Comments on: Much Apu About Nothing

By: Harish

Harish — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:44:21 +0000

Rohin,
I’m a student correspondent with the Times of India, New Delhi. I would like to ask you if you would not mind if I were to publish this article in the TOI Student edition. Sorry, you won’t get any royalties!

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 16:09:04 +0000

I thought it was a well written synopsis. I agree with most of the response that this blog has gotten, and would like to add also that the stereotypes are what make this show so wonderful and entertaining. We must remember that this is show is a satire and by it’s very definition would be to make fun of weakness in society. Indeed I would say that the “yellow” skinned characters in this show i.e., Homer are just as stereotyped as any other. The Simpsons does not allude to be anything else either, even poking fun at this, for instance when they are bowling and they have several of their characters on the team named stereotypes. I believe that once we can laugh at these ridiculous stereotypes and laugh at ourselves and turn them into humor instead of taking them offensively, those things lose their power over us.

By: kiiik

kiiik — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 16:02:27 +0000

and one more thing for all those who say apu is stereotype .. if he really is, although i think its just that…..( oh hell …i can’t explain it ….but…) i invite u all to a self paid trip to inda and i’ll take u to the local baniya.. and that should settele yr doubts and will convince you to one of the following:
1- the writer of simpsons made a similar trip and put my beloved baniya on his show
2- there is not much difference in an indian-american & indian-indian shopkeepr
3- the sterotype of apu is quiet universall in nature
4- apu is not a stereotype and only repersents one of the kind of indians that migrated to usa
5- whatever .. think of somethin’ and ad to the list..

By: kiiik

kiiik — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:39:07 +0000

i am in india and absolutely love simpsons and never even thought much about the character apu. let alone taking offence for him being stereotype i am kinnda proud that there is such a prominent indian charac in the show. (infact i was quiet surprised when i came across these blogs which tell me that some people don’t like him portrayed in this manner) well i dont understand the idea.. afterall, what would had been the sense in just painting the charac brown till the time he is not given some traits that manifest the fact that he is indian??.
anyways i never thought of apu very differently from the other charac in the show and prob will not do so in the future and keep enjoying wathcing simpsons as i have in the past on star world. (my fav channel)
–i remember a particular episode of ‘friends’ in which rachel told ross that she went out with a guy called ‘vikram’ and the way in which ross was surprised annd repeated v-i-k-r-a-m …. i did not like it.

The article and the comments made very intresting read. the comments give me an idea ’bout what u guyz (in us & uk) think about yr ‘indianness’.

By: jakewashere

jakewashere — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:02:58 +0000

The film THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN features three blatantly South Asian supporting characters, none of whom draws attention specifically to their ethnicity more than once. A character named Amy who appears in one scene is clearly Indian, but this passes without comment; the other two Asian characters are portrayed as intelligent, if a little foulmouthed – in other words, pretty much equal to the main characters of the film.

It’s sort of the QUEER AS FOLK approach to race – yeah, they’re Indian, and it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference, because that’s not what makes them funny or interesting.

By: 2005 Blogged: Dispatches From the Blogosphere

2005 Blogged: Dispatches From the Blogosphere — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 11:59:34 +0000

Pickled Politics.

Pickled Politics, a new group blog “reflecting the voice of young, progressive British Asians” provides this analysis of Apu from The Simpsons, a surprisingly upbeat one: Much Apu About Nothing In Pickled Politics’ short life, Sunny has carved out

By: Paul Thottakath

Paul Thottakath — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:16:20 +0000

Your post is hilarious! I found some desi comic strips in the same vein of humor at geek-2-me.com. Check it out!

By: Avik

Avik — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:55:02 +0000

A lot of us don’t necessary hate Apu as much as we dislike the way the character has been misused in a lot of racist comments we have had to deal with. I dealt with so many stupid Apu comments before I ever watched the Simpsons that I fear I found it hard to enjoy the character when I did.

By: Anchoress

Anchoress — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 19:50:02 +0000

I first read this article a few months ago and loved it enough to forward it to friends. I recently linked it to the Apu page on Wikipedia. Good work!

By: Robert Sharp

Robert Sharp — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 08:38:53 +0000

Heisenblogged

What if the very act of observing something, changes that thing you are observing? Will we see people write blog entries with the specific intention of getting into the 2006 anthology?

…

By: Brett Lock

Brett Lock — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 22:36:22 +0000

Wow! One of the best articles I’ve read in ages. An effortless yet thought-provoking and engaging read and a model first-post. Transcends the blogsphere.

By: AJE

AJE — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 16:16:31 +0000

A very well written, thoughtful article: i’ve commented on it here:

http://thefilter.blogs.com/thefilter/2005/10/stereotype.html

By: Tim Worstall

Tim Worstall — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 13:04:10 +0000

Britblog Roundup # 33

Once again we step up to the plate (or as we’re rather this side of the Atlantic about it, step up to the crease?) to bring out the Britblog Roundup, your picks of the best pieces from the British and

By: rizwand

rizwand — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:05:48 +0000

If Apu gets shot a few more times, he’ll have more street cred than 50 cent … (though, in my books, he already has!)

very good post on my favourite programme of all time..nice one

By: Jyoti

Jyoti — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 08:51:43 +0000

rohin trust u to intellectualise apu and his role in representing indian-americans in US society – it sounds like a dissertation title! u make some v good points though and i’ve always thought that it was v cool that he was a regular in one of the biggest and most popular shows in the world. stereo-typed or not at least he’s in there.

what about ajay in postman pat?

By: Pinky Princess

Pinky Princess — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 17:54:19 +0000

What a great article, and Apu’s quotes still make me smile! I agree that the comedy that the Simpsons is based on is entirely down to stereotypes and characters doing the opposite of what convention would expect.
Keep up the good work!

By: krazie

krazie — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 16:00:24 +0000

Great read!

By: gawker

gawker — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:17:05 +0000

Great post. I guess the only NRIs who hate Apu would be the ones threatened by their own Indianness and have a complex about not being white. And you made a great point about everyone in the Simpsons being stereotypes. I guess if Indians should hate Apu, then Americans should hate Homer as well, because he is the stereotype of a bumbling beer loving gluttonous American dad.

By: Rohin

Rohin — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 00:16:47 +0000

Panjid!

By: Sunny

Sunny — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 23:37:50 +0000

Kulvinder – only if there’s an Asian angle in there somewhere