The fact that the authors of South Park thought this would be amusing shows how blind these screenwriters are to how offensive and damaging racial stereotypes can be on society. Children are at the greatest risk here, as South Park is styled as a cartoon. The cartoon’s images may seem appealing and funny, however, the actual messages that are sent to the audience are crude and immature. This show and its ideas could potentially convert children to make them believe it is acceptable, or even funny, to slander against racial groups or minorities, including homosexuals.
Mr. Garrison decides to ramp up the scale of his scandals in the classroom, which results in more complaints from the children. The children are sent to a tolerance camp, where individuals are taught ideas of tolerance.
Inside the Camp of Tolerance, the main instructor has a German accent, and is referred to by staff as the “Führer”. This can be interpreted as the screenwriters depicting these tolerance instructors as Nazis, and the Camp of Tolerance being a concentration camp. This scene is ironic as the Nazi party believed in racial superiority, and notorious for persecuting homosexuals, gypsies, and Jews. This irony serves as humor; however, it may also serve to reinforce the stereotype that all Germans are Nazis.
In the camp, the children are overworked to the point of exhaustion. After they leave the camp, they look malnourished, and this poor treatment of the tolerance inmates is a reference of how Jews were treated by the Nazis in concentration camps. This reference to concentration camps and the persecution of Jewish people is completely out of order and immoral. 6 million Jewish lives were lost during the persecution. South Park has made a mockery of this event by referring to the events in a comical manner. Essentially, this episode has personally insulted every Jew.
After watching this episode I was left in awe, as I could not believe what I had just watched. The humor is dark and immature, and the messages and images sent to the audience are offensive. If South Park is planning to continue to air on television, Trey Parker and Matt Stone must change its entire show by removing this dark humor. This show has greater potential, and should not be allowed to promote such behaviors.