The Simpsons fans expose major blunder with main character: 'Hope someone got fired'

To many (myself included) The Simpsons is more than just a TV show. It's a way of life. A religion. A way to make sense of the bizarre things that happen in the world because you know there is an episode where a similar instance has hilariously occurred.

It was the show you would watch, hungover and surrounded by Maccas, every Saturday and Sunday morning even though your mum begged you to get off the couch and take a shower because you "smelled like a distillery." It's something my friends and I still quote daily.

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In other words, The Simpsons is the greatest and if you're a fan, you've likely seen each episode around a hundred times. So, imagine the shock and horror my fellow Simpsons fans and I faced recently when it was brought to our attention that one of the most wholesome and (literally) God-fearing characters is a big old dirty FRAUD.

That's right, friends. I'm talking about Ned Flanders - Homer's long-suffering, church-going, Rodd and Todd parenting, equipment-lending neighbour who, famously, opened the Leftorium in the season three episode, "When Flanders Failed".

In the ep, Flanders opens a store dedicated to lefties like himself (lies) as he sees a gap in the market for such a concept. While this is usually the precise key to entrepreneurial greatness, Homer sabotages the business by keeping it a secret and thrives on the schadenfreude as Ned slowly goes bankrupt. In the end, Homer's conscience gets the better of him and he spreads the word about the store, turning the fate of the Flanders family around.

The truth about Ned Flanders revealed

This happy ending, however, has been ruined as a fan recently took to Facebook to reveal the truth.

"Ned Flanders is a fraud!" they wrote. "He literally does nothing left-handed."

The post was accompanied by a collage of Flanders writing, bowling and playing guitar with his right hand.

"My whole life is a lie. I loved that Flanders was a leftie like me. I guess not," one devastated viewer wrote in reply.

"I hope someone got fired for that blunder!" several joked (a direct quote from the season 8 episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show").

"As a lefty, I’m disappointed in myself for not noticing this sooner," a third added.

"I’ve noticed this! I first noticed it when I noticed he strummed the guitar with his right hand. He might be one of those left-handed guitarists who are good with the frets on their left hand. He might also be ambidextrous," mused another fan.

"Well, hi-diddely-ho fraudster!" another viewer wrote.

"He lied to us through business pitch! I hate when people do that," someone said while another joked that at least he hadn't "lied to us through song" (a reference to the season five episode "Homer and Apu").

Fans offer theories about blunder

Among the jokes, there was one theory that came up again and again - that perhaps Ned has been forced to become a "righty" as it was once considered a "sin" to use your left hand.

"Or... Hear me out was forced to be right-handed," one person wrote.

"Honestly it was because lefties were forced to be right-handed by the church," another said.

"He's deeply religious and would've attended school through the 60s and 70s, he had to learn everything right-handed because the left hand is the tool of the devil or whatever," was another comment.

Some people went extremely dark with their analysis, such as this one chap who wrote, "My grandpa was left-handed but growing up the teachers would literally beat his hand if he didn’t write right-handed so maybe Ned is naturally left-handed but was also abused into doing everything with his other hand by right-hand-fascist educators."

So, is Ned Flanders left or right-handed?

As much as this theory could make sense, given Ned's Christianity - it falls apart when you remember that he was raised by "lousy beatnik parents" who gave him no discipline at all! In fact, in the season 30 episode, "My My Way or the Highway to Heaven", Ned himself says that he was raised with "no religion and his house was a den of bee-bop". And, in a flashback during that episode, he can be seen as a child clearly drawing with his right hand.

So, what is the truth? Was Ned a lefty who was forced to become a righty? Did he fake being a lefty to develop a (marginally) lucrative business concept? Is his name even Ned Flanders? (Looking at you, Armin Tamzarian).

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Perhaps he explained this "dilly of a pickle" to us way back in the season 8 episode, "Hurricane Neddy" when he uttered one of the most iconic quotes of all time: "I've done everything the bible says. Even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!"

Could it be that the creators were using his apparent ambidexterity to make a subtle statement about the incongruence of religion this whole time and we've only just caught on now?

I don't know for sure - but I do know Ann Landers is a boring old biddy!

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