Recently, The Simpsons character “Apu” has been called a racist stereotype. Apu is a fictional Indian character in The Simpsons. The Simpsons have been on air for the last 28 years and up until now, there has been no criticism or backlash concerning the character. So why has this issue flared up now?
Comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary on this matter called, “The Problem with Apu.” This documentary investigated how Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a negative representation of South Asians. In his documentary, he interviewed several celebrities of South Asian descent and discussed how characters like Apu can be seen as a form of racism. Not only is this character now considered an Indian stereotype but the person who voices Apu is Hank Azaria, who is not South Asian.
The Simpsons aired an episode on Sunday that addressed their current situation. However, the way they addressed it left a bitter taste in a few peoples mouths. The topic of this situation was brought up by Lisa Simpson. Lisa is usually the underdog and has always been the more liberal character, that’s why people on twitter considered this a “toothless” remark to this racial incident.
“It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?” Lisa said in the special episode before looking at a framed photograph of Apu on her nightstand, which is inscribed with the message “Don’t have a cow.” This is the scene that made viewers feel offended.
Caitlyn Kirkman is a student here at McClatchy who is also South Asian. She said, “I agree that The Simpsons have given the public a false representation of what Indian people are like, but I also believe that most people know that Indian people aren’t the way that The Simpsons have portrayed them. I’m not excusing The Simpsons or condoning it in an way, I still believe that The Simpsons should try to represent South Asians better.”