Apu is an emblematic character of the American series The Simpsons, has always represented the person who leaves his home country where he does not get a way to grow economically to reach another where does.
Apu is a person who seeks to grow economically, then he is willing to do anything to earn money, that includes becoming a false "American" that to get the visa or avoid deportation may be able to put aside his roots, so, Apu enters more into the stereotype of immigrant than of Hindu.
Recently this character caused controversy in social networks, because apparently a producer of the series released the rumor that Apu was going to be silently excluded, because a year ago a comedian of Hindu origin decided to make a documentary where the character was reflected in question as an offensive stereotype for the community of their home country, understand well, -for the Indian community of the United States-, the documentary (apparently) provoked the outrage that contradictorily did not cause in the 28 years of activity of this character.
The documentary that was produced by the comedian Hari Kondabolu is full of contradictions, one of the most notable is when the producer interviews actor Kal Penn, who is the protagonist of the film "Harold and Kumar" , when Hari Kondabolu asks the actor what is he likes about the series, which Kal Penn replies negatively and says he never liked it the character or the series, Hari Kondabolu is surprised and says that he loves the series but that he does not like the stereotype of Apu, then revealing a great contradiction and defining the matter as a selective indignation.
What is the meaning of the series?
The series The Simpsons (like any television series of the postmodernity) is not characterized by praising the moral values of the United States or the rest of the world. The protagonists are a middle class family that is maintained by a worker of a nuclear plant, therefore, it is focused on the situations that could be presented to a family of that type in the United States every day. Xenophobia, corruption and intolerance are not subjects that are covered in a committed way, nor are they partialized with the KKK or with the Black Panthers, it only exposes in an ironic way and with an original style the different situations that happen in the United States.
Why selective indignation?
If you criticize xenophobia, it can not be done in a particular way, it is correct to do it in a general way. If you reject xenophobia, it is because you are a humanist and therefore you are outraged that it is practiced with any human being. Maybe after investigating it is determined that The Simpsons is a series that promotes intolerance and xenophobia but in any case that should be placed in a global context, that is, make a criticism of the series in general, this is not the case for Hari Kondabolu which focuses on Apu because he feels identified.
So contradictory is his position that even actor Kal Penn tells him in the interview that if he loves the serie it is because he hates himself,then the producer interviews several Indian actors, where he misrepresents the issue by asking how many of them they had offended them with the Apu stereotype, they all raised their hands. I imagine that if they see you as an alcoholic they will tell you Barney if they see you as a glutton, they will tell you Homer, if you are evangelical they will tell you Ned.If Hari Kondabolu feels outraged then he can not love The Simpsons, the opposite.
To conclude, the controversy of Hari Kondabolu seemed more focused on capturing fame, you can not criticize too much, that world lives on that, if someone wanted to focus too much on his person would end up in his own logic, because you would have to criticize the whole world of Hollywood where actions are carried out with indignation only to gain fame.
Thanks for reading.
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