29.10.11

Another Question About The Simpsons


In the episode '22 Short Films About Springfield', there's a short film about Cletus, the slack-jawed yokel, which features a theme song describing the fellow. Each of the verses establishes a fact about the titular character, seemingly one selected to highlight his status as a hillbilly. Which brings me to my question:


While I fully accept that eating a skunk (or 'polecat' as they're sometimes known) is a stereotypically hillbillyish action, it's the second one that concerns me.


On what planet is 'los(ing) a toe' yokelish? When offered a panoply of possibilities to reference, everything from moonshine to incest to poor hygiene to ignorance to racism, the writers went with losing a toe? A situation that Cletus may not even have had any responsibility for?

What the hell?

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