rant · moment 12 of 24
China, Apu, and The Simpsons Controversy
from #206 - Turn Yourselves In | The Tim Dillon Show · #206
4 min
He jokingly blames China for stirring cultural division via the Apu documentary and Big Mouth casting news, then defends The Simpsons' ethnic stereotype characters as harmless compared to real historical ethnic violence.
- Tim claims China is behind the Apu documentary and the push to remove the character from The Simpsons.
- Hari Kondabolu was allegedly given money by China to make a documentary attacking Apu as a stereotype.
- Apu was a beloved immigrant character and business owner, but became controversial due to his stereotypical accent.
- The Simpsons had many ethnic stereotypes — Italian gangsters, Irish drunks, creepy Kennedy-esque mayor — but Apu specifically distressed Indian people.
- Tim's grandfather witnessed actual ethnic violence between Irish and Italian immigrants on New York streets with weapons.
- Kids don't need a cartoon character to learn cruelty; they're already naturally nasty, cruel, and vindictive.
- Tim reflects on being made fun of as a kid for being shallow, fake, and wanting to hang around rich people.
The SimpsonsApu NahasapeemapetilonChinaHari Kondabolu