Talk:Principal Skinner

message: Come on, who keeps deleting the 'Principal Skinner is an old man who lives at the school' quote. I hate when people add biased opinions on here, or dumb stuff, but Ralph wiggum said it in an episode. and besides, Skinner IS old, he IS a man, he may not necessarily live at the school but he is often there and the term 'living at the school' could be a compliment that means he is commited to the school and cares a large amount about the school and how it functions. because aside from his personal relationships (his mother and Edna) he is usually only seen in scenes in (or about) the school. Plus it's an inside joke, anyone who reads the line would recognize the line and where it's from.—Preceding unsigned comment added by  (talk • contribs) 
Well if it's quotes you want, how about quotes from Skinner... he's always saying things he doesn't realize have other meanings, like when he is tied up in a Dodge Ball bag, and tells the hamster "Chew through my ball sack" etc. User:Pedant 06:29, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Joke

message: Anyone else think this is a messy article? --711groove 06:04, 22 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cleanup 

message: What makes him Armenian like this article suggests? Should we also say he's Jewish then because of his first name?--Greasysteve13 09:14, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Agree; his Armenian heritage is only assumed because of his name, and his ethnicity is irrelevant to his character (as opposed to the Scottish-ness of Groundskeeper Willie or the Indian-ness of Apu).  Certainly the detail does not deserve to go in the first paragraph in the article. Kransky 11:01, 20 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Totally agreed. There is no credible evidence that he is Armenian.  To put it in we need a reliable source that says "is Armenian". User:Pedant 06:33, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: It's been five years since anyone last commented on this, but I also fully agree. After all this time, the article still has no credible sources (besides various Wikis and fanpages) stating that he is of Armenian descent. If no takers for this task show up, I'm nixing that tidbit myself. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 23:37, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

text: He's Armenian for the same reason why someone named Chang or Lee is Chinese or someone named Diamantopoulos is Greek or someone named O'Reilly is Irish. Need more proof? It's simple. Armen and Armin is an extremely Armenian name. See this article. In Armenian, the name would be written Արմէն Թամզարեան. The writer of the Simpsons episode admitted he took the name from a man he met in Los Angeles, which has a high Armenian population & the name was said to be as such in the episode description: Keeler borrowed the name Armin Tamzarian from a claims adjuster who had assisted him after a car accident when he moved to Los Angeles. However, the real Tamzarian (now a California Superior Court Judge[11]) was unaware his name was being used until after the episode aired. Keeler said he later received a "curtly phrased" letter from Tamzarian, who wanted to know why his name appeared in the episode. Keeler feared he would face legal troubles, but afterwards, Tamzarian explained that he was simply curious and did not intend to scare anyone. Definitely Armenian. The name is also Armenian first and Germanic and Nordic took the name from Armenian roots. Also, The very name is a derivation of "Armen" which comes from the "Armenian" word in pretext. Tamzarian is also a real Armenian name and this argument is null and void cause he's obviously Armenian and can't be anything else. - Zarbon (talk) 15:13, 12 July 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Despite the Armenianesque surname... 

message: Isn't Seymour Skinner a play on words...like "see more skin-ner". —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.175.23.73 (talk) 04:17, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I thought his name paid homage to Leonard Skinner, the "by the book" coach that Lynyrd Skynyrd named themselves after. Can someone cite a source that proves that the character is named after the educators listed in the article? Respectfully, SamBlob 00:04, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Name 

message: This article is about Armen Tamzarian rather than Seymour Skinner. Shouldn't Skinner have an article as well?ufossuck 03:34, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: As a one-time character from The Simpsons, the real Seymour Skinner has a section in List of one-time characters from The Simpsons#Sgt. Seymour Skinner. Respectfully, SamBlob 23:59, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Seymour Skinner 

message: Is it possible, Skinners name ist chosen because of the famous behaviourist B. F. Skinner? B. F. Skinner had a big influence on american post war education.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.72.226.167 (talk) 20:21, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Um... The article already says that... -- Scorpion0422 20:23, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Relation to B. F. Skinner? 

message: What's to be taken closer to canon: The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase or The Principal and the Pauper?  The former indicates his youth was spent in New Orleans, whereas the latter puts a longer timespan as having been spent in Capitol City.  Granted, the former could be assumed to fictionalised accounts of each of the spin-off stories, but they do seem to at least be rooted in the character's histories. Cheers! --Bossi (talk • gallery • contrib) 18:06, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Links to New Orleans

message: The article mentions, twice, that he has been a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The Principal and the Pauper implied that this is not the case, he went to war for a short time and came back, stealing the story of the real Skinner. I see no reason why the prisoner of war stuff remains. The real Skinner is the one who went to POW camp, which is why he did not return to Springfield earlier.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.137.75.62 (talk) 13:40, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: This is an interesting issue. It is made clear that Skinner has flashbacks to being a prisoner of war, and also that he was an officer (trying to stop his men from running when they were eaten by the elephant). It is then presented to the skeptical viewers (Groening and the man who voices Skinner also had their doubts) that he was a lowly conscript and was free at the time the real Skinner was presumed dead, and then went back and met the mother etc. While it was possible to contradict his presentation of himself as a veteran sergeant etc, it makes less sense that he had flashbacks to being a sergeant or a PoW. They could probably be explained as delusions and the POW thing as that he was captured and one point and escaped or was excahnged, but WP:WAF warns against “Trying to reconcile contradictions or fill gaps in a fictional continuity, rather than reporting them as such”. I think it’s quite clear that the genuine sergeant story is part of how the character was developed, which is what we’re supposed to be describing. The private/fraud story could be either be described as a twist (more or less as it currently is) or as the definitive story via retcon.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Billwilson5060 (talk • contribs) 13:23, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: War Experience

message: In response to Scorpion's recent edit summary, I think there's at least an argument that the W is not canonical, as it's never heard from again.  For all we know, it could've been some kind of typo or error made by whoever filled out the form.  Considering that the initial is not used, for instance, on the official website's bio of Skinner, I think that we should deal with the W in something like a footnote rather than have it be in the first line of the article.  At the very least, that kind of placement affords it undue weight relative to its use in the series.  Croctotheface (talk) 01:59, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Look up what canon means, then we'll have this discussion. As well, Bart's full name isn't on the official website either. As for your "undue weight" claim, it's 3 characters. If it was three sentences, then I'd agree with you. -- Scorpion0422 02:12, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  I'd suggest you "look up what civility means, then we'll have this discussion."  There's no evidence that Skinner actually has W as his first initial except for a single visual reference (and no dialogue) in a single episode.  That does not establish that the initial is part of his name, and putting it right at the top of the article calls way too much attention to it.  Croctotheface (talk) 02:16, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Wait a second here, three characters at the top of the page is undue weight, but having several setences explaining it is not? In the commentary for the episode, the writers confirm that it was placed in the episode intentionally and is part of his full name, so it's not like it's a background thing that was just thrown in there by the animators. -- Scorpion0422 02:24, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  I think that we should explain the initial in a footnote, not in the lead.  The commentary does not say, "Oh, we changed Skinner's name for this show," it's more to the effect of, "See, there's another one, W. Seymour Skinner, W.S."  Considering that there is no other reference to this initial in any other episode and that there is no reference to it in any kind of dialogue, there are plenty of other ways to explain the W's presence on that piece of paper besides it being part of Skinner's name.  (You've never had your name misspelled on any kind of document?)  And even if it IS meant to be part of the name, considering that it is not referred to again, I'm inclined to believe that the initial is part of the "flexible reality" of the show; much like the Simpsons' house having the power plant parking lot in its backyard, it was used a single time for a single purpose and then not referred to again.  Croctotheface (talk) 02:51, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Gee, I'm not allowed to take my time in answering? I'd rather edit and improve (you might want to look that word up too) articles than get into petty disputes with people who are seeking disputes. The writers state very clearly that they intentionally gave him the name and like it or not (and you obviously fall in the not category), it is his stated full name and thus should be mentioned in the lead. And don't try to use OR or faulty logic such as "oh, it was a mistake" to explain it away. Second, I would rather mention it very briefly in the lead rather than in-depth in the article, or have a note for it. In order to fully explain the situation and reasoning, it would take several sentences, which IS undue weight. What is the point in mentioning it in-depth in the article, but not in the lead? Finally, an IP will just re-add it eventually, so why fight it? -- Scorpion0422 05:49, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  The "W" 

message: Just watching The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace on TV... there's a future sequence of Homer's funeral. At the start of that scene, the camera goes past a gravestone with a flashing light on it, pretty quickly: It had the name 'Tamzarian' on it! I double checked it on watchthesimpsonsonline.com, and it's true!
JaffaCakeLover (talk) 09:42, 23 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Gravestone?

message: should it be mentioned that he was suppost to be normal b4 diving in the worm pool and being traped there 4 3 days  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.2.193.226 (talk) 18:11, 24 February 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: No, just a one episode joke. CTJF83 GoUSA 19:57, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

text: the practical joker in that episode was andy hamilton, mayhap the same as the british comedian.75.61.134.173 (talk) 06:47, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  worm water 

message: The two Principal and the Pauper sections should be merged. --Walter Görlitz (talk) 18:41, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: What 2 sections? This is the 2nd section. CTF83! 00:36, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Two Principal and the Pauper sections 

message: The above category keeps getting added to the article, and I will keep removing it until a reliable source for Skinner's supposedly Armenian roots is provided. Any takers? I doubt it. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 22:16, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I concur with you. Probably a 2 second joke people feel the need to add. CTF83! 05:18, 13 February 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Either that, or some misguided Armenian folks feel the need to "claim" the character as being from there. They've most likely latched onto a few unsourced statements added to this article years ago, with the myth now enduring. Either way it's dumb, and unless they provide a source that hasn't been lifted from the Simpsons Wiki, there's no way I'm letting it slide. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 19:17, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

text:  Typical Armenian behaviour over wikipedia Gosh they have to Armenize like everthing from "Strangers of the Night" to Russian General Suvorov 89.211.250.224 (talk) 20:56, 13 November 2015 (UTC)

text: Utter load of bullshit. Can't be anything else. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 15:37, 10 August 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Fictional American people of Armenian descent" 

message: Can someone please redirect the Simpsons character Armin_Tamzarian to the Principal_Skinner article? Thanks! Venustar84 (talk) 00:38, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Since it alreay links to a valid article, it would be best to discuss it. CTF83! 19:27, 17 September 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Change target of [[Armin Tamzarian]]

message: His singing role in "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is in the infobox, even though his most-seen former job, as a soldier in Vietnam, is not. That job is also a significant part of his back-story. What should be done? All three jobs, just a select two, or just his main role as the Principal? Thegreatelgrande (talk) 22:19, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I think it should be just his occupation as principal. The other two are redundant. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 23:48, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Just principal, no one episode jobs are notable. CTF83! 10:24, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Job 

message: I've taken to reverting this on sight, and others should too. There are no reliable sources on that name, just the W. Mac Dreamstate (talk) 13:07, 13 February 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Walter"