Hank, Dale, Boomhauer, and Bill can typically be found out in their neighborhood alley, beer in hand. They don’t always have much to say, but they have plenty of beer. This love of beer is frequently linked to “redneck, white-trash” southerners. Hank and his friends were so upset once at the recall in Arlen of their favorite beer that they drove to Mexico to get it. Southern traits are also revealed through the character’s speech. Southern accents and one of Hank’s catchphrases, “gosh dang it”, only add to the southern connotations. Their slight Southern accent is one aspect that differentiates them from Hank’s neighbors, the Souphanousinphone’s. The Souphanousinphone’s are a Laotian family that moved next door in one of the early season’s and have often served as antagonists to the Hill family. Kahn, the man of the family, enjoys ridiculing Hank and his friends for all of their “redneck” ways. He often laments the fact that he lives in the same neighborhood with all of these “rednecks”, claiming that is why he is always rejected by the exclusively Asian country club.
Although Hank, his family, and
friends typically ignore these jabs and laugh them off, the Souphanousinphone’s
are the voice of the Other, the outside world. While Southern viewers can
relate to many of the aspects of the show without giving it a second thought,
the Souphanousinphone’s point out the absurdity of some of the things
southerners do. Some of their commentary is on the American way of life in
general, but most of their criticism is flung towards the distinctly southern
way of life represented by the Hill’s and their neighbors. As with many other
shows and movies commenting on the South, King
of the Hill uses the views and opinions of an outsider to point out aspects
southern life, either positive or negative. -Shelby
Heathcoat
I enjoy watching King of the Hill. It's interesting that you mention Khan and his family. On almost every occasion where Khan presents himself as better than Hank, the episode usually ends with Hank better off than Khan. For example, in one episode, Khan invests in the coin-operated car wash business. He gets rich quick and rubs it in Hank's face. He goes so far as to hire Hank and treat him like a slave. In the end, good (Hank) triumphs over evil (Khan) when Khan loses his business. Also, it should be noted that Connie, Khan's daughter, is Bobby's love interest. This goes to show that where there is friction between different groups of people, there can be some connection, be it through love or what have you. I almost wish they would keep making episodes of this show.
ReplyDeleteI thought the part about them driving to Mexico to get their favorite Beer was pretty humorous. It's pretty typical of hard-working, blue-collar Southern individuals (like Hank and his crew) to be extremely vocal about their distaste for Mexican immigrants cross the borders into the U.S. looking for work. This is a theme that is also explored in one of my favorite episodes of South Park, in which the timeless phrase, "DEY TOOK DERE JERBS!" is uttered. But I digress, I thought it was ironic that Hank and his friends would cross over into Mexico solely for their alcoholic beverage of choice, when the thought of Mexican citizens journeying to America for a much higher cause, feeding their families, would have probably caused a decent amount of uproar among them.
ReplyDeleteKing of the Hill used to be a go to show whenever I was hanging out with the guys in high-school. What's more American than middle-aged friends leaning against a wooden privacy fence, sipping on a cold one? One of my favorite elements is the relationship Hank has with Ladybird, his dog. Very rarely do you see the depiction of the Southerner and his/her best friend as a K-9. In the show, I used to always laugh because Ladybird often gets more attention than Hank's wife and even Bobby, the son. However, Hank typically steps up to the mantle of father and guides Bobby in morality in ethics. This is another element that has disappeared from popular animated shows today.
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