Apu in today's context is very different from Apu in the 90s. Today, there are enough instances of Indians in Hollywood and media to where the average American can probably gather that Indians are more than some terrible convenience store stereotype. But growing up as an Indian in the 90s, I can't tell you how many dumb Apu jokes I heard. In the 80s and 90s, the only exposure to India and Indians that a lot of people had was Apu. And that really sucked in a lot of ways. It was already bad enough being one of the few minorities in school but to hear Apu comments and impersonations regularly was pretty ridiculous in hindsight. There were always comments about how I would eventually own a Kwik E Mart or how my parents probably owned one. That one character had a powerful impact on the childhood of plenty of Indians (especially if you lived in smaller towns). Fortunately, we've moved past that. For example, Houston is very different today (amazing how 20+ years can change a city) and Indian kids growing up today will never have to deal with that stuff. Even in media, we see Indians in a variety of roles. And outside of the Simpsons, you really don't find too many references to convenience store ownership anymore. But the I did find the Simpsons response pretty insulting. Media has a powerful influence on how people perceive the world and I just wish the Simpsons would acknowledge that. I'm not even suggesting that they change Apu. Frankly, it doesn't matter anymore. But I do think the writers could at least acknowledge the situation without being so flippant about it.
Kal Penn first had to play a stereotypical clueless Indian FOB before he got that role - a role specifically meant to counter what was happening. That was the first time you saw an Indian portrayed positively in American media in 60 years in a movie that was meant to mock the stereotypes placed upon Asian men. But even Nanjiani and the Big Bang Theory still play to stereotypes - recently immigrated from India lacking social skills, and naive about the world. The stereotypes are not helpful and I can say have faced them fairly consistently in my life from a child through today. It would be nice if the media's portrayal was more reflective of actual Indian Americans and not the wacko FOB's or other cultural stereotypes that don't reflect the average person.
when this documentary came out the director was on the daily show and the first thing he said was "i dont really give a s***" about apu. if the director of the movie doesnt "give a s***" then why should anyone else? im of german descent on my fathers side and im offended by this kid... and this guy...
We can use your documentary as an entry point into a bigger conversation, to educate anyone who ever watched this show over the years from a nonshameful perspective.
Pretty much this. I grew up in the 90s with Bruce Lee being the main East Asian role model. Kids would do the chop socky imitations but even adults would do it from time to time when I was a kid. As a grownup, I don't think I'd show offense or even begrudge, but I wouldn't want other kids to go through that stuff by virtue of their race. That said, being pigeonholed into a human actor who is still a legend isn't that bad compared to growing up with other kids whose only means of categorizing you is a cartoon character (or the villains from Temple of Doom) who are mashups of other people's exotic stereotypes and fantasies. At least Charlie Chan was before my time... I admit Apu was damn funny growing up. There's at least 15 seasons worth of Simpsons burned into memory. With their flaccid response, I guess Simpsons is in a tight place given their yearly threats of cancellation. It's not surprising they could offend people given that they've crossed generations unlike any other show. It's a catch-22 that the only reason it's brought up AND paid attention to is for the very fact that ethnic representation in media isn't as barebones before. I agree that most people raising the issue wouldn't be out in pitchforks, but just want a plain acknowledgement that isn't tone deaf. While things have improved, it's still a conceit that media should hire more non Jewish or non-white writers. Just a thought. They can even be just as racistly and evily funny...
i think this just goes to show how long the simpsons have been on. over the course of 30 years our norms have shifted/evolved. i was watching some reruns of the office and even though that show is only 10 years old they were saying things on there that they could not get away with on tv now. as for apu, yes, he is a stereotype, but thats kind of what the simpsons did...take stereotypes in american culture and amplify them. however, apu was more than that. they really developed his character over time and even addressed issues that indian-americans might have at a time when no other tv show was doing that. 'member the episode where apu's parents came to visit and wanted him to marry an indian girl. thats an issue that indians i know have had to deal with...the pressure from parents to date/marry other indians. or 'member the episode where apu tries to get american citizenship. he tries to assimilate into american culture - "the nye mets are my favorite squadron". what other show in the 90's had indian characters and also did whole episodes about issues that indian-americans faced?
Every character on the show is presented in a satirical, stereotypical way and most are done in a pretty unflattering manner. Apu at least isn't a fat, lazy dimwit who goes to a church and snores through it, abuses and neglects his children, never gets anywhere in life, etc. I wonder who gets represented worse: Indian Americans by Apu White Americans by Homer Religious Americans by Lovejoy Scottish Americans by Groundskeeper Willie Jews by Krusty the Clown Rich business owners by Mr Burns Corporate America by all the various seedy businesses that are shown Politicians by the mayor Heck, the American family by the Simpsons family I mean come on.
I mean come on: Lawyers: Lionel Hutz Doctors: Doctor Nick NE Politicians: Mayor Quimby Intellectuals: Sideshow Bob Corporate Asskissers: Smithers
