It's not all of the sudden, there's been previous talks about it, it's just that now it's grown into an internet shouting match between two extremes, so it gets more visible.
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+1
While as I understand the desire to do something about racism/sexism/etc. I also think censorship in any form (other then things that put people in immediate harms way, such as yelling "fire!" in a movie theater) is a bad thing.
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Alternatively, "people are too unconcerned with the validity of others' experience"
Azaria said it best himself:
I think the most important thing is we have to listen to South Asian people, Indian people in this country when they talk about what they feel, how they think about this character, and what their American experience of it has been. Listening to voices means inclusion in the writer’s room. I really want to see Indians, South Asian writers in the room. Not in a token way, but genuinely informing whatever new direction this character may take.
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Well it's been brewing for a while, and for good reason. He's an amusing character but mostly because he is the worst kind of stereotype. And look, I'm not on the PC police and there's a comedian here who once famously said "the end of racism will be when a white guy can tell a black joke to a black guy and it's just a joke" but we're not there yet and yes I know that every character on the show is a stereotype in a way, but they are other things too. Apu really is one-dimensional.
I just think that it comes down to under-representation. If there were more South-East Asian characters on tv, one stereotype wouldn't be a big issue but as it stands, it's a big deal for people who are feeling misrepresented so I get that.
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To relate to what you said, I remember listening to a short Youtube video by Slavoj Zizek, and he said that your closest friends are the ones whom you can exchange murder, mother-rape, and suicide jokes with and recognize the joke within it, and respond back with a similar insult. Those who you are closest with, you can insult most intensely, and you expect them to reciprocate an insult, and then you laugh about it.
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Exactly right! Because there's no assumption of offense. You know they don't mean to hurt you and if they're joking about what you know are real flaws, it's like making a joke about yourself. There's no deeper hidden meaning to it. It's therapeutic to laugh about what you don't like about yourself.
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I was in a room where a white guy told a black guy that his girlfriend was only with him because of BBC - and the black guy burst out laughing
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I imagine they knew each other before that joke lol but yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about. One didn't imply actual insult and the other didn't infer it. Now how the gf took it I don't know lol
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it was a bachelor's party. Someone asked the groom's sister's boyfriend how he managed to snag her when no one else could. Groom's cousin says "BBC". Everyone does a double-take "did I really hear that?", then boyfriend stammers "did y...?" then cracks up
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humorous show filled with stereotypes, parodies and various critical portrayals of everyone and everything
suddenly people decide that one stereotype is a HUGE problem
this has been addressed in-universe on the show a few times already
???
I am not hateful and I never wish to hurt anyone; but there is a difference in being insulted and being offended, with claims of the latter becoming a repeating issue in modern US culture.
Apu is just a humorous character. A stereotype that anyone but a moron can recognize as such.
Importantly, hate it to break it to people but it needs to be said: It's an accurate stereotype. Even nowadays (and especially when the character became prominent), 40+-year-old Indian men in the US most often really are like Apu; if others actually communicated with people and various demographics they'd know this.
I don't need to see an Indian character that is not a stereotype to know that not all Indians are like Apu.
I don't need to see a positive Serbian character to have someone to identify with.
This is because I am not a bigoted moron.
That is because I had good parents.
People that have bad parents and grow up to be bigoted morons won't change their mindsets because of a humorous TV Show.
Sheesh.
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40+-year-old Indian men in the US most often really are like Apu
I love this claim! I can't wait to hear what kind of evidence you have to back it up.
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Way to cheery-pick your response and ignore the other parts.
What evidence do I need? You don't think that there are many immigrant Indians that have thick accents and still indulge in their culture?
Or many 2nd or even 3rd generation Indians that grow up within Indian communities and thus retain thick accents and strong ties to their heritage?
Or did you think I was implying that all Indians own conveniences stores and have 5+ kids?
I work in Customer Service; when I speak to Indians/Pakistani/Bangladeshi people, there are two types: Young ones with no accent and older ones with strong accents.
How is that a claim that needs to be backed-up by concrete evidence?!?
If you want a biased opinion, then I have one: US Indians really like to haggle and are generally cheapskates.
But I won't claim that all of them are like that, it's just my subjective experience...
But I will claim that older US Indian men are - by accent, mannerisms and indulgement in culture - similar to Apu.
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A lot of comedy that was birthed in the 90s is pretty cringe-worthy today, especially regarding homophobia, sexism, and racism.
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"Not that there is anything wrong with it." -- Jerry Seinfeld
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I always saw Apu as a very hardworking man, that has a family, studied hard to become a us citizen, raises his children. Where exactly is the problem?
If were talking about recurring characters with ethnic backgrounds and no reedeming qualities, I would choose Nicholas Riviera, the stereotypical shady, immoral doctor who performs medical procedures for money with little or no regard for medical ethics, and he is basically the only hispanic guy in the whole show. But Apu?
Also, we are talking about a show where the main characters is abusive with his son, is overweight, lazy, incompetent, negligent, drinks too much, is stupid, selfish, constantly angry, bad neighbour. Am I missing anything? When are the fathers everywhere rise in anger against that ugly stereotype? (I am joking about last sentence, btw)
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I see your point but as I said, it's a problem of under-representation most of all. Nobody is going to assume Homer Simpson is an attack against them, unless they are fat lazy slobs who work in a nuclear plant (?) and sure there is a shady doctor, and a lazy moronic cop but on the other hand, there are plenty of white male heroes, cops and doctors on what? 70% of the other shows and movies on tv to relate to.
When all you have are Apu and whatever terrorist character is on all the other shows... it can be suffocating.
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I think that there are several things mixed up.-
Apu as a character evolved a lot, given the starting point. But can't evolve anymore, because the simpsons it's a non-evolving show that has 30 years on the run. And it's not only Apu. Lenny and Carl homoerotic innuendos are not a thing anymore, Homer became an awful joke of himself, and so on.
Don't forget that people used to laugh at this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_swtbIi2F0
or this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98qw86DsdZ0
And even the Simpsons had a joke about too old-school humor getting bashed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kx6-NzLpf0
Humor develops, people realize. The Simpsons is outdated, and not edgy anymore. It is sad, but that's it.
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I know there are a lot of fans of The Simpson here so I thought I'd post this article I just found about it and see what you all have to say on the matter.
Personally, I have never liked The Simpsons. I did, however, LOVE Futurama, and that was the same creator. Go figure.
But this is not about my personal dislike for the show. Although, I would like an explanation on why this character is being attacked all of a sudden. He was the only character that I thought was amusing.
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