In an episode that didn’t feature a nonwhite character save for a black child named “Token,” “South Park” attempted to tackle the emboldened white nationalist movement in America.
Ahead of the show’s Wednesday season premiere, its trailer earned much attention — good and bad. While many publications expressed excitement creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker would address white nationalism on the popular show, others doubted the cartoon comedy would handle it well. The trailer from earlier in the week featured white nationalists waving a Confederate flag and holding tiki torches like those seen carried by white supremacists during the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August.
“South Park” avoided any violence, instead presenting a clumsy allegory to admonish white individuals who stand on the sidelines on racial issues — at least until it starts hurting their “brand.”
In the episode, the white nationalists in town initially become angry because automation has taken their jobs (pronounced “jorbs,” of course). Amazon’s home task-helper Alexa even shows up to represent the issue. Others in the town don’t seem to have a problem with the coming automation, so it’s hinted that there’s something else underlying this white nationalist anger in the town.
