The Simpsons cartoon series goes on trial in Russia
04/01/2005 15:52
http://english.pravda.ru/accidents/21/96/383/15213_simpsons.html


The claimant says that the cartoon is filled with propaganda of
violence, drugs and sex

One of Moscow's district courts starts hearing the lawsuit, which
Muscovite Igor Smykov filed against the Ren TV Russian television
company almost three years ago. The lawsuit was filed on the
allegation that "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" cartoons, which the
company regularly airs, bring psychological harm to children and
their parents. The claimant demands the TV company should exclude the
above-mentioned cartoons from its schedule and pay 300,000 rubles of
moral damage compensation. Igor Smykov believes that the two cartoon
series propagandize violence, brutality, drugs and the cult of sex.

"My son started watching the cartoons when he was six. My wife and me
noticed soon that the boy's behavior became rather inadequate. The
manner of his speech changed for the worse as well. To be honest, we
punished our son several times for behaving like that. However, we
soon found out that the boy was simply trying to imitate the cartoon
characters. As a result, the child found himself in a stressful
situation: he does not understand what he is punished for, for he
simply tries to copy adult men and women that he sees on TV," the
claimant told the Izvestia newspaper before the court hearings
started.

Igor Smykov believes that "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" cartoons
present a grotesque image of a family. Parents are portrayed as
mentally retarded individuals there, whereas their children resemble
ugly idiots. Being a legal expert himself, Igor Smykov classified the
activity of the above-mentioned television company as interference in
private family life. The claimant's writ contains references to the
Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Law about Media and the
Law about Basic Guarantees for Children's Rights.

Igor Smykov had to update his lawsuit, though. It became known that
the television company Ren TV could not act as a defendant on trial,
because it did not own the broadcasting right. The claims have been
readdressed to the company's division - Akcept Ren TV.

The claimant's lawyer, Larisa Pavlova, quoted phrases of several
characters from the cartoon series: "Where's our son? He is dealing
drugs." "Hello, you sweet legs, breasts and buttocks." "We have
guests, one of them is a homosexual." I love cocaine, I go crazy for
cocaine." "My penis should get on stage."

Natalia Markova, a specialist of the Institute for socio-economic
problems of the population, conducted a psychological expertise
within the scope of the litigation. The expert concluded that "The
Simpsons" and "Family Guy" cartoons were abundant with the propaganda
of violence. "The cartoons can cause severe damage to the
psychological, spiritual and moral health of an individual, specially
to children of pre-school age," Natalia Markova said.

In addition to the psychological expertise, there was another
research presented to the judges yesterday. The Federal service for
drug control found vestiges of propaganda of drugs in the cartoons.

Deputies of the Russian parliament expressed their negative opinions
about "The Simpsons" on March 18th. Elena Afanasyeva from the Liberal
and Democratic Party of Russia said the Duma's committee for
informational policy should ask the Ministry for Culture to prepare a
report regarding the broadcast of cartoons on several channels of the
Russian television. One should pay special attention to "The
Simpsons" and "Family Guy" cartoon series, the deputy added. Elena
Afanasyeva believes that those cartoons are filled with episodes of
violence and aggression.

Ren TV's director, Irena Lesnevskaya, stated that the legal process
was ridiculous and absurd: "The Simpsons" enjoy worldwide
recognition. Most famous actors, even one of American ex-presidents
rendered their voices to the characters of the cartoon. Any channel
will consider it an honor to broadcast such a product," said she.

"There is no more "Family Guy" on our television, but "The Simpsons"
are still on. Furthermore, the TV company has recently signed a new
contract to air the series during the current year. I would withdraw
my lawsuit, if they stopped showing these filthy cartoons," claimant
Igor Smykov said.

"The Simpsons" cartoon series can boast of 14 years of successful
history; it often enters the list of most viewed 25 TV programs. The
series has earned numerous awards and even a star of fame in
Hollywood. In the USA, "The Simpsons" cartoon is perceived as a
parody for the life of an average American family.

Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Dmitry Sudakov)