Interesting... There's been a lot of commentary about Asian stereotypes in television lately, actually. ... like this article from Salon.

And there's furor over Seth MacFarlane's newest show that's not even out yet: Dads, because of the shitty stereotypes they're playing into.

While I agree that Apu's Indianness was a (now very dated and unacceptable) cartoon caricature of a recent immigrant, I agree with Matt that at least he had story arcs and explored important issues as a fully realized character on the Simpsons. I think I learned more about Apu's life than I did Lenny or Karl, for instance; and Barney, too, for that matter. He was sympathetic and engaging as a character to watch, and not because he was a foreign stereotype. ... even if some of his lifestyle stuff was particularly stereotyped (like the vegetarian diet, the shrines, the working in a convenience store thing, etc.). [edit: I gave it a bit more thought: I think Apu ended up having more serious "this is a real guy, not just a tragic one-liner/typecast punchline (e.g. Barney)" character development stories over the years than a lot of the other supporting characters on the show, like Lenny and Karl, or Moe or Principal Skinner. But maybe there's a hierarchy of character development at play here too that looks something like The Simpsons family proper, Flanders, Apu, Patty & Selma, everybodyelse... Or maybe I just liked Apu more than some of the other characters and therefore remember his stories better than others. Who knows.]

Raj on the Making-Fun-Of-Nerds show, however, is the ultimate stereotypical punchline, within a show where everyone is used as a punchline. ... But at least Leonard and Sheldon are given non-culturally-exclusive reasons for their weirdness. Meanwhile Howard and Raj fall into the territory of stereotypically ethnic weirdness, with Raj being trapped in the bottom of a really deep pit of racially-motivated differentiation, and few redeeming qualities or opportunities within his character's story arc. Howard, I think gets this "oh, he's Jewish" brush-off, but then he's allowed back into the fold of white nerdity without any further problems.

Contrasting I seriously forgot the name... Big Bang Theory with, say, The Guild makes it even more obvious. In The Guild, everyone's a shut-in and everyone's weird; the Indian guy has some additional cultural challenges (aka his mom), but he's so much more than just that one piece of his character. Raj on Big Bang, however, is not. Raj's sister, as an occasional visitor/lover of Leonard's seems less tied-down to the ethnic-punchline role her brother has been condemned to play on the show.

If it is murder of crows then what is it for harpies?

Very interesting. I'd never really thought about it before, but I think I have a bigger problem with Peter Sellers' The Party, and the guy from the Big Bang Theory, because more often than not, the punchlines are their "Indian-ness". Apu is a broad stereotype, but I feel that the jokes are less based on those stereotypes, so I've never felt that uncomfortable with the character. He's still his own person and his own character.

But there's no doubt Apu has helped ingrain that stereotype for at least one, maybe two generations of people, which is kind of sad. But I still feel the guy on the Big Bang Theory is more egregious, because it's not a 25 year old show.

Two of my favourite comedians comment on Apu, and how it may be past time to revisit the character:

"He's an example of a character who would never have been written if the show started today," says comedian Hari Kondabolu.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Chvrches- The mother we share

because I'm a sucker for synth-pop

howdy...

All you Wet-Coast-ers might want to bookmark this site, and/or follow these folks on Twitter...

Earthquakes Canada detected a 6.1 quake today north of the north tip of Vancouver Island.

They post automatic "live" updates on Twitter, too, as @CANADAquakes ... and are currently identifying aftershocks in Port Hardy. ... no expectations of tsunamis, though.

I hope you guys aren't too shaken-up.

re: The Secret

I dare not say anything else bad about the movie/book. After making that first post, a computer and video camera were stolen from my car, mere hours later. I'm concerned it's not a coincidence. The Secret is everywhere!!!!!