I never really watched The Simpsons growing up. My parents didn’t allow it anyway, and since I had Captain Planet and Darkwing Duck, I didn’t feel like I was missing out.

But there was a Krusty Klown Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios, and I figured that any vestiges of potty humor or moral delinquency that may have tainted the cartoon were unlikely to affect the ride.  Boy was I wrong.  Not only were the background graphics creepy enough to disturb my daughter, I personally found the experience to be R rated…R for “Ralphing.” Even after the ride was over, I could almost hear Krusty maniacally laughing at me as I puked my guts out in the bushes outside the exit (cue the “Barf Simpson” jokes). Theme parks are so fun.

And later on, Krusty himself was taking pictures with people outside the Simpsons exhibit. My initial thoughts upon seeing the clown were admittedly not warm and fuzzy.  But then I stopped and walked over to him.  I told him that his ride completely wrecked me.  I showed him the bush where I had deposited my breakfast. And then we shook hands, shared a laugh, and snapped a picture. A wholesome moment! Maybe Krusty wasn’t so bad after all.

And it made me think…a lot of times we develop a mental picture of people who we don’t really know.  We see something they post on Social Media and we disagree with the sentiment. We hear them on a Podcast and find their rhetoric grating and obnoxious. And even though we’ve never met them, we have decided they are annoying, crude, or nauseating.

And it’s possible that they are just terrible people. But I bet if you met them in person, you could share a laugh, shake hands, and maybe even respectfully discuss your differing viewpoints.

I’ve already accepted Krusty’s LinkedIn connection request. And maybe as I continue to heal, I could even stomach being Facebook friends. You never know😊