South Park is known to be one of the sharpest satirical shows, often stepping over the line in its mockery of cultural trends and powers that be. The show's anniversary 2016 season contained some fascinating insights into the darker aspects of America's collective unconscious that were brought into the light by the presidential election. The episodes were filled with creative satirical inventions, like, for example, the memberberries - malicious living berries that poisoned white rural Americans with a nostalgia for Star Wars, 80's music, and the times when women and ethnic minorities were barred from the political arena. However, after analyzing the causes of Trump's victory, the South Park creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, seem to have lost a sense of direction in the latest 21st season.
Typically, South Park achieves a satirical effect by creating hyperboles and humorous analogies of current events, or by placing these events into unexpected contexts. Stone and Parker still do this to an extent in the new season. The Charlottesville alt-rightists protest against Amazon's Alexa taking their jobs, Trump nukes Canada, and the interactions between Trump and the American people are paralleled by an abusive middle-school relationship. However, the season lacks an essential component of satire — a clear understanding of necessary change. Despite of a somewhat hopeful ending, Stone and Parker seem for the first time to be completely clueless of what to make of our society's current state.
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