Colorado’s Governor Uses ‘South Park’ Characters to Defend Canada
As everyone who hasn’t already muted the words “trade war” is well aware, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada isn’t doing so great right now. For a lot of people, this has called to mind the plot of the South Park movie, which also concerned a dumb conflict between the two countries.
On March 15th, Colorado Governor Jared Polis celebrated the “first ever Canada-Colorado Friendship Day,” in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs, which he previously called out for making “no sense.”
In honor of the new pseudo-holiday, Polis flew the Canadian flag at the Colorado State Capitol. “Raising the Canadian flag today is symbolic of our friendship, showing that when we work together, even in challenging times, we grow our economy and make the people of both sovereign nations better off,” he stated.
While there are a number of good reasons for not wanting the federal government to pick a fight with America’s neighbor and key trading partner, Polis also highlighted Canada’s ties to pop culture, asking, “Who would captain the Enterprise without Captain Kirk?” in reference to Montreal’s William Shatner.
The following day, Polis posted an image on social media featuring a South Park-ized caricature of himself standing alongside some of the show’s most famous Canuck characters. “Ike Broflovski, Kyle Broflovski's adopted brother, is from Canada,” Polis wrote, adding, “Don’t forget the comedy duo Terrance and Phillip, beloved by our favorite fourth graders, and don’t ‘blame Canada!’”
This isn’t the first time that Polis has embraced the long-running cartoon set in his home state. He previously declared a “South Park Day” during the show’s 25h anniversary concert. And the year before that, Polis hosted a sit-down interview with the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to discuss everything from the creation of Towelie, to the threat that is “ManBearPig.” That appearance was also where the pair officially announced that they were buying Casa Bonita.
The governor's cartoon avatar has also popped up on other social media posts, like this one showcasing some real-life South Park locations that fans can visit.
So it’s certainly not out-of-character for Polis to post about South Park, although this may be the first time that he’s used the franchise in order to underscore an urgent political point, rather than simply celebrating the show’s history and its connection to the state.
It remains to be seen whether or not name-checking an incomprehensible toddler and two fluctuating fictional comedians will accomplish all that much.
