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This paper explores the interplay between psychology and neurobiology. Does human depression relate to the concept of Learned Helplessness - first observed in animal research? If so, what can we learn that might help impact the future of mental health treatment? Is there a biological basis for helplessness and is it quantifiable? Is there a “hope” section of the brain?
Faculty Supervisor:  John Karnat

Anderson, Jesse

Learned Helplessness, Giving Up

Almostafa, Ghena

ESSAI 
Volume 17 Article 9 
Spring 2019 
A Theory of Freedom 
Ghena Almostafa 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai 
Recommended Citation 
Almostafa, Ghena (2019) "A Theory of Freedom," ESSAI: Vol. 17 , Article 9. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol17/iss1/9 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in ESSAI by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, 
please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
5 
A Theory of Freedom 
 
by Ghena Almostafa 
 
(English 1102) 
 
 
 
hat freedoms or privileges do you have in college? Have your rights sometimes been taken 
away at college? How could you try to change something that you think is unfair? What 
can you do yourself to make a difference? The flames of war burned Syria; they took my 
house, family, friends, and happiness away from me. My house and my school was destroyed; I lost 
family members, and I haven't heard anything about my close friends since then. Terrorism, racism, 
segregation, fascism, civil wars, violence and all forms of disputes were some of the major debated 
topics people have been through for a long time ago and had to deal with the outcomes. Yet, we are 
in the 21st century and people still suffer from these issues. Let us consider what happened over 50 
years ago in this country, when African-Americans faced a long path full of racism and racial 
segregation as they pursued equal rights across the United States.  Racial segregation in the United 
States was simply defined as law-enforced separation of African Americans from white Americans. 
Separation of colored people was by law in some states in different sectors, such as health clinics, 
employment, schools, bussed, and many others. Then, the civil rights movement raised with many 
influential leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. King was the influential civil rights leader in 
America who stood out for his own people. After a battle of nonviolence, negotiation, self 
purification, and direct action (negotiation and protesting). On the other hand, in Syria (the land of 
the sun), the story is not quite the same, but shares the same values. As of January 2011, the uprising 
began as a minor protest, in response to the revolutions seen by a number of Arab countries (known 
as Arab Spring). The revolutions were caused by government corruption and human rights violations. 
The uprisings were marked by massive demonstrations against the regime of President Bashar al-
Assad, clashes with police and security forces, violence, mass arrests and brutal repression, resulting 
in hundreds of casualties and thousands of wounded people. This revolution left behind a 
deteriorating economic situation of the country, destruction, a hundred thousand people were killed, 
and others became displaced and stripped of their identity, their birth certificates, their passports, and 
their possessions, and their homes. These events lead us to think what if King Jr. was still alive until 
today? What if he didn't write the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and wrote it from Damascus jail 
instead? King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" refutes the idea that oppressed people should patiently 
wait for freedom and for the citizens of Syria to desire freedom just as King did. People need to 
realize that the strength in numbers allows for nonviolent resolution to a major conflict. The 
approach of Martin Luther King, Jr., in his nonviolent campaign included four steps: collection of the 
facts to determine whether injustice existed, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action; these 
steps will not solve the Syrian scenario. 
 The first step of King's nonviolent campaign is to determine whether injustice existed or not 
which sound like an easy step to follow, but not in Syria. In "Civil Disobedience," Henry David 
Thoreau said: "All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and 
to resist the government when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable" (Thoreau 
726) This shows that revolutions and disobedience raise when corruption and injustice exist. Even 
Though that the Syrian government and The Court of Cassation (the highest court of appeals) are full 
of corruption and injustice, the Al-Assad regime refuses to confess that. You may argue that what if 
the Syrian government is right and justice does exist in Syria? Well, Thoreau said: we are "Under a 
government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison" (Thoreau 
W
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732). The Syrian government do not just hide the truth, but also label protesters as terrorists, and they 
should be eliminated. How do expect them to confess their crimes, especially with the international 
silence? We can also see the international silence on the crimes committed in Syria is very similar to 
the silence of whites on the segregation and racism towards African-Americans. 
 Second, why is the time now? And why shouldn't Syrians wait? The war entered its 9th year, 
yet Syrians are still waiting. The Al-Assad regime continues the suppression of Syrians' direct action. 
Based on King's theory, direct action refers to demonstrations, boycotts, sit-ins, and marches. Also, 
"the Birmingham police force witnessed its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent 
Negroes ... their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail" (King 267). The 
reaction to peaceful demonstrations is the same in the 1960s Birmingham and today's Syria. In both 
cases, the police did not protect the nonviolent protesters. In the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 
King. Jr., said: "I have heard the word 'wait!' It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing 
familiarity. This 'wait' has almost always meant 'Never"' (King 258). This evidence shows that 
without direct actions, the word "wait!" will not yield a tangible solution to the crisis. People may 
argue that if civil rights were won in the self-purification workshops, it also applies to Syria. Self-
purification defines as the ability to deal with extreme violence without using force in return. For 
instance, if the police perform physical attacks or verbal assaults, you will remain nonviolent. In 
addition, this important step guarantees that action will occur, that the action will remain nonviolent, 
and thus that it will succeed. Unfortunately, in Syria, this idea is not just about police enforcement 
pushing children and women, or torturing them, or even shooting randomly at innocent people. It is 
more of who gets the power wins. Al-Assad still uses heavy troops, and even internationally banned 
chemical weapons (manufactured in Syria) on innocent people, and do you expect them to wait and 
follow self-purification? Syrians are still waiting. Even though Syrians follow self-purification 
methods, the outcome is still not quite the same as the American Civil Rights Movement, nor has it 
succeeded in keeping the Syrian revolution nonviolent. 
 Lastly, the world needs to negotiate, one of King's steps, with Al-Assad for justice in Syria. 
In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," King, Jr., said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice 
everywhere" (King Jr. 255). This shows that Syria is now a real threat for the neighboring countries, 
such as Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon. In Birmingham, African-Americans experienced 
discrimination based on race. Syrians face discrimination simply if they are disloyal to Al-Assad. 
You and many other people may think that, "If I live in the United States, which is geographically 
not a neighboring country to Syria, and it is even in a different continent way far away, then why 
should I care or feel threatened?" Well, King also said "Whatever affects one directly, affects all 
indirectly" (King Jr. 255). This indicates that Syria can create conflicts between the countries who do 
support the crimes they had committed towards they own people and the countries who do not. For 
example, since the Syrian civil war has started, the United States is in disagreement with Russia 
because of Russia's support to Syria. People may also argue that negotiation is the most nonviolent 
effective element in ending crisis. In fact, this would apply to the cases when both sides accept to 
make concessions. 
 In conclusion, King's and Syrian citizens' ambition was in the matter of pursuing their rights. 
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by 
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of 
Happiness" (Jefferson 119). This evidence shows that all humans are created equal, born with their 
natural rights that cannot be given or taken away from them for whatever reason. I believe that we 
are all in this together. Nothing should threaten our freedom, deprive us from our rights. Also our 
right of freedom must never harm any other human being, directly or indirectly. We must respect 
freedom of every person in anywhere. We should all stand for justice in any part of the world. This 
way we ensure that our world is free of evil and injustice. 
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Work Cited 
 
Jacobus, Lee A., editor, A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Boston, 2017. 
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Jacobus, pp. 254-268. 
Jefferson, Thomas, "The Declaration of Independence." Jacobus, pp.  118-121. 
Thoreau, Henry David, "Civil Disobedience." Jacobus, pp. 723-741. 
 
 
 
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English

A Theory of Freedom

Gentile, Alyssa

A Vaccine a Day to Keep the Doctor Away:  A Research Essay on Vaccinations

McQuade, Tom

ESSAI 
Volume 17 Article 33 
Spring 2019 
" . . .And Justice For All" Men: Gender Inequality in the Metal 
Community 
Tom McQuade 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai 
Recommended Citation 
McQuade, Tom (2019) "" . . .And Justice For All" Men: Gender Inequality in the Metal Community," ESSAI: 
Vol. 17 , Article 33. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol17/iss1/33 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in ESSAI by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, 
please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
107 
“…And Justice for All” Men: Gender Inequality in the Metal Community 
 
by Tom McQuade 
 
(English 1102) 
 
 
 
he metal music scene1 has been viewed in a negative light by the mainstream since its 
inception. The loud and fast rhythms typical of metal music have given it a reputation of being 
confrontational, and sometimes even violent. Fans of all types of subgenres in the metal music 
scene would agree that these communities are extremely inclusive, and do not turn anyone away. 
These styles of music were founded by outcasts and misfits, and therefore they do not feel the desire 
to be selective. While this is an essential part of the metal community, it has been dominated almost 
entirely by men throughout its history. They account for the greatest number of musicians and fans in 
metal music. 
The idea of acceptance is prevalent in the metal music community, due to men’s strong 
beliefs that the only people who will want to join are more males. However, plenty of women over 
time have tried to join this industry, as fans as well as performers. They manage to push past gender 
stereotypes and unequal treatment, due to their strong devotion to the music. However, these female 
fans and musicians are still heavily outnumbered by their male counterparts. Georgina Gregory states 
in her 2013 article, “Transgender Tribute Bands and the Subversion of Male Rites of Passage through 
the Performance of Heavy Metal Music,” the “lyrics, music and performance style” of metal music 
can be intentionally sexist, specifically in the hopes of excluding women from the scene (p. 27). The 
resilience of women shines strong through their determination to be accepted in a predominantly 
male culture. To what extent does sexism limit the acceptance of women in the metal music scene, as 
both fans and performers? 
 Metal music has always had a tendency of bringing people together. People believe that this 
music and its lyrics are overly violent and aggressive, and therefore assume that the people in the 
community are the same way. According to the 2011 article, “Female Authority and Dominion: 
Discourse and Distinctions of Heavy Metal Scholarship” by Brian Hikam and Jeremy Wallash, 
throughout the many subgenres of metal music, there are some common themes that percolate to the 
surface, such as “‘fighting the world’, unity, and personal strength” (p. 260). The violent tones and 
lyrics typical of this genre are therefore not set out to hurt any innocent people, but are more aimed at 
igniting the emotions of the listener to be strong-willed and to stand up for themselves or others when 
it proves necessary. This misconception has created a strong bond in metal music fans, due to the 
marginalization of the genre by the general public. The desire for strength and unity in the metal 
music scene has caused it to be one of the most open musical communities in the world. However, 
for such an open and inclusive community, it is strange that women are not generally thought to be a 
part of it. 
From the perspective of female fans, metal shows can seem to be unsafe. The type of dancing 
done at these shows, known as moshing,2 to the untrained eye looks like a recipe for disaster. Jared 
Wildberger and Ingrid G. Farreras conducted a study and authored a 2016 article titled “Helping 
Behavior in Heavy Metal Concerts,” in which they decided to research the effects of women 
participating in these mosh pits. The researchers sent a male and a female participant into mosh pits 
at various concerts, and had them intentionally fall over thirty times to record how they were treated 
by the other concert-goers. The authors considered three categories of results: “direct help,” “indirect 
help,” and “no help.” Direct help was denied as a person halting their dancing to physically help the 
research participant to their feet. Indirect help signified that the moshing was paused until the person 
T
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was standing, but did not involve any physical efforts to help the fallen mosher up. No help indicated 
that the most pit continued with no regard for the fallen participant. The results of the experiment 
showed that the female participant received more help overall; however, most of it was deemed 
indirect help. The male participant was not helped as much as his female counterpart, but he received 
more direct help. Whether or not the help was direct or indirect, this study supported past research 
and showed that “metal fans are particularly inclusive” (Wildberger & Farreras, p. 101). 
 A willingness not to trample people does not prove that the entire music scene provides equal 
treatment across the board, however. In her 2011 article titled, “The Price of Rebellion: Gender 
Boundaries in the Death Metal Scene,” Sonia Vasan performed her own study to determine how 
women fit into this specific subgenre, known to be heavy in misogynistic lyrics. In this study, Vasan 
interviewed twenty different women, a mixture of performers and fans from the Houston, Texas area, 
as well as some international participants. The results of Vasan’s study indicated that most if not all 
women in this scene were aware that sexism is prevalent, especially through the lyrics typical of this 
subgenre. According to Vasan, most of the participants in this study are aware of the lyrics, but can 
ignore them or convince themselves that the lyrics are not true to life. One interviewee, named 
Loana, stated that the lyrics in this genre did tend to bother her, but it helped when she had the 
opportunity “to meet the musicians, and they are so polite” (qtd. in Vasan, p. 346). Another 
participant in the study said “if I get upset about it, I’m giving it more power than it needs to have”, 
and “…ignorance is bliss” (Vasan, p. 346). This participant, named JexxyKill in the article, felt that 
paying too much attention to these lyrics would ruin the overall experience of the music, and could 
force one to turn their back on their favorite band if the members truly believed in the lyrics.  
Surprisingly enough, female performers do exist in this subgenre of metal music. Instead of 
using this as a chance to break away from the misogyny present in death metal’s lyrics, these women 
“choose to conform to masculinist codes rather than challenge them,” unlike female artists in other 
genres such as rap music (Vasan, p. 335). It is easier for a woman to be successful in this scene if she 
emulates the actions of her male counterparts, but she will still “remain on unequal footing with men 
in the scene” (Vasan, p. 345). Several of those interviewed in Vasan’s study asserted that they have 
suffered from unfair treatment by both fans and fellow musicians. Participants said they have a lot to 
prove as women in the scene; men tend to view them as somebody’s girlfriend rather than a 
proficient musician, or simply an individual trying to be a part of the community. 
Vasan’s study also looked at female fans in this community. The researcher observed how 
various fans presented themselves at shows, and how it affected them in relation to the other 
concertgoers. The results showed that women were more accepted when they dressed and acted like 
the men, who were almost unanimously clad in black jeans and T shirts. These women were 
generally more welcome to participate in mixed gender interactions at the concerts. They could be 
found talking and drinking with men, but this was not true for all of them. Even some women who 
dressed more masculine were excluded from these groups, because the men who make them up 
solely seek to interact with other men. The men who were there with their girlfriends held them “in a 
mock headlock or physically restrained them in other ways” while socializing with the other men in 
attendance (Vasan, p. 342). The restraint of these women shows that they did not have the freedom to 
act how they wanted at the shows, but instead were forced to behave how their boyfriends wanted. 
There were also female attendees who dressed to be more sexually provocative.  Ironically, 
they were treated more as outcasts than the women dressed like the men. The women who dressed 
this way were not seen as true members of the community. The other concert attendees believed 
these women were at the shows in order to gain male attention, rather than to celebrate the music. 
These women were then not allowed to participate in male conversations, and were looked down 
upon by male and female fans alike. Especially in the metal community, concerts are a celebration of 
the music, as opposed to a social event based around mingling with potential mates. These results 
indicated that everyone may be allowed at metal events, but only those who adhere to the dominantly 
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male strictures will be “welcomed” into the scene. Vasan asserted that women put up with the unfair 
treatment they face “because it empowers them both as individuals and as women, and frees them 
from many of the restrictions of mainstream society” (Vasan p. 334). 
Not all women are willing to put up with blatant sexism like this, however. According to 
Georgina Gregory, these resistors have discovered their own method of having their voices heard: 
tribute bands. Some critics believe that less talent is required to perform someone else’s music than 
to write one’s own, but some women are not given the opportunity without tribute bands. They find 
performing the work of popular male predecessors is the only way they will be able to make a living 
performing music. Instead of having to build a new musical project from the ground up, tribute bands 
“can claim a [pre]existing fan base, a series of canonised texts and prove their musicianship” 
(Gregory, p. 31). This method can help put female musicians in the spot light while avoiding the 
sexism they face trying to begin their own projects. 
Women playing music by bands such as Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin challenge the norms 
of the music industry. Rock music has been built on the idea that only men can be rock gods. This 
paradigm is challenged when women get on stage and are equally capable of playing the same 
difficult music. Metal music shows serve as a place for male performers to “battle with one another 
in live physical displays of virtuosity,” and push their masculinity as far as it can go (Gregory, p. 28). 
It does not leave room for female musicians who feel specifically uninvited. Transgender tribute 
bands provide the atmosphere for women to showcase their own virtuosity and the environment for 
women to feel safer, as the crowd is more evenly split in terms of gender. 
Metal music provides an open community that does not turn people away who have a deep 
appreciation for the music. Throughout the years, many industrial norms and have surfaced, making 
this genre a “boy’s club.” This can be seen through women not being fully accepted unless they dress 
and act properly (like the other men), and even then, they will not be fully respected. The sexism in 
this industry has gotten so bad that women have had to create an entirely new environment to be 
properly perceived as musicians. The metal music scene does not turn anyone away, but it is a lot 
easier to achieve full acceptance in the community as a male than as a female. Women are not 
directly told that they cannot participate, but men have made it nearly impossible for them to do so. 
 
 
  
 
Notes 
 
1. For the purposes of this essay I am using the blanket term “metal music” to describe 
numerous subgenres including, but not limited to heavy metal, death metal, black metal and 
progressive metal. 
2. Moshing can also be described as slam dancing. It is a method of dancing typical to metal 
concerts in which a “pit” is formed in front of the stage (usually an open circular area) in 
which dancers will flail their limbs and push other participants in time to the music. 
 
 
  
 
References 
 
Gregory, G. (2013). Transgender tribute bands and the subversion of male rites of passage through 
the performance of heavy metal music. Journal for Cultural Research, 17(1), 21–36. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2011.633835 
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Hickam, B., & Wallach, J. (2011). Female authority and dominion: Discourse and distinctions of 
heavy metal scholarship. Journal for Cultural Research, 15(3), 255–277. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2011.594583 
Vasan, S. (2011). The price of rebellion: Gender boundaries in the death metal scene. Journal for 
Cultural Research, 15(3), 333–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/14797585.2011.594587 
Wildberger, J., & Farreras, I. G. (2016). Helping behavior in heavy metal concerts. Modern 
Psychological Studies, 22(1), 97–103. Retrieved from 
https://cod.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a
9h&AN=130798566&site=ehost-live&scope=site 
 
 
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. . .And Justice For All  Men: Gender Inequality in the Metal Community

Williams, Jacob

ESSAI 
Volume 17 Article 38 
Spring 2019 
Comedy and Controversy: A Close Look at "South Park "and Its 
Unique Approach to Satire 
Jacob Williams 
College of DuPage 
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai 
Recommended Citation 
Williams, Jacob (2019) "Comedy and Controversy: A Close Look at "South Park "and Its Unique Approach 
to Satire," ESSAI: Vol. 17 , Article 38. 
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol17/iss1/38 
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It 
has been accepted for inclusion in ESSAI by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, 
please contact orenick@cod.edu. 
125 
Comedy and Controversy: A Close Look at South Park and Its Unique Approach to Satire 
 
by Jacob Williams 
 
(English 1101) 
 
 
 
he hit Comedy Central show now in it’s 22nd season stands among the titans of comedy. A 
vulgar, crass animated series centered around the complicated lives of four third grade boys, 
South Park portrays a world of storylines with comedic parallels to reality. Thorough 
examination of the show proves there greater meaning to the humor. The parallels found between the 
real world and the world of South Park do not appear to be random, but in fact a direct connection to 
something socially or politically relevant to the timing of the episode’s release. This paper intends to 
prove with research that South Park serves as a source of both humor and social-political perspective 
on current events. It will become clear that South Park can stand as a reliable take on what is going 
on in the world, using comedy to deliver its messages. 
 South Park’s humor is often vulgar and gross. The hit television show features a piece of 
feces as a popular character. The writing uses swear words, bodily functions, and slurs to create 
comedy (Thorogood, 216). One episode follows Randy Marsh - one of the adults in the town of 
South Park- as he gives himself testicular cancer in order to qualify for medicinal marijuana. The rest 
of the men in the town then follow Randy’s lead, sticking their testicles in the microwave causing 
them to become enlarged. What ensues is a ridiculous exaggeration of South Park’s men bouncing 
around town on their oversized testicles. It is a hairy and disgusting visual of nudity that also has a 
humorous quality. Other examples can be provided from the memory of a long-time viewer. In one 
episode, the boys stumble onto a violent blood orgy of woodland critters. In another episode, a boy is 
fed the butchered remains of his parents. After watching any of these episodes and without any other 
context, anyone might be inclined to think that the writers -and fans, subsequently- have a vulgar and 
disturbing sense of humor. That there is any value to this extreme type of humor is a highly debated 
topic.  
 After twenty years of being on the air, the hit television show has often been controversial. 
According to Thorogood, “The show has generated enormous controversy throughout its history, 
with a battery of criticisms and a dedicated following of protest groups.” (215) Matt Stone and Trey 
Parker – the masterminds behind the show and its creators – deal in subject matter that has to 
potential to offend a lot of people. In fact, the two of them are self-described as “Equal Opportunity 
Offenders” (Thorogood, 216). To Stone and Parker, no topic is off limits and if they can make fun of 
something – or in other words, if they can come up with a joke – they will. They have even gone so 
far lately as to incorporate school shootings into episodes, despite the sensitivity and violent nature of 
the subject. Comedy about the death of children is likely to give rise to a lot of controversy. In 
another example, the FCC pulled a list of complaints over a three-year period that ended in 2007 
(Thorogood, 216). It showed “some particularly memorable complaints from members of the 
American public concerned with the ‘sickening’ and ‘disgusting’ nature of the show, especially its 
influence on children” (Thorogood, 216). The Comedy Central show can clearly give rise to public 
offense.  
 A consistent factor of this offense though, is that people are frequently misunderstanding the 
greater meaning of South Park’s humor. As Thorogood says, “South Park repeatedly leaves us 
scratching our heads, working through the lack of finitude in the plot and contradictory subtexts.” 
(230-231). The often morally ambiguous humor is disorienting even to the fans. Also, in a 
particularly controversial and misunderstood episode titled “The F Word” the boys attempt to 
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redefine the word ‘fag’. Schulzke contends that the writing in this episode is attempting to make a 
positive change in the way we use language regarding gay people (30). The episode does in fact send 
a clear message and represents “sophisticated and strikingly similar to scholarly work on language” 
(Schulzke, 30). So though the use of the word is usually inappropriate, this particular episode carry’s 
a deeper message by using it. South Park’s writers make it even more clear what the message is in 
the episode. In the end, the main characters change the Webster’s Dictionary definition of the word 
(Schulzke, 28). Many aspects of “The F Word” were unmistakably meant to discourage homophobia. 
However, certain members of the gay community itself were disturbed by the attempt (Schulzke, 24). 
It may have been meant to ease the woes of homosexual hate, but the reception was not all positive. 
Even further on that point, according to Schulzke, “gay activists who supported the series in the past” 
responded negatively to the episode, calling it “misguided and offensive” (24). In general, the humor 
was intended to send a helpful message, but for some it was a hurtful one. To further complicate 
things, the “gay activists” also referred to the humor in “The F Word” as “admirable” in the same 
description (Schulzke, 24). Understanding of the show’s humor is clearly complex, and largely 
varying even among a similar audience. In another example of misunderstanding, one episode used a 
horribly offensive racial slur and was afterwards praised by the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for their “portrayal of white appropriation of the term.” 
(Thorogood, 216) A misguided and primarily white Parents Television Council (PTC) berated them 
for the exact same episode (Thorogood, 216). As it turns out, Stone and Parker’s ‘equal opportunity 
offensiveness’ leaves people quite confused about what the show’s overall message is. 
 The fact that it can have a message though is evidence that there is a greater meaning and 
complexity to the TV show’s humor. More than simple gross vulgarity, “South Park occupies an 
ambiguous role, where episodes can be deemed simultaneously progressive and racist, or educational 
and offensive.” (Thorogood, 216) In other words, South Park can offend an audience with toilet 
humor and teach an intelligent lesson at the same time. Furthermore, Thorogood contends that “South 
Park often celebrates the messy, contradictory and evolving nature of political situations through 
absurdity and vulgar humour.” (230) The vulgarity acts as a vehicle then, to deliver a more complex 
message to the viewer. The racism on the show is another example of offensive humor with layers. 
The episode the NAACP applauded for its “portrayal of white appropriation” (Thorogood, 216) of a 
racist term towards black people acts as a perfect example. It is clear after watching the episode what 
its message is. On the surface is humor at the expense of being racist. Yet underneath is an important 
message on how to change racist behavior. In another example, one of the main characters is 
frequently antisemitic, which Sienkiewicz and Marx say is “funny because antisemitism is ridiculous, 
not because Jews really are worthy of disdain and degradation.” (7) So, though the message taken 
literally is something humorous at the expense of a religion, it can also send the message of tolerance 
through the proper point of view.  
 The show can go to disturbing places because it is also a valid argument about a current event 
or social condition. Sienkiewicz and Marx say about South Park: “Through the lens of hyper-irony, 
offensive humor is mitigated by its turn into a progressive statement.” (8)  As Thorogood puts it 
South Park is “comedy that ridicules contemporary issues by reducing complex politics to the most 
basic and crass condition possible.” (215) By that theory, the vulgarity of the show is a simplification 
of something much more complex. In the recent episodes revolving around school shootings, the 
writing reflects a current issue that aligns with what is in the media. The violence is graphic, and the 
content is potentially offensive to anyone effected by recent tragedies related to gun violence. The 
show’s audacity to approach such a sensitive subject is granted by the accuracy in which they 
highlight a social issue. Exaggerating the media representation of the events in the show clearly 
points to an overreaction of our own media in the real world.  
 South Park’s complex humor results in a social and political commentary interactive with 
current events. In a brief explanation, “the show achieves its complexity through a wide and far-
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127 
reaching web of connections to other media texts and, crucially, the larger discourses with which 
these other texts are engaged.” (Sienkiewicz and Marx, 6) So in other words, the writers are using 
sources of mainstream news, but also sources in the media that further elaborate, analyze, or 
investigate the mainstream material. There is a wide reach of references to current events and 
perspectives South Park writers will use to come up with episodes on a weekly basis. Writers of the 
show only start writing an episode one week before it airs however (Sienkiewicz and Marx, 5), 
allowing them to keep the show fully interactive with current events in their scripts. This keeps them 
knowledgeable about what is happening within a week prior to the airing of an episode while they 
write it. The show’s short cycle of creation means that “the offensive elements of the show may take 
on different meanings by interacting with and commenting on other media texts.” (Sienkiewicz and 
Marx, 9) For example, school shootings may seem like an unnecessarily violent topic involving 
children if a viewer did not understand that this was a highly covered topic at the time. Only within 
the proper understanding of context and timing can a person go back to a South Park episode and 
fully understand the humor (9). So, just like the writers, the audience must also be in-tune with 
current events to get every laugh. In all, the show effectively delivers a social or political message 
through comedy.  
 South Park can stand as a reliable take on what is going on in the world, using comedy to 
deliver its messages. At its core, it is a comedy show. Yet still there is a deeper meaning to every 
punchline. Even in the most vulgar moments of the show there is clearly some social commentary 
involved. What is unclear is whether this discourse is solely meant to humor the masses. Or is it 
instead to educate them, berate them, or to simply suggest that everything is meaningless?  The most 
likely choice is all the choices, but without speculation it is unclear. The bottom line is that whatever 
South Park is, it certainly transcends from category of traditional comedy into something totally 
different. Such a form of media is not only consumable for a laugh, but also for the scholarly study of 
individuals who wish to see the world as it was, in a way no one else was looking. 
 
 
  
 
Works Cited 
 
Schulzke, Marcus. “Contentious Language: South Park and the Transformation of Meaning.” Journal 
of Popular Film & Television 40.1 (2012): 22-31. Academic Search Complete. 3 12 2018. 
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.cod.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=aab662e6-91ea-
4e49-bc95-f7c5d59f172b%40sdc-v-
sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=73443812&db=a9
h>. 
Sienkiewicz, Matt and Nick Marx. “Beyond a Cutout World: Ethnic Humor and Discursive 
Integration in South Park.” Journal of Film & Video 61.2 (2009): 5-18. Academic Search 
Complete. 
Thorogood, Joe. “Satire and Geopolotics: Vulgarity, Ambiguity and the Body Grotesque in South 
Park.” Geopolitics 21.1 (2016): 215-235. Academic Search Complete. 3 December 2018. 
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com.cod.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=aab662e6-91ea-
4e49-bc95-f7c5d59f172b%40sdc-v-
sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=113945135&db=a
9h>. 
 
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Williams: Comedy and Controvery: A Close Look at "South Park"
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2019


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