“We need to get all these minorities out of our waterpark,” stated Eric Cartman, one of the four main child characters from the animated television show South Park (“Pee”). Racist attitudes, like the one stated by Cartman, can be seen in today’s society and seem to have always been an issue since colonial times. In the South Park episode “Pee,” the creators uphold racial stereotypes that imply minorities are not assimilable, cause overcrowding, are lazy, violent, uneducated and taking over jobs, this can be through the interactions and thoughts of Eric Cartman.
South Park first aired in 1997 on the television network Comedy Central and is currently in its fifthteenth season. The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are regularly focusing on sensitive subjects in their show like race, religion, sexuality, abortion, and politics. As South Park’s biography suggest, “South Park satirizes many aspects of American culture and current events, and challenges deepset convictions and taboos, usually using parody and black humor” (“South Park Biography"). And because of the shows depictions of taboos, it has gained a massive amount of popularity, good and bad, amongst viewers.
The show follows the lives of four young boys in the fourth grade at South Park Elementary. Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman are usually the focus of the show and, in this episode, the main focus is on Cartman. Cartman, in many episodes, plays “a buffoonish exaggeration of a right-wing conservative” (Curtis). In the episode “Pee,” the boys are going to the waterpark and Cartman is especially excited because he has not been there in a year. Before Cartman even enters the park, he voices his dislike for minorities by saying, “We have to go to the wave p...
... middle of paper ...
.... Thoughts and acts of discrimination occur because, as humans, we often seem to look at differences instead of similarities. The first difference that someone notices about a person is the color of their skin. Then off the color of their skin they make judgments about that person this is damaging because to have a productive society we should be judging a person by their character not in something they don’t have a chance in changing.
Works Cited
Curtis, David V., and Gerald J. Erion. “Southpark and the Open Society.” Signs of Life. 6th ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 296-303.
Parker, Trey, and Matt Stone. "Pee." South Park. Comedy Central. 11 Nov. 2009. Television.
“South Park Biography." Lyrics. 2 July 2011. .
According to Blumer (1958) there are numerous key factors that contribute to racial prejudice. First, when Blumer is explaining racial prejudice it is tremendously important to note that when defining racial prejudice he is not looking at an individual‘s feelings in particular, he is analyzing racial prejudice within a group. He states that there is an important relationship that needs to occur between various racial groups in order to have prejudice. The individuals within these racial groups need to identify themselves within a particular group, as well as understand where they stand with another racial group.
Younger generations and the more vulnerable in society can be influenced in avoiding peer pressure, but for the individuals filled with wisdom, the shows can reflect based on American modern society. Everybody Loves Raymond and Full House are great shows who faces similar life obstacles a typical person living in the US has today. As a result, most modern family comedy sit-coms are reflecting our society’s generations and the more vulnerable. Based on the success of early family sit coms, American’s adapted to a fast pace lifestyle with the help of modern
These days, people think that cursing and making fun of people of other races is funny and that is just what The Chapelle Show does. The show comes on every Wednesday night at nine-thirty central time on comedy central with other discriminating shows such as South Park. South Park is a good example of racial discrimination because the only black character on there is a cook for a school. Boy that is one hell of a job. Chapelle tops them all though with skits such as The Racial Draft. In this skit he makes fun of every race there is.
The Impact of African-American Sitcoms on America's Culture Since its start, the television industry has been criticized for perpetuating myths and stereotypes about African-Americans through characterizations, story lines, and plots. The situation comedy has been the area that has seemed to draw the most criticism, analysis, and disapproval for stereotyping. From Sanford and Son and The Jefferson’s in the 1970s to The Cosby Show (1984) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the 1990s, sitcoms featuring black casts and characters have always been controversial. However, their significance upon our American culture cannot be disregarded.
The episode of Everybody Hates Chris that was shown in class is an excellent example of the negative representations of black, lower class people in the media. Specifically, the episode addresses the common black stereotypes of having poor home lives, absent parents, and the overall belief that black people are more violent and aggressive than white people. The episode addresses the everyday stereotyping that comes in a day of the life of a lower-class black, male student at an otherwise all white middle-class school.
Both authors have taken the deliberative to uncover the unconscious phenomenon that controls and affects how people interact, make perceptions, assumptions and even decisions in life. Most of these biases that people tend to have against other races are shaped and reinforced by one’s surroundings and experiences. It is therefore important expose these biases so as to grow as a society and extinguish the white privileges. Unless America is ready to face the truth about the existing biases, racial tensions and incidences will continue to
"Seinfeld" was always present in my home during its nine-year run on Thursday nights as "Must See TV," and the social commentary was welcome humor. However, not everyone was thrilled by Seinfeld's prominence in American society and the subject matter with which Seinfeld dealt. Many Christians, Jews and other minorities had problems with the show's portrayal of their respective groups. Despite criticism from ethnic and religious groups, Jerry Seinfeld and his show were possibly the best sources of social commentary that America's mainstream had to offer. The show is missed in today's current television line-up and no post-"Seinfeld" sitcom has come to the same level of cultural criticism.
Why do people these days tend to make fun of other people based on that person’s clothing and their skin color? Why don’t people realize that these assumptions can lead to violence? It could also end up killing innocent citizens who don’t have anything to do with this. In another way you can put it is that, prejudice ruins and sometimes even destroys humans. It also causes people to lose the way they look at their fellow human. . In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how prejudice causes people to believe in rumors, judge others by their skin color, and the beliefs of others.
For example, the show Everybody Hates Chris portrays an African-American family living in Bed-Sty, Brooklyn. The family is shown as living from paycheck to paycheck and trying to better their lives. Yet, the neighborhood around them influences many of their decisions. Many of the minor characters are portrayed as African-American people who will do anything in order to survive, such as murder or steal. It also shows the Caucasian persons as being superior and “better”.
Racism and discrimination continue to be a prevalent problem in American society. Although minorities have made significant strides toward autonomy and equality, the images in media, specifically television, continue to misrepresent and manipulate the public opinion of blacks. It is no longer a blatant practice upheld by the law and celebrated with hangings and beatings, but instead it is a subtle practice that is perceived in the entertainment and media industries. Whether it’s appearing in disparaging roles or being negatively portrayed in newscasts, blacks continue to be the victims of an industry that relies on old ideas to appeal to the majority. The viscous cycle that is the unconscious racism of the media continues to not only be detrimental to the white consumers, who base what they know about blacks by what is represented in television, but also the black consumers, who grow up with a false sense of identity.
Popular culture is the artistic and creative expression in entertainment and style that appeals to society as whole. It includes music, film, sports, painting, sculpture, and even photography. It can be diffused in many ways, but one of the most powerful and effective ways to address society is through film and television. Broadcasting, radio and television are the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world, and they have become a crucial instrument of modern social and political organization. Most of today’s television programming genres are derived from earlier media such as stage, cinema and radio. In the area of comedy, sitcoms have proven the most durable and popular of American broadcasting genres. The sitcom’s success depends on the audience’s familiarity with the habitual characters and the situations
Since television came into existence, it has evolved into a useful tool to spread ideas, both social and political, and has had a great effect on the generations growing up with these heavily influential shows. To these younger generations, television has taken the role of a teacher, with the task of creating a social construction by which many of us base our personal beliefs and judgments on. This power allows television shows take the opportunity to address problems in a manner that many audiences can take to heart. Many television shows present controversial topics in a comical matter, in some ways to soften the blow of hard-hitting reality at the same time bringing attention to the issue being addressed. In the television show, Everybody Hates Chris, season one, episode four entitled “Everybody Hates Sausage”, the stereotypes that continue to fuel racism are examined in a satirical motif, and class is presented in a comical way, but carries serious undertones which present a somewhat realistic view of the different social strata within the United States.
The basis for such injustices being done within a race of people can mainly be associated with the subconscious racists thoughts of individuals. These are the thoughts that lay deep within the crevices of one’s mind. The thoughts that an individual is sometimes ashamed to acknowledge. The art of believing that a lighter shade of black is better is primarily a thought process that has plagued the Black community for far too long. Maintaining such beliefs is what causes the racial divisions between light-skinned and dark-skinned Blacks to persist.
Part of human nature is judging something by what surrounds it even if it is another human. Think of a community that has every color, every race, every religion, and every kind of person that community however, doesn’t value each other to some point which causes a problem, a problem that we call racism in today’s era, a problem that needs to be eliminated because it allows a gap that shouldn’t exist in our society. Our society must understand that it isn’t okay to discriminate someone for how they look or what they believe in or what color they happen to be, specifically speaking to those who aren’t smart enough to realize that discrimination isn’t making any change for the better nor is it allowing certain groups in the community to advocate
Racism and discrimination is not just about color. It can mean a variety of different things. Discrimination can happen anywhere. It can also happen to anyone. Many people just look past a lot of these problems, simply because it 's not the usual discrimination and racism. Racism has been around since people have walked on this earth. Just because someone doesn’t look the same as you, you think that they are inferior or incapable. But that is simply not the case. Everyone is capable of doing amazing things, and the only things holding them back is the thoughts and words of other people. There is not one set way a person should look. Everyone Is unique in their own way and that is a good thing. If every one was the same, there would be no variety of color in the bland world of clones. People don’t take the time to stop and think about how are differences make the world what it is. The three main types of discrimination and racism that I have witnessed are, color, sex, and classification.