'The Simpsons' has been banned in Venezuela by President Hugo Chavez, because the animated TV show is 'unsuitable for children.'
The long-running cartoon has been replaced after Chavez deemed it contained 'messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls and adolescents.'"
Quotation from SFGate.Com
"The Simpsons", the quintessentially American sitcom, is a hit all over the world. Homer may barely be able to express himself in the King's English, but on TV screens around the globe he can be heard speaking fluently in everything from Italian to Chinese.
The endearing dysfunctional family could even be seen in Venezuela, until it was recently dropped from the morning lineup because it was deemed unsuitable for impressionable children.
Hugo Chavez, the dictator of Venezuela, rails against American imperialism, so why does he allow American hegemony to rule over his airwaves? American TV shows are a staple in Venezuela and in just about every other country. The phenomenon of a despot trashing America while his citizens embrace American culture is not unique to Venezuela. It's not unusual to see a huge crowd in Iran or Pakistan shouting "Death to America, the Great Satan" while donning T-Shirts emblazoned with the logos of American sports teams or American universities.
Did the Venezuelan authorities replace "The Simpsons" with "Sesame Street" or a similar educational program? Not quite, it was replaced by "Baywatch Hawaii". The Venezuelan government must be as dysfunctional as the Simpsons if they think silicon-enhanced hotties cavorting in red bikinis is suitable entertainment for young kids.
If the bureaucrats responsible for the programming of Venezuelan TV don't realize that the brilliant satire of "The Simpsons" is vastly superior to the mindless eye-candy of "Baywatch", then that nation is in serious trouble.
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