South Park’s French Bashing Explored.
The world of cartoons is a powerful way to get out any message you could never achieve with traditional actors or more conventional means. Much like Aesop’s fables, the use of animated characters often serves as a vehicle for political and social satire that avoids serious scrutiny. After all, it’s just a cartoon right?
The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill and South Park have all achieved success through poking fun at our collective hypocrisies or our contradictions. Unfortunately, when empowered with such a potent vehicle, the creative teams behind these cartoons sometimes let their own prejudices show through.
The Simpsons famously entered the fray of Anti-French prejudice with several barbs, most notably the “Cheese eating surrender monkey” epithet spoken by Groundskeeper Willie in an episode aired on April 30, 1995. In another episode, the character Lenny is also used as a vehicle for Anti-French stereotypes: “I’m shaking like a French soldier!”. Anti-French prejudice from the Simpsons is also evident in licensed games such as “Medal of Homer” (See note 1).
Matt Groening disputed his association with that now famous Anti-French slur: “That was not the original context. It was all about Willie yelling at students in a French class. People took that expression out of context (…) Besides I adore France, to be associated with this was insulting” (See note 2). Given the Simpsons long record of Anti-French attitudes, Matt Groening’s comments can only be considered as pure hypocrisy. But enough with this antiquated series that overstayed its welcome 6 years ago.
Last Wednesday, South Park aired an episode ripped from the headlines that deals with Somali pirates. At one point a French crew surrenders to children wielding toys. In another scene, another characters exclaims: “they were French so of course they surrendered immediately”.
South Park’s late foray into the world of French Bashing is not only regrettable, it proves once more that anti-French prejudice is so entwined in American pop-culture that it will take monumental efforts on our behalf to undo the harm done by years of laissez-faire.
In the meanwhile, little can be done with our limited means. We can however let the creators of South Park know how we feel with it comes to mocking the most tragic event of our recent history or we can also share our opinions with the myriad of bloggers, writers, columnists out there who are applauding this new Anti-French jab like circus seals.
(1) Miquelon.org article on Medal of Homer
(2) Source: Interview with Erwan Cario, July 25th 2007
Related links
- South Park Episode 7, season 13 “Fatbeard”
- Entertainement Weekly by Ken Tucker who thinks this is a “funny depiction of the French as pretentious cowards”
- AvClub.com – tv.ign.com
Wernesson attaque:
http://www.la-garconniere.com/index.php?showtopic=2764&st=100&gopid=197274&#entry197274
L’orthographe et l’âge n’ont rien à voir. C’est tout de même dégoutant que, depuis quelques années, on puisse voir dans des journaux de tous les pays, non seulement étatsuniens, la logique “surrender monkey” à notre égard.
Si vous tenez absolument à être un surrender monkey, allez-y, soyez le bouffon des Etats-Unis & cie. Un beau bonnet avec des grelots vous sierait à merveille, ainsi qu’une banane et un drapeau blanc. Moi, je préfère ne pas cracher sur nos aïeux et combattre ceux qui voudraient nous faire voir comme des pouilleux lâches et sans dignité.
Y’a du futur dans le costume surrender monkey, on pourrait le faire mettre aux collabos!
J’ai apprécié ta reponse toute en retenu et dignité André mais bon le niveau des fora francais est toujours aussi pitoyable surtout ceux reunissant les jeunes : ignorance crasse , relativisme petochard etc etc …
bref passons , cet episode ne me fera pas ne plus aimer South Park mais c’est un peu rageant quoi
You know what? I thought that this episode was hilarious! And I don’t even live in the United States!
I think that this has been taken way out of proportion, and anyone that gets offended at comments like were made on the show, is feeble and juvenile (to put it nicely). God, South Park has made fun of Canadians so often, I can’t even remember, but guess what? It’s funny! Hell, they’ve even made fun of other Americans!
So seriously: chill out, take a joke, and remember: c’est une blague. Ce n’est pas comme ça dit: «Ouais! Tous les français et les françaises sont faibles, et vous ne deviendrez jamais quelques choses, grosses t******s.»
[Translation: It’s a joke. It’s not like they said, “Yup! All French people are weak, and you’ll never amount to anything, you big p*****s.”]
If they went that far, then that’s uncalled for. But until somebody does, relax, take it easy, and remember: it’s a joke.
That joke is getting old, Cody…
The French are sick and tired of being labeled cowards and pussies by the American media.
2 million Frenchmen died on battlefields all over the world this past century.
There’s so many things to make fun of the French, why does it always have to be this surrender shit ?
I’m sure the humiliating defeat of the French in 1940 is hilarious to many Americans but it is not to the French.
Being constantly reminded of that sad chapter in our history in 2009 can only be explained by some deep resentment and a willingness to hurt the French people.
They think they have valid reasons to hate the French (it’s their problem) but let’s not delude ourselves that this is just humor. And don’t give us any crap about our sense of humor. Because seriously, what other ethnicity or nationality would not take offense at being constantly labeled a coward ?
[Translation: It’s a joke. It’s not like they said, “Yup! All French people are weak, and you’ll never amount to anything, you big p*****s.”]
Are you kidding ? Of course that’s what those jokes imply.
Stan said as much in episode 805 – You got F in the A.
Stan: “Otherwise you might as well move to France with all the other pussies”.
Barney (98), Here, you have laid out a well developed argument. I see this blog and SuperFrenchie as concrete efforts to confront and refute labels. I would suggest that your arguments are best used to inspire insightful reflections on what we all say and not met to be any tit for tat. I do agree that the attempted “humor” about 1940 is truely discusting. I am amazed at how many people, confronted by logical retort, are stunned, and often appoligetic. The normal response is that they “didn’t know, didn’t think” and that they were only reciting “talking points” they have heard “over and over”. These prople are not bad, they simply do not have the breath of knowledge and received minimal history in school.
“These prople are not bad, they simply do not have the breath of knowledge and received minimal history in school”
That is very patronizing. No, we do not have in depth French history in the US. From various years I can think of several occasions when the French would pop up. Studying the American Revolution, WW1, WW2, and other off hand things such as the French Revolution, and wars with Britain in the Midde Ages and the Renaissance era.
Just because we don’t learn much French history doesn’t mean we know minimal history .
Thanks Cody. People who do not like South Park do not understand how it works.
Remember the show “All in the Family”? Carol O’Connor played a bigoted man. They did this to show how ridculous bigotry is. This is exactly what South Park does. The person on the show being bigoted is usually made out to be a fool in the end. Regardless, the show is hilarious. And if anyone thinks they pick on the French, they should start counting how many times they fun of other people. They have made literally thousands of jokes at the expense of every aspect of American culture, and all the other cultures too. They have made fun of movie stars that sooooo deserve it.
Anyway…, I don’t want to start another back and forth with people who will never see this point so let’s just leave it at that. If you think South Park is so terrible, don’t watch it. As for me and Cody…., will be laughing our asses off.
Wayne — I understand your point, but I also understand it’s horribly convenient. From Leno the archbasher to the lowest French-bashing pundit, we all get the we make fun of everybody response. No good. Here’s Mr. Chamberlain talking to Hitler:
A.H: “Nein! Ve do nicht only kill ze Jews! Ve also kill ze gypsies, und ze disabled, und ze homosexuals… Ve ist ein equal-oportunity genocider.”
N.C: “Oh, I see! That’s much better. Do pardon my intrusiveness.”
The added difference here is that, whereas in another episode, the bigot is one of the characters (Cartman) in this episode, the bigot is the narrator, the demiurg who created the stereotypical French and made them conform to the surrender trope.
There’s an essential difference.
Jane — I agree that, on paper, history as taught in the U.S. isn’t that bad, or at least it has much greater potential than it would seem nowadays. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that stereotypes and tropes even pervade with cultured people. I had this American friend, an extremely cultured fellow and a delightful conversationist. He was extremely well-read, particularly in history, and yet he, at one point, gave in to the surrender trope — which is completely unfounded, as you surely know (1940 wasn’t even a surrender, it was an armistice!). Which comes to prove that even intelligent people get affected by propaganda.
I’ve watched every single ep of SP at least once. So I’m aware of how South Park works. It’s not with SP per se that we are mad at but we’re just disappointed that SP gave in and participated in the “French are surrender-monkeys” bash fest the US media seems so fond of.
Wayne, once again make fun of the French all you want. But lay off the coward meme. It is particularly offensive and unfair since 2 million Frenchmen died on battlefields all over the world this pas century.
An entire generation of American people is now growing up associating the French people as a whole with cowardice. It does hurt otherwise pro-American French people. That shit needs to stop now.
Will you at least acknowledge that or am I talking to a wall here ?
Jane (100), Obviously, there are Americans who took the time to learn, but, I have to tell you that, in discussions, I again and again find that my buddies know of Egypt, Greece, Rome (and of course Israel), straight to England and on to Manafest Destiny. I also know that schools are a lot better in Iowa than they are in Texas, better in Oregon than in Alabama. Additionally, I think that American schools do a rather poor job in teaching students how to learn once they leave the system. A lot of this is due to an environment where tired workers come home and do nothing but watch the TV.
You raise some good points and I agree with you, but if the student pays attention in school, or reads the history books, they will have a decent general knowledge of history. But it isn’t just the American education system that has problems. Canadians, and Americans have scored on average the same standardized tests scores. And the average IQ of both countries is almost identical.
Jane (105) Yes, the student needs to read on his own. That’s what I ended up doing. Also, standardized tests gear more to reading and math (at least in the South) and are not signs of the activity of researching outside of the school environment. My mother made me memorize Shakspeare and read fifty books per year. My daughters did the same (plus Voltaire and Plato), but, I don’t think that that is common practice in American homes.
Well, students who have a particular fondness towards Literature classes and History classes will absorb more of what is taught, such as Shakespeare, and other things. It is not common practice in American homes to memorize Voltaire, Shakespeare and Plato, but is it in France? Or other countries?
The reading of 50 books a year, I just enjoy reading, but don’t like to be told to read. In school we had to read at least an hour a night and get it checked off by our parents, I did miserably in this because I hated being told how long I had to read, even though I read many books.
There are more standardized tests that deal with Math and Reading, they are the two subjects that get the most funding by the State. But their are also standardized tests in science, and history. But keep in mind education differs from state to state, emphasis on certain subjects in one state may not be the case in other states.
The two main standardized tests to get into college in the US are the SATs, which focus on reading, writing, and math and the ACTs, which focus on all subjects. I have noticed that the popularity of the ACTs has grown.
Jane, I really didn’t mind the reading. Mom made me go to the library every two weeks and get three books. It was lousey to walk a mile each way in ice or 100 plus degreeweather. I also preferred to get our and play football (American). From what I see now days, and what my teacher wife tells me, kids today are taught to the test and, in reality, receive minimal rounded education. I believe that this is more of a problem in the South that it is in the North or West. Heavens, in the US we only have to learn one language and we have real problems mastering one! I do like to see that Spanish is now making inroads in the South.
I agree with you with well-rounded education, most of school is preparations for tests, and more tests, whether it be standardized or other.
I think that Spanish should be taught in schools alongside English, it will broaden people’s horizons and make them think outside the box. Of course the Republicans are against this. They must keep their sheep as sheltered to the outside world as possible.
Jane (109), that, unfortunately, is an excellent point. Well stated.
Barney you keep making repliess to my comments like:
“Wayne, once again make fun of the French all you want. But lay off the coward meme. ”
I’d like you to go back and look at my comments and see once I have used the coward meme. Or where I have made fun of the french for anything except taking all this crap a little too serious.
You say…, “This shit has got to stop!” What shit? This is a case of you judging me for someone else has done.
Wayne, you keep criticizing us for taking this too seriously. I think we have explained our reasons enough. We’re not getting through to you, obviously.
And I’ve never accused you of using the coward meme yourself.
When I say “this shit has got stop!”, I’m talking about the US media’s obsession with associating the French people with cowardice. When such a popular show as SP does it so blatantly and when you not only laugh along but chastize the French for being offended then you’re not really helping with that, are you ?
OBSESSION? I must live in a different USA than the one you are talking about. In all my many years, this is the first reference I’ve heard in the media about this. I’m sure there were others, but none than I remember hearing.
I did see something about the French on the news today. It’s nothing bad or nothing good. I just thought you find it interesting.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090504/lf_nm_life/us_france_sleep
“OBSESSION? I must live in a different USA than the one you are talking about. In all my many years, this is the first reference I’ve heard in the media about this”
You don’t seriously expect us to believe that, do you ?
More garbage on reddit despite a great video link, I think I lost my cool…
I loved it. After all, why reason with French-Bashers, who have the IQ of a soggy water biscuit? They don’t reason with us, so I don’t see why we should reason with them. Hit ’em hard, Marc!
#117
You were completely right.
Being nice and polite with those people do not accomplish much if anything at all.
Sense of humor my ass. The least bit of criticism of America from French people sends them into a rage. Just look at the degenerate racists of no pasaran or the no less degenerates on bremner’s blog, let alone ffrance.com.
These bashers are the worst kind of hypocrites. If the roles were reversed, if they were constantly the butt of jokes trivializing the sacrifices and deaths of their soldiers not only would they not be laughing along but they would send us death threats and would do anything in their power to stop us.
Talking about obsession. Go to any blog or forum on the Internet, start a thread involving the French ( a news story for instance) and I guarantee that 90% of the time, some asshole will make a surrender joke even if the story is totally unrelated to military matters.
Like clockwork…
Barney — I second the forum thing. In fact, my girlfriend told me, the other day, that there were even jokes on French hygiene in a MAKEUP forum! Astounding, looks like their young ladies are no less bloodthirsty than their men…
Deux mots en français pour vous dire que je serai occupé par d’autres projets dans les prochaines semaines, notamment les élections à l’Assemblée des Français de l’Étranger (AvenirFranceMondiale.org), circonscription de Toronto – Ottawa – Vancouver.
Je continuerai de jeter un coup d’oeil sur le site et les discussions qui s’y mènent mais je ne pourrai – sauf cas de force majeure – écrire de nouveau billets avant le début juin.
I think it’s the same on both sides of the Atlantic… I mean in France we have a whole bunch of clichés about Americans…
The average french thinks that Americans are fat, sweaty, ignorant, that they wear noisy flip flops over their socks everyday and can’t help having ridiculously strange face expressions whatever they do or say.
WORST: A lot of French people sincerely think Americans kinda diserved what happened to them on 9-11, considering it as “a big slap in the face of a noisy spoiled kid”.
So before blaming on americans, let’s solve our family matters…
And anyway, any educated French or American know that there is as much difference between 2 random americans than between 2 random French, that bitter and sweet can be met in anyone, anywhere.
That’s why clichés are just funny and cannot in any case define an entire group of people.
“I mean in France we have a whole bunch of clichés about Americans…
The average French thinks that Americans are fat, sweaty, ignorant, that they wear noisy flip flops over their socks everyday and can’t help having ridiculously strange face expressions whatever they do or say.
WORST: A lot of French people sincerely think Americans kinda deserved what happened to them on 9-11, considering it as “a big slap in the face of a noisy spoiled kid”.”
Links ?
REAL LIFE
NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
My real life tells me different things.
French-bashing apologists always use the “it’s ok, the French do the same” defense.
Miquelon.org being a well document site, provide links to support your assertions, some of them being pretty serious.
Second of all I will argue that fat and stupid are nowhere near as offensive as the mocking of our dead and the complete revision of history that those surrender jokes imply.
I’m sorry I’m not motivated enough to look for French anti-americanism sites on the net…
Ma parole ne suffit pas, je le conçois, mais je peux pas croire que si vous étiez en France en Septembre 2001 vous n’ayez pas entendu des “quelquepart ça leur fait du bien” ou des “joli coup”, moi j’ai plus d’un ami qui ont eu cette réaction, des amis de mes parents aussi, ça n’a pas l’air générationel…
I’m ok on the fact that trashing a people’s memory is going further than trashing a people’s appearance.
But there were deads on the 9-11 too right??
And do we really have to compare the offensiveness of our respective dissing?? I’d feel like I’m doing a yo momma battle with a 15 yo kid seriously.
I’m not in the USA and I frankly hope you’re just overreacting, I feel like we’re really discriminated in the US when reading this site…
Can’t we expect friendly behaviour from the locals if we work in the US?
I mean when I meet an american in France, I’m really happy to share because I love American culture, and I don’t have any préjugé that would reffrain me from trying to start a discussion and why not a friendship. Even if I have some clichés about them, because of my foreign eye, even if I disagree with their politics towards social problems, with their war against ghost weapons in Iraq or with their support to Israel colonialism, I have a brain that know I’m in front of a human being who’s as unique as me, which means I have as much to learn from him as He has to learn from me.
Americans have brains too, so there’s no reason to fear relations with them, am I wrong??
Average J-M (125), French-bashing is prevelant in the Southwest and parts of the S0uth (Red States). I have seen absolutely rude situations where a few Americans will be confrontational. The problem is that only a few fellow southerners will confront this rude ignorance. I must tell you, though, I have seen especially southerners rude to all non-English world persons, regardless of nationality. Over time, with a lot of education, hopefully this will improve.
” I have seen especially southerners rude to all non-English world persons, regardless of nationality. Over time, with a lot of education, hopefully this will improve”
Very true. Very sad.
News alert : White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs says 9/11 not joking matter! Re : Wanta Sykes
Funny how 9/11 isn’t funny but disasters suffered by others is fair game.
Hey guys and gals,
I haven’t written in awhile because the arguement seems to be getting a little repetitive but I saw something today that I thought you might want to check out.
There is a new movie coming out called “In the loop.” I saw the trailer to it and right at the end is something I know you are not going to like. I’ve provided the link. It’s on Youtube in case the link doesn’t work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQrqMkCuHqA&feature=player_embedded
This sounds like a British movie but I can see many of the scenes are in the U.S. But I’m pretty sure it was made by the Brits. If so, I want to tell you a story about the Brits in and earlier American History you will not believe. Let me check more into this first. In the mean time, watch this trailer and tell me if you can who made it.
Actually, that line makes sense because it is in character. Gandolfini is play an arrogant bullish american officer, so the line about France makes sense within that frame.
Seems like a mildly interesting movie. Am too busy right now, but I want to blog about a French history show that was on the radio a couple of days ago. It’s about the fall of France and the courageous acts of the French army before it was betrayed by its leadership.
I don’t get you guys. That line is truely a major putdown and it doesn’t bother you. Yet you have 14 pages complaining about a couple of jokes from a show that makes jokes to show how stupid and bigoted the people making the jokes are. I give up.
Context. The clip you showed portrays a hard ass US military officer. His put down of France is typical of the mind set he represents. His comment is about WHO he is, now WHAT he says.
Southpark’s foray into France’s history is another matter as it is a caricature of an event that is turned into a character trait for the nation as a whole. Southpark reinforces the meme. Southpark is about WHAT they said through a non-descript character, not about WHOM.
Very well put, Marc.
Wayne, it’s like this. You can have a show with Hitler saying Jews are greedy, or you can have a show with a greedy Jewish character.
See what I mean? The Hitler show isn’t offensive (well, sorta) because it’s expected that Hitler will say that sort of thing.
However, the second is, as it would merely be perpetrating the “greedy Jew” meme.
In America, the disdane for our ex vice-president (Dick Cheney) is probably something even you guys are aware of. I saw this opinion poll the other day and noticed something I thought that might interest you. It rated his popularity against those of several countries. You will be pleased to find out that France rated highest in this poll. Twice as many Americains look at France in a positive light than Dick Cheney. I know it’s not anything to get and cheer about, but I just thought you might enjoy the results. One thing you should realize is about 21% of our poulations hates everything (we call ’em republicans). So don’t be offended by the amount of negative votes. They would have something bad to say anything and anybody.
Twice as many Americains look at France in a positive light than Dick Cheney.
I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Well, it’s a start, I guess!
For every anti-French caricature there is in the US there are literally thousands of anti-American caricatures in france. In fact, the anti-french sentiment in the US is a reaction to european (french) anti-Americanism. You better get used to more of it! Personally I’m glad to see Americans finally realizing that europe is no friend.
Mario
Name ONE French TV personality who has an evening show who made at least 40 anti-American jokes.
Name ONE French journalist from a MAJOR FRENCH newspaper who made 9/11 jokes
Name ONE French politician who made a 9/11 joke
Do your homework, and then we’ll talk. In any case this isn’t about tit for tat, this is about reprehensible attitudes in the US media that actually say more about the people who do it that the people they target – us the French. Because when is all said and done, what these people said about the French is what they dare not say about others…
“”For every anti-French caricature there is in the US there are literally thousands of anti-American caricatures in france.””
Links ?
Back up your claim please or shut up.
Good post and nice design, is this a regular template?.
Well, it’s not southpark that makes fun of the french, it’s everyone. The French are so damn arrogant and live in their own little world, that they just don’t realize that all their neighbours for example, have similar views and jokes about them: the Brits, the Germans, the Spaniards… It’s the only country that’s “hated” by its neighbours.
So tell me, is it any different when the french call the Greeks for example, gay? I mean, it is quite ironic (and please be honest to yourselves and accept it) cos the french are the most effeminate men in Europe. And you know it. So yeah, having mentioned all the above reasons + adding a lil humor, we can say that southpark is not only funny, but awesome!
^^^
Nice troll, bro.
Why don’t you try and back up with facts and statistics every single one of your retarded sweeping generalizations ?
Just because you’re a French hater doesn’t mean everybody is. Go back to ffrance.com.
Where are you from ? Let’s have some fun.
Well, that is certainly decent, however what about the other choices we have here? Would you mind writing a further post about them also? Regards!