AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF William Robert Holderness for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Speech Communication, Political Science and Speech Communication presented on June 8, 2010. Title: Why We Worship the Economy: A Burkean Analysis of South Park‘s ―Margaritaville‖ Abstract approved: _________________________________________________ Robert S. Iltis The television show South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is viewed by millions of people each week, regularly addresses a number of controversial issues and plays a major role in contemporary popular culture. Current academic research acknowledges Parker and Stone‘s willingness to attack the dominant views surrounding a number of political and social issues. This research also identifies a number of rhetorical devices used in making these attacks. This thesis attempts to reconcile these rhetorical devices with the use of incongruity. Through an interdisciplinary approach to theories on decision making and through applying Burke‘s concepts of perspective by incongruity, master tropes and frames of acceptance and rejection, this thesis analyzes the South Park episode ―Margaritaville.‖ The question that is the focus of this thesis is: How does ―Margaritaville‖ use planned incongruity to reframe dominant discussions concerning the United States financial crisis? The findings of this study indicate that through the use of Burke‘s master tropes and frames of acceptance and rejection ―Margaritaville‖ both identifies and questions the American public‘s tendency to view the economy as they would a deity. This thesis determines that the episode ―Margaritaville‖ has a positive effect on its ideal audience. Furthermore, this study demonstrates both the importance of developing an interdisciplinary theory of human decision-making and notes the utility of using a similar Burkean analysis to examine primetime, adult-oriented cartoons. ©Copyright by William Robert Holderness June 8, 2010 All Rights Reserved Why We Worship the Economy: A Burkean Analysis of South Park‘s ―Margaritaville‖ by William Robert Holderness A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Presented June 8, 2010 Commencement June 2011 Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies thesis of William Robert Holderness presented on June 8, 2010. APPROVED: ____________________________________________________________________ Major Professor representing Speech Communication ____________________________________________________________________ Director of Interdisciplinary Studies Program _____________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University Libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. ____________________________________________________ William Robert Holderness, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my profound gratitude for a number of individuals, without whom this thesis would not have been possible. First, I must thank my friend and mentor, Dr. Robert Iltis, for directing this study. Dr. Iltis, your instruction has given me a new perspective on rhetorical criticism, and your guidance has made me a better writer, rhetorician and instructor. Next, I want to thank the remaining members of my committee: Dr. Sahr (political science), Dr. Bowker (interpersonal communication) and Dr. Lach (sociology, GCR). You all went above and beyond what is expected of a thesis committee, and for that I am deeply thankful. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Throughout graduate school, I have learned that completing a thesis requires a similar effort. The faculty and staff at Oregon State have been exceedingly helpful to me in my pursuit of a Master‘s Degree. I want to particularly thank the members of the faculty who specialize in rhetoric. To Dr. Goodnow: Thank for giving me the idea to use perspective by incongruity to analyze South Park. To Dr. Moore: Thank you for helping me understand Kenneth Burke. To Mark (only because he doesn‘t let us call him Dr. Porrovecchio): You have made a significant influence on my teaching style and for that I will be always be grateful. To Loril and Kim and the rest of the office staff: Thank you for putting up with all of my questions (and for having the answers to nearly all of them). Without you, the communication department would cease to function. I must also thank my fellow graduate students, especially the other GTAs in the speech communication department. Your support helped me push through the challenges of both graduate school and teaching. Finally, I need to thank my family and friends: My parents, for their unending support and guidance; my fiancé, Anna, for putting up with me when I was stressed out and for giving me positive encouragement when I needed it the most; my friend and roommate Joey, a South Park expert, for always being there to bounce ideas off of and for proofreading most of my college assignments; and to the rest of my family and friends, for supporting me when I needed support and distracting me when I need a break. Thank you all. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction: What is South Park and Why Is It Important?…………….... 1 The Creators…………………………………………………………. 1 The Characters………………………………………………………. 4 The Show……………………………………………………………. 8 Ratings………………………………………………………………. 8 Fan Base……………………………………………………………... 10 South Park in the Media……………………………………………... 11 Television Niche……………………………………………………... 13 The Taboo……………………………………………………………. 13 Protests………………………………………………………………. 15 Awards………………………………………………………………. 17 Production Schedule…………………………………………………. 18 Social Commentary………………………………………………….. 19 Ideologies……………………………………………………………. 21 Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 23 2 Literature Review: Academic Conversations about South Park…………. 24 The Topics of South Park…………………………………………… 26 Education……………………………………………………. 26 Sexuality……………………………………………………... 29 Racism……………………………………………………….. 33 Disability…………………………………………………….. 36 Religion……………………………………………………… 38 Politics……………………………………………………….. 40 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page The Rhetorical Devices of South Park……………………………… 41 3 Toward an Interdisciplinary Foundation for Human Decision Making…… 49 Symbolic Interactionism…………………………………………….. 50 The Memory-Prediction Framework………………………………… 58 Orientation…………………………………………………………… 67 4 Methodology: What is Perspective by Incongruity?..................................... 70 5 Analysis and Interpretation: Wasting Away in ―Margaritaville‖………….. 98 Description…………………………………………………………... 99 Analysis……………………………………………………………… 103 Plot Line 1: This is How It Happened………………………. 104 Plot Line 2: This is How We Can Fix It…………………….. 112 Interpretation………………………………………………………… 127 Metaphor…………………………………………………….. 127 Synecdoche………………………………………………….. 135 Metonymy…………………………………………………… 136 Irony…………………………………………………………. 137 Frames of Acceptance/Rejection…………………………….. 140 Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 141 6 Conclusions………………………………………………………………… 142 Part 1: Judgment……………………………………………………… 142 Part II: Ramifications…………………………………………………. 147 For Interdisciplinary Study…………………………………… 148 For South Park………………………………………………... 149 For Reduction as a Strategy for Opening Perspectives……….. 151 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page For Perspective by Incongruity……………………………….. 152 Final Assessment……………………………………………… 152 7 Bibliography………………………………………………………………… 154 WHY WE WORSHIP THE ECONOMY: A BURKEAN ANALYSIS OF SOUTH PARK’S ―MARGARITAVILLE‖ Chapter 1 – What is South Park and Why is it Important? South Park is an animated 30-minute television program that first aired in 1997 on the cable station Comedy Central. Today, in its 14th season, it remains the station's flagship program. The series is known for its tenacity in attacking tenets of popular culture in taboo ways. Throughout the years, South Park has come to be known as a definitive voice of American social and political commentary. South Park’s rhetorical importance has been demonstrated on many levels. Since its first season, South Park has been Comedy Central‘s highest rated show (Johnson-Woods). A large and dedicated fan base has driven the show‘s popularity. Various institutions have decorated South Park with awards, which include nine Emmy nominations (four wins) and a Peabody for the South Park series, and an Oscar nomination in Best Music, Original Song for the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. While rarely censored, the series has drawn criticism from various parent groups and religious institutions, as well as some of the targets of the show‘s satire. Yet, the authors of literature concerning South Park cannot agree on which, if any, specific ideology South Park espouses. The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the extent to which South Park has become a major player in American, and even world-wide, popular culture. The Creators The show is the brainchild of college friends Trey Parker and Matt Stone. After meeting at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the pair began to experiment 2 with different types of film making, especially animation and musicals. Both genres have been key to South Park's success. The duo's first project was the movie Cannibal! The Musical, which they self-produced. The film was rejected by the Sundance Music Festival and eventually flopped. In 1994, Parker and Stone moved to Hollywood and