#TheSimpsons completely toothless response to #TheProblemWithApu about the racist character Apu:
"Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect... What can you do?"
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Representation is an evolving thing. The problem is when a representative toehold (in this case: Apu) either becomes a token "See? We gave you one, now shut up forever." or devolves into a caricature.
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"politically incorrect" is a trigger term. "offensive" is a trigger term. sects of the population have been conditioned to resist & denounce concepts with these labels. its much less facetious to say it is, AT BEST, a limiting stereotype and a dated caricature.
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At least 4 of my Indian coworkers thought Apu was hilarious.
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I did too. But the relentless chick pea jokes, the 7 (or 8 was it) kids, relentless ganesha jokes, thank you come again. No other ethnicity was stereotyped as much as Apu's Indian-ness.
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Biggest change since then is that there are more 's in American media circles now. Can't just do whatever and not be called out. The Empire Writes Back and whatnot.
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