The Simpsons have been on TV for 30 seasons, and with a run like that, they’re bound to touch on every topic. After a little more than 10 years, they’ve finally delivered an irreverent take on cryptocurrency, with an explainer delivered by guest star Jim Parsons.
In the clip, Professor Frink shows Lisa Simpson the Parsons explainer, introducing him as “TV’s most beloved scientist.” The Big Bang Theory star delivers a fairly accurate and no non-sense explanation of what cryptocurrencies and blockchains are. The gags are mostly saved for how cool he is, and how being a nerd doesn’t hold him back.
The bit also references the old edutainment shorts, “Schoolhouse Rock!” A distributed ledger dances across the screen, explaining how the whole system works pretty accurately. He closes up his musical number by belting out “Each day I’m closer to being the cash of the future, not in your wallet, I’m in your computer!”
A one minute bit isn’t enough time for the Simpsons to make every joke and reference they can, so Parsons introduces a wall of text at the end, saying “Here’s everything else you need to know.” There’s some decent information in the wall of text, noting that cryptocurrencies don’t rely on trusted third parties, and noting that not all cryptocurrencies have the same protocol rules. They also note that they know who Satoshi is, but “we’re not telling.” Perhaps it’s too soon to expect a Dr. Craig Wright guess spot on the show.
They unfortunately also take a crack at the mining industry, writing “But for some reason, these crypto guys are really into computers. So we have big buildings full of energy-gobbling air-conditioned computers solving useless math problems.”
It’s a cute little bit, and it does provide the basics of what a cryptocurrency is. Unfortunately though, it does not get into the other abilities of Bitcoin, reborn as BSV, as it’s also capable of being the data ledger of the future. But that might be expected: it’s rare that The Simpsons goes deep on a topic, and this was seemingly more to laugh at Mr. Parsons than to learn anything in depth about Bitcoin.
All the same, for the millions of viewers the Simpsons gets on a weekly basis, this could be a great first introduction to the crypto space, and a fair one, considering no single digital asset was referenced by name. A little bit of searching, and they will discover that Bitcoin BSV is the only blockchain and asset they need. But in the meantime, if you want to watch the clip again, check it out below.
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