I Don't Get It

The Banksy Simpsons opening credits sequence has gotten a lot of play. Can someone explain it to me?

At first, I thought it was a guerilla project—like Banksy imitated the Simpsons style of animation and made an unlicensed short film to highlight the cruelty of outsourcing, or American colonialist practices in service of our cravings for shallow entertainment, or something. Which would have been pretty brilliant.

But then I realized it was an official opening that actually aired. So … is it just a joke?

If it’s genuinely making light of a serious problem (or serious accusations that have been leveled at 20th Century Fox), that seems kind of crass.

Continuing a loathsome practice, but making a joke about it, feels like a lazy attempt to shrug off the accusations by making a humorous acknowledgement and dressing it up as satire. It’s like George W. Bush doing his "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be here somewhere!" bit.

The attitude they're hoping for seems to be, “Well, they’re admitting it. I guess they’re good eggs after all, and I can sit back and watch the cartoons.”

The other possibility is that it’s all a joke. Maybe conditions are luxurious for the Korean animators, and this is just a jab at the idea that The Simpsons treats them horribly. But then what does an underground, subversive street artist have to do with it at all?

I don’t know the real story behind the animation department, but apparently this very sequence was delayed because they threatened a walkout over it.
- - - - -"This is what you get when you outsource," joked The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean.- - - - -
What the— They’re doing it again!

So can someone clue me in? It’s very dark, definitely, but I’d like some explanation as to some of the thinking behind it.