Black Friday

This clip from the satirical show "South Park" depicts crazed Black Friday shoppers at the South Park Mall. The security guards brace themselves before opening the doors, praying for their lives. Once the doors are opened the shoppers immediately begin to reap chaos and violence. The floors are covered with pools of blood. A woman is seen beating another woman with a baseball bat. Another lady uses her child to reach a n item placed on a high shelf. It even features actual clips from Black Friday madnesses. At the end of the clip, fourth-graders Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick and a few others walk into the video game store. They seem to be unaffected by the gruesome result of Black Friday and ask for a Xbox One gaming system at the store. The employee, too, seems unfazed by the aftermath of the scene throughout the mall and cheerfully greets them. This clip clearly ridicules crazed Americans on Black Friday. They spend their holidays waiting in long lines to get little discounts on unnecessary items. This would not be so egregious if these shoppers carried themselves in a civil manner. Instead, they literally trample one another. The episode employs exaggeration to underline this issue, but it does not stray too far from the truth. It is effective in conveying its message, as the absurdity of it all forces us to think about our crazed consumerism. The familiar Charlie Brown holiday music at the end also makes the ordeal more humorous. 

The Times They Are A-Changin'

"Grandchild, Grandfather Equally Dreading Collaboration for School Interview Project"
Source: The Onion
 http://www.theonion.com/articles/grandchild-grandfather-equally-dreading-collaborat,38025/



         
         This is a troubling time in the town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Eleven-year-old Ethan Metcalfe is faced with the onerous family tree project assigned to local middle schoolers. Unfortunately, he is required to enlist in the help of his grandfather, Gerald Sonenberg, in order to complete the project. Both parties have admitted to being uncomfortable around each other. Two grueling weeks have passed since the project was assigned to Ethan, and neither grandfather nor grandson could muster a way out of the ordeal. They have now resolved to just get through the situation as quickly as possible.
         This is an extremely vexatious situation that is being imposed upon our unassuming, innocent middle school children. It is unimaginably cruel for teachers to place students, not to mention grandparents, in this plight. This obtrudes upon established customs of keeping to oneself and avoiding contact with relatives.
           The article uses the satirical techniques of exaggeration and irony to humor the issue. It makes the situation sound incredibly serious and plays out contrary to our expectations (that both parties would happily engage in the project). It ridicules faltering familial values and the growing need to avoid family.