"Fist Bump, Bro!" - South Park, Race, and George Zimmerman

General - "We… need you to shoot a young African American for us."  

George Zimmerman - "I gave that up."  

"This summer, a former U.S. Marine must do one last jo-"
Oh wait...nope.  That's just George Zimmerman.

General - "You’re the best Zimmerman!"
(South Park "World War Zimmerman")

This may come as no surprise, but this excerpt from the South Park episode "World War Zimmerman" (October 9th, 2013) is hardly the only offensive material available in an episode entirely devoted to the Trayvon Martin verdict.  Since its inception, South Park has pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable on television through a combination of crude humor, satire, and current events.  Series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker constantly utilize their program to promote their own views, with many episodes feeling less like comedy and more like a straight shot of liberalism.  With its propensity for taking on current issues in this manner, how does an episode like "World War Zimmerman" negotiate racial issues in America? Perhaps more importantly, what views does South Park satirize in order to impart a lesson of value to modern audiences?

"Respect...My...Authoritah!"

Given the extreme sensitivity of the Trayvon Martin case, leave it to South Park to address it through the eyes of its most racist and bigoted character.  

Cartman shares his heartfelt poem, "I Was Not the Bullet"

Eric Cartman (pictured left) represents the worst that South Park Elementary has to offer.  His constant use of profanity, antisemitism, and racism is disturbing for an 11 year old, and it is through him that the audience begins to negotiate racial issues.  The episode begins with Cartman attempting to cozy up to Token Black, (yes that is his name) fearing that in the wake of the Travyon Martin verdict that his black classmate will lash out against the predominately white populace of the school.  Cartman's racism thus allows him to buy into "the notion that black males, in particular, are inherently violent and dangerous" (Brown 258).

Cartman interweaves this fear with the plot of recent blockbuster World War Z, casting himself as Brad Pitt against an army of ravenous African-Americans (instead of zombies).  But before the real excitement of the episode begins, Stone and Parker first poke fun at the concept of white guilt.  Cartman's fears are interesting in that he uses them both to separate himself from his whiteness, while also clinging onto it for dear life. The concept of white guilt is best described as the story of how our "nation acknowledged its fallenness, its lack of racial innocence, and confronted the incriminating self-knowledge that it had rationalized for many years a flagrant injustice" (Steele 498).

Cartman acknowledges the lack of racial innocence that was prescribed to the Trayvon Martin case by his preoccupation with the matter.  He goes out of his way to make the issue one of race, constantly attempting to reconcile what he believes to be a racial struggle between himself and Token.  In this way Cartman is a perfect satire of white guilt, in that he personally takes on the responsibility of a racial injustice that he had nothing to do with.  However, he also seeks to distance himself from his whiteness through the use of an extremely racist rap number.

While Cartman is most definitely white, his song "I Was Not the Bullet" attempts to distance himself from the case that he seems determined to be involved in.  The entirety of the rap is centered around what he is not.  He was not the bullet, the gun, or even a member of the jury, so "don't blame me, son." (South Park "World War Zimmerman")  Cartman also attempts to distance himself from his own white guilt by cloaking himself in the predominately black musical form of rap.  Once again, Cartman attempts to appeal to Token the only way he knows how...racism.

Despite his best efforts, Cartman is finally called out on his white guilt when Token yells, "You think I should feel bad for YOU because of the Trayvon Martin verdict? What the hell is wrong with you?" (South Park "World War Zimmerman")  The humor of the situation is derived from how Cartman managed to stumble into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  His concern with making Token angry due to his whiteness only served to provoke that anger.  No sooner does Token have his outburst then Cartman flees for his life, telling everyone that the "outbreak" (referring to black anger) is starting.  Drawing once again upon World War Z, the adults of the world misunderstand Eric's meaning, inferring that it is a zombie outbreak that is occurring.  Which leads us to the true star of the episode...

Easily the most damning satirical element of "World War Zimmerman" is how George Zimmerman himself plays into the episode.  When the U.S. Army is fooled into believing that Token is "Patient Zero" for the zombie outbreak, they approach George Zimmerman with the task of killing him.  Meanwhile, Eric Cartman approaches Zimmerman's home in a dark hoodie and black face paint, with the intent of assassinating him.
 Perceiving Cartman to be black, Zimmerman shoots him immediately.  After discovering that Cartman is in fact white, we immediately cut to a courtroom, with a judge pronouncing George Zimmerman guilty.  This is followed by another quick cut to Zimmerman being executed in the electric chair.

"Hey wait a minute...this kid isn't black"

While the message here is extremely heavy handed, it is necessary to analyze what is being satirized.  Parker and Stone utilize two high level officials in order to convey a sense of institutionalized racism in the United States government.  By having them defer to George Zimmerman's skills as a killer, they elevate him to the status of a defender of the nation.  There is also the inherent criticism of the justice system, which is shown as prioritizing the lives of white citizens over those who are black.  By executing Zimmerman for Cartman's supposed death, the audience bears witness to what is perceived to be the hypocrisy of justice.  This is further satirized by the speed with which the climax of the episode occurs.  The long length of the real life trial of George Zimmerman is juxtaposed with a South Park trial that takes less than five seconds.  Stone and Parker imply a brevity of justice that would have supposedly been used had Trayvon Martin been white.

"You Know, I Learned Something Today"

"World War Zimmerman" is perhaps one of the most controversial South Park episode I've ever encountered, both for its portrayals of a sore subject and its racial themes.  Yet this is also one of South Park's greatest strengths, in that it refuses to pull any punches on who or what is up for satirizing.  By confronting the audience with their views, Matt Stone and Trey Parker effectively convey their opinions about racial injustice in America.  

--AHP

Works Cited

Brown Jr., Owen. "The Legal Murder of Trayvon Martin And New York City Stop-And Frisk Law: America's War Against Black Males Rages On." Western Journal of Black Studies 37.4 (2013): 258-271. Academic Search Elite. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. 

Steele, Shelby. "White Guilt."  American Scholar 59.4 (1990): 497. Academic Search Elite. Web. 28. Feb. 2014.

OfficialDumpin. “South Park Cartman feat Butters I was not the bullet Explicit World War Zimmerman." Online video clip. YouTube.  YouTube, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.  

"World War Zimmerman." South Park. Comedy Central. 9 Oct. 2013. Television.

Images

HP Bloodshed. "WorldWarZimmerman00081.png" Screenshot. South Park Wiki, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

HP Bloodshed. "WorldWarZimmerman00079.png" Screenshot. South Park Wiki, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

HP bloodshed. "WorldWarZimmerman00029.png" Screenshot. South Park Wiki, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.