"Thank you, come again!"

Growing up in the 90’s, I grew accustomed to coming home after school and watching the Simpsons. The Simpsons was, and still is, a very popular show. The show made a half hour fly by with so many corny jokes that made you laugh until you cried. There were so many funny characters throughout the show. One character in particular, was at the end of most of the jokes. His name was Abu, he was an Indian American and owned his own store. Abu goes through a lot of racial discrimination throughout the show and I believe it was a good topic to choose for the media portfolio.
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is one of the main characters on the hit television show The Simpsons. Apu is an Indian American and owns his own convenience store called Kwik-E-Mart. Apu takes on a lot of stereotypes Asians are discriminated against every day. For example, Apu has a think accent, had an arranged marriage, and ripped off his customers. There was even an episode that revolved around how Apu was arranged a marriage and tried to get out of it. One episode, in particular, stood out to me was when Homer made a joke about Abu’s religion Hinduism and the color of his skin. For example, Homer asked Apu if he wanted to participate in a civil war re-enactment because “they need lots of Indians to shoot”. Apu responded to Homer’s comment with “I don’t know what part of that sentence to correct first.” Just because Apu has brown skin and a tiny mustache, Homer believes he looks like an Indian. Clearly Apu is racially discriminated against throughout the show.
Why would Asian Americans take offense to the character Apu? Asian Americans are offended the way Apu is represented. The name of his store is Kwik-E-Mart, clearly misspelling the word to make it seem as if he doesn’t know how to spell. Asian Americans are also upset at the way Apu has a noticeable thick accent. His famous “Thank you, come again!” saying is at the end of a lot of controversy because of the think accent behind the famous saying. This article is just like the one we read in class about Cleveland Indians’ mascot. Native Americans were offended with the way the Indian. The situation with Apu is not only in the way he looks, yet also in the way he acts and carries himself. The Apu topic relates back to what we learned in class on how the media creates this racial image of what and how we see others. With The Simpsons’ character Apu, the show is saying this is what a Asian American looks and acts like. The show is attempting to get laughs out of subjects such as race that really causes more discrimination in our country.
I was not surprised at how many Asian Americans were offended with the character Apu. If I was a minority in another country, and one of the most popular television shows had a white character making fun of what I believe in and the culture I am accustomed to, I would be offended. I believe The Simpsons is a funny show, yet I believe they crossed the line on this character.