The Simpsons created by Matt Groening is a satirical depiction of working-class life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consisted of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show was set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition.
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In the fourth season episode, ‘Marge in Chains’, Springfield residents mail ordered ‘Juice Looseners’, which was shipped from Osaka in Japan. The Juice Loosener, invented by Springfield’s own Doctor Nick Riviera, promised an ‘easier’ way to make juice, and prompted Homer to order one after seeing a segment on TV.
But while his order was packed, one of the workers in the Japan-based factory said “please don’t tell the supervisor I have the flu. I have been working with a shattered pelvis for three weeks,” the other worker on the production line said as the sick worker coughs into the box.
The next scene showed Homer “Six to eight weeks later”, receiving his juicer in the mail. When he opened the box he became infected. Principal Skinner also bought a juicer and gets infected with the flu, and Marge’s sisters, Patty and Selma gifted each other with juicers for their birthday.
“The dreaded Osaka flu has hit Springfield with over 300 cases now reported,” local news anchor Kent Brockman announced on the news.
With the recent surge in the death toll of coronavirus, and more cases confirmed around the globe, people drew comparisons from the 1993 Simpsons episode to the deadly virus which has been dominating headlines.
“The Simpsons scares me. This episode aired 27 years ago in 1993,” one fan tweeted.
“One thing they didn't call it coronavirus but Osaka virus but it's basically the same thing,” another tweeted.
Some people have proposed the show’s writers can predict the future, while others have suggested they are time-travellers.
The most glaringly obvious difference between the 1993 Simpson’s episode and reality was the origin of the virus.
The epicentre of the coronavirus has been Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, while the flu virus in the cartoon originated in Osaka, a large Japanese port city. Coronavirus has now been declared a public health emergency of international concern, by the World Health Organisation.
In The Simpsons, the Osaka flu was seen quite literally floating around Springfield, insinuating the fictitious virus was airborne.
While it was not yet understood how easily the coronavirus could spread, it was transmitted person to person, according to Chinese Health Officials, through contaminated droplets from a person who was sick with the illness or close contact with someone who has the virus.
Chinese Health Officials said the novel coronavirus did not appear to last long on surfaces. “The risk of this virus being present on imported packages or products is negligible,” the state health authority said.
-Courtesy by Yahoo!