Upworthy Springfield: Linkbait With A Hint of Nostalgia

Carmen’s Team Pick:

I grew up watching The Simpsons at dinner with my family every night, which explains why it took me a while to figure out just how dysfunctional the real world was.

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It helps, though, to know that I was just light years ahead of the rest of the world when I watched The Simpsons. I knew about political corruption, racism, sexism, religious fundamentalism, working-class struggles, and corporate corruption eons before everyone else – it was just fiction is all.

If we lived in Springfield, we’d all be rallying against Mayor Quimby and standing up for the fellow pups in Santa’s Little Helper’s litter at the dog track. We’d be pissed about nuclear waste and shocked by the random acts of kindness that take place in the cynical, yellow-tinged world of the longest-running sitcom in history. Buzzfeed would be buzzing with GIFs of the Krusty Krab telethon and The New York Times would be reporting on Homer’s dumbass shenanigans.

And according to the Tumblr Upworthy Springfield, we’d also all be subjected 24/7 to linkbait about our favorite wide-eyed, over-the-top neighbors instead of slam poets and documentary films from ten years ago.

upworthyspringfield

Ugh. Even the Internet is better in Springfield.

All of these would be so amazing to click because instead of feeling like I have to act on an urge to save humanity afterward I could just continue sitting on my couch laughing my ass off.

A bonus? There’s even a newsletter pop-up that never stops making you want to bang your head into your computer screen when you come innocently seeking out a good quote for your nonprofit’s Twitter feed. Only this time, it makes you laugh.

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If the question is to follow or not to follow, the answer is obvious.

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Carmen

Carmen spent six years at Autostraddle, ultimately serving as Straddleverse Director, Feminism Editor and Social Media Co-Director. She is now the Consulting Digital Editor at Ms. and writes regularly for DAME, the Women’s Media Center, the National Women’s History Museum and other prominent feminist platforms; her work has also been published in print and online by outlets like BuzzFeed, Bitch, Bust, CityLab, ElixHER, Feministing, Feminist Formations, GirlBoss, GrokNation, MEL, Mic and SIGNS, and she is a co-founder of Argot Magazine. You can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr or in the drive-thru line at the nearest In-N-Out.

Carmen has written 919 articles for us.

9 Comments

  1. This is the best ever. I love that it focuses on the older seasons, which we all know are the clear best.

    By the way, the new site is great! Very mobile friendly too.

  2. THANK YOU for calling out the oft naive heart-string-plucking of Upworthy and its ridiculous outdated content

    • This is probably how 90% of Upworthy is actually produced. “We need another gimmicky way to lure in readers!! TO THE GENERATOR!!!”

  5. Make it even better by hearing the headlines in Troy McClure’s voice.

    (Unless that will make you sad because Phil Hartman)

  6. I love crazy cat lady, she was a lawyer (/doctor) who flipped her shit after too much liquor one day, I feel like she’s my destiny

  7. This is so so good. I’m super glad someone found a way to make that annoying pop up into a good thing!! Is it bad that I’m way more interested in reading these articles than the “save the world” ones? Nah… we’re saving the world in our own way.

Comments are closed.