Discuss the idea of offensiveness in the South Park episode “Trapped in the Closet” and The Boondocks episode “Return of the King.” Were you personally offended by either episode? If so, what offended you and why? If not, what might someone find offensive in these episodes? Do you think this offensiveness serves an artistic purpose or do you think it’s there for shock value alone? Defend your answer. 300-700 words.
Offensiveness is a major issue in many shows in today’s age. They deal with touchy objects and lead us to ponder on views that we may hold strongly. This was definitely a relatable subject in the episodes of South Park (“Trapped in the Closet”) and The Boondocks (“Return of the King”). Let’s begin by taking a closer look at the offensiveness displayed in the episode of South Park.
Personally, I did not feel offended by the episode at all. Maybe this has to do with not being relatable to some of the issues discussed in the episode. For instance, those who might’ve been offended might find the Church of Scientology to not be a global scam – opposite to what the show stated. Moreover, since the show deals with religion, so much to make fun of it and call it a money-maker for those that are lost in life, I feel like this is a bit harsh. There’s a line for humor and topics such as religion or health should not be one of the things where humor should be used. Moreover, scenes such as Tom Cruise coming out of the closet might offend him/his fans for the parody rumors claiming he was homosexual. Messing with someone’s gender is also not appropriate, especially when that person hasn’t given consent. In my opinion, the show was a bit harsh in terms of displaying views on Scientology. Such offensiveness in this specific episode leads me to believe it doesn’t serve an artistic purpose, but rather an element that’ll get people talking about the show (marketing strategy – getting people from both sides to watch the show and display their takes on the controversy). Thus, I feel the issues with referencing Scientology were solely there for-shock value.
Moving on to the episode of The Boondocks, I was somewhat offended by some of the show’s stances. For instance, although the show was trying to display the importance of MLK and his bravery, the way the show displayed this was very controversial. For instance, the show portrays MLK as having respect for his enemies (such as Al-Qaeda) or the Christian faith requiring him to “turn the other cheek”. Both of these scenes display MLK, not as a man of bravery, yet as a man the public hated (for the wrong reasons). Moreover, MLK’s use of the n-word within the show was very controversial in my opinion. Lastly, displaying the majority of the black culture as thugs who are crazy and displaying poor behavior is extremely wrong. All of these touchy elements bring down the figure of MLK and the black community in general. Although the show had the right idea of presenting MLK’s bravery and change for the black community, the way the show presented this was on the extreme end (showing blacks in their worst state and MLK in a crazy unprofessional manner). However, I do believe this offensiveness was for the artistic purpose of displaying a bigger theme that was trying to be revealed in the show – MLK’s leadership in bringing about change to the stereotypical black community.