Why is Jimmy Carter "history's greatest monster"?
In one episode of The Simpsons, the town is unable to raise enough money to build a statue of Abraham Lincoln (due to Marge's unavailability to sell treats because of her incarceration) and so instead is forced to settle for a statue of Jimmy Carter...
At which point one of the Springfieldianites angrily shouts,
He's history's greatest monster!
and a riot ensues.
My question is, why is Jimmy Carter considered to be history's greatest monster? I'm not fully up on American presidents, but at a glance through his Wikipedia page, it seems quite positive and doesn't show any major corruption or contraversy, or the like, leading me to think that this is a joke, in which case, I don't get it!
Best Answer
The joke is that Carter is a soft-spoken, genteel man, and thus calling him "history's greatest monster" is a ridiculous exaggeration.
It is possibly also a criticism of Republican propaganda to portray Democratic presidents as "monsters" for utterly ridiculous reasons.
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Why is Jimmy Carter remembered?
In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in co-founding the center. He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is considered a key figure in the charity Habitat for Humanity.What did Jimmy Carter accomplish after his presidency?
In the years that followed, he has led an active life, establishing the Carter Center, building his presidential library, teaching at Emory University in Atlanta, and writing numerous books. He has also contributed to the expansion of Habitat for Humanity, to build affordable housing.What did Carter do to help better human rights around the world?
During 1977 and 1978 the administration articulated the policy in various public statements, devised guidelines for its application, strengthened existing structures for managing human rights, and created new institutional arrangements for applying human rights considerations to economic and military aid.Jimmy Carter: Successes and Failures Abroad (1977 – 1981)
More answers regarding why is Jimmy Carter "history's greatest monster"?
Answer 2
This is addressed in the commentary audio track of the DVD for this episode.
The other answers are correct that history's greatest monster is a pretty extreme assessment of Jimmy Carter, so much so that it's a joke on its own (as it would be for most people that might have been chosen for the bit). Whatever you think of the man, in any context, it's probably pretty hard to explain why no one ever was worse than him.
According to the commentary on the DVD set (beginning at 20:10), Al Jean states that he and Mike Reiss (both show runners on The Simpsons, though only Al worked on this episode in that role) always tried to incorporate how much people disliked Jimmy Carter into things they worked on, including this episode.
Al Jean states that he despised Carter (though he did not explain why in the commentary). Bill Oakley, a writer on the episode, explicitly states in the commentary that the joke is how irrational the hatred is (citing the "history's greatest monster" line, along with the uninspiring inscription on the statue's plaque "Malaise Forever").
tl;dr: He isn't history's greatest monster. The core of the joke is the extremity of the town's reaction, and the selection of Carter as the subject was a choice made by particular staffers on the show that disliked him a lot.
Answer 3
He was too nice. Far too nice, especially for a President (he was elected after Watergate).
Carter was a born-again Christian. He famously confessed in a Playboy interview that he sometimes had "lust in his heart". The guy was a total Flanders. Both of them are just the worst.
He was also, in 1993 when the episode aired, known as the best ex-president. Ford golfed, Reagan was too ill, Bush-I joined an investment firm. But Carter built houses for Habitat for Humanity. That's why he's painting houses in another Simpsons -- he helped homeless people, with his own 2 hands, in real life. He was also, as an ex-pres, glad to fly to various countries to work out peace deals. "King of the Hill" had an episode where Carter was brought in to make peace between Hank and his dad. Back to reality, he still teaches Sunday school in his hometown. Sunday school -- as if regular church wasn't bad enough. He's been in the news as a super-nice guy ever since he retired.
He also had America boycott the 1980 Olympics. It was in Russia that year and they'd recently invaded Afghanistan(?) Olympic fans hated him for such a goody-two-shoes move. Mayor Quimby would never take a moral stand to do something that unpopular.
Answer 4
President Carter has a reputation similar to Neville Chamberlain's, but milder. His critics dislike him not so much for what he did, but for what he failed to do. Even though he arguably didn't cause it, his presidency is practically synonymous with the stagflation, energy crisis, and economic malaise of the 1970s. Boycotting the Olympics is a fairly tame response to an invasion. He also was ineffectual at ending the Iran hostage crisis.
Whether you agree with the characterization or not, the word "monster" is exactly opposite to how his detractors would describe his reputation. Hence the joke.
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