Whatever. Milhouse: Remember when Santa's little helper ate my goldfish but you told me I never had one, but then why'd I have the bowl bart? Why did I have the bowl? Watched the Laddie episode. A plethora of amazing one liners in that one
It doesn't really matter at this point because the Simpsons could go away and I can still treasure the first 10 or so seasons. But I legit can't even imagine someone being offended by Dr Hibbert, Lou, or Carl. Some of the least outlandish caricatures in the entire series. Are black people upset that they are voiced by white people or is this just a precautionary move by networks and voice actors just in case something is to arise? I can come to terms with the Apu and Bumblebee Man backlash, but the black characters on the Simpsons were never based on stereotypes so it just seems bizarre to me this is an actual controversy.
it's funny to compare this to Futurama - a show set in a sci-fi future, yet their Asian/Black characters were voiced by respective Asian and Black voice actors. Whereas The Simpsons was, more or less, grounded in a wacky realism, yet for so long now, their minority characters were voiced by white people. If Futurama was able to get it right from the start, then there's no excuse for The Simpsons to ignore this issue for so long.
Amy’s parents on Futurama, even if they are voiced by actors of Asian descent, are far more racially insensitive and stereotypical than Harry Shearer playing Dr Hibbert.
Where characters like Carl or Lou or Dr. Hibbert are concerned (or Diane on Bojack, etc), it's less about the characters being offensive depictions and more about representation. It is hard enough for actors of color to break into the industry when American entertainment is still very white centric for lack of a better phrasing. If characters of color are voiced by white people it further compounds the issue - there are fewer opportunities, and then further they're given to white people anyways? Were the creators of The Simpsons intentionally racist in voicing minority characters with white actors? Perhaps not, but it contributes to systemic racism all the same. Someone else can say this far better than I can, but ultimately representation is extremely important, and casting characters with voice actors from those actual populations is a bare minimum way to move in the right direction there.
Vans dropping a Simpsons collection on Friday. Lots of good stuff. The Simpsons x Vans Footwear Release Info | SneakerNews.com