With Apologies to Jesse Jackson

"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" is the eleventh season premiere of the American animated television series South Park, and the 154th overall episode of the series. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 7, 2007 and was rated TV-MA-L. In the episode, Randy says the word "nigger" on the real-life game show Wheel of Fortune, leading to widespread public outrage. Stan attempts to understand the epithet's impact on his black friend Token. Meanwhile, a man with dwarfism has a hard time trying to teach Cartman to be sensitive.

"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson"
South Park episode
Episode no.Season 11
Episode 1
Directed byTrey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Featured music"Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed
Production code1101
Original air dateMarch 7, 2007

Parker and Stone had long wanted to create an episode exploring the racial slur, but struggled with a plot line beyond its opening scene. They subsequently found it easier to work on following comedian Michael Richards' controversy, in which he screamed the slur at black audience members who had heckled him during his comedy act.

Despite the uncensored frequent usage of the racial slur, the episode attracted very little media attention. Parents Television Council founder L. Brent Bozell criticized the lack of protest against the episode. The group Abolish the "N" Word, which is linked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, praised the episode, calling it a good example of the word's impact on individuals. The episode was critically acclaimed by contemporary television critics, who praised the episode's humor and storyline. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 2.8 million viewers the week it was broadcast. "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" was released on DVD along with the rest of the eleventh season on August 12, 2008.

Plot

Randy Marsh is on Wheel of Fortune, and has made it to the bonus round for a chance to win $30,000. The episode is airing live, with his family watching him from the audience and the South Park residents watching from home. He has to solve a puzzle in the category "People Who Annoy You", and is given the letters R, T, S, L, and E. Randy adds the letters B, N, G, and O, after which the puzzle spells "N_GGERS". Randy, hesitant to say the answer due to its pejorative nature, is given 10 seconds to solve the puzzle. But when host Pat Sajak tells Randy that he has only five seconds remaining, he yells the assumed answer: "Niggers," which shocks fans, as well as his family and friends watching at home, and also enrages the African-American audience members. The correct answer is then revealed to be "naggers". On the car ride back home, Randy awkwardly tries to explain himself, Sharon is extremely disgusted with Randy for saying the N-word on live television, and Stan is beyond humiliated.

Stan goes to school the next day, knowing his father had just said the N-word over live television. Cartman confronts him, saying that Token will be mad at him for his actions. He goes to Token to try and explain, saying his father isn't racist but is just "stupid". Cartman, seeing an opportunity to cause conflict, tries to get the two into a "Race War". Token, instead of fighting, walks away. Cartman sees this as a forfeit, and also runs away screaming "Whites Win!"

Seeking forgiveness, Randy visits Jesse Jackson to apologize. Jackson bends over his desk and tells Randy to apologize by kissing his buttocks. Randy does so and a picture is taken, which is then put into the news. Stan seeks out Token, expecting everything to be better now since his dad apologized, yet Token is still mad, saying, "Jesse Jackson is not the emperor of black people!" To which Stan replies, "He told my dad he was."

The school, in light of the recent events, hires a smart man and author, who has dwarfism, called Dr. David Nelson who goes from school to school to talk to students about sensitivity, telling them that words are harmless. As soon as Dr. Nelson walks onto the stage, Cartman laughs hysterically. At first, Dr. Nelson believes that he would tire himself out but realizes that he has no chance to talk, even after Mr. Mackey walks on stage ordering Cartman to be quiet. Randy then goes to a comedy club, but he is singled out by a black comedian resembling Chris Rock, who calls Randy a "Nigger-Guy." Thereafter, everyone in town uses the name against Randy, making him feel like an outcast. Back at school, Dr. Nelson talks to Principal Victoria and Mr. Mackey about Cartman and asks them to have him meet with him. When Cartman comes in though, all he can do is laugh and make fun of him. Dr. Nelson keeps on saying that Eric's words don't hurt him, but as Cartman keeps on laughing, Dr. Nelson loses his temper and yells at him saying, "Shut your fucking mouth!" This shocks both Mackey and Victoria, in contrast to their prior indifference over Cartman's treatment of Dr. Nelson.

Stan once again confronts Token, but this time to say he understands how Token feels about the N-word after how he saw Cartman laugh at Dr. Nelson. Still mad, Token says that he does not really think Stan understands. After this, Dr. Nelson calls all of the students to the Gymnasium to teach Cartman a lesson by making fun of his weight problem with the words "Hello Fatso!" when he walks in so he understands how it feels. They do this, and Cartman responds angrily, but when Dr. Nelson comes out to scold him again, he breaks up in laughter again. Meanwhile, in further attempts to clear his name, Randy opens up the Randy Marsh African American Scholarship Foundation. When walking away from the grand opening, he is chased by a trio of socially progressive rednecks carrying shotguns, who are angry at him for slandering an entire race of people. However, other "Nigger-Guys," led by Michael Richards from Seinfeld and including Mark Fuhrman, rescue him and scare the rednecks off. Michael Richards introduces Randy to other Nigger-Guys and accepts him into their ranks.

Stan gets fed up with Token, and demands to know why he's still angry. The two are interrupted by Butters, who tells them that Cartman is gonna fight Dr. Nelson in the town's park, and the three run off to go see. Before the fight, Kyle warns Cartman that Dr. Nelson is a karate black belt. After Dr. Nelson announces to beat Cartman to prove his point, which is words shouldn't hurt him, the two begin to wrestle wherein Cartman easily gets the upper hand. Later in Washington D.C., the "Nigger-Guys" are pleading their case to the Senate to ban the word "Nigger-Guy." The Motion is passed by the Senate and as a result, anyone saying the words "nigger" and "guy" within seven words of each other would be prosecuted and fined. Back in the park, Dr. Nelson gives up after being pinned by Cartman, who forces him to submit by saying "Uncle" and "Carol Anne, don't go into the light". As Cartman gloats about his victory, Dr. Nelson rises and kicks Cartman to the ground. However, Cartman remains unfazed and continues to laugh. An angered Dr. Nelson storms off, saying he 'proved' his point, which all the students have forgotten. It is then that Stan understands that he doesn't get it. He tells Token that he will never understand how it feels to have the N-word against him because he isn't black, which was what Token was looking to hear all along and they reconcile.

Production

"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" was the season premiere of South Park's eleventh season, and the first episode of the show's spring 2007 run, which consists of seven episodes. Parker and Stone had wanted to create an episode centered on the racial slur "nigger" for a considerable time.[1] The first scene, in which Randy uses the word on Wheel of Fortune, was the first idea for the episode and remained the only idea for a while; Parker called the scene "one of my favorite things we’ve ever done."[2]

Shortly beforehand, comedian Michael Richards encountered massive controversy due to a performance at the Laugh Factory in November 2006, in which he screamed the “N” word repeatedly at a group of African-Americans who heckled him. Parker and Stone decided it would be best, considering the media coverage of the incident, to work on the episode then.[2] In the episode's DVD commentary, they noted that it was clear from the video of Richards that he had significant problems, but that they really felt contempt for him when he apologized to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.[1] Staff writer Vernon Chatman, who is half-black, was particularly outraged by this, noting that Jackson "is not the ambassador of black people”, which inspired the line in the episode where Token says that Jackson "is not the emperor of black people". Stan responds by saying "he told my dad he was".[2] Stone particularly enjoyed the ending of the episode, remarking, "If there was a word as hateful as the n-word [in how it] applies to black people, if there was a word like that against white people, [they] would make it illegal."[1]

They created the idea of using the epithet to apply to whites only, which was when the rest of the episode began to germinate.[2] While they felt the Randy A story was excellent, they wanted to have a B story involving the boys. They came up with the idea of Stan and Token arguing about his father's use of the word, which remained the only subplot idea.[2] They continued to struggle with the subplot until roughly three days prior to air, when they created the idea of Cartman encountering a little person.[2] They based the little person on an obscure old commercial featuring little people walking around in suits.[2]

Reception

Reaction

This episode received coverage by the CNN programs Showbiz Tonight and Paula Zahn Now[3] in the days following the broadcast of this episode. Kovon and Jill Flowers, who co-founded the organization Abolish the "N" Word, which is linked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, praised this episode, saying it was a good example of how it felt to be called nigger.

This show, in its own comedic way, is helping people to educate the power of this word, and how it can feel to have hate language directed at you.

— Kovon and Jill Flowers

Parents Television Council founder L. Brent Bozell claimed that there was a lack of protest against this episode compared to radio host Don Imus's comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, even challenging Flowers' comments that the episode's use of nigger was not intended to be racist, but in fact the theme of the episode was to argue against those who support civility.[4] The PTC named this episode, along with the episode of The Sarah Silverman Program that aired right after this episode, the "Worst Cable Content of the Week" in its campaign for cable choice.[5] The episode received about 2.8 million viewers.[6]

Critical response

Travis Fickett of IGN gave the episode a 10/10, commenting, "There's really no other way to explain how this show remains not only brilliantly funny, but more relevant and insightful than anything else on television."[7] In 2009, Sean O'Neal of The A.V. Club praised the episode, remarking, "I’ve always said that I believe South Park is some of the best satire on TV when it’s firing on all cylinders, and to that end I’ve seen it do ironic racism in a way that’s borderline revolutionary [in this episode]."[8]

References
  1. Stone, Matt (August 2008). South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season: "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" (Audio commentary) |format= requires |url= (help) (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  2. Parker, Trey (August 2008). South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season: "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" (Audio commentary) |format= requires |url= (help) (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
  3. Transcript of "Paula Zahn Now" from March 8, 2007. CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  4. L. Brent Bozell. "The Incomplete Anti-Imus Lobby". Parents Television Council. April 12, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  5. White, Keith (March 15, 2007). "Worst Cable Content of the Week – South Park and the Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central". Parents Television Council. Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
  6. Lisa de Moraes (March 14, 2007). "The Show That Keeps Them Hanging On". The TV Column. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
  7. Travis Fickett (March 8, 2007). "South Park: "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" Review". IGN. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  8. Sean O'Neal (November 18, 2009). "South Park: "Pee" Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
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