Cowabunga! ‘Simpsons’ not fit for Venezuela’s kids

Matt Groening © 20th Century Fox “The Simpsons” is inappropriate for children, but “Baywatch Hawaii” is alright. At least that’s what the government of Venezuela says. The National Telecommunications Commission opened an inquiry last week, saying that viewers had complained about “The Simpsons” and that the network airing it could be held responsible for violating ...

595594_simpsonsmovie2.jpg
595594_simpsonsmovie2.jpg

Matt Groening © 20th Century Fox

Matt Groening © 20th Century Fox

“The Simpsons” is inappropriate for children, but “Baywatch Hawaii” is alright. At least that’s what the government of Venezuela says. The National Telecommunications Commission opened an inquiry last week, saying that viewers had complained about “The Simpsons” and that the network airing it could be held responsible for violating the country’s Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television. On Friday, channel Televen said it was yanking the yellow cartoon family from its 11 a.m. slot, and replacing it with the babes in bikinis of Baywatch. 

I guess it doesn’t sound totally crazy if you think about it from a cultural perspective. After all, Bart is constantly disrespecting his parents, and I suppose one might not want young kids to get that message.  But beauty on the beach… is that a universal Venezuelan value, no matter the age? At any rate, don’t have a cow, man! Televen still might still choose to air “The Simpsons” in a different time slot.

Christine Y. Chen is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

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