Episode 481 - Apu from The Simpsons

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Janine Brito & Andrew discuss Apu from The Simpsons. Be sure to keep leaving us messages at (323) 389-RACE.

[action52 554]

To me, Apu is just one more example of why The Simpsons should have been off the air long ago. At the time, they were ahead of the curve. Today, Indian people working at convenience stores has become a tired stereotype, but I don't remember hearing it much before The Simpsons. In fact, I don't remember any portrayals of Indian people living in America at all before that. They were almost non-existent. So at the time, just having an Indian person as a major character was pushing things in the right direction. And they were making an observation that a lot of 24 hour places like convenience stores, gas stations, and Dunkin' Donuts hire people from India because they don't care about things like getting Christmas off and they were willing to work hours that white people won't. Yes, the fact that it was a white person doing a very inaccurate accent is a definite strike against them. But at least they were trying, which is more than you could say for most of the shows on TV at the time. On top of that they made Apu a three dimensional character with depth, and stories that centered on who he was as an individual person. Not to mention satirizing how poorly America treats its immigrants.

 

Also the fact that he turned out to have a PhD and be super smart--I was surprised at how true that turned out to be when I got a job at a school that taught technical certification (mostly to foreigners). A lot of people at our school were from India or Pakistan. Almost all of them were in fact brilliant scientists or engineers who were working menial jobs in America because that's how terrible the job market was for them. It was actually better for them to come to America, take a shit job they are overqualified for, and save up their money to get training outside of India.

 

But now, Asian characters have become more common. On top of that, India is becoming more economically independent, and it is becoming more common for Indian people to work in jobs that use their skills and intelligence. Aspects of Apu that the Simpsons was the first to popularize have become stereotypes. But instead of having Apu change or grow, he has lost most of the complexity he had, regressing into an empty shell they use for random one-liners or lazy ethnic jokes. In fact he is more of a stereotype, and less of a real character, than he was in the early 90s. Where he was once used for clever satire, now he is used for racist cliches. Society has moved forward, and The Simpsons has moved backwards. The offensiveness of Apu's racial portrayal is becoming more and more egregious with every year.

[wakefresh 689]

There were portrayals of Indian people living in America before that, but they were nameless cab drivers in action movies who may say, "that'll be 2.50" to the white protagonist before driving off. Out of the 20+ years that show has been on the air, there are about a handful of episodes that feature Apu in a role that is central to the story, and there is only one episode where you see Apu has family and that is the one where Homer helps him study for the immigration exam. Other than that, he's WAY in the background.

[box 161]

Out of the 20+ years that show has been on the air, there are about a handful of episodes that feature Apu in a role that is central to the story, and there is only one episode where you see Apu has family and that is the one where Homer helps him study for the immigration exam. Other than that, he's WAY in the background.

 

Well that's not even close to being true

[action52 554]

Apu was actually one of the most developed side characters on the show. There were plenty of one note characters--Wiggum, Comic Store Guy, Otto, Superintendant Chalmers. Most side characters got zero stories that centered around them. Apu got 5 that I can think of off the top of my head, and played a significant role in more stories than that. And aside from the voice, the only thing I can think of that was really, blatantly racist was the time they went to Kwik-E-Mart headquarters, and even though they had established it as a white-run corporation at the beginning, they still had the headquarters be some stereotypical Indian yoga guy living in the mountains. Basically for one "Homer acts stupid" joke. That shit was definitely wrong. But overall I think Apu was treated fairly well, and not just an empty one-note stereotype.

 

The "you never see his family" criticism is really weird. He's an immigrant, with a family halfway across the globe. Of course he would rarely be able to see them. He does of course have a wife and kids that we see later on in multiple episodes.

 

And again, I think a lot of the accusations of stereotyping are unfair because they are only stereotypes BECAUSE the Simpsons did it. It wasn't really a stereotype that Indian people work at 7-11. But then Apu did, and he became Americans' sole image of people from India, and people started applying that to other India. But that's the fault of pop culture overall for not having almost no other portrayals of Indian people throughout the 90s.

 

Now Bumblebee Man, that's a much more racist stereotype. There is no excuse for that. I also remember seeing some offensive stuff with Native Americans after season 10 when I gradually stopped watching. And I think the show has become more blatantly racist with their treatment of him in things like promoting the Simpsons movie have been gradually more and more blatantly racist. So I'm not saying The Simpsons isn't racist. I just think that, relative to the context of society at the time, he was done pretty well.

[wakefresh 689]

Apu was actually one of the most developed side characters on the show. There were plenty of one note characters--Wiggum, Comic Store Guy, Otto, Superintendant Chalmers. Most side characters got zero stories that centered around them. Apu got 5 that I can think of off the top of my head, and played a significant role in more stories than that. And aside from the voice, the only thing I can think of that was really, blatantly racist was the time they went to Kwik-E-Mart headquarters, and even though they had established it as a white-run corporation at the beginning, they still had the headquarters be some stereotypical Indian yoga guy living in the mountains. Basically for one "Homer acts stupid" joke. That shit was definitely wrong. But overall I think Apu was treated fairly well, and not just an empty one-note stereotype.

 

The "you never see his family" criticism is really weird. He's an immigrant, with a family halfway across the globe. Of course he would rarely be able to see them. He does of course have a wife and kids that we see later on in multiple episodes.

 

And again, I think a lot of the accusations of stereotyping are unfair because they are only stereotypes BECAUSE the Simpsons did it. It wasn't really a stereotype that Indian people work at 7-11. But then Apu did, and he became Americans' sole image of people from India, and people started applying that to other India. But that's the fault of pop culture overall for not having almost no other portrayals of Indian people throughout the 90s.

 

Now Bumblebee Man, that's a much more racist stereotype. There is no excuse for that. I also remember seeing some offensive stuff with Native Americans after season 10 when I gradually stopped watching. And I think the show has become more blatantly racist with their treatment of him in things like promoting the Simpsons movie have been gradually more and more blatantly racist. So I'm not saying The Simpsons isn't racist. I just think that, relative to the context of society at the time, he was done pretty well.

 

No, its not really weird because Apu is not a real person. Apu is a character that was created by a room of writers. They could had him be an alien from Mars if they wanted. It is a valid criticism because many real-life actors of color become frustrated that white script writers fail to show them with love interests or even families. It's the reason why Geordi on Star Trek never got busy, but the damned robot, Data, did. It's the reason why Eddie Murphy's "love interest" in Beverly Hills Cop is a Judge Reinhold. It's the reason why Raj on Big Bang Theory still doesn't have a love interest even though the perv and the tall asshole do. Writers DECIDE on these things; they are not "natural" outgrowths of anything.

[action52 554]

Yeah, but they did show his family, at least twice. And Apu did have a love interest, and he got married. That's more than you can say for almost any of the characters outside of the Simpson family.

[box 161]

 

No, its not really weird because Apu is not a real person. Apu is a character that was created by a room of writers. They could had him be an alien from Mars if they wanted. It is a valid criticism because many real-life actors of color become frustrated that white script writers fail to show them with love interests or even families.

 

Yeah but once again, he does have a family and they focus upon it repeatedly . Theres an episode dedicated to his background before he immigrated, an episode about him getting married/his mother, an episode about him having children, an episode about his infidelity, an episode about him going out of his way to express love to his wife... and thats not even mentioning anything from the last, what, 13 seasons I havent watched? Not to mention the countless episodes where he is presented as a normal member of a group of friends: the Be Sharps,The Pin Pals, He was Lisas hockey coach...

 

In fact, they definitely focus(ed) on his family and love life more than any other character outside the immediate family. Im not saying that you're not right about the "one-dimensional brown stereotype" on the vast majority of shows, because you are, but you're absolutely (and apparently, wilfully) wrong about this.