In Defence of Apu

“The Simpsons has been a big influence on my life. As a filmmaker, the early seasons are a constant reference point for brilliant, economical storytelling. And what I admire most about the show are its morality tales and how it deftly handled emotional storylines. So it surprised me to learn that one of its characters could have been seen as harmful. I can’t speak to the experience of South Asian people. I grew up whiter than white in the South of Ireland. But even so, Kondabolu’s words struck me:

“Apu reflected how America viewed us: servile, devious, goofy.”

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