‘The Economist’ Turned This Off-Hand ‘Simpsons’ Joke Into A 20-Year-Long Running Gag

Did you know that Indonesia is at a crossroads? The Economist sure does.  

In 2004, Fox aired a new episode of The Simpsons, titled, “Catch 'em if You Can,” in which Homer and Marge skip a planned trip to see Homer’s uncle Tyrone on the one-off relative’s birthday in order to take an impromptu vacation to Miami. The couple decide to abscond after remembering their uninspiring honeymoon, and, when they board the plane to the Magic City, Homer and Marge are delighted to score a free upgrade to the first class cabin with all the manicures, steaks, and politically moderate, 160-year-old, U.K.-based current affairs and international business newspapers that the top-shelf in-flight experience has to offer.  

While reveling in the luxury of first class, Homer, holding an issue of The Economist with a cover story titled “Indonesia’s Gambit,” asks Marge, “Did you know Indonesia is at a crossroads?”  

And, just like that, The Economist found its favorite evergreen headline.  

As it turns out, The Economist does watch American TV comedies – if for no other reason than to stay abreast of Rupert Murdoch's business ventures – and, just four days after the airing of “Catch ‘em if You Can,” the weekly magazine ran a story titled "Investing in Indonesia" in which they discussed the country's struggle to woo international investors despite a corrupt court system. Sure enough, in the article, The Economist described the country as being "at a crossroads.” Then, seven months later, The Economist cut to the chase and ran a cover headline that read "Indonesia at a Crossroads" in case their first joke was too subtle..  

Following the first two Simpsons references, The Economist found that they quite liked sneaking in little references just to delight the rare intersection of Simpsons fan and worldwide economics news. For instance, in 2013, The Economist rephrased their favorite title with the article, “Is Indonesia at a Crossroads?” and in a 2014 article titled “The empire strikes back” (which I'm assuming is a reference to something else, but I can't quite put my finger on it), The Economist suggested that the incoming Indonesian President Jokowi, “as a great man once put it, is at a crossroads.”  

Then, after retiring the joke for nearly a decade, The Economist came roaring back with another Simpsons reference this past November 20 when they ran the article “Indonesia is at a crossroads” about the uphill climb that current Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto faces to meet his ambitious goal of 8% economic growth within five years.  

But none of that is news to Homer Simpson – he flies first class.