“You make me sick, Homer. You’re the one who told me I could do anything if I just put my mind to it!” – Bart Simpson
“Well, now that you’re a little bit older, I can tell you that’s a crock! No matter how good you are at something there’s always about a million people better than you.” – Homer Simpson
“Gotcha. Can’t win, don’t try.” – Bart Simpson
So true…
I feel there’s a lot to say about Bart’s response – it could have been much worse if it had been written oh-so-slightly differently. A truly great show would have ended with Homer’s comment, but it’s the Simpsons that managed to add to it.
Normally, giving him a semi-passionate remark followed by a brief, immediate acceptance would have been weird and out-of-character. But instead of making him backpedal or just giving out a quick “nevermind”, Bart gives out a brief “gotcha”. He’s more than happy to just replace a seemingly deep-seated moral with a why-botherism.
It speaks volumes about both himself, and his upbringing. Lisa would have sounded defeated if she were to say this line. Bart’s totally cool with it.
It’s all darwinian, ain’t it?