Will There Be No More Apu?

[shmogie]

In the news, Hank Azaria to stop voicing Apu.
Not all Indians think Apu is a racist stereotype
Excerpted.....
"As I see it, there are two primary products that second generation Indian American comedians sell - the ridiculousness of their parents' 'culture' (arranged marriage and 'my son, the doctor' are the commonest tropes); and the racism of white Americans," Professor Chakravorty, who teaches at Temple University in Pennsylvania, told me in an email interview.

"It is not hard to see why these two lowest hanging fruits are plucked all the time. This is very standard fare. Apu is also very standard fare. What Kondabulu has done is nothing new. He picked almost the most identifiable Indian project possible in the US. And he plugged into the market for identity-based outrage."

Prof Chakravorty adds that he loves The Simpsons.

"As far as I am concerned: Apu is one of three likable characters in The Simpsons - Lisa and Marge are the others. Homer, a caricature of the ignorant, blue collar white male, is actually the most offensive."

Back in Apu's native land, fans of The Simpsons appear to have no problems with the character.

"I like Apu, in fact I love him. He has a PhD in computer science, but enjoys running his store, he is a valued citizen of Springfield, a ladies man and adores cricket and is funny," Sidharth Bhatia, Mumbai-based founder-editor of The Wire, told me.

I have no idea who Apu is. Sadly, I can generate no interest in finding out.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I have no idea who Apu is. Sadly, I can generate no interest in finding out.

Then why bother responding?

 

[shmogie]

Then why bother responding?

Why did you bother?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

No! Everything is NOT racist. Only people are racist. And you can look at history, know how people once thought, admit that they did so, not fault them for it because they lived in the context of their own time -- and still not be racist.

But some of them were racist, that's part of what makes it tricky.

 

[Revoltingest]

Only if they're not thinking -- if they don't consider the context.

Possibly one of the best examples of this, by the way, is a work of real art that has been truly lost to us -- and that is Disney's "Song of the South." Try to find a copy of that anywhere, if you can. And yet, if you actually see it in the context of the time in which it was produced, you'd think that the Disney folk were the least racist people anywhere -- if you set aside you current prejudice.

Thinking...a common problem.

 

[Revoltingest]

I have no idea who Apu is. Sadly, I can generate no interest in finding out.

We all have our cross to bear.

 

[BSM1]

Which ethnic/racial/cultural stereotype is next....

Groundskeeper Willie...who is Scottish, but voiced by a guy from Chicago
Hans Moleman....who is elderly & stereotypically frail, & mocked for it
Patty Bouvier....the gruff voiced lesbian voiced by a hetero gal
Julius Hibbard....the middle class doctor, a black guy voiced by a white guy
Clancy Wiggum....the fat & stupid police chief who looks like a pig
Fat Tony....the Italian gangster
Luigi Risotto....the Italian restaurant owner
Cletus Spuckler & family....poor ignorant hillbillies
Ooter...the German elementary school student who loves chocolate
Bob Terwilliger....the criminal ginger
Krusty The Klown....the greedy Jew
Ned Flanders...the intolerant Christian
Cookie Kwan....the ambitious asian real estate agent..."#1 on the west side!"
Akira....waiter at The Happy Sumo restaurant
Crazy Cat Lady....the mentally ill old woman with (of course) all the cats
Generally....
The boys are typically the bullies & the stupid ones.

You keep forgetting...

Bleeding Gums Murphy...Stereotypical black saxophone player

 

[Revoltingest]

You keep forgetting...

Bleeding Gums Murphy...Stereotypical black saxophone player

I thought of him, but he & some others ran into my tiring of typing.
Good example though.
Btw, he's voiced by black guys.
(But they had healthy gums.)

 

[BSM1]

I thought of him, but he & some others ran into my tiring of typing.
Good example though.
Btw, he's voiced by black guys.
(But they had healthy gums.)

Well, there ya go...

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Some prime should jump off a cliff to put them out of our misery. If Apu is offensive, life must be harrowing and overbearing with such overwhelming and pathetic and insignificant first world PC bs concerns anyways.

 

[Cooky]

I'm scary Terry, **tch..!

Spoiler: Calls people a female dog :/