Top 10 Most Offensive South Park Jokes Ever
#10: Gingers
If there’s a group of people that Cartman despises just as much as hippies and anyone who celebrates Judaism, it’s anybody that has freckles and red hair. In addition to Cartman’s constant bashing of them, their portrayal on the show was not so positive, frequently shown as being frail and somewhat creepy. The episode “Gingers” even inspired “Kick a Ginger Day”, a holiday high-schoolers created so that they have reason to physically torment students with red hair. The most offensive moment on the show may have been Cartman being distraught not because he realized he murdered his own father, but that he in fact had red hair.
#9: Special Olympics
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Cartman pretending to have a disability in order to compete at the special olympics will go down as one of the most despicable things he’s ever done. He goes so far as to adopt what he believes are their “mannerisms” and even wears a “disguise”. It’s all super wrong and shows a complete lack of respect on his part. The worst part may have been having his mom vouch for him when they register for the event, which doesn’t go too well. Fortunately, his plan completely backfires, as he struggles in all of the events and comes in last place.
#8: Steve Irwin
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At his Halloween party, Satan confronts someone who he believes to be wearing a Steve Irwin costume. But the man reveals himself to actually be Steve Irwin. Realizing that he’s not actually wearing a Halloween costume, Satan promptly gets him kicked out. This brief exchange could be seen as problematic for so many reasons; the way the character is drawn and the fact that he’s in hell. Irwin’s wife, Terri, was reportedly very upset by the portrayal. The most ironic thing about this joke was that Satan and everyone at the party thought the idea of someone dressing up as Steve Irwin was offensive, which it very much is, but that point gets lost in true South Park fashion.
#7: Japan
The Japanese were definitely not happy with this one. In the season 2 episode “Chinpokomon”, the Japanese are portrayed as hungry war-mongers set on taking over the United States. Through Chinpokomon, an obvious parody of Pokémon, they hope to brainwash children in America to join their cause. The mannerisms and over the top accent of the Japanese on the show can most certainly draw the ire of certain viewers, but the worst part was when, on multiple occasions, they claimed to have small…genitalia in an attempt to fool the American characters. And this wouldn’t be the last time the show took shots at the Japanese…
#6: China
The creators of “South Park” have never shied away from taking digs at China, and this is on full display in season 12’s “The China Probrem.” Fearing that the country of China will invade the United States, Cartman decides to take matters into his own hands. How might you ask? By pretending to be Chinese and “infiltrating” a local P.F. Chang’s. The way Cartman dresses and “pretends” to be Chinese is just super offensive and it’s hard to see how this would fly today. The joke which was just as if not more offensive in the episode was portraying Steven Spielberg and George Lucas explicitly doing away with Indiana Jones, a metaphor to show what the creators believe the two filmmakers have done to the film franchise with the release of “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
#5: People That Annoy You…
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“With Apologies to Jesse Jackson” was a critically acclaimed episode, being praised for its moral compass and exploration of the significance behind the use of the N word in society. However, the inciting incident and joke that gets the episode’s plot rolling is just about as brutal as it gets. While this is not the joke’s ultimate punchline, Randy’s use of the word and the joke itself is still very much offensive. It strikes a nerve with everyone in town and he ultimately becomes alienated. Randy’s mishap is just straight up awful and as big of a fail as it gets.
#4: Rich People
Season 5’s “Here Comes the Neighborhood,” sees affluent rich African Americans move to the city of South Park. One of the episode’s two central plots centers on several residents who are not happy about this, and so they take several measures to steer them away from the town. While they state that they don’t like them because they are rich…it’s hard to see it that way and we can’t help but see a very dark double entendre. Add in the fact that the town dresses up as “ghosts” to scare them away and then it all begins to feel so wrong. By the episode’s end, Garrison reveals that he in fact did this all for the worst reason possible…
#3: Cartman Shoots Tolkien
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The “World War Zimmerman” episode from season 17 somehow finds a way to combine and parody both “World War Z” and the Trayvon Martin incident together into one wild and zany episode. Near the end, Cartman confronts Tolkien, and while it initially seems like he wants to make amends, he instead proceeds to shoot him. While the joke and the episode itself serve to highlight the unfairness and hypocrisy of the justice system, considering the controversy surrounding the death of Trayon Martin and police violence towards African Americans, the joke can be deemed as somewhat insensitive.
#2: The Worst Costume [and Fan Club] Ever
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Cartman dressed up as the German dictator Hitler not once, but twice. The first time, principal Victoria tries to fix this by giving him a ghost costume, and we all know what that usually ends up looking like instead in South Park. The second time around, although not donning the mustache, he wears the costume again when leading the Mel Gibson fan club. The clueless members who join the group are oblivious to Cartman’s true intentions and simply follow along. The joke was clearly intended to show the naivety of these individuals, but it was offensive nonetheless. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they never actually realize what they were doing, as they only begin to suspect how problematic the club really is after seeing how bonkers Mel Gibson is in person. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Bass Guitar
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Tunnel of Prejudice
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Muhammad
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Syrian Refugees
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Abortion
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#1: Canada
Where to begin. South Park has taken shots at Canadians time and time again in several episodes. The South Park movie’s central plot even focuses on a conflict between the United States and the neighboring country. On the show, Canadians are portrayed as goofy characters with a supposed heavy stereotypical-like Canadian accent. Throughout the series, everything from their politics and weddings is shown as either abnormal and strange. The show’s portrayal of the country and its inhabitants is one of the longest running gags on the show, and it is anything but flattering to say the least.
