Normally, the only shows I regularly watch on Comedy Central are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but while flipping between channels late in the evening, I came across the most recent episode (originally aired 10/8/08) of South Park – “The China Probrem” – Wikipedia does a nice job of summarizing the plot:
“Cartman has been plagued by persistent nightmares about the Chinese ever since he watched the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics on TV. He awakens one night after yet another bad dream, and his mother tries to calm him, but Cartman comes to believe that the Chinese, with their “2 billion”-man population and “significant advances in economy and technology,” are a growing threat to America and the world. He concludes that America will be invaded by the Chinese within days.”
And you can watch the whole episode online here – we live in amazing times! The episode is pretty funny… making fun of some of the stereotypes about Chinese people, P.F. Chang’s, etc… There is also a sub-plot about how Indiana Jones has been “raped.” The episode is *definitely* NOT suitable for work (NSFW).
In the end, Cartmen makes amends with his fear of China and that he is “always willing to defend his country, but not if it means shooting people in the penis and losing his dignity.” (On a related note, it has been reported that the NSA has been tapping phone calls from Americans from overseas… )
So overall, I think South Park did a pretty good job of framing the issue of overzealous fear of China and Chinese Americans. Watch the episode and let me know what you think…
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Disgusted
- Sad
- Angry
