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“Times have changed”: Simpsons drop long-running gag

Homer hasn't strangled Bart since 2019. It became news this week.

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“Why you little…”

News emerged this week that The Simpsons has dropped

In the third episode of the current 35th season, Homer greets his new neighbour by shaking his hand. When the neighbour comments that he wasn’t expecting such a firm grip, Homer replies: “See Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” before acknowledging that he doesn’t actually do that any more. “Times have changed,” he adds.

However as The Guardian points out, Homer actually hasn’t strangled Bart since Season 31 in 2019.

So for media claiming it is turning woke, the fact that nobody noticed until Homer verbally acknowledged it is either a sign that the outrage machine often operates outside the realms of basic human context, or that people don’t really watch The Simpsons any more.

I can still recall when the show launched in Australia a much admired TV critic was tut-tutting the show because when Homer dried Bart’s tears with a hair dryer they claimed a kid’s cartoon was making light of bad parenting.

It wasn’t a kid’s cartoon, and anyone who watched the show would realise above all, in The Simpsons household there is always unconditional love.

6 Responses

  1. “The outrage machine often operates outside the realms of basic human context, or that people don’t really watch The Simpsons any more” — whether or not the latter is true, the former is almost always the case (IMHO). I mean, the point of someone even bothering to post to social media something they just “found out” about a show they likely don’t even watch is lost on me. Any wonder the outrage machine is so often dialled up to 11? A still love The Simpsons, btw 🙂

  2. Homer choking bart was a boring and tired gag

    People need to remember the simpsons originally was more bart related and not Homer related stories but this changed early on as seasons passed and his jokes were better

      1. I record Stephen Colbert, but because its timeslot varies wildly, I’ve set it to start at 1145.

        So I end up visually fast forwarding through most of The Project rerun, but stop at a story which looks interesting.

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