Here Comes the Neighborhood
Encyclopedia
"Here Comes the Neighborhood" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season
of the animated television series South Park
, and the 77th episode of the series overall. "Here Comes the Neighborhood" originally aired in the United States
on November 28, 2001 on Comedy Central
.
is angry for receiving a check minus on his hastily constructed project and points out to the class Token's wealth in his rage, notably his clothes. Token Black, the token
black child of South Park, happens to be the richest kid in town, and becomes upset when he can find no other kids in the school he can relate to. He tries to get himself and his family to act poor. They shop at J-mart, where the rest of the families buy their clothes. But when he comes to Stan's house with the other boys and brings a DVD
instead of a video tape - Token's family being the only people in town with a DVD player - the boys realize that he has not changed. Hurt at his social estrangement, Token decides to arrange for dozens of rich people (who all happen to be black) such as Will Smith
and Snoop Dogg
to move into South Park, which leads to Mr. Garrison complaining about the "richers" in the town, which in turn leads to ire among the other, less affluent members of the community (who all happen to be white). However, Token discovers that the rich kids (who are even richer than him) are as different from him as he is from the poorer kids in town. All the rich kids play Polo
, buy shops and talk with exaggerated British accents. Token feels so much like an outcast that he goes to live with lion
s in the South Park Zoo after the rich kids taunt him to do it.
The situation between the rich and poor residents of town continues as the gentrification
escalates. Led by Mr. Garrison
the townsfolk enact a series of measures. They decide to plant a lower case "t" cross for "time to leave" in the garden of some of the rich residents, setting it on fire
to emphasize their point. They mock the rich residents by insisting they sit at the front of buses claiming it to be the "first class" section. They refuse to let them drink in the bars or eat in the restaurants. In response, the rich residents organise a Million Man March
by paying poor black residents such as Chef.
Token eventually decides he does not want to live with lions anymore (because they only play practical jokes) and leaves. However, he discovers that the poor kids in town who initially made fun of his money did not really dislike him. They only picked on him because they all pick on each other on a regular basis. They decide to stop picking on him for his money, and instead mock him for his reaction to the previous insults as being a "pussy".
Eventually the townsfolk dress as ghosts (resembling Ku Klux Klan
robes, so the rich people believe that the town is "haunted" and respond with terror) and chase the "richers" out of town. The poor townsfolk gather around their abandoned houses. Mr Garrison suggests that by selling the empty houses the townsfolk can become rich. Jimbo and Randy tell him that if they do they will become the very thing they hate. Garrison shrugs, "Well yeah, but at least we got rid of all those damn ni-", and the episode cuts to credits before he can complete the word.
South Park (season 5)
Season five of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The fifth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001...
of the animated television 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...
, and the 77th episode of the series overall. "Here Comes the Neighborhood" originally aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 28, 2001 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
.
Plot
The children at South Park Elementary are presenting science projects. Token gets a check plus for presenting a computer model of predicted weather conditions, while CartmanEric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
is angry for receiving a check minus on his hastily constructed project and points out to the class Token's wealth in his rage, notably his clothes. Token Black, the token
Tokenism
In the arts, employment, and politics, tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of a traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not...
black child of South Park, happens to be the richest kid in town, and becomes upset when he can find no other kids in the school he can relate to. He tries to get himself and his family to act poor. They shop at J-mart, where the rest of the families buy their clothes. But when he comes to Stan's house with the other boys and brings a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
instead of a video tape - Token's family being the only people in town with a DVD player - the boys realize that he has not changed. Hurt at his social estrangement, Token decides to arrange for dozens of rich people (who all happen to be black) such as Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
to move into South Park, which leads to Mr. Garrison complaining about the "richers" in the town, which in turn leads to ire among the other, less affluent members of the community (who all happen to be white). However, Token discovers that the rich kids (who are even richer than him) are as different from him as he is from the poorer kids in town. All the rich kids play Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, buy shops and talk with exaggerated British accents. Token feels so much like an outcast that he goes to live with lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s in the South Park Zoo after the rich kids taunt him to do it.
The situation between the rich and poor residents of town continues as the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
escalates. Led by Mr. Garrison
Herbert Garrison
Mr. Herbert Garrison is a recurring character in the American animated television series South Park. He is voiced by Trey Parker. For the first eight seasons of the series, the character was known as Mr. Garrison but underwent sex reassignment surgery in the season 9 episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy...
the townsfolk enact a series of measures. They decide to plant a lower case "t" cross for "time to leave" in the garden of some of the rich residents, setting it on fire
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
to emphasize their point. They mock the rich residents by insisting they sit at the front of buses claiming it to be the "first class" section. They refuse to let them drink in the bars or eat in the restaurants. In response, the rich residents organise a Million Man March
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a gathering of social activists, en masse, held on and around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1995...
by paying poor black residents such as Chef.
Token eventually decides he does not want to live with lions anymore (because they only play practical jokes) and leaves. However, he discovers that the poor kids in town who initially made fun of his money did not really dislike him. They only picked on him because they all pick on each other on a regular basis. They decide to stop picking on him for his money, and instead mock him for his reaction to the previous insults as being a "pussy".
Eventually the townsfolk dress as ghosts (resembling Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
robes, so the rich people believe that the town is "haunted" and respond with terror) and chase the "richers" out of town. The poor townsfolk gather around their abandoned houses. Mr Garrison suggests that by selling the empty houses the townsfolk can become rich. Jimbo and Randy tell him that if they do they will become the very thing they hate. Garrison shrugs, "Well yeah, but at least we got rid of all those damn ni-", and the episode cuts to credits before he can complete the word.
External links
- "Here Comes The Neighborhood" Episode guide at South Park Studios
- "Here Comes The Neighborhood" Full episode at South Park Studios