Thank God Homer No Longer Strangles Bart

Thank God for Homer no longer strangling Bart on "The Simpsons." As evidenced in the third episode of the show's 35th season, titled "McMansion & Wife," which aired on Oct. 22, Homer says of quitting the potentially lethal form of assault, "Times have changed." May I be so brash as to say I can offer a unique and valuable perspective on this issue because I'm a victim of an ambush and strangulation by my brother on my dad's birthday—which my mom now says was attempted murder?

Interestingly, no one seemed to have noticed Homer quit strangling his son. As The Guardian writes:

However, it's worth pointing out that the episode wasn't about Homer reaching a point of realisation about never strangling Bart again. It was him pointing out that he doesn't do it any more. And he really doesn't. Homer hasn't strangled Bart since season 31.

I'm guessing no one ever thought it was that funny.

I'd like to say thanks to my peers from Bard College—many of whom are fans of "The Simpsons"—for not sharing images of Homer strangling Bart on social media over the years (I've never seen one).

I'm also glad George H. W. Bush (a name synonymous with the C.I.A. to me) always understood this fictional family was bad: "Back in 1992, when the show was in its infancy, president George HW Bush publicly remarked that American families needed to be 'a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons'" (The Guardian). The 41st president seemed slightly out of touch for this comment at the time, but in the end he seems prescient.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the creators of "The Simpsons" and the many affirming articles in the media. Their stances really matter to victims of strangulation like me and, more broadly, show they have a palpable conscience. It's so nice seeing how many people care about the topic of strangulation and how everyone seems to have come together to condemn it.

Article ID: 18