National overview
No, Hank Azaria does not need Indian Americans to apologize to Apu
As one of the world’s foremost experts on the Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (yes, that’s sarcasm!), I’m once again asked to bring my extensive expertise to one of the great controversies of our generation: Is Apu a racist figure? ? I have written several times about this controversy, both for National Review and for other publications. And ‘controversy’ is an exaggeration; it is largely a made-up case, intended for people to claim victim status, not a real insult to equality and justice. The last attack in the Apu wars was a remark by Hank Azaria, a white man who had long been the voice actor for the famous Indian character. Earlier this week, when he appeared as a guest on the armchair expert podcast, Azaria took his self-flagellation to the next level: ‘I spoke at my son’s school, I spoke to the Indian children there because I wanted input, ”Azaria said. ” A 17-year-old … he’s never seen The Simpsons before, but he knows what Apu means. It is virtually a decay at this stage. All he knows is that his people are thought of and suggested to many people in this country. The boy, “with tears in his eyes,” Azaria said, asking the actor to tell Hollywood writers what they were doing, and it had consequences for people’s lives. Azaria said he would deliver the message. “I really apologize,” Azaria said. “It’s important. I apologize for my part in creating it and participating in it. Part of me feels that I have to go to every Indian in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do. “But the Apu wars preceded Azaria’s latest self-flagellation. They largely began with The Problem with Apu, a documentary / comedy written and produced by Hari Kondabolu, an Indian-American stand-up comedian. film shows that Apu became a symbol of racial stereotypes and bragging, and that the character propagated prejudice against Asian Americans – especially Native Americans – From an early age I said that Kondabolu was from the ground up. Here is what I initially wrote in April 2018: That said, Kondabolu’s tirade is largely off track, as he blames the Apu character for all sorts of insults and insults during his career: ‘Apu was the only Indian we had on TV, I was happy for e nige representation as a child. . . . He’s funny, but that does not mean that this representation is accurate or right or fair. However, it affects the cunning of racism, because you do not even notice it when it is right in front of you. ‘The ridiculousness of this statement is almost too much to bear. On the program, Apu is a traditional Indian immigrant with a strong accent. As such, he is the owner of a convenience store (obviously a nod to the numerous 7-11s and other small businesses owned by the Indians in the northeastern United States), which later gets a regular marriage, eighteen people has and as a fantastic father and husband. He is also, among other things, a weapon owner who is extremely religious and dedicated to his Hindu culture. Some quickly condemned my position, and others simply attacked it as blind and ignorant. Meanwhile, the makers of The Simpsons seemed to be on my side, but in the end, the controversy sparked the predictable Hollywood reaction: They virtually killed Apu from the popular animated show. For the showrunners, who probably believe that Apu is a respected, sweet character, a war with the awake mob was not worth it. Azaria was also attacked for his participation in this alleged atrocity. He initially appeared politely on Kondabolu’s documentary, but was largely blinded by the complaints. He was subsequently criticized for failing to provide satisfactory answers to allegations of racism and triviality. Again, as expected, rather than continuing the ungrateful war against the waking mob, Azaria simply hoisted the white flag of surrender. In 2018, he decided to stop the character permanently. It is not surprising that the saga for Azaria did not end. Charges of racism have since upset him. Hence his self-flagellation on the Armchair Expert podcast. Apparently the ridiculousness never ends. But it must. First, does Azaria really think that most Indians give it even the most fleeting, passing thought? The Simpsons are not widely seen or even available in India. There was a brief period during the 1990s when the show gained notoriety there, but mostly because people fell in love with the character of Apu. 1.4 billion Indians do not really care. The few here in the US who care have mostly misdiagnosed a problem and blamed it in an incredible and astonishing twist of logic. . . a cartoon character. Ask most kids in high school today about Apu, and you will not only find that few people have ever watched The Simpsons, but also that few people even have an idea of who Apu is. The chances of adults at the school of Azaria’s son using this character as their primary weapon against Indian-American students are very low. I researched it a few years ago in an informal setting with numerous Indian-American students. I asked which Hollywood character is most used to “insulting” their ancestry; the answer was not Apu from The Simpsons. It was Raj, the immigrant Indian with a strong accent on The Big Bang Theory. At the end of the show, even the reference is now dated. I have asked this question to different students over the years, and I have received many similar answers. Other names that are regularly included include Baljeet, an Indian animated character in the Disney show Phineas and Ferb, and Dopinder, the strong accent manager in the Deadpool films. Apu is almost never educated as the weapon of choice by the biased attackers. Did anyone see a pattern? Bigots do not care what weapon they use to hit the targets of their attack. They will use everything that is convenient. The characters are therefore not the problem; the big ones are. In the forgotten days, it was the term ‘dotheads’ (referring to the red dots that our Hindus sometimes decorate on our foreheads) that was used the most. Does anyone also think that the color of the voice actor matters? Azaria has repeatedly claimed that only people of color should interpret such characters, but the examples above were voiced by South Asian actors, and the focus still persisted. The only other solution is. . . to never show Indian characters, right? The fact that, years after Azaria left behind the character of Apu, he still feels compelled to apologize (apparently personally to every Indian soul, which means about one-sixth of the entire population of the planet), shows how ridiculous the social media has become a mob. Azaria conceded the point to progressives, did exactly what they wanted him to do, and is still plagued by controversy. There is no pleasure in the left mob. What Azaria apologizes for: most Indians would not know who he was, and would not care. But I’m not most Indians. I would like a personal visit by Hank Azaria to my home so that he can apologize to me and my family. I can not imagine that anything more satisfying would be than meeting one of my comic heroes in person, the great and eternal voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. As one of the Native American Americans most focused on his position on this issue, I think I deserve an apology. Call me, Hank. We can make it happen.