It is no surprise that Bart Simpson has become a role model for every kid in America. And why not? The TV cartoon character is insensitive, rotten and manipulative. If he lived next door, you would forbid your child to play with him.
This is upsetting for many educators and parents, as it "sends out the wrong message to children."It's nothing to have a cow over. For as long as I can remember, there have been characters in this world who play off goodness. Just when you thought Shirley Temple's face would break out from so much perfection, along came Jane Withers, who could make her cry. For some reason, this minimized the fiction.
You could always count on the Beav and Wally to do the right thing, but the character my kids really related to was Eddie Haskell, who sneaked into movies without paying, sold things that weren't his, never cut the grass and in general spelled trouble. You just knew when he said, "Gee, Mrs. Cleaver, didn't I see your twin on the cover of Seventeen magazine?" that he was full of it, but so what?
Kids need to know that somewhere in this world is a contemporary who can pull off all the things they can only fantasize about, someone who can stick it to their parents once in a while and still be permitted to live.
Children are made up of certain component parts: goodness, conscience, daring, judgment, cuteness, larceny and rebellion. There's a little of Dennis the Menace in them, a tad of Oscar the Grouch, a snippet of the Brady Bunch, and yes, even a little of Sylvester the Cat, who would eat Tweetie in a minute if he got half the chance.
They are endowed with the same ambivalence as their parents. Adults love their children more than life one minute, and the next threaten to chain them to their beds through puberty if they don't shape up.
The message always seems clear, though. Mike Seaver on "Growing Pains" and Dennis on "Head of the Class" get their comeuppance for their behavior. Hey, didn't Bart get shipped off to France as a slave to a couple of sleazy winemakers?
I wouldn't have been surprised if my kids had chosen Lizzie Borden as a role model. We're dealing with relationships where the protagonist is always bigger, taller, older and has permanent possession of the car keys. The children are the ones who always have to listen, learn and do as they're told. I wouldn't deprive them of Bart for anything in the world.
Be honest. When Roseanne wins a round with her teenagers, don't WE all stand a little taller?