Blame Canada

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"Blame Canada" is a song from the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (by Trey Parker & Marc Shaiman), in which the fictional parents of South Park, led by Sheila Broflovski, decide to blame Canada for the trouble their children have been getting into since watching the Canadian-made fictional movie Terrance and Phillip: Asses of Fire. The parents refuse to accept that by not preventing their children from watching Terrance and Phillip in the first place, they are themselves to blame for their children's misbehavior. Thus the South Park film satirizes scapegoating, and the reactions the creators of South Park expected to receive from the very movie the song was featured in.^{[citation needed]}

1 Reception
2 Political context
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Reception

The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, creating controversy because all nominated songs are traditionally performed during the Oscar broadcast, but the song contained the word "fuck", which is profanity and as such forbidden in prime time broadcasts. Comedian Robin Williams performed the song with chorus girls who gasped when the word was to be sung (Williams turned around at the crucial moment, and did not actually sing it). He also added an additional rib at Celine Dion. Mary Kay Bergman, the voice actress who sang the female parts in the song committed suicide months before the performance, forcing the organizers to search for a replacement for her and Trey Parker, who did the male voices.

There was also some concern about the fact the song referred to well-known Canadian singer Anne Murray as a "bitch", but Murray indicated that she wasn't offended by the tongue-in-cheek lyric. (Murray was even invited to sing the song herself on the Oscar telecast, but had to decline due to a prior commitment.) When asked, the Canadian Consul General (and former Prime Minister) Kim Campbell noted that she was not offended by the song since it was clearly a silly satirical song not intended to insult her country.

Ironically, the Canadian Oscar telecast in which Robin Williams sang the song included the premiere of the famous I am Canadian rant commercial, which counters many perceived Canadian stereotypes.

[edit] Political context

"Blame Canada" has also become an expression used in Canada to describe the American tendency to blame Canada for problems. For example, some Americans believe the terrorists behind the September 11, 2001 attacks entered the US from Canada, although it is evident that they did not <ref> (April 7 2003) "U.S.-Canada Border Issues". Center for Immigration Studies.</ref>. Power officials in the State of New York, as well as New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, initially said the cause of the 2003 North America blackout was in Canada<ref> (August 15 2003) "Bush urges US grid upgrade". BBC News.</ref> , but it turned out to be in Ohio<ref> (November 19 2003) "Blackout report blames Ohio utility". CBC News.</ref> . Fox News anchor and journalist Bill O'Reilly has said in the past that Canada's social liberalism is a model for the "secular War on Christmas"<ref>O'Reilly, Bill (December 13 2004). "Take your Christmas and stuff it". Jewish World Review.</ref> among other socially progressive countries. Greenpeace also used the term "Blame Canada" in a viral marketing push to encourage the public to protest against Canada's stance on high-seas bottom trawling. The song, however, was written years prior to these events.