# What is Homer Simpson good at? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534 "2006-05-20T15:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/41 "2006-05-21T20:24:26Z")
Even his brain has to give him credit for being good at coming up with reasons to be out and about at 2:00 AM. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/42 "2006-05-21T23:16:19Z")
He also appeared to be rather adept at snake whacking, during his training. Not sure if he would have done as well in a real whacking situation. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/43 "2006-05-22T01:59:54Z")
Given his considerable skill at baseball, bowling, arm wrestling and boxing, he’s clearly a naturally gifted athlete. If he hadn’t gotten fat he might have made something of himself. Bizarrely, Homer also seems to have a natural gift for financial planning; he had worked out the housegold finances so precisely that he could quit his job at the power plant and become a bowling alley monkey and still stay afloat, at least until Maggie was born. And even now, as poor old Grimey noticed, the Simpsons still manage to live in a big four bedroom house and drive two cars on one income. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/44 "2006-05-22T02:04:18Z")
He was also able to devise clever system designed to defeat Springfield’s prohibiition on alcohol by digging up old kegs of beer from the Springfield dump, filling bowling balls with the beer, and bowling them to Moe’s Pet Shop (“the best damn pet shop in town”) through a series of underground ramps. Even Marge had to admit she was impressed. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/45 "2006-05-22T02:56:34Z")
He’s a fair to middlin’ theologian: his proof (albeit absent the aforementioned crayon) convinced Ned Flanders that there’s no God. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/46 "2006-05-22T06:07:44Z")
He can tell butter from I can’t believe it’s not butter. He speaks several foreign languages fluently, including Japanese, Russian, and Penguin. He’s good at eating fish at the Captain’s all you can eat place. He’s good at writing fortune cookie mottoes. Yung Mi has nothing on him. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/47 "2006-05-22T06:10:01Z")
He’s incredibly good at making Marge forgive his screwups. Maybe she’s just the biggest enabler who ever lived, but many Springfielders also seem to find his flaws more endearing than annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/48 "2006-05-22T13:40:02Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Given his considerable skill at baseball, bowling, arm wrestling and boxing, he’s clearly a naturally gifted athlete. If he hadn’t gotten fat he might have made something of himself. [/QUOTE] He was a promising high school gymnast, but Abe never supported him. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/49 "2006-05-22T14:10:13Z")
He had a decent career as an “Outsider Artist”. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/50 "2006-05-22T14:59:43Z")
Let’s not forget his incredible intellect after the crayon was removed from his brain. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/51 "2006-05-22T15:05:48Z")
His major talent is somehow getting to and interacting with famous, well known celebrities. It must be a genetic thing, as Bart and Lisa have the same ability. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/52 "2006-05-22T16:41:56Z")
I seem to recall he had a successful stint as the Mayor’s bodygaurd… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/53 "2006-05-22T16:53:33Z")
He seems to be reasonably skilled at the manly art of fisticuffs. I saw part of an episode the other night where he was duking it out with a much younger, fitter man who was acting as a Big Brother to Bart. The advice on kicking one’s opponent in the back was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/54 "2006-05-22T19:13:05Z")
He’s well aware of the laws of thermodynamics and takes steps to ensure household compliance. ---
**Author:** ![Amaranta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/55 "2006-05-22T20:26:04Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] His major talent is somehow getting to and interacting with famous, well known celebrities. It must be a genetic thing, as Bart and Lisa have the same ability. [/QUOTE] The trick is to always greet them with “(celebrity talent/job)(celebrity name)!!”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/56 "2006-05-23T14:37:35Z")
He quickly makes an origami crane out of a Japanese million yen note in “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo”. It even flies! ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/57 "2006-05-25T10:56:36Z")
He was able to start up a successful internet company\* while having no actual knowledge of computers. \*At least until that evil Bill Gates broke into his house and smashed everything. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534/58 "2006-05-25T19:16:48Z")
I realized a couple of days ago that Homer is good at whatever he puts his mind to. He can do anything, even if he bumbles his way into it. But then again, that’s what got Homer into the dictionary, after all- he’s able to succeed by “pulling a Homer.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-homer-simpson-good-at/357534.md?page=2)