1. The Taboo's and Controversy's of
“South Park”

2. Introduction
● In this presentation, I aim to talk about:
● Cultural Context behind the idea
● Key Ideas behind idea
● History behind my chosen topic
● Contemporary factors concerning my idea.
● Sources used: 'Blame Canada: South Park and
Contemporary Culture' by Toni Johnson-Woods and
'Contentious Language: South Park and the
Transformation of Meaning' by Marcus Schulzke and
'Totem and Taboo' by Sigmund Freud

3. Context
● Since the shows beginning, the creators have
always tried to keep seeing what they can get
away with – how far they can go.
● 'The meaning of words and their power to
offend is a central theme of South Park'
(Schulzke, 2006:23)
● I aim to look at the reasons why they do this
and how they can keep getting away with it.

4. Key Ideas
● 'Since its first episode, it has pushed the boundaries of free
expression, questioned censorship, criticized government policies,
mocked key social figures, and generally considered a well
conceived... ...position to whatever is in the news.' (Schulzke)
● Gives idea of what I am looking into. Through such extremities, and
how is it they manage to get away with remarks they make.
● 'Anyone who has violated a taboo becomes taboo himself because
he possesses the dangerous quality of tempting others to follow his
example' (Freud: 1913:86)
● There have been many groups outspoken about South Park and its
content who think it should be banned for influencing their children. I
aim to look at why they violate taboo's and Freud's argument on
whether they should or not, due to direct influencing of children's
behavior

5. Key Ideas cont.
● 'It challenges hypocrisy, without blinkers or hesitation. It
takes on the mighty and the small... … the show is known
for its ripped-from-the-headlines content' (Johnson-Woods,
2007:257)
● The show being so relevant is why it does well. It takes on
anyone and anything, without caring so much. It is rarely
censored though – why?
● Shall do a case study into a couple of episodes, the most
censored episodes, and why they were censored.

6. Historical Factors
● I shall be looking into the birth of South Park
leading up to South Park in the modern day,
comparing the two from then to now – how they
keep pushing the boundaries to higher and
higher extremes.
● Will look into other cartoons such as 'The
Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' who maintain a
similar rapport, and what it is about these
shows that draws audience back despite their
coarse language and offensive story lines .

7. Contemporary Factors
● With 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' – as well
as briefly exploring their history, like South
Park, I shall explore how they are in todays
time.
● I will also look into more recent shows such as
'Archer' and 'Drawn Together' who continuously
fit the same 'offensive cartoon' category, why
they were made as controversial shows, and in
'Drawn Together's' case, why it was cancelled.

8. Conclusion
● Looking at controversy and taboo's in South Park and other
mainstream animations.
● How they manage to get away with such explicit and extreme content.
● The effects of taboo in society, and why it could be considered a bad
thing, in conjunction with why 'South Park' could be doing a good
thing with how controversial it is.
● The relevance the show has in keeping up with real world events
● Case Study on extreme cases of censorship within South Park.
● The history behind other 'controversial' shows such as 'Simpsons'
and 'Family Guy' and how they have evolved in a more contemporary
world.
● Contemporary shows like 'Archer' and 'Drawn Together' and why
shows like this keep getting made and doing so well.

9. Bibliography
● Johnson-Woods, Toni. (2007) Blame Canada!
South Park And Contemporary Culture. New
York: Continuum
● Freud, Sigmund. (1913) Totem & Taboo
● Schulzke, Marcus. Contentious Language: South
Park and the Transformation of Meaning

10. Bibliography
● Johnson-Woods, Toni. (2007) Blame Canada!
South Park And Contemporary Culture. New
York: Continuum
● Freud, Sigmund. (1913) Totem & Taboo
● Schulzke, Marcus. Contentious Language: South
Park and the Transformation of Meaning