The Simpsons, a satirical depiction of an American working class family and the problems they come across, illustrates ideal demonstration of McCloud’s concept of Amplification through. 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 to accept ideas and opinions different from our own. 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. The Simpsons models this, impacting a diverse audience by creating a new understanding of our differences.  

The “Meat and Freedom” cartoon that Lisa watches at school, after setting off two independent thought alarms, demonstrates incorrect use of amplification through simplification.

  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.  Strategically put together, so that the kids watching understand the impact of eating meat on their lives. 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 the importance as well. They subdue the complexity and brutality in order to get Lisa to realize the stupidity of her vegetarianism, coercing her to eat meat. The principal, among others, show the incorrect usage of amplification through simplification. The videos do not nurture Lisa’s relationship with meat. They furthered her resentment towards meat, causing her to rebel. However, this rebellion became on of the many building blocks leading Lisa to recognize validity of eating meat.

When Bart and Lisa watch the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, we can see another example of amplification through simplification. When Itchy serves Scratchy his own stomach, it appalls Lisa, while conversely, Bart thinks nothing of the 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. To Lisa, this cartoon is disturbing and she takes it to heart. The simple joke of Scratchy eating his own body makes Lisa cringe. Forcing her stop and think about eating meat. While Bart does not recognize the problem with eating meat, the simple cartoon amplifies own Lisa’s disgust with meat. She can’t help but think of how she harms 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. In addition, this shows the effectiveness of amplification through simplification 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 ability to reach a broad audience allows The Simpsons to do such a good job of modeling amplification through simplification. It lets viewers to grasp and value both sides of an issue. We have the ability to relate with each one of the shows characters in different ways. In “Lisa the Vegetarian,” the audience identifies with the struggle that Lisa faces throughout the episode. We as an audience face problems everyday, and because of this, we relate to Lisa in this episode The Simpsons. Because of this connection, the viewers can better understand how to deal with their problems, just like Lisa. Amplification through simplification gives observers the perspective necessary to welcome new viewpoints.  The metaphor of Lisa Simpson’s vegetarianism shows the audience to relate to her. Now the audience can have the mindset of acceptance when they take on their lives. The Simpsons serves as a mold for people to follow, acting as guidelines for dealing with difference of opinions in a peaceful way. 

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’s lack of sensitivity towards meat acts a roadblock for Lisa. 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 treat them as deserving of our respect nonetheless.  
