Blame IT On Lisa - Response in Brazil

Response in Brazil

Parts of "Blame It on Lisa" were met with negative reception in Brazil shortly after its broadcast in the United States. According to The Washington Post, "an immediate media frenzy was born" as the episode started receiving coverage in local newspapers and news programs on Brazilian television. An article published in the Houston Chronicle on April 8, 2002 stated that critics in the country were upset by the inclusion of clichés and stereotypes, such as Brazilians having Spanish accents and wearing mustaches, and that the episode mixed up their culture with that of surrounding Latin American countries. Alex Bellos, The Guardian's correspondent in Brazil, commented that one of the things upsetting the Brazilians was the many inaccuracies featured in the episode, such that the conga and the macarena are popular dances in Brazil; the conga is actually a Caribbean dance, and the macarena does not come from Brazil nor is it frequently performed there.

On April 6, 2002, it was reported by the Brazilian media that Riotur, the tourist board of Rio de Janeiro, was planning on suing Fox for damaging the international image of the city. Riotur stated that Rio de Janeiro was portrayed in "Blame It on Lisa" as having rampant street crime, kidnappings, slums, and a rat infestation, and it was thought that this would discourage foreigners from visiting the city. Over a period of three years up to the airing of "Blame It on Lisa" in the United States, Riotur had spent US$18,000,000 on a campaign to attract tourists to Rio de Janeiro. The tourist board now saw this as a waste of money since they believed the campaign was undermined by the portrayal of the city in the episode. Riotur's planned lawsuit was supported by the Brazilian government, with president Fernando Henrique Cardoso stating that the episode "brought a distorted vision of Brazilian reality".

Martin Kaste, the National Public Radio's South America correspondent, reported on April 9, 2002 that since their announcement that they were going to sue Fox, the Riotur officials had been told by their lawyers in the United States that it would be difficult to sue the episode there because of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects parodies. The Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks soon issued a statement saying: "We apologize to the lovely city and people of Rio de Janeiro. And if that doesn't settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the president of Brazil on Fox's Celebrity Boxing." Spokespersons for Fox told the press that they had not received nearly as much criticism with previous episodes that poked fun at other nations. Showrunner Al Jean has said in an interview that "Every other place has had a good sense of humor. Brazil caught us by surprise." When "Blame It on Lisa" eventually aired in Brazil in December 2002, there was a statement at the beginning noting that Fox is not responsible for the vision of the producers behind the episode.