# "Blame Canada": the song. It's not even funny in the least. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812 "2014-09-28T23:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/81 "2014-09-30T17:08:24Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > the movie must take place before any of the episodes, because the kids were good kids who didn’t cuss at the beginning > also Kenny dies in the movie, but he is in a lot of episodes Did you watch any of the early episodes? They cussed all of the time, just bleeped out. Watch “Cartman Gets An Anal Probe.” Kyle cusses up a storm at the aliens who abducted his brother. It’s hilarious even though it’s bleeped. Parker and Stone chose to bleep the foul language on TV, even though South Park’s on cable, because they think it’s funnier if the viewer has to use his own imagination to figure out what the kids are saying. Also, you think Kenny dying needs a spoiler? He died all of the time. People expected it. They even made reference to it in “Coon and Friends.” It’s a super power Kenny has. He doesn’t stay dead. His mother gives birth to him over and over again and he ages overnight back to his age when he died. His only complaint is his friends don’t remember him dying and treat him as if it didn’t occur. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/82 "2014-09-30T17:26:41Z")
This thread has convinced me to watch the movie again. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/83 "2014-10-01T23:35:41Z")
Mrs P and the boys are away tonight. This brings into play the standard “Princhester has the house to himself” ritual of me listening to and singing along with the SP: BLU soundtrack while making myself dinner. A ritual which I can only indulge in when the boys are away, for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/84 "2014-10-02T15:36:35Z")
I think they REALLY wanted to nominate Uncle F_cker but that wouldn’t fly, so like someone said earlier, they nominated the only song that would get past the censors. Uncle F_cker is tremendously funny and would have been a great Oscar winner. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/85 "2014-10-03T00:42:01Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > Personally, I would’ve picked “It’s Easy, MmmmKay” as the best song from the film for the reasons I’ve itemized, but I suspect the language was a practical deal-breaker in that regard (less about performing it on TV and more about ruffling the feathers of more conservative Academy members). Yes. I’ve said it before too. It’s the best song, coupled with the video it’s abso. lutely. priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/86 "2014-10-07T04:27:49Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Did you watch any of the early episodes? They cussed all of the time, just bleeped out. Watch “Cartman Gets An Anal Probe.” Kyle cusses up a storm at the aliens who abducted his brother. It’s hilarious even though it’s bleeped. Parker and Stone chose to bleep the foul language on TV, even though South Park’s on cable, because they think it’s funnier if the viewer has to use his own imagination to figure out what the kids are saying. > > Also, you think Kenny dying needs a spoiler? He died all of the time. People expected it. They even made reference to it in “Coon and Friends.” It’s a super power Kenny has. He doesn’t stay dead. His mother gives birth to him over and over again and he ages overnight back to his age when he died. His only complaint is his friends don’t remember him dying and treat him as if it didn’t occur. I think someone has broken the sound barrior over your house. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/87 "2014-10-07T07:00:05Z")
If I read you correctly, that would be a sonic _boom_, not a sonic _whoosh_. Also, consider who he’s responding to. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/88 "2014-10-07T09:32:09Z")
Yeah, I think **PSXer** was entirely serious. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/89 "2014-10-07T13:51:38Z")
Meh. MST3k’s Canada Song is way funnier - But then MST3k beats South Park any day, as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/90 "2014-10-07T16:57:31Z")
I wonder if **Leaffan** being Canadian contributes in any way to the understanding of the song as funny or not. I’m not negating the context of the song within the movie, but as an American (who grew up near the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor) I also find it inherently funny how arbitrarily and mercilessly we mock Canada. Making fun of Canadians is funny to me specifically because there is really no justification for it. Part of the humor of the song from my perspective is how arbitrary it is to blame Canada. I’m not saying it can’t be done poorly, but it is my inclination to find Canada jokes funny. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/91 "2014-10-07T17:27:01Z")
Hey, I actually GET the fact that mocking Canada can be funny; it’s on par with the English mocking the Irish. My \*funny bone ain’t broken! Without context I had no idea WHAT was supposed to be funny about the “Blame Canada” song. Given the context, I get it. \*Well, maybe it is broken because the handful of times I’ve tried watching South Park I gave up. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/92 "2014-10-07T17:30:37Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I wonder if **Leaffan** being Canadian contributes in any way to the understanding of the song as funny or not. > > I’m not negating the context of the song within the movie, but as an American (who grew up near the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor) I also find it inherently funny how arbitrarily and mercilessly we mock Canada. Making fun of Canadians is funny to me specifically because there is really no justification for it. Part of the humor of the song from my perspective is how arbitrary it is to blame Canada. > > I’m not saying it can’t be done poorly, but it is my inclination to find Canada jokes funny. The point of Canada jokes is that they’re known to be unjustified, or sometimes that the trait being mocked is actually a positive one (say politeness). Every Canada joke I’ve ever heard was meta that way. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/93 "2014-10-07T17:49:59Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > \*Well, maybe it is broken because the handful of times I’ve tried watching South Park I gave up. Humor is weird. I generally don’t find grotesquely offensive things funny for their own sake, but something about South Park delivers for me in a way that other grotesquely offensive things do not. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/94 "2014-10-07T17:55:40Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The kids were already using foul language before they saw “Asses of Fire.” The movie just taught them some new phrases. “What the hell is a rimjob?” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/95 "2014-10-07T17:55:51Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > Personally, I would’ve picked “It’s Easy, MmmmKay” as the best song from the film for the reasons I’ve itemized, but I suspect the language was a practical deal-breaker in that regard… Yeah, that would have been a bit of a problem. 😃 Just yesterday, we were briefly behind a pickup truck with a sticker on the back window that read “BICH SLAPPED.” After going, “WTF?” at the apparent message, I started singing, _“with ‘bitch’ drop the ‘t’ 'cause ‘bich’ is Latin for generosity…”_ ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/96 "2014-10-07T18:10:19Z")
The movie should have been smaller, shorter, and cut. We _really_ didn’t need to see Saddam Hussein’s penis. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/97 "2014-10-07T21:34:18Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The movie should have been smaller, shorter, and cut. We _really_ didn’t need to see Saddam Hussein’s penis. We didn’t, they were both fake (i.e. dildos). Personally I think _Uncle Fucker_ was one of the funniest songs ever. I saw the film in the theater and when they started singing it it was one of only a few times in my life where I was laughing so hard I literally couldn’t catch my breath! ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/98 "2014-10-07T23:21:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The point of Canada jokes is that they’re known to be unjustified, or sometimes that the trait being mocked is actually a positive one (say politeness). Every Canada joke I’ve ever heard was meta that way. I agree with this. It’s all just sibling rivalry stuff. We’re the Nerd Siblings and the Jock Siblings - you’re the Popular Sibling. Of course we tease you. You’re family. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/99 "2014-10-09T03:27:16Z")
Like any narrative, not everything is in the voice of the author. You must consider the characteristics of the character who is speaking to get the proper context. In the case of “Blame Canada”, the speaker is [Kyle’s mom, who is described by another song from the movie.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0xG6dA-Q58) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812.md?page=4)