Child Abduction Is Not Funny
Encyclopedia
"Child Abduction Is Not Funny" is episode 90 of the Comedy Central
series South Park
. It originally aired on July 24, 2002. This episode mocks moral panic
s, and was the last to feature Tweek as the "fourth friend" alongside Stan, Kyle and Cartman.
threats and child abductions, the parents of South Park grow excessively concerned about the safety of their children. Tweek is scared the most by the media reports, and his parents serve only to exacerbate his fears by turning their house into a virtual prison and playing cruel intellectual games with him designed by intention to increase his safety. Tweak loses his ability to empathise with others and refuses to assist a cripple on train tracks. After a real child abductor (pretending to be the ghost of human kindness) fails to kidnap Tweek, the parents of South Park are put on high alert.
Taking advantage of expensive technology, the City commissions the owner of City Wok, Mr. Lu Kim to build a huge wall around the city similar to the Great Wall of China
. Media reports continue to file in — it first convinces them they should not leave their children alone for a moment, prompting the parents to go with them anywhere they go. A later report convinces them they cannot even trust their own neighbors and family friends, forcing the parents to sever ties with each other. The kids, annoyed and embarrassed by their parents' actions, initially blame Tweek for their parents' paranoia, but soon decide that they had have inevitably resorted to something this stupid eventually.
Mr. Kim, despite trying to avoid being a stereotype, reluctantly agrees to build the wall, building it single-handedly. After he is finished a band of Mongols
appear out of nowhere and attack the wall because: "Every time us Chinese put up a wall stupid Mongolians have to come and knock it down," as he puts it, in a reference to Chinese history. Although he tries desperately to rout the enemy by himself, he proves to be no match for the Mongols' increasingly clever tactics, which include redirecting a heat-seeking missile and making use of a Trojan Horse
filled with sweet and sour pork. Enraged, Kim vows vengeance.
Meanwhile, back within the town a news report states that the parents are most likely to abduct their own children (which is true even in real life, as most child abductions occur as the result of a custody battle). Blindly believing what they have been told, they send their children from the city in a tearful ceremony in order to avoid putting their children in danger of being kidnapped by their own parents. As they leave, the children wonder about how stupid their parents are sometimes.
Within the week, the children join forces with the Mongols, having apparently learned their language, and enraged at the irresponsible thinking their parents have exhibited. The Mongols then move on the wall again, where Mr. Kim is dressed for battle. He then does his "war dance", but while he is doing this, the children wheel a large cart laden with explosives in behind him and blow up the wall. The parents arrive to investigate the explosion, and are reunited with their kids, although the parents believe their children have forgotten them in the short space of four days. They realize that they overreacted to the news stories, and that to cut themselves off from the rest of the world with the wall denies new possibilities. Mayor McDaniels orders Mr. Lu Kim to "tear down this wall
," angering him once more.
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. It originally aired on July 24, 2002. This episode mocks moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
s, and was the last to feature Tweek as the "fourth friend" alongside Stan, Kyle and Cartman.
Plot
With the media full of school shootings, terroristTerrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
threats and child abductions, the parents of South Park grow excessively concerned about the safety of their children. Tweek is scared the most by the media reports, and his parents serve only to exacerbate his fears by turning their house into a virtual prison and playing cruel intellectual games with him designed by intention to increase his safety. Tweak loses his ability to empathise with others and refuses to assist a cripple on train tracks. After a real child abductor (pretending to be the ghost of human kindness) fails to kidnap Tweek, the parents of South Park are put on high alert.
Taking advantage of expensive technology, the City commissions the owner of City Wok, Mr. Lu Kim to build a huge wall around the city similar to the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
. Media reports continue to file in — it first convinces them they should not leave their children alone for a moment, prompting the parents to go with them anywhere they go. A later report convinces them they cannot even trust their own neighbors and family friends, forcing the parents to sever ties with each other. The kids, annoyed and embarrassed by their parents' actions, initially blame Tweek for their parents' paranoia, but soon decide that they had have inevitably resorted to something this stupid eventually.
Mr. Kim, despite trying to avoid being a stereotype, reluctantly agrees to build the wall, building it single-handedly. After he is finished a band of Mongols
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
appear out of nowhere and attack the wall because: "Every time us Chinese put up a wall stupid Mongolians have to come and knock it down," as he puts it, in a reference to Chinese history. Although he tries desperately to rout the enemy by himself, he proves to be no match for the Mongols' increasingly clever tactics, which include redirecting a heat-seeking missile and making use of a Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
filled with sweet and sour pork. Enraged, Kim vows vengeance.
Meanwhile, back within the town a news report states that the parents are most likely to abduct their own children (which is true even in real life, as most child abductions occur as the result of a custody battle). Blindly believing what they have been told, they send their children from the city in a tearful ceremony in order to avoid putting their children in danger of being kidnapped by their own parents. As they leave, the children wonder about how stupid their parents are sometimes.
Within the week, the children join forces with the Mongols, having apparently learned their language, and enraged at the irresponsible thinking their parents have exhibited. The Mongols then move on the wall again, where Mr. Kim is dressed for battle. He then does his "war dance", but while he is doing this, the children wheel a large cart laden with explosives in behind him and blow up the wall. The parents arrive to investigate the explosion, and are reunited with their kids, although the parents believe their children have forgotten them in the short space of four days. They realize that they overreacted to the news stories, and that to cut themselves off from the rest of the world with the wall denies new possibilities. Mayor McDaniels orders Mr. Lu Kim to "tear down this wall
Tear down this wall
"Tear down this wall!" was the challenge from United States President Ronald Reagan to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to destroy the Berlin Wall....
," angering him once more.
External links
- Child Abduction is Not Funny Full episode at South Park Studios
- Child Abduction is Not Funny Episode guide at South Park Studios