Simpsons Tie

The Simpsons. Remember the controversy when The Simpsons first came on the air? It was a cartoon with too much bad humor. The kid was a punk, the adults were dumb, and the references were too sarcastic. Apparently America could relate. As a teenage kid, I could relate well with Bart. I was not much of a rebel myself, but I lived vicariously through the "Eat my shorts" antics of Bart and the "so intelligent I'm misunderstood" situations that Lisa had to endure. My favorite character was Homer, but my favorite secondary character was Ralph. He was so hilariously naive. Incidentally, Nelson the bully was one of my least favorite.

I watched from the first season. I think it was on the same night as Beverly Hills 90210 on Fox. I only watched a season of that, but I watched every night The Simpsons was on for years. My favorites were the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. I know I saw every episode of the first 7 0r 8 years. After that, I 'm not sure why I quit watching it. Perhaps, I grew out of the immature, cartoon watching phase. Yeah, probably not that.

I have another Simpsons tie that I wear sparingly. My nephews gave me that one and I like it, but I wasn't so sure about wearing it to school. In fact, the first time I wore it at Skyline, the former superintendent Mr. Boland asked me if Bart Simpson was a good role model for our students. My answer? "No, I don't suppose so." My thoughts? "Most of these little snots act just like Bart." - oh not really! It is interesting though, that the kids really relate to the Simpsons' ties. It seems to be among the most commented on by the kids.

As I have gotten older I tend to relate more and more with Homer (not to mention I'm starting to look more and more like Homer). He gets odd ideas, is always too sure of himself, and makes some stupid decisions. We both love donuts and sitting on the couch to watch TV. Today, in the midst of South Park, Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and all the similar over the line cartoons, The Simpsons seems pretty mild. I do kind of miss it. There might be a need for a Netflix marathon over Christmas break. Or maybe I'll wait until the kids are a little older.