Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays

"Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season, which originally aired January 4, 2004. It was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Bob Anderson.

Plot

When Bart and Lisa fight over which show they should watch, they accidentally change the channel to a show hosted by a children's entertainer named Roofi, a parody of the children's entertainer Raffi. This does not appeal to Bart and Lisa, but Marge and Maggie like it so much they buy a Roofi CD and play it everywhere, which annoys Bart, Homer, and Lisa. Marge even buys tickets to Roofi's concert, held on Cletus's farm. Unfortunately, there is rain at the oversold and crowded concert (thanks to some unscrupulous promoter), and a riot ensues, jokingly referred to by the news as the "Tot Offensive" (a reference to the real-life Tet Offensive.)

In response to the disaster, all childless adults of Springfield, outraged at paying high taxes for the damages the babies have caused, revolt and form an anti-youth group, led by Lindsay Naegle, named SSCCATAGAPP (Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays Against Parasitic Parents), and lobby to deprive Springfield of all child-friendly things.

This is not over yet when Marge lobbies to get a grassroots voter initiative, "Families Come First", as the cause of PPASSCCATAG (Proud Parents Against Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays). Her lobbying efforts do poorly at first, but fair support grows, thanks to Mr. Burns loaning his signature on Marge's petition, because he cares about children (or, more correctly, their "supple young organs"). Other Springfield residents follow with him and Marge, and the proposition (Proposition 242) gets on the ballot. The campaign does poorly at first, but thanks to the infectious nature of children planned by Bart and Lisa, all opposition to Proposition 242 falters, staggers, and finally collapses.

Music

• Rolling Stones - "Gimmie Shelter"
• The Who - "My Generation"
• Five Man Electrical Band - "Signs"

Cultural references

This article or section contains too many minor or trivial fictional references. Mere trivia, or references unimportant to the overall plot of a work of fiction, should be deleted. See also what Wikipedia is.

• Roofi is a Raffi parody, and in name is similar to "roofie", the slang term for Rohypnol
• The concert is a spoof of Woodstock and Altamont. Like Woodstock, the event was held on a farm (owned by Cletus) and caused expensive damage to the property, and more people showed up at the concert than intended. Babies are also seen cavorting in stereotypical hippie fashion; passing around pacifiers like bongs and dancing naked. Like Altamont, the outcome of the concert turned into a public-relations disaster for a certain group (in Altamont's case, the hippie counterculture; in the Roofi case, for parents with children). The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" is played over scenes before the concert; likely a reference to the concert movie Gimme Shelter which documented the Altamont festival.
• This episode is a parody of similar campaigns by Family Value groups.
• At the end of the episode, the members of SSCCATAGAPP are defeated by the hugs of children, "God's lowliest creature". This is a reference to The War of the Worlds, in which the Martians are defeated by bacteria.
• At the end of the scene where the adults go on a rampage (Moe reversing the "r" in the Toys "R" Us sign), a tearful Milhouse watches with arched eyebrows and a blubbery lip. His expression is a parody of a famous World War II photograph/newsreel of a forlorn Frenchman in a crowd witnessing his country's capitulation to the Nazis.
• When Bart and Lisa fight over the control of the remote, they accidentally switch over to King of the Hill, where Hank Hill can be heard in the background saying, "Bobby, I've got propane in my urethra." which pokes fun at Hank's character.
• At the beginning of the episode, Bart watches TV. The program is called The Gator Baitor. It's an obvious parody of the Crocodile Hunter, complete with a Steve Irwin-esque host. Near the end, the host limbs were severed after being attacked by a crocodile. Steve Irwin was killed two years later while filming a documentary, albeit by a stingray and not a crocodile.
• The scene in which Roofi's helicopter takes off from the concert with babies still hanging on references a similar scene in Apocalypse Now, where soldiers hang onto a helicopter that takes off after the crowd becomes unruly.
• The toppling of the Itchy and Scratchy statue scene resembles the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue.
• When Maggie has the long handled pliers and grabs Homer by the nose, he rolls over and screams out just like Curly Howard.
• The Channel 6 news story on the baby riot is accompanied by a graphic which reads "The Tot Offensive," a reference to the 1968 Tet Offensive.

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