"You want to be incredibly adept at being offensive, but also be profound"
Margaret Cho has shared her opinion about The Simpsons‘ Apu controversy.
As reported by The Straits Times, Korean American comedian Margaret Cho has discussed the controversy about The Simpsons‘ use of Indian immigrant character Apu.
Cho revealed that she was a “good friend” of Hari Kondabolu, the Indian-American comic behind The Problem With Apu – the documentary that sparked the discussion about the long standing character.
“[Kondabolu] made a perfect film,” Cho said. “It made a huge statement about how Asians are continually dealing with stereotypes. I am a fan of The Simpsons and I am a fan of (Simpsons creator) Matt Groening and I would like to see what their response to what Hari is saying is.”
Discussing her own comedy and use of caricatures, Cho said, “I think the point to remember is perspective. The jokes come from an Asian-American perspective.”
At the 2015 Global Globes ceremony, Cho played a scowling North Korean officer, which was considered controversial.
Cho added that the comedian’s duty is to be tastefully offensive. “Comedy is really about being offensive,” she said. “It can’t be gratuitous – there has to have some value, some meaning to it. At least, I am trying to do that.You want to be incredibly adept at being offensive, but also be profound.”
A couple of months ago, Cho discussed sexual assault and the Time’s Up movement.