Classic-era Simpsons episodes may not have had the solutions to all of life’s problems, but they did get a few things right.

Be sceptical of monorail salesmen. The lesson also applies to hucksters for other grand council projects.

Both candidates for US President in 1996 were, in reality, aliens wearing human skin-suits, conspiring to enslave everyone no matter which party won. Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos!

And there’s another serious lesson that’s too-often overlooked.

Ignore those who feed on attention.

American grifter Candace Owens plans to visit New Zealand. I wonder whether her intended visit is due to the success of the previous visit by other Canadian grifters a few years ago. Remember that success needn’t mean people paying for tickets. They aren't the intended audience.

There’s a kind of perverse ideological entrepreneur that feeds on controversy, and only on controversy. Their underlying messages range from racist tropes to conspiracy theories. None of it is worth any serious person’s attention.

But it’s trivially easy to help the outrage-merchants generate lots of small-donor donations from supporters.

Start by protesting the visit and demanding the government blocks their entry. If they’re allowed in, try to get the venue to cancel the booking. If cancelling fails, protest the event.

No matter the outcome of that game, the outrage-merchants win. They can show their supporters they’re important enough for the New Zealand government to care about. What they say must be important if people are trying to suppress it.

Whether or not their appearances ultimately proceed only changes the text in the donor appeal letter. Do they send Letter A, thanking their supporters for helping them overcome incredible odds to be allowed to speak and asking their support to take the message to the next place? Or Letter B, protesting the injustice and asking for support for the legal fights? Either way, their supporters’ outrage drives donations.

The Simpsons had the answer.

In a classic Halloween special, giant advertising billboard characters came to life and rampaged, Godzilla-like, through Springfield. Nothing could stop them. That is, until Lisa Simpson and Paul Anka came up with a catchy jingle telling people that if they were tired of monsters, “Just don’t look!”.

When people stopped looking, the monsters collapsed. It was only attention that kept them alive.

Just Don’t Look.

Image attribution: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Candace Owens (44621880630), CC BY-SA 2.0