Peron a dictator? ‘Simpsons’ causes stir in South America
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It has been a rocky South American stretch for the popular cartoon program ‘The Simpsons,’ beloved by many in the region for its irreverent worldview.
Last week, Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela banished the series from morning TV, saying the satirical saga of a yellow-hued, dysfunctional family wasn’t fit for children, as this BBC report notes, along with this version from the Huffington Post. Replacing the ‘Simpsons’: ‘Baywatch,’ the beach drama of bikini-clad beauties and hip lifeguards.
Now Argentine nationalists are irate about a ‘Simpsons’ episode -- which has yet to air here, but was widely viewed on YouTube.
The offending passage includes a reference to former strongman Juan Domingo Peron as a ‘dictator.’ One lawmaker demanded that local authorities ban the episode, saying it could ‘poison’’ society, as reported by infobae.com. The dispute drew denunciations of yanqui arrogance on talk radio. In an online poll, more than 90% of respondents said the episode should not be aired here.
The much-debated scene unfolds at Moe’s -- the favored hangout of Homer Simpson, that champion of Duff Beer, as he and his cronies are talking politics.
The incendiary dialogue:
Moe (behind the bar): ‘Who wants to abolish democracy forever? Show a hands!’
Carl: ‘I could really go for some kind of military dictator, like Juan Peron. When he ‘disappeared’ you, you stayed ‘disappeared!’ ‘
Lenny: ‘Plus his wife was Madonna.’
Peron, thrice elected Argentina’s president, remains a hero to many working-class Argentines, despite his authoritarian (some say fascist) tendencies. Many especially revere his ex-wife, the legendary Eva Peron, a former actress who died of cancer at 33 -- and was depicted by Madonna on film.
The ‘disappearance’ of suspected leftists became commonplace during the military dictatorship (1976-83) that seized power after toppling the government of President Isabel Peron, the ex-cabaret dancer who was the general’s third wife. She had been elected vice president on her husband’s ticket and assumed the top job when he died in 1974.
-- Patrick J. McDonnell and Andres D’Alessandro in Buenos Aires