South Park Satire Analysis

South Park, though an animated television series, is notoriously known for being a ball of undermined commentaries and criticisms. South Park’s unrestricted and haughty demonstration of the world issues has captured its audiences ever since its very first episode, that summer of 1997. Just recently, it has capped its 20th season back in December 2016 marking 19 years of successful television run. South Park has broke boundaries in terms of censorship and has become a medium for revealing societal stereotypes on ethnicity and race. Its blatant use of hostile terms and tackling of sensitive subjects hold its uproar every single episode. Through the strategic use of satirical elements that come in both non-verbal communication, as seen through the use of visuals and the verbal communication in the form of the language utilized in the character’s dialogues; South Park provided its audiences with its brazen views on racism.

The interpretation of the creators with their use of satirical comments and elements may come as different as opposed to the view of its audiences. A critical viewing is needed to differentiate one from the other. South Park being the infamous adult animated series that it is has a wide array of episodes that sparked controversies on the matters of race due to the presence of such satirical elements. Three of the most contentious episodes of South Park namely episode 12 of Season 5, “Here Comes the Neighborhood”, Season 7’s episode 7 titled “Red Man’s Greed” and “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson”, the pilot episode of season 11 enable the dissection and evaluation of the true purpose of satire in the show. The idea that South Park’s satire seems to be a muted nod to racism is plausible, but what South Park suggests is the sole intention of rebuking the racist ideologies against American