tv: What minor Simpsons character reminds you most of yourself?

Although I adore this show, there have been moments where I didn't laugh at a minor Simpsons character's failing, because it hit a bit too close to home. Everybody's got a little bit of Homer or Bart in them, and Marge and Lisa aren't all that hard to relate to either. But which one of Springfield's MINOR characters strikes a chord with you? All of the inhabitants of this cartoon town are seriously flawed in some way, and any good fan of the show knows that its humor spares no one, so pretty much everyone I'm sure has had a moment like mine.

I've got a bit of Ned Flanders in me. I have a tendancy to get self-righteous sometimes, and then act generously out of this sense of self-righteousness, but then fail to notice until it's too late that somebody is walking on me.

I've also got a touch of sideshow Mel -- the guy whose brilliance is overlooked for his random and sometimes bizarre social behavior.

But by far the one I'm most ashamed to relate to is Gil. He reminds me of the discouraged loser I turned into when I tried my hand at a very practical, bottom-line oriented job a couple years back.

Well, I'm not quite ashamed to say (though I probably should be) that the two minor characters I most relate to are Professor Fink and the Comic Book Guy......yes, I am a total nerd, but I have learned to embrace my nerdiness. My connection to Professor Fink is a little more in depth than just my love of all things science; like him, I find myself trying to help everybody out when I can. He just always seems to be willing to come up with some wacky invention to solve Springfield's myriad of problems. I dig that and try to live with similar aspirations.

Maybe Otto because I smoke so much now. And I know he is a total stoner. One of my favorite scenes in any simpsons episode actually is where he walks out of a store that says "Stoner's Pot Palace" and comments "man, thats blatant false advertising." Anyways, yea, Otto.

The above posts were pretty insightful and introspective as I can see where both of you guys are coming from, nice job on getting specific too

I've got a little Professor Frink in me.

<---Groundskeeper Willie, no question.

Re: What minor Simpsons character reminds you most of yourself?

MyDoorsAreOpen said:

But by far the one I'm most ashamed to relate to is Gil. He reminds me of the discouraged loser I turned into when I tried my hand at a very practical, bottom-line oriented job a couple years back.

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*Raises hand* .. Me too...

pimple-faced teenager.

"paper or plastic?"

I'm a little otto mixed with carl with a dash of the comic book store guy.

stoner black guy that has to be a critic on just about everything.

Krusty, a burnt out person who at one time enjoyed laughter but now am a hollow man inside who drinks ways to much

Comic Book Guy I guess, I'm not like that I just like his sense of humor and think it is like mine, the whole sarcasm thing

although hes not a real 'minor' character, i feel i closely resemble Moe...

kaLii_BUD_sm0kah said:

I'm a little otto mixed with carl with a dash of the comic book store guy.

stoner black guy that has to be a critic on just about everything.

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Im a little otto mixed with Lenny with a dash of Martin. So that make me some white stoner/alcoholic that is a good student. Pretty close I guess, not really an alcoholic though.

wiggidy wiggidy

you are def. not cool enough to be poochie.

"Disco Stu, likes disco music",

I used to feel like if I kept going to so many parties and 'over doing it', I'd end up in this perpetual doof, and just cruise around dancing to the sounds of pedestrian crossings and automatic doors.

I suppose it's not a totally bad thing, but for some reason I can dig Stu for the simple reason that he always seems to be loving life. He's active politically, as he's regularly at town meetings and any major Springfield event, so he's not totally off the planet. and best of all, 'disco Stu, doesn't advertise!'

^^^ Wow I never really thought deeply about Disco Stu. I always assumed he was there as a pure novelty, but now that you mention it, there is a real type of person he's making fun of: The dude who clings too tightly to a subculture, and has no idea how showy or eccentric it makes him come off to other people. I'm sure every town has at least one notorious aging hippie or aging punk who's always in character, or greying headbanger, or some biker dude who sports his full leather regalia no matter where he goes. In Burlington, Vermont, a place where I've lived and I suspect many here have visited, there's an aging Jamaican Rastaman who calls himself Birdman. He's got the full uniform on all the time. He rides his bike around, and has a battery powered stereo playing reggae attached to it. He sits on stoops talking to people in his Jamaican accent and sharing the reggae songs he just wrote, and playing with his dreds. I'm sure he tokes constantly. He's also been jailed for "giving love to a woman who didn't want it", and banned from the local bottle redemption center for foul language.

People like Disco Stu and Birdman are the spice of life, though. I respect people like them for not caring what anyone thinks, and deciding to just be alive and spontaneous. How many of us wish we could be as free and open as them about our passions? Other cultures, have a more estabished place for people like this: think of India's traveling entertainers and holy men, and Japan's cosplayers.

SardonicNihilist said:

"Disco Stu, likes disco music",

I used to feel like if I kept going to so many parties and 'over doing it', I'd end up in this perpetual doof, and just cruise around dancing to the sounds of pedestrian crossings and automatic doors.

I suppose it's not a totally bad thing, but for some reason I can dig Stu for the simple reason that he always seems to be loving life. He's active politically, as he's regularly at town meetings and any major Springfield event, so he's not totally off the planet. and best of all, 'disco Stu, doesn't advertise!'

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for what it's worth, that post has garnered my undying loyalty and admiration

awesome!

Re: What minor Simpsons character reminds you most of yourself?

MyDoorsAreOpen said:

I've also got a touch of sideshow Mel -- the guy whose brilliance is overlooked for his random and sometimes bizarre social behavior.

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I've never thought about that before, but I really do relate to Sideshow Mel.

I'd like to be renouned for my intelligence, but I'm usually regarded as a clown. Sometimes I think I've said something profound, but people just laugh.

Remember... Sideshow Mel played a key role in solving the "who shot Mr Burns" mystery. He worked out Smithers' alibi- he was at home watching 'Pardon My Zinger'.

"I made sure to note that, because it seemed un-u-su-al."

does anyone see the lenny & karl gay undertones?

or is it just me...

Bart