On Apu

[Hawkmoon]

I'm of Norwegian extraction, thankfully there's nothing there to poke fun at.

The building inspector in my town seems to be of Norwegian heritage. For a long time he had a poster on his wall that said something about Norwegians and talking to trees ...

[Perd Hapley]

The building inspector in my town seems to be of Norwegian heritage. For a long time he had a poster on his wall that said something about Norwegians and talking to trees ...

[Perd Hapley]

Pradheep Shanker says, if Apu is a problem, what about Raj, from The Big Bang Theory?

https://ricochet.com/513746/apu-problem-hank-azaria/

I did an unscientific survey of about a dozen Indian kids at my son’s school. I asked them: “Which Hollywood character is most used to make fun of your ethnicity?”

Not a single one mentioned Apu. Not one. Half the kids didn’t know who Apu was. “The Simpsons” simply are not the cultural phenomenon they were in the 1990s when those having this argument were growing up.

Who did the kids mention? A few named the cartoon character Baljeet, the Indian friend on the Disney animated show “Phineas and Ferb.” But the most common response was Raj, from the extremely popular CBS show “The Big Bang Theory.” Raj is an Indian immigrant, an engineering academic at a California university. He has a harsh Indian accent, is sexually repressed (so badly that he can’t even talk in the presence of American women!), and is often subservient to his rich Indian physician parents back home in India.

You want to talk stereotypes? Well, that’s a big one.

[just Warren]

People are still trying to bring down the Raj?

[seeker_two]

My own ancestry is Lithuanian - most people know better than to poke fun at us.  

You mean you're from the Soviet Suburbs?.....



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[MechAg94]

I didn't realize Apu's voice was done by the Blue Raja.  Interesting.

[JN01]

Are they going to eliminate all of the other stereotypical Simpsons characters as well?  Italian mafiosos, Willie the janitor, nerdy Comic Shop guy, Flanders the naive Christian, fat, donut eating cops.  We may as well just ban humor as hate speech.

[cordex]

We may as well just ban humor as hate speech.

I wish that was funny.

[HankB]

Are they going to eliminate all of the other stereotypical Simpsons characters as well?  Italian mafiosos, Willie the janitor, nerdy Comic Shop guy, Flanders the naive Christian, fat, donut eating cops.  We may as well just ban humor as hate speech.

And just wait until the SJWs realize the black kid's name in the South Park cartoon is "Token"   . . . 

[230RN]

I tell ya true, if they don't stop making fun of old folks like Grandpa Simpson, I'm going to stamp my feet and scream and throw a tantrum and hold my breath !

Um. On second thought, I better not hold my breath.  And maybe I'll just bang my cane on the floor.

Terry,  

[just Warren]

I tell ya true, if they don't stop making fun of old folks like Grandpa Simpson, I'm going to stamp my feet and scream and throw a tantrum and hold my breath !

Um. On second thought, I better not hold my breath.  And maybe I'll just bang my cane on the floor.

Terry,  

[freakazoid]

I didn't realize Apu's voice was done by the Blue Raja.  Interesting.

Yup. He's actually got quite a bit of acting work under him.

People all over the world make fun of accents.

Why? Because it's funny. I laugh at Chicago accents. I laugh at Georgia accents. I laugh at Boston accents. I laugh at New York accents. Additionally, I laugh at Mexican accents, Japanese accents, Indian accents, as well. (Not an exhaustive list.)

Note, I laugh at these accents when they are part of a joke.

It's funny and has been for the history of the world. I sometimes even find people's accents in person amusing (like my co-worker who says CWAW-fee), but I don't laugh at the person because of it.

But of course, as with everything else on the left, you're not allowed to laugh at humor. It's all "problematic" now.

This made me have a thought. I wonder if in times past there had been humor about accents.

[MillCreek]

This made me have a thought. I wonder if in times past there had been humor about accents.

I have read Seattle print media from 100-150 years ago making fun of Scandinavian accents.  Due to the fishing and logging, Seattle was a major resettlement point for immigrants from the Nordic countries and there was a lot of humor about Ole and Sven's accents. 

[makattak]

This made me have a thought. I wonder if in times past there had been humor about accents.

A significant portion of Latin humor centered around foreigners and misunderstandings. I'm not certain that accents played a part... but accents played a part.

[Ben]

On a slight thread veer: Much as Apu has been attacked by Americans of Indian descent (and their whitebread SJW cheerleaders), there was a recent story of a High School girl (whitebread) wearing a Chinese dress to her prom. Americans of Chinese descent (and their whitebread SJW cheerleaders) attacked her on social media for cultural appropriation.

In the meantime, apparently 1 billion or so Chinese have been both complimenting her and thanking her on Chinese social media for honoring their culture. Also apparently shaking their heads and laughing at the Americans that have a problem with it.


As to accents, I spent my childhood listening to kids and adults make fun of my parents' accents. Yet my parents were the ones who taught me to just laugh that stuff off. My dad still likes doing imitations of English accents with his German accent. People need to learn to embrace "water off a duck's back". We'd be a much happier society for it.

[Pb]

Yup, Ben.  There's nothing more American the cultural appropriation. 

[makattak]

On a slight thread veer: Much as Apu has been attacked by Americans of Indian descent (and their whitebread SJW cheerleaders), there was a recent story of a High School girl (whitebread) wearing a Chinese dress to her prom. Americans of Chinese descent (and their whitebread SJW cheerleaders) attacked her on social media for cultural appropriation.

In the meantime, apparently 1 billion or so Chinese have been both complimenting her and thanking her on Chinese social media for honoring their culture. Also apparently shaking their heads and laughing at the Americans that have a problem with it.


As to accents, I spent my childhood listening to kids and adults make fun of my parents' accents. Yet my parents were the ones who taught me to just laugh that stuff off. My dad still likes doing imitations of English accents with his German accent. People need to learn to embrace "water off a duck's back". We'd be a much happier society for it.

This is an interesting point.

I was never specifically taught, but figured out very quickly that the best response to slights and ridicule was refusing to be bothered by it (or at least pretend not to be bothered). I'm teaching that to my children, as well.

In our culture, today, we have the opposite. Not only are the adherents of Social Justice getting "triggered" by purposeful slights and ridicule, they are SEEKING out innocuous and inadvertent ones.

This is completely the opposite of the most healthy and effective strategy.

It's the enfragiling (I made up a word!) of the youth and our culture. It will not end well, for anyone.

[grampster]

News Flash from CNN:

Islamists, Communists, and everyone who hates America held a conference today and all agreed to ignore America and to cease and desist spending any blood or money attempting to defeat America.  It was determined after watching the MSM, sampling college campii, perusing the Internet, listening to their politicians and various and sundry others who control the narrative in America, that America will collapse all on its own within a fairly short time.  

News Flash from CNN.

[TommyGunn]

News Flash from CNN:

Islamists, Communists, and everyone who hates America held a conference today and all agreed to ignore America and to cease and desist spending any blood or money attempting to defeat America.  It was determined after watching the MSM, sampling college campii, perusing the Internet, listening to their politicians and various and sundry others who control the narrative in America, that America will collapse all on its own within a fairly short time.  

News Flash from CNN.

Quoted for truth ...... 

[Ben]

On another slight tangent, I saw this story on Fox News about Cinco de Mayo. I thought it interesting that the first thing the guy (presumably hispanic) says is, "Don't wear a sombrero, and fake mustaches and talking with a Mexican accent aren't funny."

For Oktoberfest, we Germans encourage people to put on the funny hats and lederhosen. Why not have a little fun? Talk like Sergeant Schultz too if you want - it's hilarious. We're happy you like the celebration enough to put on the funny looking clothes. It's interesting that some cultures look at this stuff as offensive, while others look at it as embracing and enjoying the culture, if only for a day at the biergarten.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/05/05/its-cinco-de-mayo-dont-be-misinformed-insensitive-nitwit-but-do-have-shot-tequila.html

[230RN]

The day is also a time for misinformed, insensitive nitwits to justify celebrating tired stereotypes about Mexican history, culture and the Latino community in general.

Don’t be one of them.

Resist the urge to put on a sombrero. That fake mustache isn’t funny. And that wannabe Mexican accent isn’t either. But, yes, by all means do have a shot of tequila.

Sombreros and "tired stereotypes" have nothing to do with it, pal.

[just Warren]

¡Ay, caramba!

[Perd Hapley]

No sombrero, eh? So MAGA hats are OK?

[cordex]

No sombrero, eh? So MAGA hats are OK?

For the “privileged” nothing is okay.

[Firethorn]

It's interesting that some cultures look at this stuff as offensive, while others look at it as embracing and enjoying the culture, if only for a day at the biergarten.

When they interviewed Japanese people, in Japan, about Americans trying on Kimono*, showing them some pictures and such, they were universally flattered and happy about it.  They recognized that the Americans were playing dress up, but for most Japanese these days, wearing Kimono is dress up for them as well.  They were excited that other people were interested in learning about their culture and history.  Immersion learning is a thing, even if it is only for a few hours.

The Kimono were donated by a Japanese Kimono manufacturer, hoping to expand business in order to save their business.

No, I don't think it's restricted to "cultures".  I think that it's restricted to the SJW crowd.  There is a good chance those calling for this the loudest have the least Mexican heritage.

Like the girl who yelled at a guy wearing a Marachi costume.  Who proceeded to tell her that it wasn't a Mexican Marachi costume, that he's from further south than that.

*Turns out there are male and female variations, formal, semi-formal, and informal.  You're much more able to fight in the male versions, but the female versions are a lot fancier and "prettier".