In a speech in New Hampshire on Thursday, while talking about call center jobs, United States vice president Joe Biden appeared to slip into an “Indian” accent before thinking better of it and stopping in mid-sentence.

The accent was so badly done that some commentators immediately speculated that it was supposed to be Russian – but still it brought to mind Mr. Biden’s 2006 Indian-American gaffe, when he was caught on microphone saying: “In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”

Mr. Biden is sure to get heat for this. But it also raises a perplexing phenomenon – for reasons that India Ink cannot figure out, putting on an “Indian accent,” or making fun of one, is not seen in the United States or other English-speaking nations as offensive as it would be to mock many other accents. Rush Limbaugh aside, the days when it was common to put on a “Chinese” accent and trot out tired Chinese stereotypes passed long ago. It seems impossible to believe a cartoon character-like Speedy Gonzales would be created today.

Yet, we have “The Simpsons” Apu, the heavily accented convenience store owner whose creator admits was made to offend. “Right away they were like ‘Can you do an Indian accent and how offensive can you make it?’ basically,” Hank Azaria, who does the voice of Apu, said in a 2007 interview. Rather than be appalled, executives from 7-11 were so enamoured with the character that they based a promotion around it.

Not that anyone in India thinks fake Indian accents are actually funny. Note the forced and painful smiles during cricketer Andrew Symonds use of an “Indian accent” while he was on “Bigg Boss.”