Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 10 april 2018
'Simpsons' reference to Apu criticism sparks backlash

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS Kwik-E-Mart, where he sells
Associated Press expired food, rips off cus-
"The Simpsons" briefly ad- tomers and delivers the
dressed Sunday criticism sing-songy slogan, "Thank
of its portrayal of its Indian you, come again."
shop owner, Apu. But a co- People of South Asian heri-
median who helped spark tage have criticized the
a conversation about the heavily accented Apu
character calls the show's character for reinforcing
response "sad" and at- stereotypes which they say
tacked the show on Twitter led to world bullying, self-
for reducing a discussion loathing and embarrass-
about racism to political ment.
correctness. The character is voiced by
Sunday's episode featured Hank Azaria, a white Jew-
Marge sharing her favorite ish man who was raised in
childhood book with her the New York borough of
daughter, Lisa. Marge real- Queens.
izes the book is more racist Azaria told reporters at the
and offensive than she re- Television Critics Associa-
membered and attempts tion press tour in January
to edit it as she reads. The that "The Simpsons" produc-
story, titled "The Princess in ers planned to address the
the Garden," contains ste- controversy around Apu.
reotypes about people of "The idea that anybody,
Irish and Latin American In this July 21, 2007, file photo, characters from The Simpsons pose before the premiere of "The young or old, past or pres-
descent. Simpsons Movie," at the town's movie theater in Springfield, Vt. ent, was bullied or teased
Lisa reacts to the story by Associated Press or worse based on the
saying, "Something that character of Apu on 'The
started decades ago and Lisa adds, "if at all." progress . tweeted, "Congratulations Simpsons,' the voice or any
was applauded and inof- Comedian Hari Kondabo- "In 'The Problem with Apu,' to the Simpsons for being other tropes of the charac-
fensive is now politically lu, who wrote the docu- I used Apu & The Simpsons talked about & being seen ter is distressing," he said.
incorrect. What can you mentary "The Problem With as an entry point into a as relevant again." "This character — the only
do?" A photo of Apu ap- Apu" about how marginal- larger conversation about Other South Asians also representation that we
pears and Marge says, ized groups are represent- the representation of mar- took to social media to have — led a lot of kids
"Some things will be dealt ed in pop culture, called ginalized groups," Kond- blast the episode over the who were born and raised
with at a later date" and Sunday's scene a "jab" at abolu thumbed out in a small mention of Apu. here to feel non-Ameri-
tweet. "The Simpsons re- Chris Alexander, a spokes- can," Kondabolu, who also
sponse tonight is not a jab man for 20th Century Fox grew up in Queens, told
at me, but at what many of Television, said the show's The AP last year. "If you
us consider progress." producers are declining don't nip racism in the bud
After journalists reached comment and prefer to let from the beginning, it mu-
out to Kondabolu follow- the episode speak for itself. tates and finds other ways
ing Sunday's episode, he On the show, Apu runs the of surviving."q
Susan Anspach, who starred in

'Five Easy Pieces,' dead at 75

NEW YORK (AP) — Susan ger than their male coun- as an estranged wife, in the
Anspach, a screen and terparts. She was the piano 1979 release "Running." Off-
stage actress best known player who became Nich- screen, she was married for
for playing non-conformists olson's lover, then broke much of the 1970s to "Lost
in "Five Easy Pieces," ''Blume off with him in "Five Easy in Space" actor Mark God-
in Love" and other films, has Pieces." She co-starred dard and dated the Band's
died at age 75. Anspach with George Segal in Paul Robbie Robertson. She was
died April 2 at her home in Mazursky's comedy "Blume married in the 1980s to mu-
Los Angeles. Her son Caleb in Love," playing the es- sician Sherwood Ball. In
Goddard said the cause tranged wife of a divorce New York, she worked with
was heart failure. lawyer. Her other roles in- future stars such as Dustin
A New York City native, cluded Woody Allen's ex- Hoffman and Robert Du-
Anspach had an extensive wife in "Play It Again, Sam" vall, and appeared in sev-
stage career before break- and a businessman's wife eral stage productions. She
ing into movies in the early who breaks free in the starred in the original off-
1970s. It was a golden age Swedish production "Mon- Broadway production of
of independent filmmak- tenegro." "Hair" and in a production
ing in Hollywood, a time Goddard said Monday that of "A View From the Bridge"
well suited for an actress Anspach was especially that also featured Duvall
who specialized in playing proud of "Blume in Love," and Jon Voight.
women as strong or stron- ''Montenegro" and, again q