The internet is abuzz with claims that The Simpsons predicted the recent Coldplay kiss-cam capture of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron. However, a closer look reveals this wasn’t the first time the show made accurate predictions.
In reality, The Simpsons has a long history of predicting future events, often in humorous and unexpected ways.
The Trump presidency is one such example. In Season 11, Episode 17, “Bart to the Future,” Lisa becomes president after her father loses his memory due to a nuclear accident caused by Donald Trump. This episode aired 16 years before the first Trump presidential election.
Another prediction came from an Oceangate submersible accident. The Simpsons’ depiction of a similar-looking craft in Season 17’s “Homer’s Paternity Coot” episode eerily matches the real-life Titan submersible that imploded in 2006.
The show has also made predictions about Siegfried and Roy’s tiger attack, a U.S. gold medal win in curling, and even the Higgs-Boson particle discovery.
While The Simpsons writers are not psychic, these examples demonstrate how our minds tend to latch onto what we want to believe – often referred to as the “self-fulfilling prophecy.” By making light of potential events, the show creates a perception that it’s prophetic.
The law of averages plays a role in some predictions seeming like they came true by chance. With 790 episodes featuring approximately 173,800 jokes, it’s almost inevitable that some of them will become reality.
As for The Simpsons’ prediction of the Coldplay kiss-cam moment, it was likely just a coincidence or a playful joke gone viral.
Source: https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/what-people-are-getting-wrong-this-week-simpsons-predict-kisscam-scandal