Apu in the Simpsons

[ZedLeg]

I mean, we had this debate many years ago in the UK, we decided it kind of wasn't OK for Michael Bates to play an Indian man in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum. An Indian actor might get away with it. Or Jim Davidson's Chalky character.

I kind of went to this point earlier on. If The Simpsons had been live action and Hank Azaria came out with brown make up and that accent it wouldn't have lasted long, I don't really see the difference just because he's not on screen.

[Carlos]

Is it racist that people are only bothered by Apu, but not Willie, or the Mob guys, or Frink, or Wolfcastle, or Bumble Bee Man, Krusty’s Dad, etc etc etc

Have any Scots complained? Are mob guys a race now? Frink and Wolfcastle are caricatures of individuals, not races. Bumble Bee Man is based on a Mexican TV show, Krusty's Dad was played by Jackie Mason originally so wasn't someone pretending to be stereotypically Jewish. I'd be very surprised if you genuinely had thought about this and come to the conclusion that those things are the same.

I mean, we had this debate many years ago in the UK, we decided it kind of wasn't OK for Michael Bates to play an Indian man in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum. An Indian actor might get away with it. Or Jim Davidson's Chalky character.

Ironically Michael Bates was Indian

[Rich B]

I’m personally more offended that Azaria voices Carl, when there so many Icelandic-African-American voice actors out there.

[mik]

The whole thing is a disgusting sham.

The Simpsons shoukd have been a documentary about REAL PEOPLE who are PLAYING THEMSELVES. Anything else sickens me to the core.

[NotoriousREV]

Is it racist that people are only bothered by Apu, but not Willie, or the Mob guys, or Frink, or Wolfcastle, or Bumble Bee Man, Krusty’s Dad, etc etc etc

Have any Scots complained? Are mob guys a race now? Frink and Wolfcastle are caricatures of individuals, not races. Bumble Bee Man is based on a Mexican TV show, Krusty's Dad was played by Jackie Mason originally so wasn't someone pretending to be stereotypically Jewish. I'd be very surprised if you genuinely had thought about this and come to the conclusion that those things are the same.

I mean, we had this debate many years ago in the UK, we decided it kind of wasn't OK for Michael Bates to play an Indian man in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum. An Indian actor might get away with it. Or Jim Davidson's Chalky character.

Ironically Michael Bates was Indian

He had Indian citizenship, but he wasn't ethnically Indian, which you know full well.

[Rich B]

The whole thing is a disgusting sham.

The Simpsons shoukd have been a documentary about REAL PEOPLE who are PLAYING THEMSELVES. Anything else sickens me to the core.

this.

Though tbh, I had no idea the Simpsons was still running.