Is really Apu leaving The Simpsons?

The departure of Apu from the series puts on the table the importance of the "politically correct" in today's world

In the last days, The Simpsons' followers found out some shocking news. According to the newspaper MARCA, the Indian producer and youtuber, Adi Shankar, said that FOX directors decided to eliminate Apu from the series, the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart, also of Indian origin.

Leer en español: ¿Víctima del inconformismo? La razón por la que Apu saldría de Los Simpson

The exit of the mythical character would have its reason in what many have considered as a stigmatization to the Indian emigrants in the United States. This assumption has led to a series of criticisms about the limit between comedy and disrespect.

In fact, according to the 20 Minutos portal, in July 2017 a documentary entitled 'The problem with Apu' was released, which "described the character as a negative and stereotypical representation of South Asians," the publication explained.

Does he not leave?

For a moment the news seemed not to be true. At least that was what Al Jean, one of the writers of the series, said. He denied the departure of Apu, through a publication on his Twitter account. "Adi Shankar is not a producer of The Simpsons. I wish him well, but he does not speak for our show, "said Jean.

On the other hand. Adi Shankar responded to the tweet calmly and peacefully, accepting that the future of the series was more important than any friction that could arise between the creators of the series and him.

"I wish you the best too. Let's work towards common ground, ignoring only the burning fans. The world is polarized and increasingly. The responsibility to gather people is in us. Let's participate in a constructive way and this matter will disappear. I see you, now I ask you to see me, "was Shankar's message in response to the Simpsons scriptwriter.

The era of the "politically correct"

With all this, not only remains the doubt of whether or not Apu will be removed from the cartoon but the true importance of a satirical character in the functioning of the real world. That is why hundreds of users in social networks showed their rejection of the shopkeeper's exit, not only because of the connection he might or might not have with Apu but because of the way in which those in charge of the series would delete it.

"I deeply regret the fall of Apu. Left-handed definitions of "politically correct" drew a reference character from the Simpsons. Apu is not racism, is a hard-working man and with great values that will be remembered as a martyr of freedom of expression, "wrote a netizen on Twitter.

There was even another that quoted Matt Groening (creator of the series), who said, in an interview with USA Today: "I'm proud of what we do in the series. And I think we're at a time when, in our culture, people love to pretend to be offended, "when asked about the controversy surrounding Apu's stigmatizing role in the program.

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Other cases

As it could happen with Apu, some other characters have left the series, causing controversy, most of them because of the importance they had within the cast.

Among the most popular are: Maude Flanders who died in the episode 'Alone Again, Natura-Diddily' of season 11. According to Aweita (the entertainment section of La República newspaper in Peru), Ned's wife was 'murdered' due to some Contractual issues between voice actress Maggie Roswell and those in charge of the series.

Others like Bart's teacher, Edna Krabapell, and the actor who appeared in almost all the documentaries, Troy McClure, were taken out due to the death of their voice actors: Marcia Wallace (due to a cancer of mom, according to El Comercio) , and Phil Hartman (murdered by his wife, CNN reported), respectively.

LatinAmerican Post | Christopher Ramírez Hernández

Translated from: '¿Víctima del inconformismo? La razón por la que Apu saldría de Los Simpson'

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