A new episode of The Simpsons has finally addressed the debate on whether the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a racist stereotype.
The latest episode of the American animated sitcom has Lisa and Marge discussing the latter's failed attempts to rewrite a dated colonial-era children’s book.
“Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect,” Lisa says. “What can you do?” Viewers are then shown a photograph of Apu on Lisa’s nightstand.
Marge replies: “Some things will be dealt with at a later date... if at all.”
This is the first time The Simpsons was touching upon the debate regarding Apu, a convenience store owner with a heavy Indian accent, who was introduced in 1990. The show has often been criticised for cracking jokes about Indian culture, with many terming it as outdated and shallow.
Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu was among the first to criticise the show for the way it addressed the Apu racism debate.
“Wow. ‘Politically Incorrect?’ That’s the takeaway from my movie & the discussion it sparked? Man, I really loved this show. This is sad,” he wrote on Twitter.
He continued: “I used Apu & The Simpsons as an entry point into a larger conversation about the representation of marginalized groups & why this is important. The Simpsons response tonight is not a jab at me, but at what many of us consider progress.”
Last year, Kondabolu released a documentary, The Problem with Apu, where he discussed the impact of Apu on Americans of Asian descent.
“After a while, you’d watch The Simpsons on a Sunday and you’d get a sense of how you’d be made fun of at school on Monday, based on what Apu did in the latest episode,” Kondabolu told BBC Culture in 2017.
Other Asian-Americans have also been vocal about the impact of the character on their adult lives.
Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani told Vulture that he was once asked by a casting agent to drop his actual accent to do an "Apu accent."
