Question 12

12) Discuss the South Park episode “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson” (S11E01) in terms of its construction of race, particularly, as with the Chappelle Show episode (S1E01) we watched in class, in terms of whiteness. What elements of this critique come from the aesthetic, critical, and ontological modes of postmodernism (be specific about each) (150-200 words).

The South Park episode constructs race by attributing what is usually racially discriminating to African American's to a white person, Stan's dad. He uses the N word on the Wheel of Fortune and everyone begins to call him a "Nigger Guy". He experiences what it is liked to be discriminated which is the allusive as it is obviously referring to the hardships endured by African American's when Stan's dad mentions how it feels to be called names, he is not welcome at certain stores and he says how being called that name is a painful part of his history. The critical is constructed when a gang of rednecks try to gun down Stan's dad for being racist, saying that they wish to live in a world where they can rid themselves of social ignorance and people who are intolerant of African American's. This is critical because stereotypically "rednecks" are more racist and would not be arguing those points, which makes a critical statement. Another instance in which the an allusive argument is made is when Cartman assumes that Stan and Token will get into a stereotypical physical fight yet they talk civilly about the racist situation. The fact that they were able to learn from this and not take it to a physical level alludes to the construction of stereotypical "whiteness" as well.