Image Source: Bryan Johnson. "Simpsons Indian Style." Photo. Spiralpocus.com. July 13th, 2009. October 4th, 2010. http://www.spiralpocus.com/?p=2524It was quite a surprise to see Microfinance being the topic of the new episode "Loan-a-Lisa" on The Simpsons. Lisa inherits a $50 from her ailing grandfather, and makes the decision to loan the money to a microfinance organization.
An introduction to the concept of Microfinance is made by a talking goat in a rural part of India, who explains how her owner (a peasant) is not eligible for a loan through a traditional bank, and needs a microlender instead.
Apart from the amusement of watching an intelligent and articulate talking goat (in a British/Indian cocktail accent), the creators of the show even include a brief cameo with a cartoon version of Muhammad Yunus (the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the founder of the Grameen Bank) whose nose you have to succesfully click on to make a donation! Well, it is a cartoon show after all.
Of course the show took a domestic turn, when Lisa decides to finance Nelson her classmate from Springfield. Overall, I found the show amusing. However, beyond a brief introduction the show did not really focus much microfinance it's implications for poverty and development in countries.
I felt the idea was to briefly introduce a new concept for American viewers and then deal with some issues close to home such as dropping out of school, brand name recognition, and customer policies of stores in the US. I make that sound intellectual, but in reality, it's really not all that cerebral...it's really just meant to be entertaining.
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