More ‘Simpsons’ TV coverage
Check out this segment from KPIX San Francisco about the 7-Eleven / Simpsons controversy. It’s less cavalier than the CNN segment. The calculus of TV is three hours of interviews shot over two days for one sentence on air, while those with no firsthand knowledge of the problem get four minutes to pontificate.
Like most mainstream coverage, the clip comes down on the side of the promotion. One restaurant owner dissents:
When you take this campaign to a national level, the negative connotations towards the Indian community are quite severe, because everyone makes fun of [Apu].
NDTV will also run an Ultra-interview on Indian news tomorrow. Predictably, the desi franchise owners on the KPIX vid dismiss the issue. Just eleven stores get a U.S.-wide exclusive on Simpsons tchotchkes, and their sales are booming.
But as they prosper, they pollute the commons. While white-collar bloggers titrate and analyze the atoms of irony, most Americans see a passive, funny brown man with fractured English, questionable ethics and an accent worth mocking. And those least able to defend themselves — blue collar desis, kids — get it the worst.
For a one-month sales bump, your kids in this country will suffer. Was it worth it?
To those happy to grandfather in Apu, like Archie Bunker, on sheer longevity, and those who ask ‘why complain now?’, here’s what I wrote in ‘94:It’s worth remembering what these spokescharacters truly are: a final, living vestige of Jim Crow America
South Asians litter the American media landscape as a turbaned convenience store owner on In Living Color and an unethical 7-11 store buffoon on The Simpsons. We spent all of 1994 tuning into the shit-eating grins of Sirajul and Mujibur, the Bangladeshis whom Letterman patronized for their accents, their names, and the way they dressed.
The problem with these portrayals is that they are out of context. When In Living Color takes on Italians, it’s a culture we’re already familiar with. When Monty Python makes fun of the British, it’s a culture we’ve heard more than enough of. But when South Asians are criticized, there is nothing to balance that image. There is no Anti-Defamation League for South Asians, and most Americans have had little personal interaction with us. Nothing tugs at the brain, nothing provokes disbelief. ['Culture Shock']
Slate says something very similar about Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben:
Today, no company would be dumb enough to build a brand around a black servant, but the ones now in supermarkets have been grandfathered in, rendered innocuous by the passage of time, image overhauls, and judicious wardrobe adjustments. But it’s worth remembering what these spokescharacters truly are: a final, living vestige of Jim Crow America. [Link]
It’s never too late to correct a mistake.
on Thursday, July 12th, 2007, 11:25 pm in Simpsons, TV, Video clips › 
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Manish, I know you and I have different opinions on this, but you might have better luck in the mainstream pushing an argument that the real problem is the translation from cartoon to real life. That is the impression your CNN sound bite conveyed to me, and I think you could also convince more people who have internalized the Simpsons and, Apu in that context, as funny from many years of watching. If you believe that, there is no analogy to Aunt Jemima or Uncle Ben.
Saw you on NDTV today. That’s pretty much it. I’m still gonna go see the movie though.
i saw your interview on ndtv.
i think you suffer from a fundamental misappreciation of satire, the simpsons as well as the character of apu.
if a person is ignorant enough to think that all indians are corrupt shopkeepers then the joke is on that person not on indian.
you sound as foolish as the kazakstani government did opposing borat.
Smart. That is of course the more severe harm. The stereotyping harm, which I know we disagree on, the kind of thing which isn’t worth marching over (unlike inaccurate no-fly lists or wrongful arrests), but which has a large impact in the long run.
I think you’re confusing racist humor with regular humor. But think about the promo: asking a desi shopkeeper to dress up like a crude ethnic caricature. That’s fucked up.
are you protesting the character apu? or the fact that a chain of stores is looking to cash in on his popularity?
i would say that you’re the one whose confusing racist humour with regular humour because apu is far far from a “crude ethnic caricature”.
the the alternative.. i dont live in america and possibly the execution of the promos could be racist. look.. if there a desi working in one of the stores and hated the apu character for the reasons you do.. i totally understand that would not be a pleasant experience for him or her..
but that’s a person who hasnt understood the joke .. like you.. a minority
to accomodate minorities india was the first country to ban satanic verses.. it was one of the only countries in the world to ban the da vinci code movie in certain states.. m.f. hussain ,one of our foremost painters, is living is exile..
the quality of freedom of expression for writers and artists is very poor because people have to bend backwards to make sure they dont offend anyone. as you can see.. the quality of intelligent satire is very very poor in the country. in fact on television it is non-existent.
most probably thanks to people like you the movie will get banned in india.
i would think there’s a reason you’re staying in america. do you want it to be like india by any chance? come join us back home if you’re so offended. you will find loads of company for mindless protest.
Primarily the tasteless promotion. Secondarily, the crudeness and low quality of Apu’s ethnic stereotyping. Convenience store owner, bad English, illegal immigrant, fake singsong Sellers/Short Circuit/Gunga Din accent, 8 kids, dishonesty.
I doubt it as it offends neither Bal Thackeray nor Muslims ;) I’ve written about India’s nanny state many a time, but that’s neither here nor there: the focus is on the 2nd gen community in the U.S.
ok dude.. you’re completely entitled to your opinion on the crudeness of apu’s character.
while i would like to you reflect again on the similarities of your views “But when South Asians are criticized, there is nothing to balance that image” and the views of the Kazakstani government on Borat… i just want to reiterate:
1. you dont get the joke and you probably never will.
you may think we are whoring our self-respect to a western idea of a joke but i believe of lot of indians are capable of thinking beyond that, laughing at supposed stereotypes of ourselves and know what is racist and what is acceptable without compromising on our dignity.
2. despite your best intentions i really believe that your views are not shared by a lot of desis.
while i am sure there are a lot of indians who are offended by apu i hope you realize that there are probably tonnes of desis who find apu a brilliant gag. the extreme may vary from those who actually think that apu is representative of indians and those who appreciate that he is another simpson exaggeration of a common stereotype.
i’m sorry to go on about this but what do you expect .. a show like the simpsons to be respectful and highlight the contributions of indians to american society? dude.. this is not a cheap feel good documentary shot by a politicians relatives’ for doordarshan.
the simpsons is meant to be disrespectful… by going on tv and hollering that the simpsons is a disrespectful show you are only pointing out the blatant obvious.. you might as well protest nudity in porn.. it’s all tongue-in-cheek.. especially porn..
best of luck with your protest.. may the desis arise and vote hilary in .. (see .. another stereotype..)
Can somebody point me to an online version of the NDTV segment, or create one? Thanks!
I am not sure how I stand on this north of the 45 as I am, given that I do not understand the social implications (in the american context) in America; I suspect you do not do so either, given that you seemed to call out “western” ideas and that you claimed to speak for “indians”.
To put the jootie on the other foot, I have very dark memories of the “indian” sense of humor from social gatherings in India where I got to hear jokes involving the shape of chinese genitalia, dead niggers and pneumatic blondes. I do not consider that as indicative of general Indian stupidity and/or bigotry because none of those folks interacted with non-Indian people, but I do believe those incidents suggest ignorance and arrogance. But that may just be my “western” ideas. thousand apologies, burra saheeb.
I know I need to tone down on the clause-khichdi or at least make better use of commas, but I’m reading proust these days, and when one has been left afloat on a sea of words with not a full-stop in the horizon, one’s one musings do some chameleoneering themselves. Pardonne moi, sardonic cow.
@troller boi: you’re absolutely right. fell in to the you dont represent anyone by claiming to represent everyone trap didn’t i?
no.. my views are my views. indians can very racist as well as ignorant but my point wasnt that. i just feel indian people who are strongly attuned to racism and dont find apu racist should speak up for him. that’s what im trying to do.
I wont dwell too much on how racist indians are, because to do so would be taint my own heritage and whipping myself is not my style.
Your opinions are cool man! Me, I’d rather be dancing in toronto (pic of random hottie in TO).
@Manish: But think about the promo: asking a desi shopkeeper to dress up like a crude ethnic caricature. That’s fucked up.
With this, I agree.
However, like w.t.f, i fall more into the camp of finding Apu the television character essentially inoffensive, and usually a pretty good gag. So, I am not inclined to connect the two, insofar as finding the in-store promo to be in poor taste, yet approving of the tv show.