The Simpsons as hip. Yep. Looks like finding current pop culture too commercial and conformist is a disqualification for being in style in 2007. Am I ever relieved to be out of it. It reminds me of when I finally got around to asking my 22-year-old nephew if Aqua Teen was really considered cool. He snickered and said, only if you’re a geezer trying to be cool. I couldn’t break it to the thirty-year-olds grooving on Aqua Teen that the 20-year-olds were laughing at them.

So, what if Matt G. had made the greedy Indian convenience store owner Jewish? Would I still need to “lighten up”?

Yes you would. Part of the fun of the Simpsons if that they make fun of everything and everyone. They use some stereotypes, however, if you watch enough (which you don’t) these characters become more than one dementional cutouts.

Call me old fashioned but back when I grew up stupid and cynical weren’t enough to carry something pretending to be funny.

You only sound old fashioned in the fact that any one who says , “back in my day” sounds like a crabby old man who still has a black and white TV.

FOX as cool. Boy, have standards in counter-culture fallen to the bottom or what?

Nobody does more riffs on the shoddy quality of Fox than The Simpsons itself. What network a show is aired on typically has little to do with the quality of the program or the credibility of the creative team involved.

Joss Whedon’s shows appeared on the WB and Fox – neither paragons of excellent programming! Yet they were among the best quality television ever, counter-culture, cutting edge, you name it.

So don’t judge a TV show by its network, I guess is the lesson here. And if you don’t appreciate a show, or aren’t familiar with it, why not refrain from commenting? That’s what I and most others here do and it seems to make a whole lot of sense.

Does this have something to do with the “Simpsons” convenience store owner and his adoption by 7-Eleven?

It actually has nothing to do with that. You could make the character however you wanted to, and this was my result

While some Indians might consider Apu a racist caricature, I’ve always found him funny. Every Indian I know has laughed hysterically when watching the episodes where he is set up for an arranged marriage, or has his traditional Indian wedding, or has his mother come to visit. They have the inside jokes that “you can’t understand unless you’re Indian.” Even references to Hinduism are pretty amusing. It’s not that often you see that stuff on American television. So even if they are lampooning it, it’s nice to know it’s in the popular culture.

Now, when someone asks me if I own a 7-11, *that’s* offensive…

So, what if Matt G. had made the greedy Indian convenience store owner Jewish? Would I still need to “lighten up”? I’ve watched several “Simpsons” episodes and thought they were pretty stupid and cynical. Call me old fashioned but back when I grew up stupid and cynical weren’t enough to carry something pretending to be funny. FOX as cool. Boy, have standards in counter-culture fallen to the bottom or what?

It’s essentially the old stereotype of the “avaricious jew” assigned to Indian-Americans

No I think it’s more to do with the persistent stereotype of Indian-Americans as rocket scientists. Note the T-shirt logo.

I agree with Karen, you need to lighten up. The Simpsons is a very funny show that sometimes introduces viewpoints that don’t get nearly enough exposure in the media.

It’s essentially the old stereotype of the “avaricious jew” assigned to Indian-Americans. It’s odious and distusting and any generation that gets its idea of what’s cool from FOX entertainment is a generation firmly in the hands of the worst part of the establishment.

Oh, my. You really need to lighten up, man.

You don’t watch the show, so why do you criticize it from ignorance? Doesn’t lend much credibility to your arguments against atheists either.