This weekend, the nation was glued to their television screen, news channels constantly documenting footage of Prince, the unfortunate child who fell down a hole.
I’m glad the little tyke is out (gladder that they threw him candybars), but all the frenzied media coverage (little girls singing songs for Prince [imagine doing that for the popstar; lawsuit imminent] and prayer vigils organised around the country) got the better of me, and I giggled.
Don’t get me wrong, the rescue was laudable and all. It’s just that it struck far too familiar a chord.
In Season 3 of The Simpsons (one of their finest and most memorable years), there remains an unforgettable episode called Radio Bart. In a nutshell, Bart tosses an AM radio down a disused well and uses a microphone to convince townsfolk that a fictitious young lad called Timmy O’Toole is stuck underground. Suddenly sympathetic, the town rallies to his rescue, and glowers at Principal Skinner, who allegedly didn’t admit (the orphaned) Timmy to school because he was too poor.
Homer: That little Timmy is a real hero.
Lisa: What makes him a hero dad?
Homer: Well he fell down the well and … can’t get out.
Lisa: How does that make him a hero?
Homer: Well, it’s more than you did!
The rescue operations are daft yet earnest, but completely eclipsed by the media circus. While the news channels begin monitoring the phenomenon round-the-clock, Krusty the Clown decides the only way out is by recording a celebrity charity single, inviting Sting to sing along. All this while everyone seems to be wearing t-shirts with the words “I survived Timmy O’ Toole falling down the well” proudly emblazoned across them.
Later, realising he has a ‘property of bart simpson’ label on the radio, Bart bravely spelunks down the well to retrieve it, and predictably ends up trapped himself. The populace, justifiably outraged, have little sympathy for the prankster, with Chief Wiggum candidly admitting to Marge that “I’m afraid we’ve got a budget problem, Marge. Your boy picked a bad time to fall down a well. If he had done it at the beginning of the fiscal year, no problemo.”
Finally, Homer Simpson takes it on himself to dig the boy out of the hole, and when faced with a daunting boulder, Sting comes valiantly to the rescue.
Marge: Sting, you look tired. Maybe you should take a rest.
Sting: Not while one of my fans need me.
Marge: Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Bart play one of your albums.
Homer: Shhhh. Marge, he’s a good digger!
A classic, eminently quotable episode. And again, while we’re all grateful for the media attention given disproportionately toward Prince’s rescue, I just wish the news channels would stop smugly congratulating themselves and moronically referring to this as ‘reality tv.’
Why Prince reminds me of Bart Simpson
Posted in Random.
– July 26, 2006
17 Responses
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Seen the episode…and so very ironic and true…Sad But True !
Though i havent seen the Simpsons episode .. I totally agree with you on the Media making a mokery of the incident.
covering such incidents is good ….but the kind of drama that the media created covering this, sure makes me wonder if they were just after ratings or was it actual sympathy. Or was it because there was no other things happening around that was worth the media attention?
Man, this title “Why prince….” irks me more and more i see it; besides i have to say this blog is a total fluff peice. Look at how many blogs he devotes to the Superman film before it’’s release, and after he sees it, he posts a ridiculous melodramatic message that says “oh my god, the film, the film”. But here’’s the clincher: He says he will “put up the review tomorrow”. One month later, still no review but we have a totally nonsensical post comparing “prince” to bart simpson. In short this is the most wannabe blog ever, yearning to sound cool at every oppurtunity possible.
man you are just sooooooooo right,wish cud grate down these media houses and moreover now i am planning to fall down the well and get all the f#$#$#$ attention……….you know, me, a brahmin and all that shit………………..why not………….reservation here toooooooooo……….he was frm some backward class and so all the attention………….so why not meee………….wish me luck and send me some buks and stuff and gud stuff to eat and some something to drink and party………..
Hey Buddy ,
well yeah i did see that episode . Wuite remembered the same thing !
and mr blogger ( who’’s ever bolg this is) you”re just a stupid idiot so i suggest you avoid using hi-funda english words which you abviously have no clue about.You said you”re glad ” the little tyke was…”.Mr blogger a tyke means-1) A crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement or 2) A young person of either sex. So using when you”re using the word little before tyke its like using the same word twice.Your blog is stupid ,i dont know why rediff has featured your blog on the front page.
who gives a fuck about mr matoo? is his daughter the only one to be raped and murdered by her husband ? the media coverage about her case is equally stupid.
why this double standard when a poor little low caste kid gets some media attention ? these kind of stories were the main feature of that now almost forgotten magazine called the readers digest.And if you say you never read the readers digest as a kid you obviously are ignorant.
wtf is a brahmin anyway ? most of you bloggers are conveniently enjoying your secure and lavish lifestyles in the US of A, the champion of human rights,and here you are writing crap about the caste system blah blah ,so stfu
Don”t you guys think Prince was saved bcoz he is from the backward castes ???
For a Brahmin, who would risk so much money & resources ?
gosh! seriously man…but i have to tell you..the reporter really got to me. he kept on saying ” abhi bas kuch hi mintoon mein prince aapke screen par dikhai deinge” and for wat? a whole hour and a half!!!!!!!!!!!!!. i feel for the poor kid, but all night vigils…24/7 coverage?? how about a lil of that for Mr. Matoo??
it was littlec bit too much for the tv channels . may be they are a bit emotional type!
but i must say about Prince that he got courage and stamina.
I suspect some one from Star news -a simpson fan that too, probably - pushed him in… afterall we are not playing cricket, football season is over and no scandal happened recently. Im happy that at least someone is thinking about entertaining the public.
Yes, this is similiar to an episode when Bart fell down a well. Also, Bart always looks for ways to attract attention. I am not saying Prince did it for attention.
hehe…I agree..when i first heard of prince falling down the well…I thought of bart simpson and started to laugh hysterically, until people started to look at me wierdly and then i pretended to join in the oohing and aahhhing…I know, I will go to hell
:-)! Thank God! I was thinking that I was the only (heartless) person who thought that the whole story was blown a little bit out of proportion!
Hi Raja,
Sorry for being out of topic, but I have put up lots of mails on f1fever and never got a reply
Hoping for one soon
Inspiration :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_McClure
and fools shall prevail…