Hank Azaria says he will no longer voice the Indian immigrant convenience store owner Apu on "The Simpsons." The decision follows long-running claims that the character of 30 years perpetuates racist stereotypes.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Fox
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Since 1990, Hank Azaria, who is white, has employed a self-styled "stereotyped" Indian accent to voice Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart convenience store in cartoon series, The Simpsons. Apu is known for his catchphrase, "Thank you, come again.''
But the creators of The Simpsons were the subject of sustained criticism in late 2017 with the release of a documentary by comedian Hari Kondabolu, who interviewed fellow entertainers of Indian and South Asian origin to document their feelings about the character. In The Problem with Apu, the comedian compares the white portrayal of an Indian character to that of African Americans in blackface minstrel shows.
The documentary quoted Azaria speaking in a former interview. "Right away they were like, 'can you do an Indian voice and how offensive can you make it,'" he said of being asked to do the role.
Both Azaria and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening refused to appear in the documentary.
Character tropes 'distressing'
But now Azaria is calling time on his 30 years as Apu.
"All we've agreed on is I won't do the voice anymore," Azaria told US film news website SlashFilm on Friday. "What they're going to do with the character is their call. It's up to them and they haven't sorted it out yet."
The stir caused by The Problem with Apu has arguably inspired the decision, with Azaria stating after watching the documentary: "The idea that anybody, young or old, past or present, was bullied or teased or worse based on the character of Apu on The Simpsons, the voice or any other tropes of the character is distressing,'' the voice actor said.
"And especially in post-9/11 America, the idea that anybody was marginalized based on it or had a hard time was very upsetting to me personally and professionally.''
But some fans of the show have argued on social media that the Apu character had, across three decades, evolved into a complex character who transcends stereotypes.
Some on social media argued that so-called social justice warriors were shutting down the character for the sake of political correctness, a point that The Simpsons also made in 2018 in an episode following the release of The Problem with Apu.
In this vein, Irish talk show host Niall Boylan opined that "A few offended voices are dictating what we can say."
Others supported the decision, one tweet commentating that voice actor Azaria had come to a "thoughtful decision."
Future undecided
But the producers and Fox Broadcasting Co. have not yet confirmed Azaria's exit, or indeed the end of the Apu character who has recurred since the first season of The Simpsons in 1990.
The animated series, which first aired in 1989, has won more than 30 Emmys. And despite declining audiences in recent years, Fox producers have shown faith and said they were committed to continue The Simpsons until at least a 32nd season in 2021.
Should books with racist content be revised?
While somtimes only simple textual changes are needed to update a classic, removing racist slurs does not always eliminate ideologies of the past. Here are some examples that show how revising books is a delicate affair.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'The Little Witch' (1957)
This classic of children's literature, by Otfried Preussler, was made into a film that came out in 2018. In a 2013 revision of the book, children getting dressed up as Blacks — described using the N-word — or a "Zigeuner" (gypsy) simply picked other costumes. The publisher's decision to change some words led to a heated debate in Germany.
Image: Studiocanal
'The Little Ghost' (1966)
Thienemann publishing house also decided to review Preussler's other classic books of German children literature, including "The Robber Hotzenplotz" books and "The Little Ghost" (made into a film in 2013). They reformulated for example the friendly ghost's reaction when he turns black. Such revisions shock purists: Should books be changed? And where should the line be drawn?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver' (1960)
Experts view Michael Ende's popular children's novel as an allegory against the Nazis' ideology. During his lifetime, the author updated his book, turning references to China into a fictional country called Mandala. However, the latest version keeps the one use of the N-word to describe the Black boy in the tale. The latest movie adaption of the work was recently released in cinemas (photo).
Image: Warner Bros., Ilze Kitshoff
The 'Pippi Longstocking' series
The N-word was already removed or replaced from the English version of Astrid Lindgren's popular books during the 1950s. The German version had been reworked in the 1990s; however, it kept the term with a footnote mentioning that it was outdated. In 2009, all references to Pippi's dad were replaced with the "South Sea King."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'The Story of Doctor Dolittle' (1920)
Hugh Lofting's classic was reworked for its 1988 edition; instead of coming from the "Land of the White Men," Doctor Dolittle is from the "Land of the Europeans." Similarly, references to the King of Jolliginki avoid mentioning the color of his skin. Despite efforts to make race invisible, the colonial ideologies of the time are still reflected in the plot and the depictions of the characters.
'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (1964)
In the original version of Roald Dahl's book, the Oompa-Loompas — small humans working in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory — are described as African Pygmies. The author made them come from a fictional country called Loompaland in a revised version from 1973. In the 1971 film (photo), they were played by actors with dwarfism and depicted as surreal creatures with orange skin and green hair.
Image: Imago/Zuma Press
'And Then There Were None' (1939)
The original title of Agatha Christie's masterpiece was "Ten Little N*gg*rs," based on the British blackface song that guides the plot of the mystery novel. The title of the US edition, released a month after the British one in 1939, used the last five words of the song instead. However, it has also had the problematic title "Ten Little Indians," which refers to an American rhyming song.
Image: Harper
'Tintin in the Congo' (1946)
Initially published as a serialized weekly in the 1930s, Belgian cartoonist Herge later produced a colored version of the work and revised one violent big-game hunting scene in 1976. The volume was strongly criticized for its racist content by the late 20th century. There have been attempts to ban the book; in English, it is sold with an extra explanation of the historical context.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1884)
Mark Twain's iconic classic is viewed as an anti-racist satire. It is also among the first American works to use vernacular English — and coarse language. The word "n*gg*r," a common racial slur in the mid-19th-century, is used over 200 times in the book. One revised version from 2011 replaces the N-word with "slave." Critics believe it is wrong to whitewash the historical context of such books.
