‘South Park’ Takes A Swipe At LeBron James Amid China Controversy

Ted Johnson

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The latest episode of South Park again touched on China – this time by taking a swipe at LeBron James’ comments about the controversy that has dogged the NBA.

The episode, called “Let Them Eat Goo,” takes aim at the plant-based food craze, as lunches at South Park Elementary are replaced with faux meat.

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Cartman yells at students who favor the change and are protesting for ethical food choices.

“We all talk about freedom of speech,” he says. “Yes, we do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you are not thinking about others and only thinking about yourself.”

That mirrored a quote that James gave earlier this week about Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, which he quickly deleted. James’ comments seemed to take issue with what Morey originally wrote on Twitter.

After Morey sent his tweet, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued an initial statement that tried to soothe tensions between the league and China. That created its own furor in the U.S., as politicians and other public figures accused the league of being overly concerned with its bottom line than of freedom of expression. He since issued another statement saying that the league would not dictate what players and team employees say.

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In an episode earlier this month, South Park mocked Hollywood studios for crafting or editing their content to please Chinese censors. That episode led to a South Park ban on Chinese internet platforms.

The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, issued a mock apology last week in which they said, “Like the NBA, we welcome Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy.” In the episode last week, one of the characters, Randy Marsh, shouts, “F*ck the Chinese government!”

The “Let Them Eat Goo” episode of South Park starts at Marsh’s cannabis farm Tegridy Farms, where he grouses that “the whole doing business in China thing has sort of bitten us in the ass, and now we aren’t selling enough weed to keep up with our costs.” So they come up with a plan to use their discarded product for plant-based fast food.

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