I Love You, Apu

By Ankit Shukla

While some in the Indian community look at Apu from The Simpsons as an offensive, outdated, and even racist stereotype; others, like myself, see him as a comedic figure and an accurate depiction of East Indians living in America. Apu is hardworking, educated, dedicated, a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lit Genius Publishing
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953515094

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I want to dedicate this book to my wonderful wife, who supports all of my dreams, and my parents, who worked hard to give me a better life than they had. Oh, and a shout out to the Indian folks who immigrated here and had to endure the teasing related to the character, Apu, but still kept grinding and building their dreams every day.

I Love You, Apu

Text copyright © 2021 Ankit Shukla

Cover copyright © 2021 Ankit Shukla

Manufactured in USA.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Lit Genius Publishing, 6124 Vineyard Lane, McKinney, Texas 75070.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN-13: 978-1-953515-08-7

First Edition

It is an interesting conundrum how far we take the act of being offended. How do we know if we’ve gone too far, or not far enough? How do we know if it is OK to be offended? What lines do we draw, especially when we consider removing something, or someone, from society? Where is your bar for when people have taken things too far? Can we still accept the right of people to express opinions, even if they are highly offensive, as long as they are not making threats or inciting violence? Is there a right answer to any of these questions?

I Believe we can still have civil discourse.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

My Background

The Disagreement Begins

Who Is Apu?

Hari’s Problem With Hank

Racist For An Accent?

Other Interesting Points

Other Stereotypes

Conclusion

Biography

Preface

I generally do not write books such as this. Things that deal with race and various social issues are just not my forte. However, I became aware of something controversial, or at least polarizing, related to not only my childhood, but my heritage as well. I felt as though I should respond and at least give my point of view. It is rare that an Indian person, or someone from Southeast Asia in general, makes media attention for being offended by their characterization in the entertainment industry. Partially, I believe, this is due to the lack of a voice we had for so many years. There are way more Southeast Asians in the media than there were just a decade or two earlier. We have much more opportunity now to make our presence and opinions be known. I will contend then, that I am happy we do have more of a voice against some of the injustices we have faced. The argument really begins by determining what is a true injustice versus just harmless entertainment. For this reason, open and honest conversation is important. Ones where we truly listen and not just jump to conclusions or name calling. This type of negative discourse does not have a place in my world.

I admit that I do have a higher bar than most people. It’s rare that I am offended by offensive humor and it’s even more rare that I get to the