Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2012 October 30

= October 30 =

Why does Matt Groening put horror references in the Simpsons and Futurama shows all year round and not just at Halloween?
Why does Matt Groening put horror references in the Simpsons and Futurama shows all year round and not just at Halloween? For Example, in a recent episode of futurama Ghost_in_the_Machines Bender is ghost and another episode of the Simpsons Rednecks_and_Broomsticks is about witchcraft. Is Groening a die-hard horror fan and just at Halloween? Neptunekh94 (talk) 01:38, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Why not? Horror is popular (especially with Bart) all year round.--Shantavira|feed me 09:00, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * At least for the Simpsons, it's probably not Groening himself. I don't think he has much to do with the actual writing and production of the show these days ("these days" being many, many, many years). Adam Bishop (talk) 10:39, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Horror can exist without Halloween. It did in Australia until American cultural imperialism imposed the hallmark event on us starting around thirty years ago. HiLo48 (talk) 10:59, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * You mean some individual Australians chose to start celebrating Halloween? And some others chose to follow them?  And most of the country still pays it no attention at all?  Doesn't sound much like any sort of imperialism to me.  But even if it had become a general practice (which is very far from being true), that would have happened because we welcomed it, not because it was "imposed" on us.  We don't take kindly to anyone "imposing" anything on us, and we'd be much more likely to violently reject any such overtures.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  20:03, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * I guess it depends on which demographic(s) you're part of. At my high school this morning almost all the students have been discussing what they're wearing and doing tonight for Halloween, and most of the teachers aged under 30 are already wearing Halloween costumes. The social pressure on those not conforming, such as old farts like me, is strong. But so too is my resistance. HiLo48 (talk) 22:43, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * I have the luxury of being able to see a much bigger picture, because I long ago retreated to an Ivory Tower and now choose to associate with as few human beings as possible, unencumbered by the perspective of any particular demographic. :)  Hence I can sympathise with your position.  I imagine your young charges all go gaga over One Erection and Justin Bieber* and all the rest.  Are they examples of British and Canadian cultural imperialism?  And when Hugh Jackman was MC at the Academy Awards, was that an example of Australian cultural imperialism?  (* Or has Bieber become passé already?  These people seem to have their allocated 15 minutes of fame and then it's like "Justin who?".)   --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  23:46, 30 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Well, let's see now. Jack-o'-lanterns are British, Samhain is Irish, witches in hats are Indo-European, Dracula was written by an Irishman, Frankenstein by an Englishwoman, mumming during winter festivals is Gaelic, The Day of the Dead is syncretic pre-Christian, Shakespeare mentions Hallowmas begging in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), and, hence, Trick-or-treating is all the 'fault' of Hallmark and American imperialism? Do we have an article on America Derangement Syndrome? μηδείς (talk) 17:30, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, in Australia, "Trick-or-treating IS all the 'fault' of Hallmark and American imperialism". It did not exist at all before that influence. HiLo48 (talk) 18:46, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
 * That's complete victim-speak, HiLo. We still get to choose which influences we wish to be influenced by and which not.  You'd remember a time before there were such things as zucchinis, polenta, bok choy, naan bread, baklava, falafel, authentic curries, and stir fries in our national cuisine.  They were made available, we tried them, many of us liked them, end of story.  Those who don't like them don't have to eat them.  Same with Halloween, Valentines or anything else.   If you're getting pressure from your students, at least attribute it to them and not to "American cultural imperialism".  Would you talk in terms of it being the "fault" of the Italians that we eat a lot of pasta dishes?  No, it's to their credit.  Same with anything else from anywhere else.  Except when it comes to anything American, you've still got this massive chip on your shoulder that you've been spruiking all over Wikipedia for a few years now.  Get over it and move on.  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  19:25, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
 * OK, I'll withdraw to a position of saying that it is new in my lifetime, and the influence has been from the US. The fact that I find it bloody annoying is not the fault of the Americans, but I still find it bloody annoying. HiLo48 (talk) 23:34, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
 * That's something you could work on. But just what is it that annoys you?  Is it that some people latch on to anything new and then pressure others to comply?  Is it only when the new thing is from America that you feel this way?  --   Jack of Oz   [Talk]  00:29, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Dunno. Tell you next time I feel that way. Actually, I dislike in general the loss of unique cultural and linguistic features that I grew up with. I will even do it on behalf of others, such as our Aboriginal communities. But the Halloween one is somehow particularly annoying, being basically a begging exercise, giving permission to its more destructive participants to perform vandalism when they feel like it. I find it quite anti-social. HiLo48 (talk) 04:24, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * We all feel that way, HiLo. I fondly remember the day when people said "different from" rather than "different than", when you couldn't use the progressive construction with mental states (no "I'm loving/believing/knowing it"), when there was no such phrase as "my bad, true dat, snap!, you go girl, ...not!", when you couldn't say "growing the economy", when there was no "American Idol" or "The Weakest Link", and so on, and so forth. But I don't blame teenagers or black athletes, or the British.  As for your attitude on trick-or-treating, it's not begging, (at least not in America), it's the joy of giving candy to children.  For which see the ending of that American propaganda story, A Christmas Carol. μηδείς (talk) 17:45, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I think giving candy to children is a bad thing, in many ways. I can feel no joy in it. I am no Scrooge. I am a teacher. I reward my students in many ways, but not with candy. HiLo48 (talk) 18:30, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * You could give them pencils and paper. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:17, 3 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Just as America is excellent at taking raw materials from around the world and turning them into cars, dishwashers and computers, and then selling them back to the rest of the world, so it is excellent at taking customs from around the world, syncretising them into something that someone can make money from, and reselling them back to us. When I see a Chrysler car I don't say "Oh there's a car from all round the world" I say "Oh there's a car from America". --TammyMoet (talk) 18:41, 1 November 2012 (UTC)
 * But who holds the exclusive commercial license on giving candy to children delighted to be in their costumes? Are members of the British Commonwealth required to buy their chocolates from American importers only with the official presidential stamp?  To look at this in terms of profit or imperialism rather than the simple appeal of fun and joy bespeaks an odd preoccupation. μηδείς (talk) 18:48, 1 November 2012 (UTC)