14 DAY TRIAL // While religious beliefs should, ideally, have nothing to do with the public’s appreciation of one artist or another, in practice, it has often been shown that this is not the case. The same goes for Tom Cruise too, who, until not long ago, was harshly criticized and lost in terms of popularity because of his many speeches in support of Scientology, when he should have been focusing on a certain movie alone. Fellow believer Nancy Cartwright is now in the spotlight, after a tape in which she uses Bart Simpson’s voice to recruit for the cult has been revealed.
The recording, as it usually happens in these cases, has been posted on YouTube and, not surprisingly, has generated a lot of outrage. Cartwright begins the robo-message by introducing herself as Bart Simpson and doing the character’s well-too-known laugh. Then, as VillageVoice points out, she says her real name, but continues to speak in Bart’s voice right down to the end of the message.
As the website in question, which is also the one who has uncovered the recording, states, it’s this very fact that should be criticized, and not that Cartwright is spreading the word of the cult in the hope for more recruits. “It’s not so much that she starts by saying, ‘This is Bart Simpson’ - she quickly says she’s just kidding and identifies herself. But she keeps talking in the voice of Bart as she announces ‘I’m now auditing on New OTVII,’ says that she will ‘share my many wins’ as an ‘auditor’ at a the [sic] Hollywood Scientology event, and assures us, ‘It’s gonna be a blast, man! (Bart laugh)’ before asking us to call and confirm our attendance. It’s as if we’d heard Bugs Bunny making a speech for Hamas (‘Poisonally, Doc, I prefer jihad’).” VillageVoice points out.
The conclusion is, in the end, just one: certain things should not be mixed, and business with personal beliefs is just one on the long list. Fans, in their turn, are more than bothered by Cartwright’s attitude, as the comments section on the website where the video first appeared clearly shows. One of these fans even goes as far as emphasizing that she should be held responsible by Fox for making it sound like Bart Simpson, and the network implicitly, are endorsing Scientology.
“I think Fox news ought to consider actions against her since it really makes it sound like The Simpsons and FOX endorse Scientology.” one poster suggests. Below is the recording, so you can judge for yourselves what to make of it.