What Hindus Think About Apu

[Guest guest]

What Hindus Think About Apu

From Beliefnet

 

Some are offended; others are amused and unfazed. But

everyone's paying attention.

By Mark I. Pinsky

 

With the help of [the magazine] Hinduism Today, I

informally surveyed attitudes toward " The Simpsons " [A

popular U.S. cartoon television series; see link below for

more information]. What I [the author, Mark Pinsky] found

was that Indian immigrants and adolescent and teenage

children of immigrants--especially orthodox Hindus--were

generally offended by Apu [a character in the series; a non-

resident Indian convenience store clerk] and his stereotypes.

They also have specific complaints about what they feel is

doctrinal error and distortion.

 

" Hindu kids growing up in America have enough trouble

adjusting during middle and high school, and they don't

need 'The Simpsons' fueling teasers with misinformed jokes

about Hinduism, " Amit Chatwani, a Princeton University

student, said. " I think that Hinduism is trampled to add more

laughs to the show. People that don't know anything about

Hinduism watch the show with the idea of a 'goofy, sacred

elephant statue' that is Lord Ganesh. This skewed view then

becomes their only knowledge of Hinduism. "

 

By contrast, American converts to Hinduism, steeped in our

culture of irony, seemed amused and unfazed by the

portrayal of their faith on the series. " Unlike Hindus, 'The

Simpsons' have no sacred cows, " said Fred Stella, an actor

and yoga instructor from Michigan who identifies himself as

an Italian-American adherent to Hinduism. " But more than

making fun of Hinduism, the writers tend to mock people's

perception of Hinduism. They do the same with

Christianity. "

 

Ty Schwach, an orthodox Hindu from Los Angeles, said

that the humor involving Hindus and Apu " seems quite

clearly to be poking fun more at the stereotypical ideas and

preconceived notions of mainstream American regarding the

Indian culture. The incidents involving Apu always leave

me feeling a sense of respect for him and the way he

responds to the provincial notions of his neighbors and

friends who truly know very little about his culture and

religion. "

 

For Acharya Palaniswami, the editor of Hinduism Today,

this double-edged response to " The Simpsons " is entirely

understandable. " It is often difficult for good, religious

people to smile at their faith's foibles. That's natural.

Religion is a serious matter for the devout, and when things

they hold precious are held up to humorous scrutiny or even

ridicule, they are offended. Among Hindus, such offense is

not unknown, but Hindus are more forgiving and perhaps a

little more at ease with disdain and ignorance than most.

Largely due to an innate ethic of tolerance, Hindus can and

do personally enjoy Homer's stupidity and narrow-

mindedness toward their religion, and Apu's unctuous

money grubbing. They've seen it before, and endured less

good-hearted ridicule. Probably daily if they live in

Memphis or London. "

 

 

Palaniswami stresses that humor can signal cultural

receptivity.

 

" Hindus in America don't yet understand that ridicule is

actually part of the process of acceptance of minorities here,

that once a minority has become prominent enough to attract

ridicule in fictional pieces, be it cartoons, movies or TV

shows, that is part of a process of education. It does seem

strange, even cruel, but the creation of 'stock jokes' about a

minority is part of letting them in, so to speak, welcoming

them into the great melting pot.

 

[....]

 

" Hindus will note the factual failings of the writers, who

would do well to consult more with those who know....

Most Hindus will enjoy the fact that karma and

reincarnation are subjects for today's films and cartoons,

reflecting the fact that the West is intensely interested in and

believes in these fundamental Hindu principles. They will

smile to see Apu rejecting Lord Ganesha, then coming back,

just as so many Indians abroad have done, coming to

America the Beautiful, Land of Money, then later

rediscovering their faith. "

 

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7844.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/27hzh9

About the Simpsons:

http://www.thesimpsons.com/index.html