Simpsons vs wells

The advent of new technology has been a source of trepidation throughout history. Just as with any change, fear is often the pervasive response to new technology and developments, especially amongst those who do not fully comprehend the changes. It seems, however, that people ignorant of the true meaning and extent of technology are the most likely to place unwarranted faith in its abilities. Technology becomes an authority?one that is difficult to question or rebel against. After advances become accepted, complacency sets in, reducing the general public's vigilance against dangers to society in any form.

This lack of vigilance, due to an unwarranted faith in authority, is depicted and questioned in H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Published in 1898, the message of Wells's work remains relevant, even in the present day. Criticisms of an unwarranted faith in authority manifest themselves in modern culture in multiple media. The Simpsons, a half-hour animated television program, represents such a manifestation. The episode entitled ?Bart's Comet,? first aired on February 5, 1995, criticizes a blind allegiance to authority in any form by humorously detailing Springfield's response to an approaching comet, which threatens to destroy everyone in the town. The episode parallels Wells's chronicle of the Martian invasion in its depiction of authority. Unwarranted faith finds an unfortunate place in government, religion, and science in both accounts of impending disaster. In themselves, these three fundamental elements of society do not receive criticism. The misguided trust people sometimes place in these institutions, relying on them as unquestioned and unquestionable authorities, receives the brunt of the censure in both works. The townspeople themselves receive their fair share of reproach as well. In both works, the people criticized include not only the general middle- to upper-class communities, but also those responsible for the criticizing.

In The War of Worlds, the government plays a silent role that finds its reflection in the attitudes of the townspeople upon the first arrival of the Martian cylinder. Here, the ignorance of the public manifests itself in the cavalier attitudes of the people toward the potential threat. In the opening lines of the novel, the public's demeanor becomes evident: ?With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter? (Wells 3). During the height of the British government's domination of the world, through the spread of its colonies and economic power, Wells's description of the people's security in their empire over matter, over reality itself, seems most fitting. Their blindness to the impending threat stems from their nation's security and success throughout the world. The narrator comments that, in retrospect, it seemed ?incredibly wonderful that, with that swift fate hanging over us, men could go about their petty concerns as they did? (Wells 9). In fairness, however, he continues by describing his own petty concerns at the time: ?I was much occupied learning to ride the bicycle, and busy upon a series of papers discussing the probable developments of moral ideas as civilization progressed? (Wells 9). Civilization's progress, not its survival, remained the focus in people's minds.

Unwarranted faith in the government is further reflected in the people's confidence in their military superiority over the Martians. Despite the fact that the Martians have successfully traversed the vast distance from their home to earth, trust in the military endures. ?The idea people seemed to have here was that the Martians were simply formidable human beings, who might attack and sack the town, to be certainly destroyed in the end? (Wells 67). The narrator himself is guilty of this over-estimation: ??A shell in the pit,? said I, ?if the worst comes to the worst, will kill them all?? (Wells 32). The narrator later echoes this same sentiment when, in hoping to realize a childhood, heroic fantasy, he notes that he would like to be involved in the death of the invaders. His faith in human superiority extends beyond the military and includes himself, a moral philosopher, as one who could defeat the Martians. His estimation of his own strength and abilities seems ludicrous?he cannot even claim the benefit of military training.

The same ill-fated trust in government reveals itself in a humorous description of both elected officials and townspeople in The Simpsons. As the comet approaches Springfield, the mayor speaks to the community in a town meeting. Here, the public reacts like mindless drones to its elected official, responding to the mayor and his position of authority, rather than to the content of his speech:

QUIMBY [mayor]. Fellow citizens, when I learned about the impending crisis, I caught the very next plane to Springfeld...field.

{everyone claps politely}

First of all, yes, there is a comet in the sky, and yes, it is going to hit Springfield.

{a couple of people clap}

You don't need to applaud that. (Swartzwelder 12)

Despite the mayor's obvious incompetence, the townspeople offer no criticism of his absence from the city until the threat of disaster, nor do they notice his mistake in pronouncing the name of his own town. They merely look to the mayor for a resolution to their crisis. An explanation of a plan to destroy the comet, given by a prominent scientist, quickly assuages the fears of the community, and their derisive laughter at the comet and its feebleness serves as a testament to their foolish trust. This blind faith finds its expression in the comments of Homer Simpson, in a conversation with his worried daughter, Lisa:

HOMER. Will you stop worrying about that stupid comet? It's going to be destroyed. Didn't you hear what that guy [the mayor] in the building said?

LISA. But Dad, don't you think?

HOMER. Uh, Lisa, the whole reason we have elected officials is so we don't have to think all the time. Just like that rainforest scare a few years back: our officials saw there was a problem and they fixed it, didn't they?

LISA. No, Dad, I don't think?

HOMER. There's that word again. (Swartzwelder 13)

Just as Wells's narrator trusts in his military's might, so too do the townspeople of Springfield, depending on the plan previously discussed in the town meeting, which involves the use of a missile to intercept and destroy the comet.

This criticism of an unthinking populace differs slightly from Wells's focus in The War of the Worlds. While The Simpsons presents a censure of a witless populace that overly relies upon the guidance of authority instead of their own intellects, Wells includes the dimension of emotion to his criticism of the British. Their absence of sympathy for or empathy with those who have found themselves under the rule of the British Empire receives subtle but apt rebuke in the body-type of the Martians: they have evolved into creatures comprised of a great brain, but no heart or other organs. The lack of a heart symbolizes the cruel and emotionless beings the British may become in their continued ignorance of the plight their Empire engenders.

While an unwarranted faith in government manifests itself among those responsible for its institution, a criticism of religious authority comes in the form of shattered and shaken clergy. In The War of the Worlds, the narrator encounters a curate after the devastation has already begun. In the curate, the narrator finds no solace. The curate maintains that God looses the Martian invasion upon a sinful earth as punishment: ??This must be the beginning of the end,? he said, interrupting me. ?The end! The great and terrible day of the Lord! When men shall call upon the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them and to hide them?hide them from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne!?? (Wells 78). For the curate, belief in God does not provide him with hope. Rather, God serves as the source of the destruction he sees about him. The narrator chastises the curate and his hysteria by asking, ?What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?? (Wells 78). Wells reproaches blind faith in religious figures by showing how one curate's own thoughtless faith in his religion drives him to eventual madness. His immature understanding of that which he preaches leads him to despair.

?Bart's Comet? offers a similar glimpse into the mind of a shaken clergyman. After the missile's failure to destroy the comet, an encounter with Reverend Lovejoy illustrates his despair:

...

You are currently seeing 50% of this paper.

You're seeing 1480 words of 2959.

Read the full essay

Womens development

Civic engagement in urban governance requires new forms of urban partnerships between users, designers and decision-makers. To achieve these, it is important to foster horizontal linkages between different organisations and actors involved in human settlements development: politicians, activists, advocacy groups, self-help organisations, profes...

124 reviews

Download

Video games and children

Video Games Interactive video games have emerged as one of the most popular forms of entertainment, especially among children and adolescents. On average, children who have a video game machine at home spend about 90 minutes a day playing them. Video games vary in their content. In addition to being a form of entertainment, video games a...

10 reviews

Download

Toronto Homeless

One of the largest growing concerns in Toronto is the constantly increasing number of citizens who are finding themselves living on the streets. With the decrease in the number of jobs that do not require a high school diploma, the population of homeless people has literally boomed. My questions are not as simple to answer as they may appear. Why...

91 reviews

Download

Impact of redifining sexuality

The Impact of Women Redefining Sexual Identity in Middle Adulthood It is becoming an increasing phenomenon that women are coming out as lesbians in their middle-adulthood. While defining one?s sexual identity is often a confusing time for youth it becomes that much more difficult for women as they get older. As women age they are more...

42 reviews

Download

Convince Me There Is A God

First, I?m not against the kind, honest people, normally associated with religion. I?m merely attempting to show why I?m not sold on the religion theory itself. My goals are not to destroy the church, or the belief in God, either of which I couldn?t do anyway. I?m only attempting to explain why I don?t believe in god or any other gods for that m...

39 reviews

Download

Pfizer in the animal health in

Pfizer entered the animal health industry in the early 1950?s. Today, Pfizer Animal Health products are sold to veterinarians, livestock producers, and horse and pet owners in more than 140 countries around the world and used in more than 30 species. Pfizer Animal Health is committed to providing high-quality, research-based health products f...

141 reviews

Download

Coparison Between Footbal And

Rugby and Football The thick, broad-shouldered athlete breathes heavily and grunts with each step as he and his teammates push mightily against the opposition. His arms are locked over his teammates' shoulders, all of their heads down. The two teams are pushing against each other like two bears fighting over salmon. He looks down to see the ball...

94 reviews

Download

Men's Health Vs. Glamour

You see them every day on newspaper stands, in the supermarket, and they are even delivered right to your home; they are magazines. Loaded with information, magazines cover a variety of topics. One of the most famous topics that magazines cover is women and men issues. It was very interesting too compare two of these magazines. I chose a October 19...

179 reviews

Download

The challenges of dating

"The Challenges of Dating after Divorce" According to the Bureau of Vital Statistics approximately 50.1% of all first marriages in the United States end in divorce. Because of the high divorce rate men and women are finding themselves going back to the challenging world of dating at an enormous rate. Divorce men and women find datin...

89 reviews

Download

Human Resource Management in E

1. INTRODUCTION 2 2. ENVIRONMENT 3 History 3 Political and economical context 4 Educational system 5 Cultural aspects 6 Business environment 7 3. EASTERN EUROPEAN HR PRACTICES 9 Recruitment 9 Compensation 9 4. EU ENLARGEMENT 11 5. AN EASTERN EUROPEAN HRM MODEL? 13 6. CONCLUSIONS 15 Ideas for future research 16 7. BIB...

78 reviews

Download

Discussion Of The Feasibility Of Miracles And The Grounds For Christianity Existing Without Miracles

Discussion of the Feasibility of Miracles and the Grounds for Christianity In the following Discussion, I will point out the facts and ideas that disagree with Hume's ideas. The ideas are the ones on miracles in An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding involving Section ten Of Miracles. The idea of this is using the circle philosophical argum...

206 reviews

Download

Paper about new product, bount

Executive Summary Proctor & Gamble will introduce the new Bounty Toilet Paper during the first week of December 1999. This brand of toilet paper will take the already established idea used with Bounty Paper Towels, and modify to the toilet paper world. Bounty has always stressed the idea of taking the least amount of the product, but still...

190 reviews

Download

Acid Rain 2

Acid Rain Acid rain is a serious problem with disastrous effects. Each day this serious problem increases, many people believe that this issue is too small to deal with right now this issue should be met head on and solved before it is too late. In the following paragraphs I will be discussing the impact has on the wildlife and how...

190 reviews

Download

What to do with alcholic paren

What to do With Alcoholic Parents! Many kids feel that they can't do anything when a parent is an alcoholic. In fact, almost every kid who has a parent who is an alcoholic feels that there is nothing they can do. You are wrong. There are many things that you can do if you just think about the situation. If your father/mother is abusing...

92 reviews

Download