50 Times The Simpsons Saw It Coming Before the World Did

While this specific episode focused on cartoon violence and the origins of Itchy & Scratchy, it also included surreal scenes of government institutions collapsing into chaos. Over the years, The Simpsons revisited similar imagery—protesters storming buildings, flags waving amid unrest, police overwhelmed.

Then, on January 6, 2021, rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, wearing costumes, waving flags, and shattering a sense of national security. Suddenly, the cartoon’s dystopian exaggeration didn’t seem so far-fetched. The show’s legacy of political absurdity became horrifyingly recognizable.