Comment – Tom Parry
SEEMS that not everybody is a Simpsons viewer…
There was plenty of online discussion pertaining to the front page of last Tuesday’s (June 20) issue of the Gippsland Times, which made reference to a famous episode of the popular and oft-quoted television program The Simpsons.
The episode in question is season seven’s “22 Short Films About Springfield” and its segment “Skinner & The Superintendent“, which sees Springfield Elementary School’s long-suffering principal, Seymour Skinner prepare an unforgettable luncheon for his superior, Superintendent Chalmers.
Skinner, having burnt the roast in his oven, resorts to purchasing fast food and disguising it as his own cooking, which he refers to as “steamed hams”.
As lunch draws to a close, Skinner returns to the kitchen to find that it is on fire, prompting Chalmers to ask: “Good Lord, what is happening in there?!”
“Aurora borealis?” Skinner replies, hoping to mask his incompetence to the superintendent.
Being an avid fan of The Simpsons, our editor Liam Durkin was keen to make a connection between the episode and this author’s story about the stargazing events in Loch Sport, which occurred over the weekend (June 23-24).
Unfortunately, not everybody understood the reference.
Two Facebook pages, Loch Sport Notice Board and Aurora Hunters Victoria, both chastised the use of “Aurora borealis”, which only occurs in the Northern Hemisphere; in our part of the world, it is the Southern Lights or “Aurora Australis” that is visible.
A telephone call was also fielded from a local resident highlighting the same fact.
All was understood once the reference was explained, and a good laugh had by all.
One must wonder, though, what can be done to alleviate our online shaming.
Fortunately, the Gippsland Times thinks it has a solution that will satisfy the astronomic community and let our editor keep his dignity, as pictured below.
Tom Parry is a Gippsland Times journalist, pop-culture aficionado and amateur stargazer.
