Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

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Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by missy_misery » Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:59 pm

Via. This is so sad, and IMO not the best way to deal with things (though surely a better way than the snark they tried to deliver last season). I still think that his character provided some good moments (Homer and Apu, for instance) and there were ways to salvage things. Oh well.

No word on what's happening to Manjula and the octuplets.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Nidotamer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 9:12 pm

Honestly, I do get some of the gripes but then there's one I don't, and that's being voiced by a non-Indian. I mean, I'm pretty sure there's loads of characters that aren't Caucasian, voiced by folks that are clearly not their own race and people don't seem to have a problem with that. Maybe tone it down a little but forcing a new VA comes off as a bit unfair. I mean where people protesting Samurai Jack because the protagonist was voiced by a guy who wasn't Japanese?
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Stretch_Dude » Sun Nov 04, 2018 9:18 pm

This is why shows should never listen to big fat oversensitive babies.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by c_nordlander » Sun Nov 04, 2018 9:24 pm

Wow, I can see this thread is gonna end well.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Nidotamer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 10:05 pm

Well, it's a bit of a hot-button issue for sure. But so far it's not nearly as much of a trainwreck as an NHC one.

Though apparently he's not actually being written out. As I said, there's some things I do get and other things that are pretty unfair. :/

That said, wouldn't complain if they used his tech-savvy side more often.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by SirMustapha » Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:33 pm

I'm probably not qualified to comment on this issue too directly. It's been a long while since I watched any "new" episodes, I haven't watched The Problem with Apu, and I've only read about No Good Read Goes Unpunished, so I'm way on the outside here. But it's wise to mention that, so far, all the talk about writing Apu off has been hearsay. I mean, this is showbusiness. Who the hell are we supposed to believe? As far as I'm concerned, this whole thing may have been one big publicity stunt.

If there's any aspect to this that I find legitimately disheartening is that, in moments like these, it seems any dialogue is impossible. I love Apu, I find him a wonderful character, but guess what? I think it's legitimate to point out problems in his portrayal, and I think it's great to hear what Indians think about him. I'm sure there are many who enjoy him as well as many who dislike him. And I think it's important to remember that the world is constantly changing. Things were way different in the early 90's, they were way different in the early 2000's, and we have to constantly adapt to things. The fact that a joke that was hilarious in the show's first season is not funny today may be just the result of those changes, and the job of the comedian is to create new jokes. Not every joke is timeless, and anyone in the comedy business has to know that. And I think it's important to talk about that. I think it's healthy and helps us grow as individuals and as societies. But, as Stretch has mentioned, there are "big fat oversensitive babies" on both sides of this fence. There are people willing to shout out "racism" at anything, as well as people willing to shout out "censorship" at anything. And since it's more profitable for the media to give voice to the exaggerated voices, all the middle ground is muffled, and the healthy, interesting aspect of the conversation is lost.

I think I stand in an interesting place in this conversation, because of my own nationality. On one hand, Brazil has always been a colony of some kind; first a literal colony of Portugal, then a puppet of the United Kingdom, and then a de facto colony of the United States after World War II. We have never truly developed a national sense of identity, and much of our culture has been directly influenced by the United States. On the other hand, as far as I can remember, most portrayals of Brazilian people in culture has been mostly positive, or at least lighthearted. We're remembered for our prowess at football, and for being happy, festive, colourful and good dancers. But Brazil is such an ethnically diverse, diffuse place, that it's hard to create a specific archetype of the typical Brazilian. No one's going to look at me from a distance and think I'm Neymar, you know. But even if they did, at least they wouldn't be laughing at me. And the point here is that I know how important this is. I know how nice it is to go to a foreign country and not be afraid that people will look at me funny. If I went to the United Kingdom and told people I were French, or Italian, I'd probably fool a lot of people. I don't think an Indian would have the same experience, though, and this is important to discuss. We're not just discussing one fictional character; we're talking about real people.

Considering all those things, and many others I won't bore you with, I think dropping Apu altogether would be just as silly and mindless as what they did in No Good Read. In both cases, they'd be acting like oversensitive babies, only falling towards opposite sides. One thing that still shines brightly about the "glory years" of the show is the human touch, the empathy, the soul[/] in it; and if they still have that, they'll be able to handle "the problem with Apu" without difficulty.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Meteorite » Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:29 pm

Likewise I have also been out of touch with the show as of late, and so I feel I can't really offer any new perspective. However, a couple weeks ago or so, Youtube had been subtly recommending The Apu That I Know, and I thought it was a pretty good take on the whole Problem With Apu incident. I'd recommend giving it a watch if you have 45 minutes spare.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by c_nordlander » Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:26 am

There we go, people bringing sense and an even-handed approach to the discussion. Why isn't there screaming outrage?

For what it's worth, I agree with pretty much everything Fernie said.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Enhas » Sat Nov 10, 2018 1:11 pm

Getting rid of him altogether is probably the absolute worst thing to do. He's had some of the most memorable episodes (and songs) ever and I've never heard any complaints about those.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by Nidotamer » Sat Nov 10, 2018 3:22 pm

The point that both sides have their crap is definitely a good one. I mean looking around on a lot of things related to OFF and it's pretty apparent the obsessively politically incorrect side is coming out of the woodworks and alt-right types.

And they suck, a lot.

Probably one of the biggest problems with both of them is that before this, they probably didn't care in the slightest. I doubt a lot of them have watched it recently (even the older eps) if at all. It just reduced Apu to some 'cause' to flock to. Whether it be people who just zero in on anything that could even be lightly considered questionable and the kinds of people that threw a hissyfit because that player two character from A Hat In Time was black and screech about 'forced diversity' regardless of whether or not it's forced.

I mean Apu did slightly fade off (not as much as Barney mind you) lately but then there was a time he was considered nearly as important as the likes of Abe. I still remember how in Hit n' Run he was the only playable non-Simpson. He mattered that much. The sad thing is, Apu is much more nuanced than the majority of both sides make him out to be.

... Though I guess now I thought of some dumb idea about pretty much everyone in town swapping jobs around.
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Re: Simpsons deals with Apu controversy by Writing Character Out

Post by missy_misery » Sun Nov 18, 2018 2:03 am

I 100 percent brought this here 'cause I knew we could have an interesting conversation about it; good work everyone!
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