ary ▁on ▁" people ▁who ▁like ▁things ▁just ▁the ▁way ▁they ▁are ", ▁and ▁remarks , ▁" It ▁never ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁occurred ▁to ▁anyone ▁that ▁this ▁episode ▁is ▁about ▁the ▁people ▁who ▁hate ▁it ." ▁However , ▁Ke eler ▁says ▁that ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁dialog ue ▁was ▁changed ▁from ▁his ▁original ▁draft , ▁making ▁this ▁point ▁less ▁obvious . ▁Oak ley ▁and ▁Wein stein ▁explain ▁that ▁they ▁wanted ▁to ▁push ▁the ▁boundaries ▁of ▁the ▁series ▁while ▁working ▁as ▁show - run ners , ▁and ▁advise ▁view ers ▁to ▁treat ▁" The ▁Princi pal ▁and ▁the ▁P au per " ▁as ▁an ▁" ex periment ". ▁They ▁sur m ise ▁that ▁the ▁negative ▁reception ▁was ▁partly ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁not ▁immediately ▁apparent ▁to ▁view ers ▁that ▁this ▁was ▁such ▁an ▁episode ▁( as ▁opposed ▁to , ▁for ▁example , ▁" The ▁Sim ps ons ▁Sp in - Off ▁Show case "). ▁They ▁also ▁describe ▁the ▁ending ▁of ▁the ▁episode ▁as ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁reset ▁the ▁continu ity ▁and ▁allow ▁fans ▁to ▁consider ▁the ▁episode ▁as ▁non - can on ical , ▁divor ced ▁from ▁the ▁larger ▁series . ▁ ▁Later ▁episodes ▁of ▁The ▁Sim ps ons ▁contain ▁references ▁to ▁" The ▁Princi pal ▁and ▁the ▁P au per ". ▁A ▁clip ▁from ▁the ▁episode ▁was ▁used ▁in ▁season ▁eleven ' s ▁" Be hind ▁the ▁L augh ter " ▁as ▁an ▁example ▁of ▁the ▁show ' s ▁increasing ly ▁" g imm icky ▁and ▁n ons ens ical ▁plots