Original artwork, not a still
Darryl Weathers and the union working men, South Park, "Goobacks" (2004)
They took our jobs!
— South Park · 1997
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The chant is the show's mockery of a stock political complaint, drained of meaning by repetition until it is just noise a crowd makes together. That is why fans reach for it: it is a ready-made, ironic shorthand for any gripe about someone arriving and taking over a job, a game seat or a role. The episode's twist, that the newcomers are time-travelling descendants, is what lets it be both a joke on the complainers and a joke on the complaint.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for South ParkShow the scene
In "Goobacks" (South Park, Season 8, aired 28 April 2004), humans from the year 3035 start arriving in South Park through a one-way time portal, looking for work because their own world is overpopulated. They are soon hired for the odd jobs the boys used to do, for pennies. At a meeting of union workers, foreman Darryl Weathers angrily protests that the newcomers will work for low wages, and the line goes up as a chant. The working men keep repeating it, more and more garbled, until it dissolves into noise.
Sources (1)
- South Park Archives: Goobacks (episode synopsis)Synopsis and plot, the union meeting sceneReference checked
Context reviewed
