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PBS NewsHour (Nov to Dec 2017), Nov 19, 2017 - Stereotypes in ‘The Simpsons’ affected a generation of South As..

Nov 19, 2017 - Stereotypes in ‘The Simpsons’ affected a generation of South As..

Stereotypes in ‘The Simpsons' affected a generation of South Asians, says this comedian. Hari Sreenivasan:

A new documentary that takes on racial stereotypes on prime time television premieres tonight on TruTV.

It's called ‘The Problem with APU' and it challenges the representation of an Indian character on the long running animated series ‘The Simpsons'.Comedian Hari Kondabolu made the documentary and he joins me now from Seattle.You know you make clear in this movie that you're not trying to set out this mission of political correctness, you're not trying to erase the character from history and the program.You're actually approaching it as a fan of ‘The Simpsons' so what is the problem with Apu? Hari Kondabolu:

I think one of the biggest problems is during the majority of the show's run it was the only Indian-American representation and the representation that we had was a big stereotype. It was a person working at a convenience store – which is fine and a bad thing – but it was somebody working in a convenience store who had no other prospects and who was obsessed and happy that he survived.He was clearly written through the eyes of white writers.It wasn't an authentic character.And not only that the voice, which is a ridiculous accent is done by Hank Azaria who is a white man.So in terms of the history of minstrelsy in this country, it's very consistent with that. Hari Sreenivasan:

You also have a conversation with Whoopi Goldberg and she has a collection of what she calls negrobilia which is from a painful part of America's past where white actors would put on blackface. And as you pointed out, Hank Azaria, a white actor is the one that's been doing this brown voice for some 30 years.I mean is this kind of a new minstrelsy that we've basically normalized? Hari Kondabolu:

I wouldn't say new minstrelsy but I think it's a continuation of a very long legacy. You know during the interview I said look this is clearly meant to hurt black people and she said she didn't think it was that complicated.To her, it's a normalized thing that's used to move product.And I think that's the same thing with that too.I don't think they made the character to hurt anybody.But clearly it was an effective stereotype and it made people laugh.Therefore nobody had an issue with it.I mean, the South Asian community had an issue with it but nobody could hear us.And I wanted this film to be what would be negrobilia collection was – a reminder of the history and it's not where we are now.But let us not forget so we do not repeat the patterns.And I feel that's the same thing with my documentary.The only difference being that Apu is still an active character. Hari Sreenivasan:

Did you realize that basically Apu was being kind of weaponized against you?

Hari Kondabolu:

I would say around junior high school.

I think initially when ‘The Simpsons' came out, I was so happy to see a brown face.And then you'd start to realize that that's how your viewed because that's all you have.And I think it's a big deal because if that's the only image you have, you can't help but be shaped by media.And you can't help be shaped especially as a young person by how others see you. Hari Sreenivasan:

There's a section you have in the film where you talk to different actors about whether or not this had an influence on the types of roles that they got and I think it was Aasif Mandvi goes down the list – cab driver, cab driver, cab driver, doctor, cab driver, cab driver..What were the longer term effects of recognizing that this was the most prominent South-Asian character on television or in the media at the time. I mean this was pre Sanjay Gupta or Fareed Zakaria?

Hari Kondabolu:

I think the long term effects in our community after 9/11 the two major depictions of brown people were convenience store owner on ‘The Simpsons' brown paint. Ridiculous absurd character!On the other side of that it was terrorists.9/11 happens and there's all these anti-Sikh, anti-Muslim, anti-brown hate crimes.And you wonder well, how come they can't see our humanity?How come they can't see us as them?Well, when you have two versions of you – a convenience store owner and a terrorist – which side do you think people are going to err on?

Nov 19, 2017 - Stereotypes in ‘The Simpsons’ affected a generation of South As.. 19. November 2017 - Stereotypen in "Die Simpsons" haben eine ganze Generation von Südafrikanern beeinflusst. Nov 19, 2017 - Los estereotipos en 'Los Simpson' afectaron a una generación de suras. Nov 19, 2017 - Les stéréotypes dans "Les Simpsons" ont affecté une génération de Sud-Asiatiques. 2017年11月19日 - 「ザ・シンプソンズ」のステレオタイプは南アジアの世代に影響を与えた。 Nov 19, 2017 - "Simpsonų" stereotipai paveikė Pietų As.. Nov 19, 2017 - Os estereótipos em "Os Simpsons" afectaram uma geração de sul-africanos... Nov 19, 2017 - Стереотипы в "Симпсонах" повлияли на целое поколение жителей Южной Азии. 19 Kasım 2017 - 'Simpsonlar'daki klişeler bir nesil Güney Asyalıyı etkiledi 19 листопада 2017 р. - Стереотипи з "Сімпсонів" вплинули на ціле покоління південноа. 2017 年 11 月 19 日 - 《辛普森一家》中的刻板印象影响了一代南澳人。

Stereotypes in ‘The Simpsons' affected a generation of South Asians, says this comedian. Les stéréotypes dans « Les Simpson » ont touché une génération de Sud-Asiatiques, explique ce comédien. Hari Sreenivasan:

A new documentary that takes on racial stereotypes on prime time television premieres tonight on TruTV. Un nouveau documentaire qui aborde les stéréotypes raciaux aux heures de grande écoute en première ce soir sur TruTV.

It's called ‘The Problem with APU' and it challenges the representation of an Indian character on the long running animated series ‘The Simpsons'.Comedian Hari Kondabolu made the documentary and he joins me now from Seattle.You know you make clear in this movie that you're not trying to set out this mission of political correctness, you're not trying to erase the character from history and the program.You're actually approaching it as a fan of ‘The Simpsons' so what is the problem with Apu? Il s'appelle "The Problem with APU" et il remet en question la représentation d'un personnage indien dans la longue série animée "The Simpsons". Le comédien Hari Kondabolu a réalisé le documentaire et il me rejoint maintenant depuis Seattle. que vous n'essayez pas d'établir cette mission de rectitude politique, vous n'essayez pas d'effacer le personnage de l'histoire et du programme. Vous l'abordez en fait en tant que fan des "Simpsons", alors quel est le problème avec Apu ? Hari Kondabolu:

I think one of the biggest problems is during the majority of the show's run it was the only Indian-American representation and the representation that we had was a big stereotype. Je pense que l'un des plus gros problèmes est que pendant la majorité de la série, c'était la seule représentation indo-américaine et la représentation que nous avions était un gros stéréotype. It was a person working at a convenience store – which is fine and a bad thing – but it was somebody working in a convenience store who had no other prospects and who was obsessed and happy that he survived.He was clearly written through the eyes of white writers.It wasn't an authentic character.And not only that the voice, which is a ridiculous accent is done by Hank Azaria who is a white man.So in terms of the history of minstrelsy in this country, it's very consistent with that. C'était une personne qui travaillait dans un dépanneur - ce qui est bien et une mauvaise chose - mais c'était quelqu'un qui travaillait dans un dépanneur qui n'avait pas d'autres perspectives et qui était obsédé et heureux d'avoir survécu. Il était clairement écrit à travers les yeux de écrivains blancs. Ce n'était pas un personnage authentique. Et pas seulement que la voix, qui est un accent ridicule, est faite par Hank Azaria qui est un homme blanc. Donc, en termes d'histoire du ménestrel dans ce pays, c'est très cohérent avec ce. Hari Sreenivasan:

You also have a conversation with Whoopi Goldberg and she has a collection of what she calls negrobilia which is from a painful part of America's past where white actors would put on blackface. Vous avez également une conversation avec Whoopi Goldberg et elle a une collection de ce qu'elle appelle la negrobilia qui provient d'une partie douloureuse du passé américain où les acteurs blancs mettaient le blackface. And as you pointed out, Hank Azaria, a white actor is the one that's been doing this brown voice for some 30 years.I mean is this kind of a new minstrelsy that we've basically normalized? Et comme vous l'avez souligné, Hank Azaria, un acteur blanc est celui qui fait cette voix brune depuis environ 30 ans. Je veux dire, est-ce que ce genre de nouveau ménestrel que nous avons fondamentalement normalisé ? Hari Kondabolu:

I wouldn't say new minstrelsy but I think it's a continuation of a very long legacy. You know during the interview I said look this is clearly meant to hurt black people and she said she didn't think it was that complicated.To her, it's a normalized thing that's used to move product.And I think that's the same thing with that too.I don't think they made the character to hurt anybody.But clearly it was an effective stereotype and it made people laugh.Therefore nobody had an issue with it.I mean, the South Asian community had an issue with it but nobody could hear us.And I wanted this film to be what would be negrobilia collection was – a reminder of the history and it's not where we are now.But let us not forget so we do not repeat the patterns.And I feel that's the same thing with my documentary.The only difference being that Apu is still an active character. Hari Sreenivasan:

Did you realize that basically Apu was being kind of weaponized against you? Avez-vous réalisé qu'Apu était en quelque sorte armé contre vous ?

Hari Kondabolu:

I would say around junior high school.

I think initially when ‘The Simpsons' came out, I was so happy to see a brown face.And then you'd start to realize that that's how your viewed because that's all you have.And I think it's a big deal because if that's the only image you have, you can't help but be shaped by media.And you can't help be shaped especially as a young person by how others see you. Je pense qu'au début, quand "Les Simpson" est sorti, j'étais si heureux de voir un visage brun. Et puis vous commenciez à réaliser que c'est comme ça que vous le voyez parce que c'est tout ce que vous avez. Et je pense que c'est un gros problème parce que si c'est la seule image que vous avez, vous ne pouvez pas vous empêcher d'être façonné par les médias. Et vous ne pouvez pas vous empêcher d'être façonné, surtout en tant que jeune, par la façon dont les autres vous voient. Hari Sreenivasan:

There's a section you have in the film where you talk to different actors about whether or not this had an influence on the types of roles that they got and I think it was Aasif Mandvi goes down the list – cab driver, cab driver, cab driver, doctor, cab driver, cab driver..What were the longer term effects of recognizing that this was the most prominent South-Asian character on television or in the media at the time. Il y a une section que vous avez dans le film où vous parlez à différents acteurs pour savoir si cela a eu ou non une influence sur les types de rôles qu'ils ont obtenus et je pense que c'est Aasif Mandvi qui descend la liste - chauffeur de taxi, chauffeur de taxi, chauffeur de taxi , médecin, chauffeur de taxi, chauffeur de taxi... Quels ont été les effets à plus long terme de la reconnaissance qu'il s'agissait du personnage sud-asiatique le plus en vue à la télévision ou dans les médias à l'époque. I mean this was pre Sanjay Gupta or Fareed Zakaria?

Hari Kondabolu:

I think the long term effects in our community after 9/11 the two major depictions of brown people were convenience store owner on ‘The Simpsons' brown paint. Je pense que les effets à long terme dans notre communauté après le 11 septembre, les deux principales représentations de personnes brunes étaient le propriétaire d'un dépanneur sur la peinture brune «The Simpsons». Ridiculous absurd character!On the other side of that it was terrorists.9/11 happens and there's all these anti-Sikh, anti-Muslim, anti-brown hate crimes.And you wonder well, how come they can't see our humanity?How come they can't see us as them?Well, when you have two versions of you – a convenience store owner and a terrorist – which side do you think people are going to err on? Personnage absurde et ridicule ! De l'autre côté, c'était des terroristes. Le 11 septembre se produit et il y a tous ces crimes de haine anti-sikhs, anti-musulmans, anti-marron. Et vous vous demandez bien, comment se fait-il qu'ils ne voient pas notre humanité ? « Comment se fait-il qu'ils ne nous voient pas comme eux ? Eh bien, quand vous avez deux versions de vous – un propriétaire de dépanneur et un terroriste – de quel côté pensez-vous que les gens vont se tromper ?