Top 10 Times South Park Tackled Serious Issues

“Douche and Turd”
Paralleling the 2004 U.S. presidential election, South Park Elementary is given two options for their new mascot: a giant douche or a turd sandwich. Cartman is for team turd, Kyle is a douche backer, and Stan could care less. Although he’s pressured by the whole town, not to mention P. Diddy, Stan refuses to vote and is banished as a result. As over-the-top as this sounds, the episode is eerily relatable. Even when neither candidate is ideal, both sides of the political spectrum can become aggressive about securing votes. The episode hilariously and honestly explores vote-shaming, which has only grown more common in the social media era. Ultimately, Stan casts his ballot, realizing that most elections boil down to a douche or turd.

“Whale Whores”
Following a traumatic birthday at an aquarium, Stan becomes committed to saving the whales and dolphins. The episode revolves around whaling in Japan, which remains a heavily protested practice even to this date. Of course, the episode is also an excuse to take shots at “Whale Wars” host Paul Watson, who’s anti-whaling tactics are depicted as ineffective. Despite this savage roast, Watson was supposedly happy that the episode shined a spotlight on the issue. In the end, the boys steer the Japanese government away from sea life, inspiring them to instead target barnyard animals. Although the episode doesn’t offer a realistic solution to whaling, at the very least, it helped bring the subject to the attention of a wider audience while also bringing the laughs.

“Mexican Joker”
Even before the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was formed in 2003, immigration detention was a major talking point. Opinions surrounding the issue became especially heated with the election of President Donald Trump, whose “zero tolerance” policy has resulted in numerous children being separated from their families. Cartman, being...well...Cartman, sees this as an ample opportunity to get rid of Kyle. The ICE quickly realizes that Kyle sticks out like a sore thumb and his Jewish heritage doesn’t help their image. Yet, that doesn’t stop them from picking up Cartman later on. The episode depicts the ICE as an incompetent agency that cares more about saving their own skin than the psychological ramifications detention centers have on children.

“Chef Goes Nanners”
Now more than ever, displaying the Confederate flag is bound to result in a passionate debate. This isn’t anything new, however. Even back in the year 2000, “South Park” was parodying flag controversy in this episode. Chef insists that the South Park town flag be changed due to its offensive imagery. Jimbo, meanwhile, feels that the flag is a part of the town’s history and therefore should be preserved. The episode wisely doesn’t vilify Chef or Jimbo, exploring the argument from both of their perspectives. In the end, they find a way to make both sides happy. The frag is changed to be more diverse, although it retains elements of the original design. Twenty years after this episode aired, people still aren’t any closer to reaching a compromise.

“Unfulfilled” & “Bike Parade”
Few things are more satisfying than walking out onto your front doorstep to find a new Amazon package. Although it’s the ultimate convenience for the consumer, many of the employees responsible for shipping and delivering those packages have expressed dissatisfaction with their working conditions. In this two-parter, an Amazon fulfillment center is set up in South Park. When one worker suffers a particularly bizarre accident, a strike erupts. Earlier that year, some called for an Amazon Prime Day boycott and the Stop BEZOS Act was initiated. Portraying founder Jeff Bezos as an all-knowing overlord, the episodes also touch upon how the retail giant has overshadowed smaller businesses. In the end, the episodes demonstrate how instant gratification doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be left fulfilled in the long run.

“The Pandemic Special”
It was only a matter of time before South Park covered the coronavirus. And they did not hold back. The show’s first ever television special takes a look at how the pandemic has affected the citizens of South Park. For the most part, the episode is an accurate portrayal of the virus’ impact on society. From its effect on small businesses to the dilemmas it's caused with reopening schools; the special covers quite a lot of ground. However, being that it’s South Park, it also takes time to ridicule the situation as a whole, notably poking fun at the habits we’ve adopted since the pandemic’s inception. In the end, the special hilariously emphasizes that COVID-19 is changing the way we live our lives and likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Various
Global warming isn’t going away overnight, hence why it remains a recurring theme in “South Park.” Granted, “South Park” hasn’t always taken climate change very seriously - or should we say “cereally.” In a Season 9 episode parodying the response to Hurricane Katrina, shots were also fired at “The Day After Tomorrow” and its take on global warming. The following season, Al Gore tries to warn everybody about a creature called ManBearPig, an obvious allegory for climate change. Although it seems that ManBearPig is imaginary, his existence is confirmed by Season 22. It leaves us with a grim message: global warming is real, it may be too late to reverse the damage, and most people would rather ignore the problem than make a small sacrifice.

“Up the Down Steroid”
From Stan’s stint as a Guitar Hero to Cartman’s fried chicken operation, drug use has been parodied in a number of “South Park” episodes. One of the most effective examples occurred in Season 8 when Jimmy entered the Special Olympics. To give himself a competitive edge, Jimmy turns to steroids. Despite Timmy’s qualms, Jimmy continually justifies his actions, arguing that most athletes do this sort of thing anyway. Although his performance is enhanced, the steroids take a drastic toll on Jimmy’s personality and relationships. “South Park” may be a comedy, but this episode at certain points gets surprisingly dramatic and downright uncomfortable. Fortunately, Jimmy learns his lesson by the end thanks to Timmy and - inadvertently - Cartman.

“Band in China”
Being such a controversial show, censorship has always provided commentary for “South Park.” Freedom of speech even led to a war against Canada in the 1999 feature film. While the U.S. and the Great White North have since buried the hatchet, Randy had a bone to pick with China in Season 23. Due to China’s economic impact on the U.S. entertainment industry, many American companies have played ball with the country’s regulations, despite how unusual some of them sound. Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, was banned in China after Xi Jinping was compared to Disney’s interpretation. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this episode got “South Park” banned in China. Randy and Towelie would have some harsh words for the Chinese government the following week.

“Goobacks”
One year after the CBP was formed, “South Park” delivered a satire of illegal immigration that’s still incredibly relevant. The immigrants in this episode travel from a bleak future where the world has become overpopulated and destitute. By venturing back to the 21st century, people are able to make enough money to provide for their families in the 4th millennium. Modern workers, however, argue that this is taking away their jobs - or “jerbs” as some might say. As funny as the episode is, it’s also harrowing to think that so little has changed since 2004. For all we know, this could still be a serious issue by the time we get to 3045. After all, satire may be our greatest window into the future.