During a conversation about the negative stereotyping represented by “The Simpsons” character Apu, “The View” cohost Joy Behar responded with a stereotype of her own. “Maybe Apu should be a doctor. Many Indians in this country are doctors.”
Behar also argued the point that Apu was not the only stereotype represented, suggesting that the entire show was really built on a series of caricatures. “There are other stereotypes on the show that are not addressed in the same way. For instance, Fat Tony is an Italian stereotype, and he’s a suit-wearing gangster. And then there’s an Italian chef who says ‘Whatsa matta you?’ There’s a groundskeeper Willie, who’s a Scottish stereotype, who’s a drunken hot-tempered guy…”
The conversation was brought on by the recent decision of Apu’s longtime voice-actor, comedian Hank Azaria, who told Steven Colbert that he is open to changing the character or even stepping aside in order to address concerns. “We have to listen to south Asian people, to Indian people in this country when they talk about how they feel and what they think about this character.”