The Simpsons creator Matt Groening says the debate around the depiction of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has turned into noise as there is "no nuance" left in the conversation.
The animated sitcom, which recently became America's longest-running scripted show, has been criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of the South Asian community which came to light after Hari Kondabolu called out the makers through his documentary, The Problem with Apu.
In an interview with The New York Times, Groening said he feels bad how the character's portrayal has made people unhappy.
"Well, I love Apu. I love the character, and it makes me feel bad that it makes other people feel bad. But on the other hand, it's tainted now - the conversation, there's no nuance to the conversation now. It seems very, very clunky. I love the character. I love the show," he said.
Two months ago, when he was asked whether Apu was meant to be a stereotype, Groening comments, "Not really. I'm proud of what we do on the show. And I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended" had kicked up a storm.
Clarifying his remark, the writer said what he earlier said "wasn't specifically about Apu".
"That was about our culture in general. And that's something I've noticed for the last 25 years. There is the outrage of the week and it comes and goes. For a while, it was, believe it or not, kids were stealing quarters out of their mothers' purses in order to go to the video arcade, and that was going to bring down civilization.
"No one even remembers that, because that lasted a week. I think particularly right now, people feel so aggrieved and crazed and powerless that they're picking the wrong battles."
The debate had escalated to such levels that actor Hank Azaria, who voices Apu's character, said he was "perfectly willing to step aside" from the role.
Groening added the team is not sure how they are going to handle the part going forward.
He revealed he named the character after "the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray" as a tribute to his love for Indian culture, film and music.
When asked if that means the show will hold further appearances by Apu for the time being, the writer said, "If we come up with a good story we'll do it, but some of the stuff the show got taken to task for, we covered in an episode a couple of years ago (in 2016's Much Apu About Something). Oh well."
Groening said, politically, he agreed with Kondabolu 99% but not when it comes to Apu.
"I love the character and I would hate for him to go away. I am sorry that The Simpsons would be criticised for having an Indian character that, because of our extraordinary popularity - I expected other people to do it.
"I go, maybe he's a problem, but who's better? Who's a better Indian animated character in the last 30 years? I've been to India twice and talked about The Simpsons in front of audiences. That's why this took me by surprise. I know Indians are not the same as Indian-Americans," he said.
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