On Wed, Apr 18, 2018 at 10:47 AM PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > I appreciate the sensitivity to privilege in this thread (and the > ambivalence). Recognizing privilege doesn’t mean silencing yourself, it > does mean really seeking out and listening to those with a different > experience. >
I’m familiar with the Indian perspective. I value it and respect that on the issue of Indian offense, their opinion carries greater weight. My opinion is not to say the depiction isn’t stereotypical, but that the entire series is constructed on stereotypes (not just racial but social, theological, sexual, and on), and its humor is found predominantly in tweaking those stereotypes. Apu is no better or worse off than any other average supporting character on the series. Sometimes he’s included as an equal part of the gang (bowling league, barbershop quartet...), other times he’s on the fringe. Sometimes he’s the hero, other times he’s the comic foil. I’m sure jokes have been made at his expense, and I’m sure his ethnicity was a topic of some of them (like I said, I concede the Indians perspective is valid), but my perspective is that Apu is as sympathetic an Indian character as Smithers is a sympathetic closeted-homosexual character. Overwhelmingly, the jokes made at their expense come from the mouth of an ignorant character. I suspect that in a real life town with roughly the same demographics as Springfield, a non-fiction Apu would not be as integrated into the community. I suppose Indians could attribute that to what they see as a negative depiction on the Simpsons, and I am in no position to argue that. But my perspective (the aforementioned white privileged one) differs. I defer to the opinion of the Indians, but I do not entirely agree with it. > Here is link to the Problem with Apu doc: > http://www.trutv.com/shows/the-problem-with-apu/index.html > > Here is a nice discussion of the Simpson ‘s Apu problem: > > https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/culture/2018/4/15/17236336/simpsons-apu-controversy-no-good-read-goes-unpunished-recap > > What I really like about the piece is that it links this to broader > problems with the show itself- basically that one of its central conceits > and arguably strengths (that the characters don’t change or experience the > flow of time) makes it unable to depict growth and development- either in > the characters or its interaction with the culture. > > I think the recent response in show was way worse than anything they have > ever done with the character himself. I don’t hate Apu and often love him, > but the show at its best is worthy of a better solution to the problem he > poses. > > On Wed, Apr 18, 2018 at 9:51 AM 'Greg Diener' via TVorNotTV < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> The problem I have is if you condemn Apu as being an Indian stereotype >> then you might as well do the same with Krusty as a Jewish stereotype and >> Groundskeeper Willie being an Irish stereotype. >> >> If anything the character of Apu throughout the show has been a >> hard-working immigrant who has made something of himself and has ended up >> with a wife and family over the course of the show. >> >> But again I concede to Kevin's point, white guy, privilege probably >> negates the opinion. >> >> Greg >> >> >> On Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 4:36:36 PM UTC-4, Kevin M. (RPCV) wrote: >>> >>> Did anybody watch The Simpsons on Sunday? I have only seen the clip >>> wherein Lisa references the Apu controversy, but the online backlash has >>> been extreme. >>> >>> I’m a white male, so I fully understand that my privilege negates my >>> opinion on this issue. If Indians are offended by Apu, so be it. I consider >>> Fisher Stevens’ role(s) in the Short Circuit films more worthy of >>> condemnation, as his character(s) had more stereotypes than the accent, but >>> — again — white guy. >>> -- >>> Kevin M. (RPCV) >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TVorNotTV" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > Sent from Gmail Mobile > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
