# The Simpsons is killing off a character - who will/should it be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128 "2013-10-01T20:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/21 "2013-10-02T01:43:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > In fact- is the Indian convenience store guy even an “active” stereotype anymore? Yes. That and liquor stores around here. (ETA: And gas stations and Dunkin Donuts for some reason.) Although there’s also the doctor and tech support stereotype, too. Not so much spelling bee champs, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/22 "2013-10-02T01:50:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes. That and liquor stores around here. (ETA: And gas stations and Dunkin Donuts for some reason.) Although there’s also the doctor and tech support stereotype, too. Not so much spelling bee champs, AFAIK. I’m sure I’ve seen Indian or Indian subcontinent guys working at 7-11s- just that I don’t know if that’s what people think of when they think of Indians now. And for the record the last six winners of the Scripps spelling bee have been Indian-American - not that positive stereotypes are OK, but I’m not sure Apu represents what he once might have. I’d like to think his development as a character makes him far more than a stereotype anyway, but I can understand that people of Indian descent might feel differently. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/23 "2013-10-02T01:54:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m sure I’ve seen Indian or Indian subcontinent guys working at 7-11s- just that I don’t know if that’s what people think of when they think of Indians now. And for the record the last six winners of the Scripps spelling bee have been Indian-American - not that positive stereotypes are OK, but I’m not sure Apu represents what he once might have. I’d like to think his development as a character makes him far more than a stereotype anyway, but I can understand that people of Indian descent might feel differently. I certainly think the convenience store stereotype is eroding, but it’s still out there, in my experience. As for the spelling bee, I don’t think enough people follow that to know the last 6 winners were Indian Americans. My guess is if you stopped a random person on the street and asked them what ethnicity the last six spelling bee winners were, the stereotypes would lead them to East Asian rather than South Asian. That’s my guess. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/24 "2013-10-02T02:17:44Z")
I’ll go with Rabbi Krustofski, too. The regular characters are probably contractually immortal. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes. That and liquor stores around here. (ETA: And gas stations and Dunkin Donuts for some reason.) Yes and Subway sandwich shop & motel owner/operators, too. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/25 "2013-10-02T02:31:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Yeah, sure. The character has been out there but just now people are getting upset that he’s a stereotype. 😛 The Indian guy running the convenience store is a stereotype that they probably couldn’t get away with if The Simpsons was a new show, but the character has gained a lot of depth over the years. He’s one of my favorites, actually. In fact- is the Indian convenience store guy even an “active” stereotype anymore? I think people’s views of Indian-Americans has changed a lot in 25 years. If there’s a stereotype now I would think it’s that Indians are all doctors and spelling bee champions. Around here the first generation of Indian immigrants came because of the local university. So the doctor stereotype came first. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/26 "2013-10-02T02:39:11Z")
A promo for the season said there will be a Sideshow Bob episode this season. Maybe they’ll kill him off. Interesting note: Kelsey Grammer has been playing Sideshow Bob for more years than he played Fraser Crane. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/27 "2013-10-02T02:40:40Z")
The shark. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/28 "2013-10-02T04:03:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > … Or Doctor Nick. Bye everybody ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/29 "2013-10-02T04:35:26Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Yes and Subway sandwich shop & motel owner/operators, too. I was going to reply “same here” and then realized our "here"s are the same. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/30 "2013-10-02T12:44:45Z")
Edna Krabapple ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/31 "2013-10-02T13:00:11Z")
Haven’t they done this already? Just how stale is this show going to get? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/32 "2013-10-02T13:01:25Z")
Be bold. Make it Bart. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/33 "2013-10-02T13:12:15Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Haven’t they done this already? They’ve had a handful of characters die over the years. It turns out you can address death in more than one way- especially if you have a cast of hundreds to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/34 "2013-10-02T13:15:30Z")
A side note on the Indians-as-convenience-store-clerks business… Years ago I read this Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Caleb Carr called _The Italian Secretary._ The novel itself didn’t do much for me (it had a lot of good elements but the whole didn’t seem up to the sum of its parts), but there was one bit I got a kick out of…apparently Holmes and Watson get their tobacco from a “sundries shop” with a “Punjabi proprietor.” Thank you, come again! So who do I think will get killed off? My money’s on Grampa or, as others have said, Rabbi Krustofsky. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/35 "2013-10-02T13:15:37Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It turns out you can address death in more than one way- especially if you have a cast of hundreds to choose from. You don’t say! Lets not pretend this is anything but a gimmick, and as I say its a gimmick they have used before. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/36 "2013-10-02T13:19:39Z")
I think the real news story here is: “The Simpsons” Is Still On! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/37 "2013-10-02T13:21:16Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Lets not pretend this is anything but a gimmick, and as I say its a gimmick they have used before. Ok. So? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/38 "2013-10-02T13:41:20Z")
Of course it’s a gimmick. What else could it even be? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/39 "2013-10-02T13:44:46Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Of course it’s a gimmick. What else could it even be? I don’t know, man. It’s pretty shocking that a TV series would stoop to gimmickry to get viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128/40 "2013-10-02T16:29:51Z")
I’m betting on Grandpa Simpson, because the writers have run thru every imaginable old person joke at least a dozen times by now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-simpsons-is-killing-off-a-character-who-will-should-it-be/670128.md?page=3)