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Not Much Fun
by Burton Buller
Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons cartoon show, has strong Mennonite roots in Main Center, Saskatchewan, where his father, Homer, was born. His grandfather was a professor at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Before he ever thought of The Simpsons, he created a cartoon strip called, “Life in Hell” in which he observes the dark side of life. Many of his creations exhibit the anguish of childhood.
What I witnessed growing up in a small midwestern town paralleled Groening’s creations much too closely. Being a child was not much fun in Matt’s cartoons. It wasn’t much fun in my town either.
One of my childhood friends often came to school with cigarette burns on his arms—a result of a father’s twisted form of discipline. Occasionally, someone would spend the day standing by their desk because it was impossible to sit on their wounded backside. By the time I entered high school, I was pretty sure some of my female classmates were being abused by their fathers. Nearly every child had experienced the intense verbal abuse of the school janitor who also drove one of the school busses. Fist fights between the janitor and the upper classmen were not unheard of. Nor was physical violence between bus drivers over inane disagreements even though there were children on board. Now and then the youth leaders in the church sparked conversation among their charges about the inappropriateness of their actions.
Earlier generations had it even worse. The elderly brothers and sisters of one family lived together in a small house, each suffering debilitating results of parental violence, abuse and neglect.
When my own children entered school, they reported feeling very uncomfortable around one adult who tended to hang around with them much too much. He later spent time in jail for sexual abuse.
Providing a safe place for children, whether in school, church or home, is simply mandatory. No one should have to grow up feeling a kinship with “Life in Hell.”
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