South Park Racism Issues
Write a paper discussing of one of the racism issues from the South Park episodes—"Chef Goes Nanners" and "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime"—that we watched in class:

• What is racism? We hear this term being thrown around all the time, but what constitutes true racism? Is it any harmful action against another race, or does it depend on intent? We saw the debate between Chef and Jimbo—two men who honestly respected each other—escalate into a huge political issue. Were Jimbo's actions racist? Were Chef's? Why or why not? How do we determine what is or isn't racist, and who determines this?
• What about the political correctness of various sports mascots? Should teams have to change their mascots to become politically correct? Is there a difference between two teams who both have a Native American in traditional dress as their mascot, one team being called the "Braves" and the other the "Savages"? Why or why not? There is a University of Northern Colorado intramural basketball team—comprised largely of Native Americans—that has changed its mascot to the "Fightin' Whites." Is this different than using a Native American as a mascot? How? Why?
• Should people be punished more severely for committing a crime motivated by an "-ism" or "-phobia"? Do Hate Crime Laws restrict freedom of thought that people should have, or do they curb unwarranted violence and bigotry that should be driven from people's minds? Are Hate Crime Laws effective in their purpose? Are they fair? Why or why not?

Some of these issues may tie together with others, so this could be a difficult paper. Be sure you stick to your main thesis in this paper and don't get caught discussing a seemingly-related tangent. These different issues all tie in together, but you will still want to focus mainly on one idea, one thesis.

Consider also the different perspectives on these issues. You don't necessarily have to answer these questions, but consider the implications of these:

• Would different groups of people have different viewpoints on these issues because of their backgrounds? How do these backgrounds affect their opinions on these issues?
• Do you have authority in these issues? Do you have the experience/background to fully understand how these different issues can affect people? Is it possible for you to understand?

This paper is due by Tuesday, April 23^rd.