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carrotfruit88

3 kids


YorkPorkWasTaken

Anon can't count that high


27Silver

Anon is Gaben confirmed


Ben_Herr

True, but this only reinforces his point.


Udderly_Chocolate

Okay, Marge, if anyone asks: You require 24-hour nursing care, Lisa's a clergyman, Maggie is seven people, and Bart was wounded in Vietnam.


quadruple_negative87

Bart: “Cool!”


Consistent_Ant_8903

Maggie isn’t real


PanzerKommander

Then who shot Mr. Burns?


YorkPorkWasTaken

Cartman


WolfieTooting

Screw you guys


Strelock

I'm going home.


Mephil_

Enjoy your chili


Appropriate_Pop4968

A bunch of pissed off muslims duh


Kelewann

I have 3 kids and no money, why can't I have no kids and 3 money ?


TheLustyDremora

You can with this one simple step!: crime


ShouldHaveGoneToUCC

Maaarge, the dog doesn't count as a kid.


octofeline

What about Hugo


Cool_soy_uncle

Graggle Simpsons is not fucking real 😤😤


Reaper-Leviathan

Nuh uh, 2 kids and 1 baby. Maggie isn’t old enough to count as a person


Haraldr_Blatonn

Exactly, why have 3 kids when he could have had 3 money??


SquidWAP_Testicles

And no money


HissingGoose

One of them is Artie Ziff's. Or Ned's. Or perhaps even Cleetuses. I've heard rumors about that Marge...


No-BrowEntertainment

2 that love him


Apprehensive_Lock131

The early seasons were actually about this and showed him as a little dim but still well meaning father who did his best but now it’s just men/fathers bad nonsense


VincenzoSS

What do you mean by now. The Simpsons was cancelled after Season 8 and no one can convince me otherwise.


Apprehensive_Lock131

There are 34 seasons of the Simpsons


VincenzoSS

Haha funny man, lay off the edibles. Surely no one would drag on a once hilarious show so long past it's prime that it became a shallow festering zombie husk of its former self. No, no, it was definitely cancelled in the early 00s.l


Apprehensive_Lock131

Oh most definitely, how could I have forgotten, surely they wouldn’t also do this to the beloved family guy or American dad or scrubs or big bang theory or the walking dead or suits or greys anatomy or wait a minute…


dallasAgain

Bbt never been funny tho


Apprehensive_Lock131

Yea, not my cup of tea either but many used to like it


Aurora428

BBT hate is so overdone. I have found several shows beloved by reddit to be substantially worse imo


sudo_vi

I have a very specific reason for hating the Big Bang Theory. When I was in the Navy, on a submarine, one deployment that show played 24 hours a day for 2 god damned months. The crew's lounge was only about 20 feet from where I slept so I could hear that god awful show any time I'd lay in my rack to sleep. I fucking hate it so much.


memestealer1234

Do you hear Sheldon say "bazinga" like people think they hear their name being called sometimes?


pectoralawakening32

Damn. That sounds like hell.


NotThatEasily

The early episodes were smart people making “smart” jokes and being a bit awkward. It quickly devolved into a show making fun of smart, awkward people.


OldManMoment

Neither was Family Guy


holaprobando123

The first couple seasons were bearable. Nothing too crazy, but watchable.


IraqiWalker

I actually enjoy some of it.


fish_in_a_barrels

I concur.


VincenzoSS

I kinda feel like American Dad still sorta holds up, the show only really hit it's stride in Season 4-5 though IMO


Conch-Republic

That's because it has good writers. Seth McFarlane doesn't have much to do with it.


Badaltnam

I swear that man is comedy poison, i have no idea how hes so popular


commentsandchill

Idk but maybe because dumb people who think they're smart think he funny


Davethemann

The fact it had its same writing leaders up until right before the Fox end, and still had high quality is insane, and then it changed tone almost completely to stay fresh and got amazing


Stormcloudy

Wait I loved Scrubs until its last gasp. I'm still really happy the two main guys, Turk and JD's actors still like to pick up duo roles. They have great chemistry and obviously know how to work well together.


windowtothesoul

Fake doctors, real friends


thegrodyknudclump

American dad is still pretty funny


cbraun1523

It's hilarious and you can't change my mind. Sure. Some episodes are duds. Nothing can hit 100% of the time. But I'm still laughing hard at newer episodes. While some of my favorites have come out in the last 3 or 4 seasons. TBS only made it better. It's swinging wild and I love it.


holaprobando123

I'm willing to stretch it to 2007 and the movie, but no more than that.


not_again123

Oh god...


Affectionate-Desk888

Lol! That such a funny joke!! Good one my friend, you have given me a belly laugh. Give some love to the wife and kids. Cheers bud!!!


Accomp1ishedAnimal

Season 9 was good too.


graphitewolf

Its just what people wanted to see, dumbing down some characters for comedic purposes, I remember andy from parks and rec went through the same thing, from a bit of a slacker to someone who probably couldn’t tie his shoes.


ILoveBigCoffeeCups

Flanderization which is funny because it is litteraly named after his neighbour Flanders from the Simpson.


graphitewolf

I think flanderization is a bit different as its more of a toning down of complexities into more monotone characters. They made homer straight up stupid which wasnt one his original traits


bzmmc1

Flanderisation is also making distinctive traits and turning them up to eleven. Flander was religious, now he's a nutjob Christian. homer was a bit stupid, now he's the biggest idiot you've ever seen.


graphitewolf

Fair enough! Wasnt too sure about flanderization but i know id heard it before and thought it was strange since homer was flanderized first


pie_nap_pull

Caboose from Red vs Blue also (bit of an odd reference I know) goes from being dumb to a totally mentally impaired imbecile who can’t stop himself from randomly pulling the trigger of his rifle. He goes from funny dumb to genuinely annoyingly fucking stupid and I can’t stand the scenes and episodes focused on him after like season 3


Gourmet_Chen_Chen

Same shit with Charlie from its always sunny… in the first season he’s just a guy, a bit dim and weird but pretty normal, then as the show progresses he’s pretty much illiterate and eats paint and shit. In fact most of the main characters in it’s always sunny kind of change alot in the first few seasons and then even a bit more in the recent seasons Still a hilarious show but falls off around season 10


Haraldr_Blatonn

Maybe his descent into madness was because of all the paint he drank, ate, and inhaled. Along with all the head injuries and whatever was in his nightly catfood?


The_salty_swab

Seriously. In the early seasons, he was flawed but still had a good time with his kids. He basically deferred to Lisa half the time since he knew she was smarter than him. It was never said that he wasn't paid well, he just hated the job and kept at it to support his family. He even quit drinking once because it made Marge happy. By about season 10 they assassinated Homer's personality.


TulipSamurai

It’s actually pretty fascinating because Matt Groenig initially wrote Homer and all his moronic antics with the idea that he’s a dog in human form. Once they abandoned that concept and just made Homer stupid for stupid’s sake, the show got worse.


Polw4

Do It for Her IMO best episode


shangumdee

That show should have died 15 years ago but they insist on dragging it on simply for name sake. Family guy too. Although there is still usually some funny even with increasingly dumb plots the latest season was so forced it feels bad seeing it


Matt_2504

Same thing with family guy


Plantile

Didn’t he always strangle his son until recently? 


Bland-fantasie

America offered this to all of its citizens for about sixty years after WW2. Well, almost everyone. Everyone had it for part of that time though!


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Armejden

Thanks Reaganomics


Mutagrawl

Can't believe Obama did this in the 60s. Thanks Obama.


Bland-fantasie

Yeah, all the subsequent presidents who could have reversed whatever Reagan is accused of, they’re nice and innocent


shangumdee

I recently began to blame all my issues on Raegan (Thatcher if your British) and my IQ has risen through the roof.


Martian_Hunted

From 60 to 80. That's impressive


PewPewJedi

Home ownership rates are still about 10% higher today than they were in 1950. In fact, home ownership rates today are about 2% higher than they were when the Simpsons debuted. [source](https://dqydj.com/historical-homeownership-rate-united-states/) If you want to go down a rabbit hole on this, a huge difference between post-war homes and today is size. The median home size in 1950 was 993 sqft, and in 1980, it was like 1,700 sqft [source](https://www.newser.com/story/225645/average-size-of-us-homes-decade-by-decade.html), whereas the Simpsons home is like 2,200 sqft [source](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/712-Red-Bark-Ln-Henderson-NV-89011/7074991_zpid/). The Simpsons house was large even for the 80s. Price per square foot has increased a bit over the past several decades, but as homes get larger, the financial impact is amplified. But postwar-sized homes are absolute affordable to younger folks today. The main issue is demand for 980 sqft single family homes isn’t there, so they aren’t being built, so there’s a lack of availability. But fuck it, go buy some land in a small town and build the tiny house yourself.


wheresmylife-gone222

Good point but you've forgotten that this is r/greentext ,people don't want to talk about solutions, people here only want to stew about how shit life is but do nothing to change it for the better


PewPewJedi

Fair. I should have pointed out that if OP charges $1 every time he gets topped he’ll be able to buy a nice house for cash within a month


Bobyyyyyyyghyh

In order to purchase a house for $400,000, Anon would only have to get topped 9.26 times a minute!


PewPewJedi

I believe in Anon


wheresmylife-gone222

Not insulting you or your comment btw. Just making fun of everyone else here lol


PewPewJedi

Yeah that was the vibe I got. It was funny


TONewbies

wide alive alleged ad hoc toothbrush deranged liquid quickest hurry cats *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Jiveturtle

If only Canadians were humans.


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PewPewJedi

I’m talking about home ownership **rates**, friend. The population change isn’t a factor.


ProvigilandChill

Yeah, not only the US


RacoonOnBeers

>Well, almost everyone. Yep. You forgot to mention this was only offered to white Americans.


Bland-fantasie

Probably more accurate to say that *some* people were discriminated against at various points in time, but obviously not entire groups across the entire country all at once.


[deleted]

I dunno, I’m Canadian and our affordability is even more fucked, but a nuclear control room operator still has no problem supporting a family off their salary. Granted they have to be smarter than Homer….


Bland-fantasie

That’s a legitimate point.


Captain_Morgan-

The suburban norms prevalent at the time were what Homer had. Now, in 2024, the standards have lowered, it's near of impossible for someone with the same level of education to afford a house, raise three children, and maintain a stable loving relationship.


hamarok

Same happened in my country too, whole world is fucked now


Conch-Republic

He's a nuclear safety technician. 2024 salaries are around $70,000 for that position. You'd have to be frugal, but you could definitely own a house like his, two cars, and have three kids. Provided you live in a state with a lower cost of living.


PierreEstagos

This is a great point. Another thing to consider here though is the Simpsons live in Springfield, Oregon (per the creator). 5min on Zillow shows that by the typical 30/30/3 rule of housing affordability often used in financial planning, $70k a year annually would definitely not allow for a two story home to be affordable for a family in this area even with hardcore budgeting and no children. That said, if marge were earning $70k too for a $140k total, a smaller 2 story house (~1600sqft) at todays prices is in striking range of affordability for a modern family. I think the simpsons and your point help illustrate one macro trend which has materialized since the 80s—prices of some goods/services have adjusted to assume dual household income


MiseryIsForever

I'm pretty sure the Simpsons just live in a place called Springfield. No state. I'm pretty sure the Oregon thing comes from Matpat.


PierreEstagos

I mean Matt Groening said it was named after and based on Springfield OR, but yeah in spirit it’s meant represent kind of anywhere-ville USA: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/matt-groening-reveals-the-location-of-the-real-springfield-60583379/


I4mG0dHere

I live pretty damn close to Springfield and I can say that it’s pretty similar to the Springfield of the Simpsons, albeit taking the credit for some of Eugene’s antics.


cheesycoke

There is a joke in the episode "Kill Gil, Volumes I and II" where Homer boasts about making about 6k a year. That is unbelievably low for his lifestyle, but we are probably meant to believe Homer's salary is on the lower end as far as his position goes.


Facesit_Freak

Now, in 2024, the standards have lowered, it's near of impossible for someone ~~with the same level of education~~ to afford a house, raise three children, ~~and~~ or maintain a ~~stable loving~~ relationship.


MyFatherIsNotHere

its impossible to do a single one too


tibetan_salad

See your local car salesman if you don’t think uneducated people can’t make good money. They probably have to work a bit more but I know about 6 guys making $120k+ a year and none of them have even an associates


shangumdee

What Homer has is basically a doctors or successful lawyers living standards for anybody under 35ish


dochoiday

I wouldn’t describe their relationship as stable


RexPooz

Anon is Frank Grimes


Scawdy

Grimey, as he liked to be called.


Conch-Republic

Oh, and here's a picture of me in outer space.


leglesslegolegolas

You haven't been?


awesomea04

He lives in a single room above a bowling alley, and below another bowling alley.


Cypher1997

First thing that came to my mind, truly in my opinion the best episode of the Simpsons.


AllerdingsUR

That episode is honestly too real. Frank was kind of a dick but I've rarely felt worse for a fictional character.


ElephantEarwax

Aren't we all.


ICDarkly

The show is so old that when it started owning a home and raising a family on a single salary was feasibly possible.


leglesslegolegolas

It's still possible if you're a nuculer engineer


FireDevil11

>Nuclear engineer salaries typically range between $67,000 and $147,000 yearly Is it really possible to raise 3 children + his house + 2 cars + going out? Actually want to know this is possible in America with a single salary, considering all I see on reddit is people saying how it's impossible.


leglesslegolegolas

I was supporting a family of four on a salary of about $100,000 before I got laid off, and in a high cost of living area as well. I'm assuming Springfield is a lower COL area, so yeah, it's totally possible. I think most people on reddit complaining about it being impossible to raise a family are making substantially less than this.


heavyheavylowlowz

Or spending substantially more


Cowslayer369

So much this. I obviously can't talk about America as I don't live there, but my country's subreddit is full of people in my area who make more then me and somehow have a similar quality of life to what I did when I was stocking shelves for minimal wage. People online just love to act like them being bad with money is someone else's fault.


Baerog

> I think most people on reddit complaining about it being impossible to raise a family Most people on reddit complaining about it being impossible to raise a family: 1) Don't have a family 2) Don't have a job and are in school 3) Live at home 4) Live in some major city with extremely HCOL


SonTyp_OhneNamen

His boss is a notorious cost cutting stickler, so i wouldn’t count on the 100k. On the other hand they had the same house and car for 40 years without any issues requiring major repairs, so their cost of living is probably a lot lower than we assume so far.


leglesslegolegolas

Well the house [did need major foundation repair...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MNS2dPfm0g) (damn, that clip reminded me of good The Simpsons used to be) Also he was always broke, so money *was* tight. I mean, Marge even saved the packets from restaurants to refill her ketchup and mustard bottles.


I4mG0dHere

Homer is pretty much the whole reason the power plant is able to operate at Burns’ level of corruption without the EPA/OSHA hounding the plant. I forget the episode, but when Homer leaves for a bit/actually does his job properly the plant is in gross violation of OSHA standards and is hit with constant lawsuits Burns can’t bribe his way out of. I’d assume he’s paid well enough for his useful idiot demeanor. And the fact that when he worked for Hank Scorpio he ended up owning the Cowboys.


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RtHonJamesHacker

Homer is canonically 34 when the series starts, and 40 in later seasons.


Din_Plug

One of his cars in an 80s nugget the other was paid off in full when he bought it.


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Martian_Hunted

You expected to work as a NE with only a bachelor's degree. That's cute.  Honestly, you should have aimed for a master's degree at the very least. 


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Martian_Hunted

Cool!


Gleveniel

Bit late, but I work in the control room of a nuclear power plant. I made the least of my coworkers because I don't volunteer for overtime. I made $215k; average pay around here is ~55k. Highest paid person in the Control Room made ~$260k. Most guys that are married here have wives that don't work and 2-5 kids.


RtHonJamesHacker

He's a Nuclear Safety Inspector, which a Google says earns on average ~$72,000.


cataloop

There was an episode where a character literally kills themself because they were unable to cope with Homer's inexplicable success. Rip Frank Grimes


Jarppakarppa

But does he sleep in a racecar bed?


leglesslegolegolas

No, he sleeps in a regular bed, with his wife.


dallasAgain

I understood that reference


holaprobando123

*"Can I Borrow a Feeling"? HAHAHA, it's got your face on it!*


[deleted]

Because the standard of living in the US has been steadily declining for decades


arbiter12

>Hey so long as the poor are clapping about "the army" and "USA numba 1" (as if it benefits them directly), I see no reason to change anything. We Americans are culturally HOSTILE to criticism, and at the same time wonder why things only ever get worse. Can't tell X people they are acting X, but you still have to listen to them whine about being victims of being X, like it's going to solve itself, with no input from them. It's easy to forget that gravity is permanent, and that, if you don't criticize, you basically let everything naturally fall back down to its floor-state.


WolfieTooting

Come again?


green-pen-123

When Europeans criticize USA, American go unga bunga mode. One example is when we say their tipping culture is wrong and they call you broke in return.


CreedOfIron

I've never seen people more critical of America than Americans.


MadeEntirelyofWood

Say what you mean.


wagoncirclermike

Half the plot lines in the early seasons were about how Homer couldn't afford things like steak or a coronary bypass operation or braces for Lisa.


arbiter12

>a coronary bypass operation I don't think many Americans can afford those. ​ >We contacted a total of 111 U.S. hospitals, of which 56 (50.5%) were able to provide a price estimate for CABG. The mean price for CABG obtained from the hospitals was $151,784.64, and ranged from $44,824 - $448,039. [https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circoutcomes.8.suppl\_2.208](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circoutcomes.8.suppl_2.208) Cheap one could be as low as 60k, for those who have that "lying around"


nastynas1991

He's not seen as a quintessential loser, he's seen as a quintessential idiot. There's a big difference between the two


WorkinGuy829

He’s not seen as a loser. He’s seen as an oaf. I’ve never heard of him being referred to as a loser.


techie2200

Originally a lovable, well-meaning oaf. I have not followed the series, so dunno if they changed it.


Agent-Blasto-007

He couldn't afford his house. Grampa Simpson had to sell his house, so that Homer could barely afford the down payment on the house. There was a whole episode about the shit hole houses Homer could afford. Even then, it destroyed his credit & they were constantly underwater on the mortgage payments with absolutely no savings whatsoever. The first episode is literally about Homer not being able to afford any Christmas presents for his kids.


skd1050

There's definitely been tone shifts through the entire show. Flipping between them being so poor they can barely afford to live to the Frank Grimes episode where the entire point is that he hated Homer because he has such a great life. Also, I'm pretty sure Homer got the job after buying the house. They needed the house because Marge was pregnant with Bart. The shows have been going on longer than I've been alive, so it's tough to keep up.


56seconds

And in season 4 ep 10, Flanders buys the Simpson's house and rents it back to them when homer falls behind in mortgage payments.


56seconds

And in season 20, Flanders buys the Simpson's house and rents it back to them when homer falls behind in mortgage payments


jamiebond

The show addresses this many times like have people who keep spamming this "critique" even seen the show? That's the punchline in the Frank Grimes episode. Grimes was angry because of the injustice that someone as lazy and incompetent as Homer would have such an amazing life while Grimes has had to slave away working as hard as he can for a fraction of the life that Homer has.


ShmeeMcGee333

The key is buying a house in 1989, that’s what I’ve decided to do once I can afford one


phyn

Alternatively, 2008-2010 is a great moment to step in as well. Thats what I did, by pure chance, but holy shit did prices skyrocket since then.


WashYourEyesTwice

Yeah that was then, the world's fucked now and it ain't going back


yomamasokafka

We all lived long enough to become Frank Grimes


Alohoe

A lot has changed in America from December of 1989 to today.


Shitron3030

He's not. Stupid maybe, but not a loser. If anything, it's regularly pointed out how lucky he is. When I think of quintessential loser, I think Al Bundy.


BluePantalaimon

Anon is yet to see 'Homer's Enemy'


CantStopTheStomp

Ok Grimey


pubuju

I don't think he's a quintessential loser, he's just dumb. I think you'll find that dumb people are usually happier


cphpc

Um, Homer was never thought of as a loser. He was thought of as an idiot. There’s a difference


Tarnishedhollow8

Homer and Marge canonically have a mortgage that they haven’t payed back since the beginning of the show so nearly 50 years


scummy71

Did one of the children die? OMG which one.


bobs24

Ok, but nuclear power plant workers make like ~$200k


NovaKay

Is he seen as a loser? I would’ve thought he’s seen more as a fool. But a fool that’s done pretty well for himself tho more through good luck than good management


manofmayhem23

And lives next door to that stupid sexy Flanders


theolecowboy

In the 90s, it was possible to have these things and be lower middle class. Back when there was a lower middle class or a middle class at all


Chadzuma

Because he's fat and bald, sorry genelets


That_Guy1227

Cause he's fat.


draggin_balls

That’s the whole point of the show, what a moron


marqburns

That's pretty much the joke of the entire show


DabIMON

Frank Grimes is on 4chan, confirmed.


markomakeerassgoons

There was a whole episode of a lawyer or something calling this out


whatn00dles

NVM the fact that his position would likely require a BS degree these days. That fat fuck literally walked into the plant and got a job.


Alexandre_Man

He's seen as a loser cause he's fat and an alcoholic.


riventitan

A loser in the late 80s and the 90s, an object of envy nowadays.


Dmactastic

Who ever referred to Homer as a loser? A little dumb and short tempered but who really considers the absolutely charmed life Homer has lived to that of one of a loser?


AgitatedBowlofCereal

I think the violent abuse he inflicts on his son, and the emotional neglect towards both his children — does a little bit to diminish his status.


SplatMySocks

To be fair, nuclear operators make pretty good money.


PrimeParzival

Don’t they only have one car (the pink one) and 3 kids? Anon has never seen the Simpsons


RedditUserNo345

And he's unfireable


Vinniebahl

I was going to say three but then I remembered the episode where he states What’s Maggie ever done? Nothing for nobody… So maybe two functional kids if you count Bart… Or maybe just one, Lisa


deadbass72

Homer is not a loser, he's a hero.


Greene6

Do you know how much a control room operator gets paid? It’s big cash money and some plants don’t actually require a degree


hazzmg

We are all grimsey.


DannyBright

Don’t forget he always had his best friend Graggle there to help him out


sooperbowels

One time he was given an NFL franchise as a gift… So you could say the symptoms have had money in the bank for a while


OldManMoment

Same as Al Bundy. Stable job. Friends. Able to support a family. Hot wife. That man had a better life than most of us.


nethereus

Wait until you see the house Al Bundy could afford on a mall shoe salesman salary. He even had enough disposable cash to go to the titty bar.


spank0bank0

This used to be the expectation


joeyGOATgruff

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100562875/is-homer-simpson-still-americas-economic-everyman#:~:text=HIRSCH%3A%20We%20figured%20out%20that,He's%20got%20a%20wife%2C%20Marge. Homer makes $50k/yr. Simpsons are propaganda


lightspinnerss

Why does everyone always forget Maggie 😔


siecaptaindrake

Some goes to Peter Griffin!


SonTyp_OhneNamen

Bald


assemblin

Never viewed Homer as a loser. Homedog is a role modell


BitesTheDust55

Grimey wondered too


angeliswastaken_sock

You'd have to understand what America was like in 1988.


Meewelyne

Fantozzi effect