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Homer Simpson, the Unlikely Moral Exemplar

China’s Xi Makes Veiled Swipe at US Trade Policies at Import Expo in Shanghai

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged countries to uphold multilateral trade principles and criticized protectionist policies, in a veiled swipe at U.S. trade policies, in a speech at a trade fair in Shanghai on Nov. 5. Xi inaugurated the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), an annual import show in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, saying more must be done to remove global trade barriers. His comments come as Washington and Beijing work to finalize the text of a “phase one” trade agreement which may be signed by President Donald Trump and Xi later this month. Xi said that there was no country that could singlehandedly resolve the challenges facing the world economy. “We must hold our hands rather than do things separately. We must demolish the…

A video of Homer Simpson speaking is projected on a video screen during the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2019. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Homer Simpson is far from a good person. Among his many defects are alcoholism, sleeping on the job, a general disregard for the law, a gambling problem, and child abuse in the regular strangling of his son Bart.

While jobs, hobbies, and friends have come and gone for Homer, there is one way in which the Simpson family patriarch has continuously outshined many of his sitcom brethren over the past 31 seasons. In spite of his many moral shortcomings, there is an area in which Homer has remained rock-solid: his commitment to and love for his wife.

Homer and Marge have weathered innumerable storms over more than 650 episodes of “The Simpsons.” While temptations to infidelity have surfaced, as well as many other fights and circumstances that would test the most durable marriage, these two have remained utterly devoted to one another.

Marital faithfulness is a theme utterly lacking in most modern sitcoms.

Gone is the propriety of widower Andy Griffith and the well-matched marriage of Rob and Laura Petrie. Instead, sitcoms delve into the seedier sides of how men and women relate. This is seen in how many shows now handle these topics, as well as the frequency with which these topics arise.

Certainly, there are still some examples of devoted sitcom husbands. Tim Allen’s characters in “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing” spring most immediately to mind.

Meanwhile, however, two of the most enduringly popular, and longest-running, sitcoms of recent memory exemplify the trend away from traditional marriage, and toward the meaningless sex that has become so commonplace in our culture today.

Rather than a cute story about the journey toward marriage and parenthood, “How I Met Your Mother” is more so “the story of every woman I slept with before your mother.” Alongside main character Ted Mosby’s various failed relationships is the continuing bedpost notching of play-boy do-nothing Barney Stinson. As an added disappointment, the titular mother dies of an unknown disease, Barney and Robin divorce after just two years of marriage, and Ted ends up returning to his first love interest of the show’s run.

Perhaps even worse is the never-ending circle of failed relationships and one-night stands that pass in and through the titular group of “Friends.” From the thrice-divorced Ross, to the multiple pregnancies that see parents either unmarried or in process of divorce, to Phoebe’s surrogacy of her brother’s triplets, to Monica sleeping with a high school student, this show is a never-ending circle of life-draining pleasure-seeking, regardless of who might get hurt along the way. A committed relationship is practically the furthest thing from the mind of any character on the show.

In comparison to these sorts of behaviors, Homer Simpson is a right proper gentleman!

It’s perhaps concerning for the soul of modern American sitcoms that Homer Simpson stands above so many of his contemporaries in this regard, and that he has done so for three times longer than any of the aforementioned series.

Homer isn’t someone who can often be accused of self-control. Lest we forget, this is the man who intentionally ballooned up to a level of obesity that allowed him to claim disability status so he could work from home.

What does it say about the non-animated characters of our “funny” shows that, in the realm of sexual morality, they have less self-control than our favorite yellow-skinned lummox?

Anders Koskinen is an editorial associate at Intellectual Takeout. This article was originally published on Intellectual Takeout.

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McConnell: If Impeachment Trial Were Today, Trump Wouldn’t Be Removed From Office

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that House Democrats appear likely to impeach Republican President Donald Trump, but he doesn’t think the Senate will convict Trump. “I will say, I’m pretty sure how it’s likely to end. If it were today, I don’t think there’s any question it would not lead to a removal. So the question is, how long does the Senate want to take. How long do the presidential candidates want to be here on the floor in the Senate instead of in Iowa or New Hampshire,” McConnell told reporters at the weekly Senate Republican leadership press conference on Nov. 5, referring to Democratic presidential candidates such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). “I’d be surprised if it didn’t end the way…