National Review
No, Hank Azaria does not have to apologize to Indian Americans for Apu
As one of the world’s leading experts on Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (yes, this is sarcasm!), I was once again asked to bring my vast expertise to one of the great controversies of our generation: is Apu a racist figure? I have written about this controversy several times, both for National Review and other publications. And “controversy” is an exaggeration; this is largely a made-up issue, conceived for people to claim victim status, not a real insult to equality and justice. The last foray into the Apu wars was a comment from Hank Azaria, a white man who has long been the voice actor of the famous Indian character. Earlier this week, 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 kids there because I wanted to get their input,” Azaria said. “A 17 year old… he’s never seen The Simpsons, but knows what Apu means. It’s practically a blemish at this point. All he knows is that this is how his people are thought and represented by many people in this country. “The boy,” with tears in his eyes, “said Azaria, asking the actor to tell Hollywood writers what they do and how it affects people’s lives. Azaria said he would get the message across.” I really apologize, “Azaria said.” It’s important. I apologize for my part in creating and participating in it. Part of me feels like I should go to every Indian person in this country and apologize personally. And sometimes I do. But the Apu wars preceded Azaria’s final self-flagellation. They began largely with The Problem with Apu, a documentary / comedy written and produced by Hari Kondabolu, an Indian-American stand-up comedian. The film shows that Apu is a symbol. has turned from racial stereotypes and bigotry, and that the character has propagated prejudice against Asian Americans – Indian Americans in particular. Early on, I said that Kondabolu wasn’t on the base. Here’s what I initially wrote in April 2018: That said, Kondabolu’s rant is largely off track for blaming the Apu character for all sorts of trifles and insults during his career: “ Apu was the only Indian we had on TV, so I was happy with every representation as a kid. It is funny, but that does not mean that this depiction is accurate or correct or just. However, it touches the insidiousness of racism, because you do not see it. don’t even notice if it’s right in front of you. The ridiculousness of this statement is almost too much to bear. On the show, Apu is a highly accented, traditional Indian immigrant. As such, he is the owner of a convenience store (obviously a nod to the many 7-11’s and other small businesses owned by Native Americans in the Northeastern United States), who later has an arranged marriage, has octuplets, and is depicted as a fantastic father and husband.He is also a gun owner who is extremely religious and devoted to his Hindu culture Some were quick to condemn my position, and others just attacked it as blind and ignorant. Meanwhile, the producers of The Simpsons seemed to be on my side, though the controversy ultimately resulted in the predictable Hollywood response: They virtually killed Apu from the popular animation show For the showrunners, who probably believe that Apu is a respectable, sweet character, not worth a war with the awakened mob. Azaria has also been attacked for participating in this alleged atrocity. He initially appeared politely in Kondabolu’s documentary, but was largely blinded by the complaints. He was subsequently criticized for failing to provide satisfactory answers to claims of racism and bigotry. As expected, instead of continuing to wage the thankless war against the awakened crowd, Azaria simply raised the white flag of surrender. In 2018, he decided to stop voicing the character for good. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t end the saga for Azaria. He has since been accused of racism. Hence his self-pity on the Armchair Expert podcast. Apparently the ridiculousness never ends. But it should. First, does Azaria really think most Indians give even the most fleeting, passing thought of this? The Simpsons is not widely viewed or even offered in India. There was a brief period in the 1990s when the show gained some fame there, but mostly because people fell in love with the character Apu. 1.4 billion Indians don’t really care. The few here in the US who do care have, for the most part, misdiagnosed and blamed a problem in an incredible and baffling twist of logic. A cartoon character. Ask most of the kids in high school today about Apu, and you’ll find that not only have few ever watched The Simpsons, but few even have a clue who Apu is. The chances of bigots at Azaria’s son’s school using this character as their primary weapon against Indian-American students is very low. I researched this several years ago, in an informal setting with lots of Indian-American students. I asked which Hollywood character was most used to “insult” their lineage; the answer was not Apu from The Simpsons. It was Raj, the heavily accented immigrant Indian in The Big Bang Theory. With that show’s ending, even that reference is now dated. I’ve asked this question to several students over the years and I’ve received very similar responses. Other names often mentioned include Baljeet, an Indian animated character in the Disney show Phineas and Ferb, and Dopinder, the heavily accented taxi driver in the Deadpool movies. Apu is almost never brought up as the weapon of choice for the biased attackers. Has anyone seen a pattern? Bigots don’t care what weapon they use to wound the targets of their attack. They will use whatever is convenient. So the characters are not the problem; the bigots are. In the long forgotten days, it was the term ‘dotheads’ (referring to the red dots that we Hindus sometimes adorn our foreheads) that was most commonly used. In addition, does anyone think that the color of the voice actor matters? Azaria has repeatedly claimed that only people of color are allowed to pronounce such characters, but the above examples were voiced by South Asian actors, and targets were still taking place. The only other solution is. To never show Indian characters, correct? The fact that years after Azaria left the character Apu behind, Azaria still feels compelled to apologize (apparently personally to every Indian soul, which means about one-sixth of the planet’s total population) shows how ridiculous the social media. crowd has become. Azaria gave the point to progressives, did exactly what they wanted him to do, and continues to be haunted by the controversy. The left mafia is not to please. As for Azariah, who apologized, most Indians wouldn’t know who he was, nor would they care. But I am not most Indians. I would like a personal visit from Hank Azaria to my house so that he could apologize to me and my family. I can’t imagine there would be anything more fun than meeting one of my comedic heroes in person, the great and eternal voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. As one of the Indian Americans most targeted for his position on this matter, I think I deserve an apology. Call me, Hank. We can make it happen.