The Simpsons viewers unimpressed by show’s response to ‘racist’ Apu controversy

Viewers took issue with the show describing the character as 'politically incorrect'

Fans of The Simpsons have been left disappointed by the show’s handling of the controversy around its character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

Sunday’s episode addressed the controversy by dealing with themes of stereotypes as Marge realises how many there are in the book The Princess in the Garden.

She attempts to update the story to make it more appropriate for a modern audience, but later admits she feels her new version takes “the spirit and character out of [the book].”

At the end of the episode Marge asks Lisa: “What am I supposed to do?”

'Offensive': The Simpsons addressed criticism of its character Apu
Fox

To which she responds by telling the camera: “It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect."

She then looks at a portrait of Apu on her bedside table and adds: “What can you do?”

But fans of the show didn’t feel that describing the character as ‘politically incorrect’ was enough.

Kondabolu tweeted: “Wow. 'Politically Incorrect?' That’s the takeaway from my movie & the discussion it sparked? Man, I really loved this show. This is sad.”

Others chimed in to back the filmmaker up, one wrote: “I always tell the #UnitedShades crew that comedy can fix any creative issues. That's what comedy's for. It can't fix real world issues. But it can get you out of a creative jam. The Simpson's, 1 OF THE GREATEST COMEDIES OF ALL TIME, coulda dug deep & wrote their way out of this.”

New TV shows to look forward to in 2018

1/17

Another tweeted: “Those who thought #TheSimpsons writers could come up with a decent story to deal with Apu criticism haven’t watched the show in the last ten years.”

A third posted: “I love when a bunch of Harvard white guys tell us what’s racist.”

Many viewers were also displeased that the show had Lisa, a character who is known for being highly-principled, read out the line.

One said: “They really betrayed the spirit of her character. Such a disappointment, they really had a chance to say the right thing and they blew it.”

Another wrote: “And to have Lisa deliver the line... they are so unwilling to be in the wrong that they used the character who is least likely to say something like that.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT