I think the Simpsons is not
racist is simply because racism is predicated on the idea that one race is
superior to another. It may take the form of
hatred and
exploitation,
paternalism or simply the idea of
intrinsic, essentialist notions of race. The
Simpsons doesn't really have this, at least as far as I've noticed, because it protrays everyone, of every race, as equally as
stupid, or at least flawed in some way, as well as being equally notable or even good in some way. In fact, it has made fun of the more 'harmless' of the
racial essentialist ideas, such as the ones protrayed by TV
comedians who talk about the different way
blacks and
whites drive.
The only thing that the Simpsons could be seen to promoting is nationalistc sterotypes, and, again, I really don't see that as seperate from the whole make fun of everybody thing. I mean, as dbrown noted a lot of these are sterotypes, and while they are a crutch in the real world, they may be appropiate for comedy. It's a just a matter of perspective and aplication, and the right nose for what is funny, and what is offensive.