Not only has Buddhism made an appearance on the big screen, but on the small screen as well. Buddhism has been the subject of different television show episodes. From The Animaniacs to The Simpsons, Buddhism has left its mark in American television life. Two episodes from popular cartoons, King of the Hill and South Park, provide fitting examples of how Buddhism is portrayed in western television. Although the following programs are adult comedies in which they make fun of the dominant American culture, they provide a lens through which to view common popular conceptions of Buddhism.

King of the Hill: “Won’t You Pimai Neighbor?”

King of the Hill takes places in Arlington, Texas among the Hill family. In this particular episode, Hank Hill's Cambodian neighbor invites Hank and his family to a Pimai party to celebrate the Cambodian new year. Kahn (the neighbor) finds out that monks will be attending the celebration, for they are looking for a reincarnated lama. When the monks arrive, they find that Bobby Hill (Hank's son) is the lama, and start the process to give him more tests. This greatly disturbs Hank, especially when he finds his son meditating in his room. Bobby's girlfriend Connie (Kahn's daughter) proceeds to tell Bobby that she can't date him anymore, for he is a lama. There are several stereotypes present in this particular episode. One is the perception that all Buddhist monks are Tibetan Buddhists. (The monks who attend the Pimai party are Tibetan). However, Tibetan Buddhism is not practiced in Cambodia (a form of Theravada Buddhism is practiced there) and it would seem unlikely that Cambodian Buddhists would know Tibetan monks. Another reflection of common American perceptions of Buddhism is when the monks are thought by other neighbors to be Hare Krishnas (this was also referenced in The Golden Child). There is also a scene in which Bobby and Connie attend a meeting of the local college's Buddhist club, where the members cut each other's hair and meditate, reflecting a kind of "hippie" mentality that many Americans associate with Buddhism. When Bobby's mother Peggy sees a bumper sticker about a man's child being on the honor roll, Peggy yells at him "Well, my son is god to millions of Asians!" This is the misconception that lamas are gods, and while some may be reincarnated bodhisattvas (such as the Dalai Lama), a lama is often a teacher. This episode provides perhaps the most comprehensive set of examples of stereotypes about Buddhism in the United States.

Season 4 Episode 18, 03/19/00

Directed by Boohwan Lim and Kyounghee Lim

Written by John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky

South Park: “The Super Best Friends”

In this episode of the popular Comedy Central series, magician David Blaine has started the cult of "Blaintology." The four boys from South Park--Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman--get drawn into the cult along with several of their friends. When Stan realizes that this is not a group of which he wants to be a part, he leaves and tries to convince Kyle to come with him. Kyle refuses, and Stan goes to Jesus' house to seek the help of the "Super Best Friends." This group of religious super heroes consists of Jesus, the Buddha with his powers of invisibility, Muhammad with his powers of fire, Seaman with his powers of water, Lao Tzu with his powers of the Tao, Krishna with his powers of morphism, and Joseph Smith with his powers of ice. Moses serves as a kind of computer mainframe at the headquarters. The narrator announces that all of these leaders "believe in the power of good over evil--except for Buddha who doesn't believe in evil." Meanwhile, the Blaintologists are planning to commit mass suicide in Washington D.C. to protest the government's refusal to grant them tax-exempt status. The Super Best Friends arrive to save the misled Blaintologists from their fate, and the boys learn their lesson about following cults. This episode presents stereotypes about many different religious traditions. The stereotype of the Buddha is best expressed in the statement that the Buddha "doesn't believe in evil." This is a reflection of the perception that Buddhists don't have any kind of firm moral values. The ideas of good and bad karma and the consequences of such karma are not taken into account at all in this perception. To say that the Buddha did not believe in evil ignores that fact that he taught against actions such as stealing, killing, or lying.

Season 5 Episode 3, 07/04/01

Directed by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Eric Stough

Cartoons and American Religious Life

The genre of both of these television shows is important when trying to analyze their presentations of Buddhism. On the one hand, they are both cartoons meant for a primarily adult audience. These shows specialize in satirizing American life and culture. On the other hand, there is the issue of whether these shows are simply poking fun at religious traditions or if they are hostile to religion of any kind. Given different episodes of King of the Hill, it is safe to assume that this show is simply using the stereotypes about Buddhism to make fun of American life and expose the different underlying assumptions Americans have about religion, in this case Buddhism (1). South Park, however, is a television show that presents itself as hostile to all religious traditions. This may be part of a larger trend among liberal viewers to reject religion in favor of a kind of secular humanism. If that is the case, then South Park serves to reinforce those negative interpretations of religion rather than to call into question our assumptions about different traditions.