Throughout the years, Western media has incessantly reduced South Asians to unattractive and socially awkward characters, touting them only as a "clownable minority," as actor, writer and comedian Hasan Minaj once said.
First there was "The Simpsons" and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (Hank Azaria) — an Indian proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart who speaks with a thick accent and whose surname sounds like an amalgamation of random phonetics poking fun at traditional South Indian last names. Then came "The Big Bang Theory" and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), a quirky astrophysicist who has bad luck with women, poor taste in fashion and a penchant for acting inappropriately during the wrong moments.
