The black South Park is in the house. Created first as a comic strip by African-American cartoonist Aaron McGruder. Even though there are cartoons with African-American characters out there, not many are believable. The characters depicted and created in this comical Adult Swim cartoon are as real as it gets though. So real in fact that it starts to become a regular thing to hear the “N†word from time to time from the mouths of the two kids, who happen to both be main characters.
Huey, the older brother, is a strong-minded 10-year-old revolutionary affiliated with the group African Fighting Racism and Oppression or A.F.R.O. While Riley, his younger brother, is the epitome of the very stereotype that Huey tries to avoid. Living together with their grandfather in the boondocks of Maryland after being raised in Chicago, the Freeman brothers have the swagger of urban youth which proves to benefit them, even in the middle of nowhere.
Aside from the basic premise of the show, the cameos are hilarious, as they show you characters that may or not fit their voices. For instance, Samuel Jackson and Charlie Murphy are two white gangsters who get away with everything short of pushing the red button because they’re white and belong to rich families. Of course they are not allowed use of the “N†word and add to that, none of their hysterical capers are actually successful. McGruder is portraying a comical world of small town realism. It’s funny because it’s true.
As a warning, this is fiction, extreme fiction. So for those squeamish about reverse racism, this show may not be for you. Then again you might love it because if you’re not a fan of reverse racism you’ll love the inverse racist. This character, Uncle Ruckus, is a black man who hates his own skin color and loves white people. His speeches usually include talk about how the black brain is tiny compared to the superior white intellect. Ruckus flaunts his “I LOVE JIM CROW†tee shirt, and brags about someday making it to white heaven where there will be no sign of Whoopie Goldberg. It’s a confusing hilarity. Something that makes thinking about it, a joke on it’s own.
Away from the plot, the animation is amazing. The graphic fighting scenes, the blurred nude bodies, the movements and the realistic facial expressions show that McGruder is a gifted animator that brought his vision to television. The style can be compared with Japanese anime mixed with a touch of big city American features that jump off of the screen and into your living room.
With outrageous plots such as kidnapping Oprah, eating “Itis†foods, or assassinating Santa, these episodes of satirical comedy will have you on edge, and maybe even a bit uncomfortable, but it’s the perfect show to watch when daytime television is the only thing on in the wee hours of the morning.
I think that show is difficult to stomach especially if you are not willing to accept the fact that there is painful truth in many of the story lines. I think one of those episodes was when Huey decided to watch nothing but “black” television and he goes down a horrible and dark road. Funny yet painfully true.
Keep up the good work.
AJ