A writer for The Simpsons has condemned the use of the programme in a “gross” and “terrible” coronavirus joke.
The pandemic, which has resulted in thousands of deaths around the world with numbers rapidly rising, is thought to have started in China, inspiring social media users to make inappropriate comparisons to a particular Simpsons episode.
The Simpsons season 4 episode 24 ‘Marge in Chains’ first aired in 1993. It sees the residents of Springfield become sick from the “Osaka flu” which arrives in the town after a Japanese factory worker coughs into boxes of juicers that are subsequently delivered to Springfield.
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Despite being scientifically inaccurate (viruses wouldn’t be able to survive for so long in such containers and obviously they don’t manifest as green clouds that wait at traffic lights), Twitter users have been using stills from the episode to make memes about the coronavirus.
One such meme includes the Photoshopped replacement of “Osaka flu” with “coronavirus” in a news segment presented by Kent Brockman, both conflating panic and promoting a racist agenda about the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking recently, ‘Marge in Chains’ co-writer Bill Oakley condemned the online jokes, telling The Hollywood Reporter: “I don’t like it being used for nefarious purposes.
“The idea that anyone misappropriates it to make coronavirus seem like an Asian plot is terrible. In terms of trying to place blame on Asia, I think that is gross.”
Photo credit: Channel 4
He added: “It was meant to be absurd that someone could cough into box and the virus would survive for six to eight weeks in the box. It is cartoonish.
“We intentionally made it cartoonish because we wanted it to be silly and not scary, and not carry any of these bad associations along with it, which is why the virus itself was acting like a cartoon character and behaving in extremely unrealistic ways.”
The Covid-19 outbreak has already halted dozens of entertainment productions and has led to the cancellation or postponement of nearly every event in the sporting calendar.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it’s possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you’re in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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