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The Simpsons, Comedy, Identity Politics and Representation

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The identity politics backlash to the Simpsons is underway in all the usual echo chamber outlets. There's a hysterical NPR editorial, angry posts in multiple outlets.

The outrage centers over the character of Apu, the Indian convenience store owner, a TruTV documentary complaining about him, and the Simpsons dismissing the complaints with a quick clip shrugging off political correctness.

The backlash keeps referencing Hari Kondabolu, his The Problem With Apu doc and the demands for "representation" by "marginalized groups".

But if you want some sort of idealized representation for your marginalized group, devoid of humor and stereotypes, The Simpsons is the last possible place to go. Its characters are one-note stereotypes. That's how most comedy works. You can insist on opting out of it. Or you can demand representation. But you can't want representation in a non-stereotypical fashion on a show that does just that.

That's not a demand for representation. It's a demand that the show transform its entire mode of existence to suit you. And it's a fundamentally dishonest position.

The Simpsons is not in the business of respectfully representing groups. And for that matter, entertainment isn't about that either. And if it is, it isn't entertainment.

 

 


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