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South Korean Cartoonists Cry Foul Over Edgy Simpsons Intro
theodp writes "When asked to animate a dark commentary about labor practices in Asia's cartoon industry — the edgy title sequence for the Simpsons' episode 'MoneyBART' — staff from the South Korean production company Akom raised a rare protest. Even after being toned down, the sequence created by British graffiti artist Banksy depicted a dungeon-like complex where droning Asian animators worked in sweatshops, rats scurried around with human bones, kittens were spliced up into Bart Simpson dolls, and a gaunt unicorn punched holes into DVDs. The satire, Akom founder and president Nelson Shin argued, gave the impression that Asian artists slave away in subpar sweatshops when they actually animate much of The Simpsons every week in high-tech workshops in downtown Seoul. Still, South Korean animators make one-third the salaries of their American counterparts, and Shin declined to comment on the full extent of the work his company has outsourced to SEK, a state-run animation studio of North Korea. Some argue that the Banksy sequence's gray and forlorn atmosphere more accurately depicts the sweatshop-like conditions in North Korea."
Of course not. Everyone knows unicorns are really used. They're killed, their horns ground up, and the powder made into the elixir that keeps Larry King alive.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
We need to take a stand and start producing cartoons in sweatshops here in America!
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Does anyone in Korea understand what SATIRE fucking is?
Isn't that when you get screwed by a comedian?
It wasn't South Korea in the cartoon, it was China. South Korea doesn't have pandas. (They do have unicorns, but that's a state secret.)
I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
Does anyone in Korea understand what SATIRE fucking is?
Isn't that when you get screwed by a comedian?
No, its when you get screwed by a half-man half-goat. It's illegal in most countries.
I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
No, thats a Satyr. Honest mistake, really. I can totally see how that might happen-- wait, not I cant. Nevermind.
> I'm pretty sure that was f-in hilarious!
What are you talking about?
There's no f in hilarious...
It seems to me that Matt Groening was trying to tell us that the Simpsons and other Fox products are produced using slave labour and that we should therefore stop watching all such products since the existence of those products depend on other human beings suffering. I'm with ya Matt! No more 20th Century Fox products for me!!!
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny - Aesop
How would you like it if your job, country and culture was stereotyped into the guilt-ridden nonsense that The Simpsons aired?
I'm Russian. I think it would be hilarious.
"In Soviet-Russia, the Simpsons makes YOU laugh!"
...wait...