "The Simpsons."

The fact is, we as a society have always looked for convenient scapegoats upon which to pin our moral and cultural failings. In the 1950s, a Senate commission under Estes Kefauver was convened to explore the link between comic books and juvenile delinquency. Later, such evil influences as rock and roll, pinball machines, the Beatles, video games, rap music, and a host of other "societal ills" have been spotlighted as causing all the evils in the world, so that we, as parents, teachers, and societal leaders, can sidestep the blame.

Those who adhere to these misguided notions, that a simple cartoon, or a comic book, or a video game, can in any way undermine society are arguing from a position of cowardice. Those who are righteously concerned about these issues have a moral imperative to stand up and be counted as shining role models, leading by example rather than shifting the blame elsewhere. To blame society's woes on "The Simpsons" is to give far too much power to a simple cartoon. Rather than call for censorship, itself a greater evil than anything shown on TV, these arbiters of morals and decency should spend more time cultivating their own garden, rather than worrying about the weeds in ours. "The Simpsons" is far from the cause of society's problems; rather, like the little boy who fearlessly declared that the Emperor had no clothes, "The Simpsons" simply has the courage to comment on, and reflect, our societal shortcomings.

Learn more about this author, John Petty.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.