Is Bart Simpson really a "bad" kid?

J

jnice100

New member
We all know Bart Simpson's image is that he's a bad boy, but is he really that bad? Aside from not doing well in school (and that doesnt neccesarily mean anything), he truly loves his family and even when he pulls pranks, he doesnt mean to hurt anyone (and does try to make things right when they do hurt the victim). I just see him as a normal 10 yr old with a rebellious streak.
 
In the show's early years, yes, Bart was supposed to be the 'bad boy', but in this day and age, Bart's antics are relatively tame compared to what they're getting away with in the McFarlane shows.
 
Bart hasn't done something really mean in years. And most of the time, when he does something bad, he feels guilt and remorse after it. He's far from being the devil incarnate his reputation paints him as.
 
Not anymore. He hasn't Facebook a kid to death, or got some woman pregnant, which is something he said in a recent episode as to why he can't be the epitome of being a bad kid. Most of his pranks are pretty average for a kid his age, even if some are more elaborate than others, and he does it for fun, he doesn't do it to rebel against society.
 
Even though Bart was never evil through-and-through, he still tended to act like a jerk most of the time from season 1 to about season 8, and was arguably just as much of a constant comic relief as Homer was. Homer was the resident lovable idiot and Bart was the resident smart-mouthed punk. Eventually however, when Homer started acting like an even bigger jerk than Bart ever was, Bart's role in the show started shifting to a point where his main job seemed to alternate between being Homers straight man ("Dad, are you sure this is a good idea? Mom's not gonna like blah blah blah...") or a passive victim of Homers bad parenting.
 
I think you sum it up well in that article. What made Bart work so well originally was how he was obviously drawing on the writers memories of childhood. First loves, views on family, attitude to school, etc. Bart was a well rounded and amusing character who captured childhood so well. Now, he's basically written as 'What do kids like today? Have Bart like/do that! That's good writing!"
 
Nice insights. I even realized that I could relate to Bart in some of those ways, even though I tried to be a good boy for the most part. It takes me back to when I was in sixth grade.

You know who's really bad? ERIC CARTMAN.
 
I don't consider Bart Simpson to be a "bad kid." He's done some bad things, but that doesn't make him a bad kid. Every kid does bad things at some point. That doesn't necessarily make him or her a bad person.
 
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