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The Token Character In South Park And That 70's Show

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Recommended: Portrayal of race in the media

Race has always been a hot button issue in today's society. With a focus on political correctness and diversity, popular TV shows always try to include at least one character of color, also know as the 'token' character. A token is defined as "a small part representing a whole" or "a member of a group (such as a minority) that is included within a larger group" (Token, 2017). These token characters ease the conscious of the majority by making them feel like everyone is included. However, the role of the token character is usually less than every other character's role, and they are typically singled out and the butt of the jokes. The 'token character' is still incorporated into modern television shows. However, shows like South Park …show more content…

South Park and That 70's Show are popular sitcoms which both ran during the early 2000's, but South Park has persevered into today's television schedule; while That 70's Show ended in 2006. South Park is about a group of middle school aged children who get into trouble and cause mischief for their little town in Colorado. The main group of characters (Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny) are all white characters, and the only notable character of color is an African American classmate whose name is Token. The show is known for is edgy humor and its political commentary on everything wrong with American society. With a rating of 8.7/10 on IMBd and over 3 millions viewers (South Park, 2017), it is one of the most popular adult cartoons. On the other hand, That 70's Show, follows the lives of six teenagers (Donna, Eric, Hyde, Jackie, Fez, and Michael) and their adventures in the suburbs of Wisconsin. The main characters are all white, except Fez, who is one of the only foreigners in the whole show. The show is not as political as South Park and most of the humor revolves around normal mischiefs of teenagers, like drugs, alcohol, and relationships. Both characters,

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A sitcom is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, with often humorous dialogue (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Some of today's top sitcoms are Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and South Park; however, back in the 60s the top television sitcoms wereThe Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Unlike modern day sitcoms, 60s sitcoms, mainly The Andy Griffith Show, used down-to-Earth comedy and moral lessons to attract viewers. The Andy Griffith Show takes place in small town Mayberry, North Carolina, where Andy Taylor (police chief) and deputy Barney Fife stop any and all crimes in a nonchalant manner.

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The article “South Park and the Carnivalesque” written by Alison Halsall delves into both parody and satire within the context of the program. South Park’s Carnivalesque humor, or carnival laughter “is a method by which popular culture in general, and South Park in particular, provides liberation from constraint” (Halsall 24). South Park makes it a point to use humor that provokes the inherent “dirtiness” that we contain, in an attempt to expose cultural aspects that generally go undiscussed (Halsall 34). Through profanity, South Park brings carnival humor down to the basic grotesque humor that serves to “critique linguistic sanitation” (Halsall 34).

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South Park is a well known television show that is famous for its ability to satirize every single controversial issue. To get people to see more than one side of an argument the show has made fun of everything from politics to race relations. In an effort provoke thought on the positive and negatives of religion the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, satirize Mormonism and Scientology in the episodes All About Mormons and Trapped in the Closet through the use of religious stereotypes, the creator’s attitudes, and by challenging the ideologies that the religions hold. South Park uses extreme stereotypes of religion in an effort to showcase how the religions can be perceived by others. The episode All About Mormons, starts

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