By now, you may have heard about slave-labor opening sequence created by graffiti artist Banksy for Sunday's episode of The Simpsons, but since few of us in the coastal elites actually watch the show anymore, here it is:
It's pretty hilarious, and I love the progression from the beaten-down Korean animators to the living beings that people find it easier to empathize with: pandas, dolphins, and, of course, unicorns.
But the credits aren't really out of character for The Simpsons, which has mocked its own Fox network plenty of times in the past. And I'm not really surprised that Murdoch & Co. aired it. For those inclined to think the worst of Big Business, the sequence is an exaggeration of a real phenomenon: the exploitation of Third World workers. But for those with favorable impressions of multinational corporations, I'm guessing, it's a satire of how gloomy do-gooders see the world. After all, Simpsons animators don't really work under those conditions!
So is The Simpsons a sell-out? No, even a provacteur like Banksy can't control how his work is seen by the masses. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you produce a bit of art that has something for everyone.