Top 10 Times South Park ROASTED Cancel Culture (And Itself)
#10: Ike’s Teacher
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We can all agree that teachers shouldn’t have relationships with students, especially minors! However, this season 10 episode features male police officers who display a double-standard. Kyle’s little brother Ike enters into a romantic relationship with his teacher, Miss Stevenson. When the police are told, instead of trouble for the teacher, they want to congratulate Ike - seeing a relationship between a woman and an underage boy as acceptable. It takes concerted pressure for the police to actually take action.
#9: PC Principal vs. Eric Cartman
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PC Principal is the new administrator hired to shape up South Park Elementary and help them “get with the times.” This, of course, does not sit well with the boys… or their dads, for that matter. So, the kids come up with a ploy to frame the progressive school administrator. Although the plan seems foolproof, the tables are turned when Cartman uses terminology that isn’t quite PC, which draws the ire of the principal. Furious, he not only proceeds to correct Eric, but brutally beats him to a pulp. You’d think Cartman’s plan would get PC Principal fired, but it looks like this fight is going to last longer than just one episode.
#8: Mislabeling PC Principal
Strong Woman competes at the 6th Annual Strong Woman competition, and is ultimately beaten by trans athlete Heather Swanson - who, in this case, is a thinly-veiled Randy Savage caricature. In an effort to get under her skin, Swanson is constantly bragging about her victory and reminding Strong Woman of her loss. PC Principal attempts to stand up to Swanson, but is labeled as demeaning towards trans people. Things escalate even further when PC Principal stands up to Swanson during a television appearance, and - in a moment of rage - shoves her. As you can imagine, the backlash towards PC Principal is swift.
#7: Kyle’s Plea to Fox
During the climax of South Park’s Season 10 two-parter “Cartoon Wars,” Kyle and Cartman both make their case to a Fox network executive on what to do with a “Family Guy” episode featuring Muhammad that’s set to air. While Cartman threatens him with violence, Kyle instead speaks on the importance of free speech. He says that by pulling one episode of a show, it will lead to more episodes getting pulled, and eventually the show will just get canceled altogether. In the end, Fox airs the episode and free speech wins - sorta. Fox airs the episode unedited, but Comedy Central - which airs “South Park” - wouldn’t, resulting in text on a black screen explaining what’s going on.
#6: Columbus Day
In South Park, outrage has sparked over the fact that Columbus day has gotten canceled, thanks to an effort led by Randy Marsh. But what Randy doesn’t want people to know is that he could probably make a case for being Christopher Columbus’ biggest fan, having dressed up as the historical figure on several occasions. What follows is an over-the-top bonkers plan to conceal this secret to avoid repercussions should the truth come out. In the end, the holiday gets rebranded as Indigenous People’s Day…but not for the reasons one might expect. Although Randy’s shenanigans remain the focus of the episode, “Holiday Special” shines a light on the controversies around Columbus day, which many have suggested should be canceled and no longer celebrated.
#5: The Bracelet Dilemma
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Parodying the controversy over cyclist Lance Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs, South Park decided to put their own spin on the scandal: with Jesus and Stan. After it’s revealed that Jesus took Human Growth Hormone, he (like Armstrong) gets canceled. This leads most people to stop wearing their “What would Jesus do” bracelets, mirroring what people in real life did with Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong bracelets. Stan gets involved when he refuses to stop wearing his bracelet. But it’s revealed that he actually did remove it, then glued it back together. Together, Stan and Jesus team up to distract the public from the scandals … and you know what? It works!
#4: Saint Patrick’s Day Gets Canceled
Tensions between rival weed farms Credigree Weed and Tegridy Weed boil over in “Credigree Weed St. Patrick's Day Special”. When Steve Black attempts to sell his own St. Patrick’s Day Special, Randy is quick to call him out for appropriating Irish and white culture and also elaborate on the significance of St. Patrick’s day. If his reference to cancel culture wasn’t enough, things get even more out of hand when Saint Patrick himself makes an appearance. His behavior is so off the rails that it results in his eponymous holiday being canceled altogether.
#3: Witch Hunt
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It’s Witch Week in South Park and the men are ready to indulge in debauchery dressed up as, you guessed it, witches. Things take a turn when one of the “witches” in the group literally transforms into one after reading a spellbook. As he terrorizes the town, Randy and the others find themselves perceived in a negative light. The episode is based on the real life revelations around sex offender Harvey Weinstein, and how several powerful players in the film industry subsequently distanced themselves from him. Randy and the rest of the gang act as if they’re victims, but their own behavior - including trying to hex their wives - is pretty shady.
#2: Mr. Hankey’s Posts Get Him in Trouble
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It seems like every week there’s a new celebrity who posts something on social media that’s deemed offensive and faces severe backlash as a result. In some instances, it’s even led to them getting canceled. This concept is fully explored in season 22’s “A Problem with a Poo,” which sees Mr. Hankey face the ire of the town after several offensive posts. Much like Roseanne did when she was embroiled in a social media scandal, he blames his behavior on Ambien. But it doesn’t work and he becomes public enemy #1. Hankey is kicked off the city council and can no longer plan the town’s Christmas show. He’s eventually run out of town and goes to the one place that supposedly accepts hate and bigotry…Springfield.
#1: Fallout from Wheel of Fortune Mishap
Well before cancel culture was as prevalent as it is today, “South Park” tackled the issue head on, specifically with regards to racism. When Randy says one word you should never say during his appearance on “Wheel of Fortune,” the punishment is swift and heavy. He is shunned by society, given a nickname that is anything but flattering and becomes the butt of several jokes. And no matter how hard he tries to repair his image, it only seems to make matters worse. In the end, although Randy clearly doesn’t learn his lesson when his focus shifts to getting his nickname banned, at least his son is able to take something from the whole ordeal. Do you enjoy how “South Park” has tackled cancel culture? Let us know below.
