'The Simpsons' and Patterns

Over the last two decades, people have been intrigued by "The Simpsons" and their ability to “predict the future.” From Donald Trump becoming president to Super Bowl performances, many have wondered how the writers are able to foreshadow these events, but is the question really a “How?” or is it more of a “When?”

The human species has done incredible things. The creation of medicine is a blessing that I will never understand. The ability to understand what is wrong with an individual and successfully treat them is the result of brilliant brains at work. Science, in every aspect, is so far away from my skill set that there is truly never a reason I should even attempt to understand it. Even the idea that there are people on Earth who can create fictional worlds in which millions of individuals escape into is amazing to me. Despite the constant technological and medical advancements that are created every year, we continue to repeat the most tragic moments in our existence.

Many people will agree that there are two types of “smart” in the world: street and book. I am most definitely book. I am oblivious to a fault and am naive in the most damning ways; though, I am not alone in this. I would argue that the human race as a whole is book smart and this will be our destruction. Textbooks do not teach individuals to analyze the real world around you. In them, you learn of the past and what went wrong, yes, but at the end of the day, I believe that textbooks were made to be tested on, not to educate.

The same issues that began years ago and continue to persist are because humans follow patterns and repeat their actions. Looking at history is such an easy way to recognize this. We fight the same wars, the same political controversies and the same morals now that we have been for centuries. While we were learning to follow the patterns for multiple choice tests and in writing essays, we failed to recognize the patterns that we were forming in history.

This is just to say that it is really baffling that we are essentially reliving history every day, only with a change in environment. We will always pick the same leader and disagree over the same issues. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to break a pattern. I suppose it is like a bad habit. Maybe someone with street smarts will figure it out someday, but until then, it’s nice to know that there isn’t some secret psychic on the production team of "The Simpsons." The writers are not predicting the future, they are simple recognizing the patterns that humans will surely follow.

Kelley is a reporter for the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. She can be reached at [email protected].