Blame Canada!: South Park and Contemporary Culture

by Toni Johnson-Woods

Now running into its tenth season, South Park has still not "jumped the shark". Satirically edgier than The Simpsons, South Park responds immediately to cultural four days after Saddam Hussein's capture, an episode lampooned it, and the show has no fear in tackling subjects as divisive and outlandish as Terry Schiavo, The Passion of the Christ, Tom Cruise's alleged homosexuality, and Michael Jackson. Its mixture of iconoclasm, cultural referents, and intertextuality makes it the perfect lens through which to examine contemporary popular culture in America - and television's role in the creation of that culture.

Blame Canada! is a smart, readable book that will appeal to the show's many fans, placing the show in a tradition of fearless and often foul-mouthed satire dating back as far as Rabelais.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

Toni Johnson-Woods is a senior lecturer in the School of English, Media Studies, and Art History at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Reviews

[Eli]

An amazing overview of the cultural phenomenon known as South Park. It's very complete and readable, but it does contain some urban legnds that have been proven as untrue (hence the 4.5 out of 5 instead of a 5 out of 5).

[Julia]

Best book ever if you love south park you will totally love this book! Teaches you almost everything about the show. Except for the newer ones this book was made during season ten time.

[Sydney]

An intresting and informative look for a fan looking for more SP :)

[Tara]

Excellent criticism and insight into popular television show while it was in its prime.