The Problem with Apu (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Sparkle]

aziz ansari and his contemporaries don't seem to have a similar complaint

Aziz has been pretty far underground since he got #MeTooed over a consensual(?) one night stand, so I'm not sure we can still use him as the proxy for woke comedians of color.

 

[Heathen Saint]

Obligatory..


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[LombardiGras]

I've seen the documentary and it is not just the lack of Indian characters but also that they are not voiced by Indian actors and there are no Indian writers on the show.

I get that. But you have to keep in mind that Indian people comprise less than 1% of the US population (and that fraction was much smaller when the Simpsons first started). It&#8217;s natural that there won&#8217;t be a lot of writers and voice actors that are Indian because it&#8217;s a much smaller sample size. If Indian people were to be proportionally represented on the Simpson&#8217;s, they would need to employ 100 writers for 1 to be Indian. I&#8217;d guess that with Indian television shows, there probably aren&#8217;t too many Peruvian writers and characters just because of the demographics. That&#8217;s nothing too outrageous. Also Bart Simpson is voiced by a female. I understand why and Indian comedian would want more roles for Indian comedians. My question is do we really need to start enforcing that all voice actors are reflective of their animated charcter&#8217;s demographic identity?

They also discuss how when they go on auditions and being asked to do "the Indian" voice and the struggle with do you do the stereotype and get work or do you argue this is my Indian voice. It's a pretty good documentary I recommend it, if you have DirecTV I think you can watch it on demand.

I get that too. It&#8217;s up to the actors to decide what roles they want to take. Ig a role calls for an Indian character with an Indian accent, that&#8217;s a decision for the actor to make if they want to do it or not. Many of the funniest roles from Indian actors are with American accents, so that&#8217;s a thing that is growing..

 

[49erKiller]

So from reading this thread it sounds like the documentary is not about the Apu character being offensive, but it's really about the guy being upset that there are not enough Indian characters in American media.

The vibe I get from the posters in the thread is that some think Apu and other non-PC comedy is offensive and some think it's comedy so lighten up.

I am reminded of Patrice O'Neal discussing comedy that people find offensive with some feminists.

(Some pontentially NSFW language even though its a cable news broadcast)

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"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!? SHES OUTRAGED!&#65279;"

I wish I could green thumb you 1,000 times just because you posted Patrice O'Neal. There are a few comedians that were taken way too soon; O'Neal was most certainly one of them. I miss the **** out of him and his comedy.

Alright, back to the regularly scheduled program...

 

[livefromDC]

The bigger irony to me, Apu represents another stereotype: the American Dream, the immigrant who comes to America and becomes a successful business owner. Unless someone attaches shame to owning a convenience store and working in it, I don't see what the big fuzz is all about.

You don't see what the big fuss is about because you're not of Indian heritage or look Indian. While Apu can be viewed as achieving the American dream, perhaps that's not how Asian-Americans experienced people's reactions to seeing Apu on the Simpsons. What if kids of Indian heritage were teased and called Apu? What if people spoke to them in mock accents because of Apu despite them not having an accent? You haven't had to think of Apu in any other context besides what is presented while you're watching the show. That may certainly not be the case for Asian-Americans. So while you thought about this because of this thread, some people may have experienced the show totally different because they are Indian. Cane we agree that your context of experience could be dramatically different from someone who is Indian? Then is should follow that while it's not a big fuss to you, it could certainly be a weighty topic for this ethnic group. And if it is, is it worthy of a big fuss even if it wasnt your experience?

I get that too. It’s up to the actors to decide what roles they want to take. Ig a role calls for an Indian character with an Indian accent, that’s a decision for the actor to make if they want to do it or not. Many of the funniest roles from Indian actors are with American accents, so that’s a thing that is growing..

Up until there were many more outlets for entertainment (like literally just in the past 5 years) actors didn't have many options. Black actors went through/go through this as well. Parts that called for an average American went to white actors despite color not being pertinent to the role. It's hard to blame actors for not having decent roles.

 

[SystemShock]

You don't see what the big fuss is about because you're not of Indian heritage or look Indian. While Apu can be viewed as achieving the American dream, perhaps that's not how Asian-Americans experienced people's reactions to seeing Apu on the Simpsons. What if kids of Indian heritage were teased and called Apu? What if people spoke to them in mock accents because of Apu despite them not having an accent? You haven't had to think of Apu in any other context besides what is presented while you're watching the show. That may certainly not be the case for Asian-Americans. So while you thought about this because of this thread, some people may have experienced the show totally different because they are Indian. Cane we agree that your context of experience could be dramatically different from someone who is Indian? Then is should follow that while it's not a big fuss to you, it could certainly be a weighty topic for this ethnic group. And if it is, is it worthy of a big fuss even if it wasnt your experience?

Yeah, I am not of Indian heritage... but what I am, is Mexican, so please, don't lecture me about stereotypes, or accents in movies and TV shows.

And I work with plenty of Apus too. They are not small business owners, they are OS engineers... perhaps if Apu was an OS engineer... nope, can't do, Indian with an accent working in IT, another stereotype.

If anyone is offended by the cartoon portrayal of an immigrant who is a successful small business owner and well perceived within their community, shame on them.

 

[Paul]

One of my favorite episodes when dude was about to lose his store:

&#8220;Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? I doooooooooooo!&#8221;

:rock:

 

[wnelson]

Obligatory..


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Half of this board would sympathize with M.A.C. (Those Canadians ruin everything)

 

[livefromDC]

Yeah, I am not of Indian heritage... but what I am, is Mexican, so please, don't lecture me about stereotypes, or accents in movies and TV shows.

And I work with plenty of Apus too. They are not small business owners, they are OS engineers... perhaps if Apu was an OS engineer... nope, can't do, Indian with an accent working in IT, another stereotype.

If anyone is offended by the cartoon portrayal of an immigrant who is a successful small business owner and well perceived within their community, shame on them.

But You're NOT Indian. Being Mexican doesnt make you understand th experience of Indian-Americns no more than being white or black helps someone understand the experience of Mexicans.

 

[wnelson]

But You're NOT Indian. Being Mexican doesnt make you understand th experience of Indian-Americns no more than being white or black helps someone understand the experience of Mexicans.

How virtuous.

 

[billinms]

I don't see the problem with the character: an immigrant who is a small business owner in a small town.

Perhaps Kondabolu wants another gynecologist portrayal? Maybe this time with a British accent to make him sound more sophisticated? Wait, no, not a British accent, that could be offensive as well to an Indian.

The solution to the Apu problem? Kill the character. If I were Groening, I'll have him deported.

They should deport him to Mexico.

 

[SystemShock]

They should deport him to Mexico.

I laughed, but ICE keeps deporting everyone to Mexico, no matter the nationality.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

How virtuous.

I like the way y’all make bad things out of good things
It’s like y’all have the reverse Midas touch

 

[wnelson]

I like the way y’all make bad things out of good things
It’s like y’all have the reverse Midas touch

cant tell if youre being ironic

 

[SystemShock]

But You're NOT Indian. Being Mexican doesnt make you understand th experience of Indian-Americns no more than being white or black helps someone understand the experience of Mexicans.

That's rich.

As if I am not an immigrant, regardless of the color of my skin, whose country of origin and people are constantly stereotyped in movies and TV.

If anything, perhaps this Kondabolu dude should take a quick look at not only Mexican stereotypes, but the south of the border stereotypes, and see if he has room to complain.