The Off Topic Topic

[PJL]

What I wonder might be happening is that in the past the peasants and smallholders were somehow the nostalgic soul of the nation/people v modernity. I think nostalgia for a class is always a sign that its role is over - so I wonder if in post-industrial, de-industrialised economies the industrial working class is playing a similar role for the far-right now? They are to the contemporary west what the peasant and small holding folk were for the far-right in the late 19th/early 20th century?

I say you're right - many of the people in the tradional industrail areas of coalmining, steelworks, textile mills etc are now the equivalent of the pesantry of the pre-industrailised era. If anything the labour movement has historically focused on the workers of the new high tech industries (which in the 19th century were the coalmining, steelworks, textile mills etc.) rather than the old ones. It's why places like London, Bristol & Manchester (the city not the metro area) have more solid Labour support than the older industrial areas. The trick is to encourage investment in the more left behind areas to make sure they don't drift into an entrenched conservatism, like the peasantry of old.

[Barrister]

You missed one of the jokes in the show.  He is an uneducated dolt working in a nuclear plant that is next to a lake with three eyed fish.

How on earth did I miss that!


My point is that some people like to make some kind of "late stage capitalism" commentary about the Simpsons that while in the late 80s when the show was invented you could imagine someone like Homer owning a house, 2 cars, 3 kids all on one person's salary you can't imagine that now.  But I disagree with that point.  When you consider that Homer is working a union job at a big industrial power plant (in a position that required some university-level education), in a small to medium sized town the show is not unrealistic in its basic family set-up.

Is it unrealistic in that Homer went to space, or that former President Bush moved in next door, or any of a million different ways?  Sure.

[crazy canuck]

You missed one of the jokes in the show.  He is an uneducated dolt working in a nuclear plant that is next to a lake with three eyed fish.

How on earth did I miss that!

I know right?

From your last post - you recognize that unions have effectively been broken in the US right?  You recognize the Homer is just there because Mr. Burns needs to be able to say he has someone in that position.  And you have seen the beginning of the show where he is completely incompetent at what he does, right?

I am a bit mystified why you are picking this fight.

[Barrister]

You missed one of the jokes in the show.  He is an uneducated dolt working in a nuclear plant that is next to a lake with three eyed fish.

How on earth did I miss that!

I know right?

From your last post - you recognize that unions have effectively been broken in the US right?  You recognize the Homer is just there because Mr. Burns needs to be able to say he has someone in that position.  And you have seen the beginning of the show where he is completely incompetent at what he does, right?

I am a bit mystified why you are picking this fight.

Because it's fun to debate the Simpsons.  Plus I watched a ton of episodes in the last couple years with my kids so I'm relatively up to date on the first 15 seasons or so.

Unions - depends on what state Springfield is in.

And yes - obviously Homer is incompetent.  I mean the hundreds of times we've seen him sleeping on the job is proof enough.  But still - that's the job he has.  And everything indicates it would be well paying.

I mean Homer is a very lucky man to have that job.  But he's lucky in a million other ways, from surviving the fall into Springfield Gorge, to having Marge in his life, to inventing the Flaming Homer by accident.  But the economics of the show largely check out.

[crazy canuck]

Why do you think Mr. Burns would pay Homer well?

He is no Brain

[grumbler]

You missed one of the jokes in the show.  He is an uneducated dolt working in a nuclear plant that is next to a lake with three eyed fish.

How on earth did I miss that!

I know right?

From your last post - you recognize that unions have effectively been broken in the US right?  You recognize the Homer is just there because Mr. Burns needs to be able to say he has someone in that position.  And you have seen the beginning of the show where he is completely incompetent at what he does, right?

I am a bit mystified why you are picking this fight.

Because it's fun to debate the Simpsons.  Plus I watched a ton of episodes in the last couple years with my kids so I'm relatively up to date on the first 15 seasons or so.

Unions - depends on what state Springfield is in.

And yes - obviously Homer is incompetent.  I mean the hundreds of times we've seen him sleeping on the job is proof enough.  But still - that's the job he has.  And everything indicates it would be well paying.

I mean Homer is a very lucky man to have that job.  But he's lucky in a million other ways, from surviving the fall into Springfield Gorge, to having Marge in his life, to inventing the Flaming Homer by accident.  But the economics of the show largely check out.

It's fun to read the debates as well.  So, so Languish! 

[Valmy]

Why do you think Mr. Burns would pay Homer well?

He is no Brain

He is the head of the Union and a master negotiator.

Dental plan! Lisa needs braces!

[Sheilbh]

A slow news day in West Sussex (although suspect the name got this into a story ):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clk3vnr27gwo

[Barrister]

Why do you think Mr. Burns would pay Homer well?

He is no Brain

Two reasons.

1. he had to - remember he bought off Homer to stop his protests against the nuclear power plant.

2. once he hired Homer - he's forgetful.  Remember how he can never remember Homer's name?  So he forgot to fire him later on.


Now the counter example to this would be the Frank Grimes episode, where Frank Grimes loses it that the Simpsons have money for lobster dinner, whereas he lives in a one-bedroom apartment.  But again, Grimes is just starting out after graduating, so this is more to be expected.  Give him a few years I'm sure he'll move up the corporate ladder and pass Homer, like Tibor, if he didn't let his hatred of Homer get the better of him and electrocute himself.

[Tamas]

This debate about Homer's salary could be a scene in The Big Bang Theory.

[Syt]

This debate about Homer's salary could be a scene in The Big Bang Theory a Quentin Tarantino movie.

FYP

[mongers]

Man the degree of technical incompetance in some UK businesses is surprising, I didn't get an email from a recruiter yesterday, because it was too large for my phone to download, as imbedded in the short email was the company logo at the bottom,  but it was sent as a 32-bit png sized as 6,700 by 850 pixels, total 8.8mb

[Josquius]

Bring back colour

You cannot see attachments on this board.

[mongers]

And I was thinking of going to the beach tomorrow:

SEWAGE has been released across five beaches in Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Sandbanks.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have reported on its interactive map that storm sewage has been discharged from sewer overflows in the past 48 hours.

Sewage pollutions alerts have been raised for Friars Cliff in Christchurch, Christchurch Avon Beach, Hengistbury West in Bournemouth, Kite Beach in Sandbanks and Poole Harbour Rockley Sands.

Storm overflows operate automatically, usually releasing stormwater during or after intense rainfall.

SAS reported earlier this week that sewage had been released at three Bournemouth and Christchurch beaches on Monday, July 10.

[Josephus]

So apparently in Italy, groping is not a crime unless it lasts longer than 10 seconds.

no, really