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Over the years, the long-running animated show “The Simpsons” has delivered a seemingly impressive number of predictions that have come true. It is actually a little less impressive than that, considering the three decades of programming, each episode filled with heavy dialogue, and many comedic background bits, you are sure to find an instance. The percentage of accuracy is actually quite small, is all I’m indicating.
This was even stated by one writerDeclaring that they were looking back on history to predict the future, he said. There were some rare instances of brilliance. Amusingly, things such as face-time technology and USA’s winning a curling medal are funny. Notable is the show’s reference to Donald Trump in a dream sequence.
Another piece from “The Simpsons” archives has not exactly come true, but the predictive nature still holds. It’s close, but accurate. This sequence is from an episode that aired in 2005, when the family featured was visiting China. The family is in Tiananmen Square when they see a sign that says “ “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.”
This is both an ode to the famous uprising at the site and a humorous reference to the Chi-Com’s censorship tendencies. This is no exaggeration. It’s not surprising considering the way that the Chinese government controls culture and clamps down on media. There are also western entertainment companies willing to self-censor to please communist leaders.
Now, one or the other seems to be taking place, and it involves that very episode of “The Simpsons.” It has been discovered that the episode mentioned has been scrubbed from streaming in Hong Kong, the territory under Chinese control — and curiously, this also involves another prediction in the show.
Disney bought 20th Century Fox years ago, something that the show briefly alluded in a sight gag. This was almost ten years prior to the actual buyout.
Disney announced that it had reached an agreement to purchase 21st Century Fox. This was predicted in a Simpsons episode which aired November 8, 1998. pic.twitter.com/kzloJQHeM8
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 14, 2017
“The Simpsons” has been a Fox Network property, and when Disney bought out the studio it had been with the idea of bolstering an entertainment catalog large enough so the company could launch a new streaming service, Disney+. To stream all of the episodes, Disney+ now supports international territories. However, not all episodes are available on all countries. It has been discovered that episode-12, from season #16 — when the family visits China — It is only available for customers in Hong Kong.
It is not clear if this is an effective dose of government control. A statement was released by the Hong Kong Bureau of Commerce and Economic Development stating that they do indeed have a censorship ordinance in place, but that it only applies to motion picture content and that streaming is not covered under that order. The situation raises further questions.
China places strict limits on what content can be shared from Tiananmen square, but Hong Kong is not subject to the same restrictions as the mainland. However, the area remains under Chi-Com authority so restrictions may still be in force on entertainment, although they are not supported as strongly.
Another possibility is Disney taking down the episode by itself. It could have been done under Chinese coercion or to avoid any conflict with the ruling party. We have recently witnessed Disney show deference to Chi-Coms that abuse human rights. In the live-action adaptation of “Mulan,” the company actually paid a dose of gratitude to the police state division of the Chinese rulers.
Whichever the case, it serves up as another item to list under the growing collection of items “The Simpsons” is said to have foreseen in sagelike fashion. It’s even more funny because the Chinese have a reluctance to make fun of themselves. Sadder still is an example of an American business bowing before communist dictators just to get more money. Yuan as in.
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