• Zozano@aussie.zone
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    2 days ago

    Watching this video made me realise that benching Apu was a mistake. Because as a character, he is not punched down on, he is reliably one of the more considerate and nuanced characters in the show. He’s not a Cletus-like character, and the jokes about his Indian heritage are not mean spirited.

    • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Did you watch the documentary itself, or did you just watch that 45 minute takedown of it presented by a white guy wearing USA flag shorts telling us why he thinks Hari Kondabolu doesn’t understand racism?

      • dillekant@slrpnk.net
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        2 days ago

        I did watch the docco, and unfortunately it doesn’t really make it’s case coherently or entertainingly. That’s pretty bad because the creator is meant to be a comedian, and he really should have been able to ruin Shearer’s career but he’s just not all that great.

        As for Apu, the reason he sucks is that he started as a caricature but somehow ended up a main character, and the creators have kind of painted themselves in a corner. Is he meant to be a wacky stereotype like the Italian chef, or are we meant to have pathos, like Skinner? Add that to the fact that there just aren’t many Indians on screen, and you have Apu as mostly the only Indian representation on TV.

        It’s anachronistic, orientalist, and just a bit lame to do jokes like that. Heck, it was lame when they created the character, that’s why the specific note was not to make him Indian, but Shearer did it anyway.

      • Zozano@aussie.zone
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        1 day ago

        Evidently you dont know Max, he is very self aware, and is a leftist.

        That character you see there on the screen isn’t an animated version of himself, it’s a character - he’s far more pityful than the real Max, and references in this video how his own appearance is going to trigger judgement, as he looks like a skinhead.

        In any case, I don’t need to watch the documentary fully, if its ideas are represented fairly, right?

        So, then, does it present the ideas of the documentary fairly?

        Because you are inferring it doesn’t, even though you likely haven’t watched the video I posted.

    • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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      24 hours ago

      As much as I think Apu is a fine character, hotdiggedydemon went alt-right culture wars a long time ago.

      • Zozano@aussie.zone
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        23 hours ago

        I must’ve missed this? What has he said which made you think about him like this?

        • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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          17 hours ago

          His “eat the rich” video was enough. Honestly, I never liked his old pony.mov videos either. He always seemed like an ironic mlp fan.

            • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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              14 hours ago

              I was there when those pony videos were made. They always seemed more meanspirited than I cared for, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time. Definitely Ren and Stimpy coded.

              His Eat The Rich video is a tired strawmen of leftists. Unless that’s a specific person, which it does a piss poor job of convoying, it’s a broad generalization of everyone on the left calling for political change.

              • Zozano@aussie.zone
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                14 hours ago

                Even if I was going to take everything you say as gospel, that doesn’t make him alt-right. You shouldn’t go around accusing people of being fascists when they aren’t.

                Also, yes, they are Ren and Stimpy coded? Max has a deep appreciation for the artistry of cartoons, much like Egoraptor. Do you understand what the internet was like 14 years ago? It was far edgier than it is now. It says nothing about a persons political affiliation unless they make it aparent.

                And I don’t consider the Eat the Rich video a strawman of leftists. I believe it’s a commentary on people like Hassan Piker, who talk a big game about communist ideology while living in a mansion.

                Conversely, it’s an allegory about how money corrupts.

                • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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                  14 hours ago

                  Yes, I was there 15 years ago. You should have seen it 25 years ago.

                  Ren and Stimpy’s creator didn’t exactly age well either. Honestly, he was only really funny when he was pushing against boundaries. Once he had free reign, it was just gross out stuff.

                  I disagree with your interpretation of Eat the Rich. If that was supposed to be Hasan specifically, he could have made it more obvious. It’s still an overly simplistic depiction of an idea.

                  • Zozano@aussie.zone
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                    13 hours ago

                    I think its great you mention Ren and Stimpy, because I’d love to show you what Max thinks about the alt-right, while USING Ren and Stimpy as a platform.

                    Mmm delicious irony…

                    Also, you want to talk about leftist stereotypes, how about “everyone I don’t like it literally Hitler”

                    You just did that one.

                    And… I didn’t say it WAS Hassan, I said it was people LIKE Hassan.