It’s probably not a surprise that I’m a Simpsons fanatic, and have been since the first days (we collected Matt Groening cartoons in junior high) but it was the evolution of the character of Apu that really clinched it for me.

Now, the first reaction upon encountering or hearing about Apu Nahasapeemapetalan is invariably a groan–yet another stereotypical 7-11 manager/operator–whether when he debuted, or today. But Apu evolved, as most Simpsons’ characters, into someone complex, worthy of both ridicule and empathy. He has a PhD, entered into an arranged marriage (but not before a stint as Springfield’s most happening bachelor, Trans Am and all) with the witty Manjula, sired octoplets, revealed his veganism and his illegal immigrant status, which he fixed by getting that long-awaited H-1 Visa. His worst sins are quirky saying in accented English, his two instances of infidelity to his wife and a tendency to overcharge (nothing compared to miser Mr.Burns or desperate Moe). Despite repeated attempts to run away from the overwhelming demands of his family of octoplets, Apu remains an excellent vehicle for Simpsons writers to explore desi issues. I highly recommend Wikipedia’s detailed biography of Apu here.

But Apu was absent in the most recent Simpsons exploration of desi culture, when Homer gets outsourced to India. Desi culture has become too big even for Apu.The Simpsons characters often spend an episode in another country, gleefully exploding and exploiting stereotypes, and the Indian outsourcing episode is no exception. When Homer gets outsourced by Mr. Burns, he’s naturally incompetant, a fact that the PhD-educated Indian workers quickly catch on to. Fast forward six months–the Simpson have not heard from Homer, until Mr. Burns tells them that Homer has gone “native” and thinks that he is a god.

Enter Apocalypse Now.

I read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in junior high, and loved it immediately–I read it as an adventure novel, and later as a psychological exploration. I did not think about the inherent racism in the tale–we discussed it in class, but so much of the novel seemed symbolic. It seemed logical that the search for Kurtz was pure symbolism–a search for how power could cripple even the best of men. And the darkness, to Victorian minds, was represented by the corruption brought from plumbing the depths of the Congo. By the time “civilized” man reached Kurtz, he was already lost in the depths of the jungle.

By the time I saw Apocalypse Now (from beginning to end) in college, the racial issues were on the forefront. This movie took the central issues of Conrad’s novel and moved them into the Vietnam war. The result was harrowing–predictable with with sledgehammer director Oliver Stone at the helm. The three-dimensional characters were all soldiers; the masses were all Vietnamese. By the time Willard (an obviously strained Martin Sheen) kills Kurtz (a incoherent, overpowering Brando), Stone can’t resist rubbing in the point, and the scene of Kurtz’s death is intercut with the graphic, ritual slaughter of a bull outside.

Both stories were the same–the exotic Far East as a mindless, corrosive influence on the West.

Leave it to the Simpsons to say–fine. That’s us.

When Mr. Burns and the Simpsons arrive in the “dark jungle” of India, they find a deluded Homer thinking he’s a god–and a crowd of Indian workers who’ve created a union based on all the secrets that the mercenary Mr. Burns didn’t want them to know about: part-time hours, mandatory health plans, onsite day care, one-hour lunch breaks.

Mr. Burns holds his head “You’ll ruin me! You’re fired!” Indian worker: “Woo-hoo! Free golden parachutes for everyone!”

In the spirit of Orientalism, the “heart of darkness” can be the Congo, Vietnam or India, with little change of implication of a mindless, decadent Far East. But, in this episode, the clever Indian plant workers don’t mind placating their Caucasian superiors, letting them think they worship Homer (in a Indiana-Jones-2 “pagan” style)when in reality they’re manipulating his incompetence. Over the years, the Simpsons have leveled the playing field when it comes to desi in pop culture–the exotic “coolie” who worships his oppressors must make way for the very real, very universal concerns of the modern, employed Desi.

But are the tables turned? Originally, the exotic East corrupted the West; now it may be the other way around. As a proud Lisa tells Homer later, he’s managed to export the American worker’s sense of entitlement. Now that the Indian plant workers know that they don’t need to work a 20-hour day the question is–what happens to the Indian work ethic–exemplified by Apu and his 24/7 Kwik-E-Mart? Furthermore, which way is the colonialization going? The plant moves back to Springfield–for obvious plot purposes–but the implication is clear. The Indian worker is on the move.

I recommend Wikipedia’s entry on Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bangalore (yes, I’m a wikipedia-whore). And if you get a chance, catch the episode, I haven’t done it justice.