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Michelangelo gets censored! As 'The Simpsons' predicted, angry parents call Statue of David 'porno'

A Florida charter school principal has been ousted after multiple parents complained that their sixth graders were made to view 'pornography'

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: It's no secret that the long-running popular animated series 'The Simpsons,' has been spot on in predicting events that have taken place in the real world. And it seems that this will continue in the near future, as the American sitcom has predicted a controversy at a charter school in Florida. 

The principal of  Tallahassee Classical School, Hope Carrasquilla, reportedly had to resign from her post after parents complained that the statue 'David' by Michelangelo, shown to students during a lesson on Renaissance art, was "pornographic." Carrasquilla announced her resignation Monday, March 20, following the directive of school board Chairman Barney Bishop, reports News Channel 8. 

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Carrasquilla told the outlet that she was "saddened" that her brief tenure at the school came to an end. She was only on the job for a year. 

What is the protest against?

According to the former principal, three parents reportedly became upset that their children were uncomfortable during a lesson in which Michelangelo's statue of David, arguably the world's most famous sculpture, was shown. The news comes after the school board issued a rule just a few months ago requiring parents to be informed before "potentially controversial" lessons.

Similarity to 'The Simpsons' episode

An episode based on a similar controversy aired in 1991. The episode, titled 'Itchy & Scratchy & Marge,' shows Marge Simpson boycotting Itchy & Scratchy after her youngest, Maggie Simpson, hits family patriarch Homer Simpson with a mallet while imitating the antics depicted in the fictional comedy show.

Marge decides to reach out to the show’s studio but her request gets turned down after she asked the studio to subdue the level of violence. She then forms a protest group called SNUH, which is an acronym for Nonviolence, Understanding, and Helping.

Much to Marge's discontent, the grows in popularity and suddenly everyone starts complaining about everything. Springfield gets chosen as a top spot for a US tour of Michelangelo’s David, which angers SNUH because of the statue’s nudity. Marge grows tired at this point and thus declares the statue to be a “masterpiece" personally. 

She realizes that the art shouldn’t be censored and eventually dismantles the group, allowing the statue to visit the town. 

'Handful of easily-offended parents'

Twitter users reacted to the incident. One user tweeted, "So this “handful of easily-offended parents” projected their own sexual feelings and “pornographic” ideas, aroused by the David statue, onto their children, who wouldn’t typically have those ideas at their ages. #BoycottFlorida" Another tweeted, "In Buffalo, a reproduction of the Michelangelo's David statue is clearly visible on Route 198 (the Scajaquada Expressway) that runs through Delaware Park near Buffalo's north-side museums. Humans as young as NEW BORNS can see it on their travels! Shocking, I know." One user opined, "to think that parents got irate at their kids seeing the david statue makes me more depressed about the future of art and gender relations than anything" while another wrote, "There’s literally a David statue in Buffalo that I would drive by with my mom when I was a kid all the time. …and that’s it. That’s the story. It’s not weird, it’s a statue.. Florida is odd." One tweeted, "My point is: classical art or not, evangelicals have completely flattened any sense of context for nudity and made it all evil. I 100% believe that there are parents who freak out at the prospect of their kid seeing a naked David statue." 

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