How well does the show tackle controversial issues?

[Financial Panther]

Because of the show's longetivity, some of the ways it handled controversial matters seem kind of iffy nowadays. Homer's Phobia is probably the classic example of this. That episode hasn't aged well in my view, and Homer's behavior makes me quite uncomfortable in it. However, it was still ahead of its time when it comes to how LGBT rights were viewed. 

There's Something About Marrying is an episode I never saw any problems with, but I recently saw some people complaining about the episode's treatment of transgender individuals, and thinking about it, I can understand where they're coming from.

There was a scene in Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times where Lenny claims he is a transvestite and gets beaten to a pulp, which wouldn't fly today. 

LGBT issues seem to be what The Simpsons took on the most, but there were others as well. I think the stance on creationism vs. evolution was handled in a decently balanced way in Lisa the Skeptic, and decidedly less balanced in The Monkey Suit. 

So how well do you think the show handled divisive issues like this, both in the classic era and now?

[spankologicalprofile]

It seems almost like the show is now leaning more towards liberal ideals, but unlike shows such as "Family Guy", The Simpsons has never felt to me to deal with controversial issues in an offensive way. I feel like the "Flaming Moe" episode's dated gay stereotypes were a little much, and the last thing I ever wanted to hear was Mr. Burns bringing up "lemon parties" *shudder*, but the show has for the most part steered clear of featuring anything insensitive or deliberately rude when it comes to gay rights.

One thing that I was surprised about is that the show has also steered clear of controversial 9/11 jokes. Most cartoons at this point have featured a 9/11 joke, and they can be rather tasteless, whereas I really don't recall any 9/11 jokes in The Simpsons except for one brief segment where Homer tries to order from an old 1980's magazine and mais his order to the Trade Center. They did remove an episode featuring the Twin Towers from being featured on American cable stations, but the episode still exists. Kudos to the creators though for showing respect to 9/11 victims and their families.

One episode that I was not expecting was "The Color Yellow", where Lisa's ancestor helps a black man escape slavery into Canada. Often racism is a subject that The Simpsons tiptoes around, but this episode featured it head-on and it really surprised me how, instead of just the usual comedy, it actually ends up being a very thrilling and impressive story of human kindness and resilience.

I often feel like Lisa's enviro stuff is very over-the-top, almost like it's being shoved in my face, but the episode where she converts to Buddhism, much to Marge's worry, was an intriguing one. Lisa's character always seems to touch on controversial topics, from hydraulic fracking to animal rights. Sometimes it's very preachy and annoying, but other times it's insightful and powerful.