Alas, Poor Lisa
Spock, on Star Trek, once remarked that, “In an insane world, is a sane man truly sane?” Sanity, intelligence, moral authority — sometimes these are relative terms, defined by the society around them. In a way, it’s also close to something Tom Waits said in his song “Singapore,” where “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Whenever I think of Lisa Simpson, I think of those two sayings. Lisa really does occupy a unique place within the Springfield universe. To an extent, she really is the only sane person — even Martin, the other nerd, has his own unique delusions. For example, whenever the fire torch wielding Springfield mob forms, and usually consists of the whole town, Lisa had never taken part. Usually, Lisa is the lone voice speaking out against the mob, trying to get them to disperse, despite the protests of Sideshow Mel. Of course, she didn’t always fit that description, as she was less defined and more bratty in the Tracy Ullman shorts.
Still, it’s kind of sad to see people pick on the spiky haired girl in a red dress. Over on Drownedinsound.com, the majority, in a rather small discussion thread, seems to be going against Lisa. The think she’s whiny, unfunny, and, if one can interpret those sentiments, an all around drag and party pooper. However, there are a few commenters over sticking up for her, and they bring up an few important things about Lisa Simpson that bare thinking about.
Mhann24 writes that Lisa is:
… the glue that holds Springfield together. Without her, that town would have gone the way of the dinosaurs a long time ago. Just from a writing standpoint, she has to be right because everyone else is so wrong.
I agree wholeheartedly. Still, while I disagree with much posted on that thread, it’s always nice to see an internet discussion that’s both civil and intelligent.
The Simpsons, Lisa, Lisa Simpson, Nerds
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