Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000

Template:Infobox South Park episode "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000" is episode 50 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on April 12, 2000.

Plot

In the beginning, Cartman throws a rock at Token, the only African American child at South Park Elementary. While not racially motivated (despite the fact that Cartman is clearly a racist in other episodes), Cartman is charged with a hate crime and thrown in juvenile hall. There, he tries to avoid being beaten up by the other, tougher inmates, and tries to smuggle in supplies to his cell mate, Romper Stomper, who promises to help him break out. To do this, Cartman has his friends bring supplies, which he sneaks past the guards by forcing items backwards through the anus and storing them in his rectum. Unfortunately, when Cartman sneaks in another object (Tic-Tac-Throw) Romper Stomper tells him there is no way out. Cartman bursts into tears and Romper Stomper, filled with remorse, decides to help Cartman.

Meanwhile, the boys are trying to deal with an upcoming sled race down the Phil Collins hill with the South Park girls (led by Lizzy), and realize that, without Cartman's extra (and excessive) weight on the back of their sled, they cannot go as fast. They decide to break Cartman out, and ask Token to forgive Cartman. Token is perfectly willing to do this, and his father helps the boys make a presentation to show the governor. In their presentation, the boys declare that hate crime legislation is illogical and "a savage hypocrisy" since all crimes are based on some kind of hate, and inflicting worse punishments for crimes against certain groups simply works to promote the idea that these groups are separate and not the same. Meanwhile, Romper Stomper helps Cartman sneak out. Cartman ruins the escape scene. When Romper Stomper falls over, he tells Cartman to keep going, Cartman does so. An annoyed Romper Stomper tells him to say "I can't leave without you" and then tells him to take his Stompers. Cartman takes them, says thank you and walks away. An annoyed Romper without Stompers tells him to say "no. I can't take these, they are too special." Cartman does so and keeps going, leaving an annoyed Romper Stomper to feel relieved.

The governor, confessing that the three eight-year-olds Stan, Kyle and Token (Kenny has already been killed at this point) had given the most logical presentation he had seen in years, agrees to pardon Cartman. Cartman helps them to win the sled race, and Lizzy is carried off by a bear. Meanwhile, Cartman goes back to jail to visit Romper Stomper. He then complies with his wish of going to Disneyland by literally crapping it out on the toilet.

Trivia

• During the chase, a reference is made to the "285 corridor" highway. This is a reference to the 285 highway, an actual highway in Colorado.
• Lizzy, the girl who insults the boys throughout the episode who later gets eaten by a bear, could be a female version of Kenny. She wears her parka hood over her head the whole time and has a sexually advanced vocabulary. She also dies at the end of the episode, although she is seen in the background in Raisins.
• Because this was first episode in which Token speaks, Matt Stone and Trey Parker assumed one of them would do his voice. After numerous failed attempts they both agreed they couldn't get the "black" inflection down. This prompted them to recruit Adrien Beard to provide the voice because "he was the only black person in the building at the time."
• This episode marks the first time Pip uses slang (he says "Let's hear it for Cartman's big fat arse.").
• During this episode, Clyde is being remarked as the "second fattest" kid of the 8-year old boys, next to Cartman (though he looks about the same weight as Stan or Kyle.
• Kyle's rant in Pig Latin (They on't-day? Why the ell-hay ot-nay? It ook-tay our-fay hours-ay to ake-bay this oddamn-gay ake-cay, and now we're otally-tay ewed-scray!) translates to "They don't? Why the hell not? It took four hours to bake this goddamn cake, and now we're totally screwed!"
• During the boy's presentation to the governor, their drawing of the sled race includes Kenny on the sled, even though he has already died in the episode. Also during the boy's presentation to the governor, Stan accidentally calls him "Mayor".
• The confusion of the location of highway 285 in this episode is due to the sign used in the episode. The 285 in Colorado is a US Route, which is represented by a white shield on a black background. The 285 in Georgia is a US Interstate, which is represented by a red and blue shield. The red and blue shield sign for a US Interstate was improperly used in the episode.

References to Pop culture

• This episode is a spoof of the HBO series Oz. It even borrows the theme for the prison.
• The name of Cartman's cell mate, Romper Stomper, is a reference to the toy stilts he wore which was a popular toy made by Romper Room. It is more appropriately a reference to the Australian film Romper Stomper.
• Cartman’s cell number is 24601, a tribute to Les Misérables, in which this is Jean Valjean’s prison number.
• Cartman trying to run away from the police with Kenny's Bronco is a reference to O. J. Simpson’s famous low-speed chase with police through the Los Angeles area.
• Romper Stomper says that there are only two kinds of people in the world: kids who like Animaniacs, and kids who don't like Animaniacs.

Kenny's Death

Kyle, Stan and Kenny try putting some bricks on the sleigh to match Cartman's weight, but they spin out of control. Stan and Kyle jump off, but Kenny flies off the sleigh and into a tree, where he gets smashed by the bricks.

Stan: (almost casually) Oh my god. We killed Kenny.
Kyle: We killed Kenny?
Stan: We killed Kenny, we're bastards.

Goofs

• In Mackey's office, we are shown two chairs in the room (both of which Cartman and Token are sitting on). Seconds before the FBI agents appear, a third chair is suddenly present.
• At first the sled race is supposed to be on Saturday, but late in the show it is on announced as happening on Thursday.
• The news anchor calls Cartman a "hate crime suspect" during the slow speed chase, but he had already been convicted, which would make him a "hate crime convict".
• In the scene where Cartman is crying for his mother, the tattoo on Romper Stomper's face disappears, then comes back in the next scene
• In the scene where Clyde hugs Cartman, Clyde can clearly be seen in the middle of the screen in the crowd.
• Cartman is arrested by the F.B.I. and charged with a federal offense, which means the Governor of Colorado would have no power to release him from prison. Stan and Kyle would have had to bring their case to the President of the United States if they wanted to convince someone to set Cartman free.
• Cartman is confined in the Alamosa Juvenile Hall. However, according to Colorado's Division of Youth Services there is no juvenile hall in Alamosa, Colorado.