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Olivia Cueva
August 18th, 2010
South Park and White Privilege: An Examination of Racialized Messages and the
Construction of the White Role in a Discussion About Racism
As a provocative and anti ―politically correct‖ television series, South Park offers
its viewers an alternative space to critically think about and discuss contemporary issues.
Contrary to its reputation for potty-mouth humor, South Park often contains insightful
perspectives on complicated topics in present-day culture. The writers of South Park are
acutely aware of the racism and racial prejudices1 in contemporary society. This is
demonstrated through their satirical representations of non-white2 groups as well as
through jokes directed at racial prejudice itself. The episode ―With Apologies to Jesse
Jackson‖ is important because it aims to answer the question: how do we, as young
people in the 21st Century, discuss racism? But with further examination, a critical eye
uncovers that the episode actually endorses racial misconceptions that render any
conversation about racism invisible.
1
I distinguish racism from racial prejudice by defining racism as a system (not just a feeling or
mindset) of advantage based on race. ―This definition of racism,‖ as Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
writes, ―is useful because it allows us to see that racism, like other forms of oppression, is not
only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and
institutional policies and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals. In the United
States, this system clearly operates to the advantage of Whites and to the disadvantage of people
of color‖ (from, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, 7). As Tatum
explicates, White people can ―defend their racial advantage‖ – access to better housing, jobs,
schools, food etc. – ―even when they do not embrace overtly prejudicial thinking‖ (Tatum, 7).
When I refer to racism throughout the paper, I define it as Tatum has here.
2
Throughout this article, I continually refer to people of color as non-white. Though I do not
believe people should be defined in terms of what they are not, I use the term non-white here
because it keeps the focus on white people, which is the central focus of this piece. I borrow this
explanation from anti-racist writer Robert Jensen who writes: ―Politically, white is not just white
of course. White is power. And using the terms white/non-white reminds us of that‖ (from, The
Heart of Whiteness, 2).
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If you are not already acquainted, welcome to the world of South Park – a show
which follows the life of four white eight-year-old boys as they navigate through the
contemporary predicaments of their quiet mountain town in Colorado. The writers of the
series, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, satirically tackle the issues of modern-day culture by
allowing the viewer to observe these quandaries through the eyes of the (not so) innocent
boys. Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny ―play somewhat naïve fools who look at the town
they live in and shake their heads; they do not understand their parents, their school
teachers or the events that shape their lives. It is through their investigation of
contemporary society that its foibles are critiqued‖3. Each episode goes head to head with
a broad range of contemporary dilemmas (South Park covers the politics of immigration,
the electronic social world of Facebook, and everything in between), concluding with a
reflective (and somewhat insightful) solution from the main characters.
―With Apologies to Jesse Jackson‖ deals with the conflicts of three significant
characters: Stan Marsh (South Park‘s voice of reason), Randy Marsh (Stan‘s liberal, yet
child-like father), and Token Black (The ―token‖ African American kid in South Park,
and the wealthiest as well). A fourth character, Eric Cartman (the animated, child version
of Archie Bunker), appears in the episode as well, but his conflict is not a focus of this
article. The conflicts of the episode all transpire (directly and indirectly) from Randy
saying ―Niggers!‖ on Wheel of Fortune. Randy struggles with the stigma of being known
as the ―Nigger Guy‖ (a white guy who uses the word nigger), while Stan and Token
conflict over the power of words and what it feels like to be discriminated. Meanwhile,
when Mr. Nelson, a Little Person, is brought into school to discuss the power of words,
3
Johnson-Woods, Toni. Blame Canada: South Park and Popular Culture. New York:
Continuum, 2007. 163
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Cartman cannot control his laughter, resulting in a bloody fight between the two. The
episode ends with Stan recognizing that he will never understand how it feels to be
discriminated against. Consequently, Token forgives him (and literally thanks him). The
writers, Parker and Stone, connect these conflicts under the liberal notion that one must
empathize with the discriminated in order to solve racism. They challenge this notion by
congratulating Stan for realizing that, as a white male, he will never understand how it
feels. Though I agree with this message, I challenge the writers in the way they choose to
end the episode, as if the aforementioned epiphany that Stan has is the solution to racism
and an end to the discussion that needs to materialize. In this paper, I will critically
examine particular scenes that involve Randy‘s struggle as the ―Nigger-Guy‖ and those
that depict the conflict between Stan and Token. I will start with Randy‘s crisis, pointing
out the intended messages within each scene, while specifically emphasizing the implicit
messages that were subconsciously created by the writers, and thus received by the
viewer in the same way. These messages are subconscious as a result of our socialization
into the racialized world we live in today. Once perceived, these messages reaffirm
stereotypes and misconceptions that we must rid ourselves of if we aim to fight a system
of inequality. Then I move on to Stan‘s conflict with Token, analyzing how Stan is
continually stripped (by the writers) of any responsibility to confront racism. This
episode, contrary to its intention, actually limits a productive discussion about racism
because it essentially eliminates the role and responsibility that white people have in this
discussion.
An episode like this can only exist because we still live in a society constructed
around race; the episode depends on the fact that racial tension and inequalities still
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permeate our contemporary culture. The viewer is not surprised (and rather amused)
when Randy has to guess what ―N _ G G E R S‖ will spell under the category of ―People
Who Annoy You‖ on Wheel of Fortune. Recognizing the socialized taboo of the word
nigger, Randy hesitates at first but then confidently bellows it out, only to be heavily
disappointed when the buzzer goes off indicating his incorrect response – the correct
word was (obviously?) ―NAGGERS‖. Here the writers intend for the viewer to
sympathize with Randy because, honestly, their minds‘ were directly linked to nigger as
well, and only when the actual word is revealed are they a little surprised. The viewer
does not see Randy as racist here, but as a naïve (and stupid) guy who just wanted to win
$30,000. Parker and Stone intentionally play with the existing insecurity around
―political correctness‖4, so when the viewer laughs at Randy, they are also shielding their
nervousness around the possibility of this event taking place in real life. They (we) are
safe to view the conflicts that transpire from this mistake within the shelter of the cartoon.
“Hey look honey, there’s that Nigger Guy.”
When Randy apologizes to Reverend Jesse Jackson for saying the ―N-word‖ on
national television, the viewer is exposed to three common misconceptions about race
relations. First, the viewer is presented with the stereotype that there is one person who
represents all black people. As a political leader, civil rights activist, and Baptist
4
I put quotation marks around the phrase political correctness because I do not agree with the
negative connotation it has within our society. The term has a very interesting history, used today
by the Right as a tool to bash liberal rhetoric and general cultural politeness. In the name of
frankness and honesty, conservatives argue that p.c. language stunts our growth as a society
because it restricts people from saying what they really want (i.e. chauvinist speech). Political
correctness is stigmatized further by being placed alongside ―reverse racism‖ and ―man-hating‖,
arguments created by the conservative Right to undermine the outcome and influences of
progressive social movements. This labeling of the discourse actually shuts down any meaningful
discussion because people are afraid of being seen as either too politically correct or politically
incorrect.
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minister, Jackson appears a likely candidate for the role that Parker and Stone create
within this scene. But of course no one person can represent an entire people, nor speak
for them. The writers shove this in the viewers face, blatantly making fun of this
stereotype for its absurdity. They validate this again later when Token yells at Stan:
―JESSE JACKSON IS NOT THE EMPEROR OF BLACK PEOPLE!‖. Yet, this satirical
humor undermines the fact that many black people operating in all or majority white
settings, like Token, are representatives of their entire race everyday, not by personal
choice, but because white people assign them these roles subconsciously. Second, when
Jackson accepts Randy‘s apology by pulling down his pants and coo-ing for him to
literally kiss his black ass (in which Randy follows through), the writers are alluding to
the notion that white people feel they need to —or are expected to— suck up to black
people in order to achieve the status as an anti-racist person (or to be ―down‖ as Randy
puts it). These two stereotypes are widely recognized and comprehensible to both a
white and non-white audience, but the dialogue between Randy and Jackson endorses a
third fallacy about how to actively work against racism:
JACKSON: The puzzle you were solving was ―People Who Annoy You‖.
RANDY: Well like anybody else thought it was naggers, right?
JACKSON: Mr. Marsh, you need to take time to understand African
American culture. Visit black museums, see black performers and artists.
Here Jackson affirms the misconception that ―cultural tourism‖ will allow white people to
understand black culture, giving them an opportunity to unlearn their racist views.
Contrary to this assumption, black feminist author Bell Hooks holds an entirely different
(and oppositional) position. In her essay ―Eating the Other‖ (1992), Hooks talks about the
white exotification of the darker Other and what she calls ―imperialist nostalgia‖:
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In mass culture, imperialist nostalgia takes the form of reenacting and
reritualizing in different ways the imperialist, colonizing journey as
narrative fantasy of power and desire, of seduction by the Other. The
desire to make contact with those bodies deemed Other, with no apparent
will to dominate, assuages the guilt of the past, even takes the form of a
defiant gesture where one denies accountability and historical connection.5
As Hooks illustrates, Randy‘s quest into ―African American culture‖, seemingly absent
of feelings of domination, would mirror the position of the ―traveler/colonizer‖. Hooks
reminds the reader that European colonizers ―traveled‖ into Africa in the same manner:
to physically and economically exploit the colonized under a façade of benevolence.
More important than playing spectator to another‘s culture is recognizing the power white
people actively and passively assert over black people, ―that simply by expressing their
desire for ‗intimate‘ contact with black people, white people do not eradicate the politics
of racial domination.‖6 Jackson‘s suggestion to Randy actually gives him permission to
mimic the process of conquest, a process that leads him further away from fighting
racism (and possibly making him more of a ―Nigger Guy‖ than he will become by the
end the episode). The viewer of South Park interprets Jackson‘s suggestion as an
acceptable solution to Randy‘s ―racist outbursts‖, unaware that the idea of sampling
another‘s culture is itself a product of white supremacy.
When Randy is perpetually discriminated against for being the ―Nigger Guy,‖ the
viewer witnesses his appropriation of black culture in order to express his pain. In one
scene, Randy performs spoken word, a style of performance poetry (stylistically similar
to hip-hop) that emphasizes tone and body language:
hooks, bell. ―Eating the Other‖. Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End
Press, 1992. 25.
6
Ibid, 28.
5
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RANDY: Words like venom / Words that bind / Words used like weapons
to cloud my mind / I‘m a person, I‘m a man, but no matter how I try /
People just say: Hey, there‘s that nigger guy!
The camera flashes back to the audience, confused and perplexed at Randy‘s cry for help.
The writers intentionally make Randy look ridiculous for feeling victimized and their use
of spoken word, often associated with urban (black) youth, frames this absurdity in a
satirical lens: displaying Randy‘s victimization through an art form commonly associated
with black culture. Yet it is clear, with Randy‘s emphasis on dramatic pauses and
exaggerated body movements within his performance, that Parker and Stone are making
fun of the art form itself and provoke the viewer to see it as ridiculous as well.
Consequently, the viewer is (subconsciously) tempted to notice the ―blackness‖ of the art
form, one that deviates from ―normal‖ (read: white) poetry, such as Shakespeare, and to
laugh at this difference. This is signified when Randy, having finished his performance,
beats his fist to his chest, then outstretches his arm and holds up a peace sign while
grunting ―Respect‖ as he leaves the stage. The focus is then turned on to the
stereotypical representation of the action as a ―black action‖ rather than on the actor
(Randy) himself. These stylistic choices on the part of the writers (subconsciously)
support the notion that black art forms are subordinate to the standard white ones,
implicitly challenging the validity and significance of non-white artistic expressions.
As Randy appears before Congress to ban the term ―Nigger Guy‖, the viewer
witnesses the realities of white (male) political power. With help from his fellow
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―Nigger Guys‖ (one of them Michael Richards -- Seinfeld‘s Kramer7), Randy addresses
the members of congress who, with the exception of one black senator, are all white:
RANDY: Senators, I‘ve learned to admit that I am capable of having
slightly racist thoughts once in a while. Can anybody say they never do?
How long will it be before you are all called Nigger Guys?!
SENATOR 1: Now hold on a second, are you suggesting that Nigger Guy
could become a slur that refers to all white people?
When it is agreed that ―Nigger Guy‖ could indeed be applied to all white people, the
motion is passed, making the term illegal. The writers display this interaction among the
senators to illustrate the tremendous power white people have in politics, so much so that
they can create and change laws in their favor. The viewer is encouraged to recognize
the realities of this white power as it maintains and creates the legalities of this country.
Furthermore, the viewer is encouraged to consider the uselessness of banning words
because, as Randy alludes to in the quote above, racist thoughts and practices will still
exist even if the words do not. Instead of reflecting on the racist feelings that they may
harbor or realizing that, even if they are not racist, they may not be working against
racism, these white men choose to create a law that make their lives just a little easier.
The irony of it all is that until 30 years ago or so, being the ―Nigger Guy‖ in Congress
was nothing special; a little further back in history it was the norm. (In fact, the formation
of this country was created by a whole bunch of ―Nigger Guys‖ in Congress). Parker and
Stone intentionally create this scene to point out that it is more important for white people
(liberal, moderate and conservative alike) to be seen as not racist than to actually do
7
During a standup comedy routine in late 2006, Richards shouted racial epithets at a heckler in
the audience. After receiving wide media criticism, Richard announced his retirement from
standup in 2007.
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anything to counter racism. The viewer is reminded (or becomes aware) of the continued
luxury and privileges that come with being white.
“He just blurted out the N-word and it’s no big deal.”
In the first scene that features the conflict between Stan and Token, the writers
unintentionally set up (or rather reaffirm) the role that white people and non-white people
are ―supposed to‖ assert in a discussion about racism. When Stan returns to school the
next day, his friends bombard him, all in disbelief of what his father had said on national
television the night before:
KYLE: Dude, did your dad know the show was being broadcast live?
CARTMAN: That was the funniest thing I‘ve ever seen! I watched it on
YouTube about 60 times!
STAN: Can we just drop this please? I don‘t want to talk about it.
CARTMAN: Yeah well, it‘s not us you have to worry about – it‘s Token.
This last statement, uttered from the familiar bigoted mouth of Eric Cartman, should not,
in this case, be overlooked. Here Cartman reinforces a deeply rooted attitude among
young white people that is often un-discussed: a feeling that white people do not have the
responsibility (or should even feel inclined) to talk about racism among themselves, and
often leave this uncomfortable topic for non-white people. In a speech at the University
of Michigan, white anti-racist writer and activist Tim Wise says:
The only privilege that white people can give up is the privilege of our
silence - sitting back and letting this be a black issue, a brown issue and
not recognizing that it is indeed our issue. We rarely go out on a limb and
challenge [white] folks, even though we know that when white folks step
out and challenge other white folks, white people actually listen, far more
than when people of color say the same thing…. If we don‘t [take part in
this discussion], all of that burden, all of that weight remains on the
shoulders of people of color.8
Wise, Tim. ―Speaking at the Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium.‖ University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. Feb. 2007.
8
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Wise‘s words clearly illustrate this scene in South Park. Stan is safe among his white
friends; he can rest assured that he will never be challenged by them or by the rest of the
white student body at his elementary school. The writers present Token as the only
challenge to Stan‘s safety (in white America) purely because he is black. The viewer is
left to assume that it is only because of Token‘s presence that Stan has to confront this
issue; without him, Stan could return to his world of white normality, free from the
pressure of having to face the realities of racism.
Toward the end of the episode, the writers use the conflict between Stan and
Token to allude to white guilt and the remembrance of slavery. Feeling obligated to
apologize to Token for his father‘s actions, Stan embarks on a very frustrated course in
which he attempts to understand how it feels to be discriminated against, an attempt he
believes will make his apology legitimate. But when Token continues to reject each
attempt, Stan erupts in frustration:
STAN: Now look Token, I‘ve done everything I can to make this right.
You have no reason to still be mad!
TOKEN: I have every reason to still be mad. You just don‘t get it!
STAN: I‘m not responsible for what my dad did!
TOKEN: No, but you can‘t just pretend that it didn‘t happen either.
STAN: What do you want from me!
TOKEN: Nothing!
STAN: Then stop being mad!
TOKEN: No!
This dialogue contains a direct analogy to slavery. Stan is claiming that he, a white
person, should not be held accountable for what white people did in the past. Token
rebuts, agreeing with Stan but declaring that it does not solve anything to pretend that the
past —Randy‘s mistake as an analogy to slavery— never happened. Stan‘s argument is
valid – white people today should not be blamed for slavery. But neither should black
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people, who often feel the effects of the racist system that persists even though slavery
has been abolished. Continuing with his speech at the University of Michigan, Wise says:
All the discussion about ―I didn‘t do it, I didn‘t own slaves, I never had a
business in Jim Crow, I didn‘t kill any Indian folk, I didn‘t lock up
Japanese Americans in World War II, I didn‘t steal half of Mexico‖ – all
that becomes irrelevant if we have a system that provides benefits as it
takes from others. Because once the system is discussed as a system of
both disadvantage and advantage, the fact that you didn‘t do something
becomes utterly specious as an argument, it becomes completely
secondary or tertiary to the conversation we need to have.9
As Wise suggests, white and non-white people alike need to be aware of the racist (yes,
white supremacist) system that we still live in, a system that provides advantages to some
as it exploits others. Holding on to the idea that one should not be blamed for what
happened in the past, as Stan does, is legitimate, but it should not be used as an excuse to
avoid a conversation about racism.
In the final scene of the episode Stan realizes that his attempt to understand what
it feels like when the word nigger is used has been pointless: as a white person, he will
never know how it truly feels. This further undermines Randy‘s attempts to be the
victim, exposing his ridiculousness even more. After Stan watches Mr. Nelson and
Cartman fight for no apparent reason, he is left extremely confused. When he realizes that
he has been confused all along, he rushes over to Token to share his epiphany:
STAN: I get it now: I don‘t get it. I‘ve been trying to say I understand how
you feel, but I‘ll never understand. I‘ll never understand how it feels as a
black person when somebody uses the N-word.
TOKEN: Now you get it Stan.
STAN: Yeah, I totally don‘t get it.
TOKEN: Thanks dude. [End of episode]
9
Ibid, Wise.
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Though I agree that Stan should recognize that he will never know how racial
discrimination feels, it is by no means an excuse to withdraw from the discussion.
Throughout the episode, the writers continually (subconsciously) show Stan trying to
relieve himself from any constructive conversation about racism. In the two scenes
examined above, Stan resists this discussion to an extent that he never listens to what
Token is really saying. Coincidently, Token had been trying to tell Stan that ―you just
don‘t get it‖ from the very beginning, which implicitly reflects the way many black
voices go unheard or are not taken seriously throughout society. Though the writers
present Stan‘s simplistic realization as an acceptable ―solution‖ to the conflict that
transpired at the start of the episode, this position actually helps Stan continue to avoid
any serious discussion. By internalizing Stan‘s action, the viewer assumes that the only
necessary obligation that white people have in this situation is not to actually try to
understand, but to admit that they ―don‘t get it,‖ and that anything beyond this realization
is out of their hands. This approach is outrageous, especially because the writers
intentionally acknowledge and emphasize (specifically in the Congress scene) how much
power white people have politically and institutionally. This stance actually limits any
productive discussion about racism because it reaffirms the notion that white people have
no place in this discussion, shifting this burden back to non-white people. Furthermore,
the absurdity in having Token thank Stan as the last line of the episode creates the abrupt
illusion that Stan‘s realization was worthy of praise; that Token actually owed him a
smile and a thank you. This last line leaves the viewer to assume that everything will go
back to normal, that everyone lives ―happily-ever-after,‖ but does not shed light on what
Token is literally doing: thanking Stan for his ignorance. Though is it is important for
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white people (as well as non-white people) to recognize their ignorance when it comes to
racism, there is always room to learn and to understand how and why racism is still alive
and well within the United States and the world. By concluding the episode this way,
Parker and Stone remove all obligation from white people to take part in a discussion
about racism, further establishing the idea that because white people do not suffer
economically or socially from racism, they do not have to care about it.
In ―With Apologies to Jesse Jackson‖, the viewer is exposed to blatant stereotypes
and misconceptions about racial dynamics as well as subconscious messages that reaffirm
standardized racial roles that we have been socialized to believe are innate. Though the
episode circles around such topics as the power of words, the politics of the word nigger,
and race relations between black and white people, the final message challenges the
notion of racial empathy. The writers conclude that is necessary for white people to
understand (as a part of their privilege) that they will never experience what a non-white
person experiences when it comes to racism. Though this argument is profound
(challenging the liberal ―put-yourself-in-their-shoes‖ strategy), it presents the viewer with
the option (and validation) to opt out of a conversation about racism and dangerously
asserts the idea that, if the viewer is white, it is not their place to discuss racism at all.
This message actually digresses any action to work against racism because it further
relegates the problem to non-white peoples. Because of the tremendous privilege that
white people have (which is not at all their fault), they have an important role in helping
to fight racism, which is still heavily prevalent in contemporary society. In South Park,
the importance of this role needs to be acknowledged, as the show influences (and in
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ways, represents) the white, liberal, and anti politically correct voice of young people in
America.
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Works Cited:
Hooks, Bell. ―Loving Blackness as Political Resistance.‖ Black Looks: Race and
Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992. 9-20.
Hooks, Bell. ―Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance.‖ Black Looks: Race and
Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992. 21-39.
Jensen, Robert. Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege. San
Francisco: City Lights Books, 2005.
Johnson-Woods, Toni. Blame Canada: South Park and Popular Culture. New York:
Continuum, 2006.
Tatum, Beverly Daniel. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
And Other Conversations About Race. New York: Basic Books, 1997.
Wise, Tim. ―Speaking at MLK Symposium.‖ University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Feb.
2007. Google Video. < http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4688203482642236580&ei=f40vS-m-A6K-rALLPA2&q=tim+wise+mlk+day&hl=en&client=firefox-a#>
―With Apologies to Jesse Jackson.‖ South Park. Comedy Central. 7 Mar. 2007.