Comics and cartoons cover a lot of issues; however, we tend not to relate to these issues unless we can find similarities to our own lives. Authors use amplification through simplification in order to make their ideas more relatable. Scott McCloud defines the idea of amplification through simplification in his comic Understanding Comics.  By stripping down images to their most basic meaning, it in turn amplifies that meaning. It also makes the meaning more understandable to a reader. McCloud gives an example in his comic when he takes a very complex and detailed face, and eventually turns it into a face with two dots for eyes and a line for a mouth (McCloud 122-123). When you take something from complex to simple, it makes the idea more universal. Furthermore, making it more universal reaches a broader audience, and in doing so makes a greater impact. A good example of this is The Simpsons. The Simpsons, a satirical depiction of an American working class family and the problems they come across, is an ideal demonstration of McCloud’s concepts. In “Lisa the Vegetarian” we see how Lisa faces the world with her new found vegetarianism. It shows viewers how Lisa comes to realize that she needs to accept ideas that differ from her own. Throughout “Lisa the Vegetarian” we can see how amplification through simplification teaches us how to accept ideas and opinions that are different from our own. 

Lisa starts to make her opinion known, which does not sit well with the community around her. After having two independent thoughts in one day, the principal at Lisa’s school decides to show a video explaining why they should eat meat. It “shows" how the meat they eat is turned from animal to packaged meat. Troy McClure, the educator in the film, tells little Jimmy, the film’s protagonist, how the process works. Yet, he does not tell the whole story. McClure makes it seem simple and almost fun for the cows. They go on a conveyer belt and come out into the different cuts of meat (“Lisa the Vegetarian”). They made the process seem so simple that the kids watching the film relate to Jimmy and his time at the plant. The film even goes on to talk about the food chain and how one creature has to eat another creature to survive. The video finishes by claiming that if a cow had a chance it would eat you and everyone you care about. It is strategically put together so that the kids watching will realize how their lives are affected by eating meat. They made the video simple so that the kids watching could connect to Jimmy and everything that he was told. The simplicity of the story in the video emphasizes the importance of eating meat to the kids. However, they are also trying to get Lisa to understand why it is important as well. They subdue the complexity and brutality in order to get Lisa to realize that her vegetarianism is “stupid” and that she should eat meat. The principal, among others, are trying to get her to accept the ideology of eating meat, which is the whole point of amplification through simplification.  Unfortunately, the principal and others use amplification through simplification the wrong way by forcing their opinion on Lisa.  It may cause her to rebel, but it also is one of many building blocks that lead to her eventual recognition that eating meat is okay.

Another example of amplification through simplification is when Bart and Lisa are watching the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon. When Itchy serves Scratchy his own stomach, Lisa is appalled, while conversely, Bart thinks it is just a silly cartoon (“Lisa the Vegetarian”). It affects Lisa because it relates to her. She sees the sequence of events that lead to Scratchy eating his own stomach and relates that to her consumption of meat. Bart on the other hand does not understand Lisa’s reaction.  As a meat eater, the idea of eating meat being compared to Scratchy eating his own stomach does not faze Bart because he thinks eating meat is okay. To Lisa, this cartoon is disturbing and she takes it to heart. Something as simple as the joke of Scratchy eating his own body, makes Lisa cringe and makes her stop and think about eating meat. While Bart does not recognize that his eating of meat is a problem, the simple cartoon amplifies Lisa’s disgust with eating meat. She can’t help but think of how she is harming innocent animals. Amplification through simplification does not necessarily work one hundred percent of the time as shown by Bart in this episode. While Lisa understands the message depicted by the cartoon, Bart misses the message entirely. This does also show how effective amplification through simplification can be to someone who relates to a cartoon. Lisa decides to accept her own opinion as valid because of the events in the cartoon. She realizes that she needs to be confident in what she believes in otherwise no one else will be, as showed by Bart in this instance.  The cartoon magnified Lisa’s stance on her vegetarianism, enough to want to go out and make the world see that she has a different opinion and that is okay. 

The plot of Itchy and Scratchy furthers Lisa’s rebellion against meat, which leads her to take action. She destroys her father’s barbeque in order to get her point across she almost runs away from home because she feels that her opinion does not matter. When she realizes that Bart does not see what she sees in the cartoon she feels alone. Lisa feels that everyone in her family is against her. For that matter, she feels that the world is against her. No one understands her opinion and her beliefs. Her whole family chants about how “you don’t make friends with salad” (“Lisa the Vegetarian”).  Lisa thought that at least her mother would understand her opinion, but as it turned out, she did not even have that support. Amplification through simplification is important so that people like Lisa don’t feel alone. They need to feel like they are heard. People do not have to agree with her, but rather just respect her opinion.  Something as simple as ruining the barbeque made Homer realize that he was getting nowhere with his daughter. He needed to learn to accept her vegetarianism. The simplicity of the act of taking away his joy amplified the need for Homer to resolve the problems with his daughter. This feud shows how easily it can be to fix when you allow for the acceptance of new opinions. Simply realizing that there are other ways to view the world made all the difference to Homer and Lisa. 

Overall, we as viewers can see how The Simpsons uses amplification through simplification to get their message across. In the end, Homer and Lisa accept each other’s opinions as valid, and they learn to respect their differences. The Simpsons may use a simple example of conflicting opinions in order to amplify the problem that occurs in society, but that does not mean that these tactics can be applied to other problems. Lisa, like most vegetarians, faced strife when it came to becoming a vegetarian. Homer acted as a roadblock in her way by not being more sensitive to meat. As a newfound vegetarian, Lisa wanted everyone around her to stop eating meat however with the help of Apu and friends, she realized that she needs to accept others opinions rather than force hers on her family and those around her. This acceptance is the whole point of amplification through simplification. We are not required to change our views and accept these new opinions but rather accept that they are out there and that they are valid and deserving of our respect nonetheless.  
