When Cartman hits token with a rock, the FBI misconstrues the whole event as a hate crime, what with Token being black and all. Cartman is sent to juvenile hall as a punishment for his crime, where he must navigate the difficult inner world of prison life to stay alive.
Stan, Kyle and Kenny desperately need Cartman out of juvy because they have a big sled race against the girls, and without Cartman’s weight sending them hurdling down the slope, they don’t have a great chance of winning (read: we need fat people in a variety of circumstances). Hilariously, some random girl on the girls’ team keeps taunting the boys about losing, calling them a variety of names related to being gay (fudge-packer, anal-spelunker, etc.).
Token’s father, one of the wealthiest and most educated men in town, is incensed that Cartman’s violence against his son has been misconstrued as a hate-crime when he knows that it’s nothing more than childish bickering. He tries to get the other children, who will do anything to get Cartman out of jail and back on their sledding team, to give a presentation to the mayor and others, in an attempt to convince them of the fact that Cartman’s act was not racially inspired. All in all, it’s a very eloquent explanation for the foolishness of dubbing most of what we do as hate crimes.
What do you think about the attribution of the label hate crime to crimes that may not be racially motivated? What did you think about this episode? What was your favorite part?
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Filed under: South Park | Tagged: 401, black, Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000, hate crimes, juvenile hall, sled race, South Park, Token | Leave a Comment »
