Stereotypes In The Simpsons

For the past 30 years Fox’s hit show The Simpsons has been running on televisions in every home across the world. Although viewership of the show has declined considerably since it first aired in 1989, The Simpsons still holds an influence on society to this day. The show takes place in fictional city Springfield and revolves around the main character, Homer Simpson, and his family which includes his wife and three children. The sitcom is full of characters that portray stereotypes for their race, gender, or sex. Popular character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, voiced by white actor Hank Azaria, is an Indian immigrant that graduated college with a computer science degree, but works at the local Kwik-E-Mart to pay his student loans (Fatoba). Forced

into an arranged marriage, Apu also fathered eight children (Apu). All of Apu’s character traits and his background portrays several Indian stereotypes. Simpsons character, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has affected the lives of everyday South Asian immigrants and is one of the only South Asians represented in media.

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon represents typical Indian stereotypes through his family, job, and personality. His job, for example, represents the typical Indian gas station worker, as Apu works at the local Quick-E-Mart although he has a college degree. Many argue that Apu even created the standard Indian Stereotype. One of those includes American born South Asian comedian Hari Kondabolu. He created the documentary The Problems with Apu which focuses on addressing the problems that Apu has created for many Indian immigrants. An IMDB comment on the page of the documentary depicts the problems that are concentrated on throughout the film, “Essentially, the biggest problem with Apu is that, because he is the only Indian character on American TV for many years, many Americans came to only view Indians through the Apu stereotype. Imagine if Homer Simpson was the only depiction of white Americans on TV? It wouldn't be a fair portrayal. Neither is Apu, but because the character was created in an environment detached from actual Indians,

perhaps it was easier to miss the problematic nature of defining a billion-plus people with a single character who sells expired junk food and has eight kids with his arranged-marriage wife” (qtd. in Knamazon). In the beginning of the documentary Kondabolu asks a room full of aspiring South Asian performers if they have ever experienced bullying because of Apu, the majority of them raised their hands (Deggans). Most of them expressed that they can recall at least one moment when they were taunted by young white children speaking with an Indian accent saying phrases such as, “Thank you, come again” (Deggans). Outside of the film, South Asian public figures have begun to speak up about memorable experiences regarding Apu. Aziz Ansari, known for his role in Masters of None, still remembers when a white man asked him and his dad directions to the nears Quick-E-Mart. Another, Maulik Pancholy (30 rock), still recalls hating going to 7-11 with his friends, as he wanted to avoided allowing his friends to see and Indian store clerk doing the “Apu thing” (Beres). These prominent Indian stereotypes, which Apu’s character has enlightened, have affected the lives of many South Asian Americans. The public figures, only representing a fraction of the people that are affected by Apu in their every-day life, who have spoken out about this relevant issue are still fighting the fight against offensive stereotypical characters. “It’s easy to conclude that it all evens out since we all do it to one another, but just as an eye for an eye makes the world go blind, so does a stereotype for a stereotype. All it takes is putting in a little more time and effort to absorb the nuances of a culture before attempting to depict it on screen,” said writer Lavanya Narayan (qtd. in Narayan).
Apu’s character also shows the lack of diversity in actors/actresses, roles, and accents in Hollywood.

Although Hollywood has evolved over the years, South Asians continue to feel outnumbered and discriminated against on the big screen. Naturally, Apu is one of the only South Asian characters in Hollywood; therefore, he holds a large influence of society. In an interview with Kondabolu conducted by Vanity Fair, Hari talks about how Hollywood has represented South Asians, “Everything is through the lens of a white person’s perception of an Indian immigrant” (qtd. in Wojciechowski). Later, he added, “I still haven’t seen an Indian-immigrant convenience store, taxi driver, or gas-station attendant character with depth, with a story, talking about a working-class life—on film, anyway” (qtd. in Wojciechowski). Actor Kal Penn spoke out about how the majority of roles he has written for him or offered to him involve a Gandhi-like-figure, a snake charmer, or a computer nerd (Mahdawi). During1990-1995, The Simpsons received the most views, averaging at about 12 million household views per seasons (List). During the entire 20th century, South Asian characters were rare in the media, and Apu was the first. Therefore, Apu set the paths and the platform for South Asian performs. Resulting in the lack of complexity and depth to Apu’s character, South Asian performers believe that Apu has affected their careers and success in Hollywood because of the poor introduction on South Asians to

society. On another note, Apu has been voiced by a white actor, Hank Azari, for the past 30 years. Racist accents have brought up controversial and important discussion in Hollywood, but there’s no doubt that the racist accent Azaria uses has offended Indians throughout. But, recently Azaria spoke out about how the producers will attempt to tackle this issue, “They are giving it a lot of thought. We’ve discussed it a little bit, and they will definitely address, maybe publicly, but certainly creatively within the context of the show, what they want to do, if anything, differently with the character” (Birnbaum). Although the changes in Apu’s character just began to happen after 30 years of offensive content, Azaria’s promises only leave South Asians with hope. But in the end, Apu is no doubt another example of Hollywood poorly representing diversity and growth in Hollywood.
Well-known and comedic character Apu has stirred up conversation between Indian performers and Hollywood. The stereotypes that Apu has enlightened and created has affected the life of many Indians in small and large ways. But, Indian Americans have begun to stand up for their nationality and what they believe in. Apus character’s affect can show how much the media has an influence on society and how Hollywood should become more conscious of potentially offensive content. Apu is a widely-known character, whose platform should be used in positive ways, but has instead stirred up necessary conversation in Hollywood towards diversity and stereotypes.