But IMO, a lot of what's going on when they poke fun of society are simply reductio ad absurdum arguments.
I saw the episode in question. With a couple of Catholic friends. Keep in mind that we all consider ourselves to be rather conservative--in and out of the Church.
Irreverent? You betcha. But we all laughed our butts off. I'll leave it up to my other FRiends on this thread to discern why.
The episode IMO wasn't intended to seriously slam Catholicism--I somehow doubt Matt and Trey would actually go that far and do something like that.
Further, I don't think they intended to blaspheme the Virgin Mary. They do make fun of people who worship bricks under the bridge and "Nun Buns."
It is precisely this irreverence and unique satire that makes South Park what it is. People watch it because it's shock value, and our culture, for better or worse, responds to shock value.
As a practicing Catholic (I wouldn't go so far as to say devout), I don't take offense to it. There are many and far worse things that bash Catholicism and on a far deeper level--Jack Chick, the Lavender Mafia, and the Democrats are two of 'em.
But why don't we hear about these more and put a higher precedence on these threats? Honestly, I think more damage to Catholicism can be done by propaganda and the gay lobby than an episode of South Park. Priorities, people!
Every group, every celebrity, everybody gets ripped on South Park--regardless of race, creed, religion, skin color, political persuasion and/or sexual orientation. That's the point--it's specifically designed to lambaste everybody.
Having said all of this, I really think that this is being blown way out of proportion. People have the right to freely express their views within reason, and we as the public have the equal right to not pay attention if we so desire.
Meaning, if you don't like SP, or any other show for that matter, then don't watch it. Rather than screaming hysterically and whining like Liberals, just vote with your eyes--turn the channel or even better, FReep instead.
The networks are quite literally ratings whores--the nexus of Hollywood is about money and sponsorship. If a significant percentage of America doesn't watch the crap that's being put out, the network execs have no choice but to listen, as advertisers will not purchase slots with failing shows and the networks subsequently lose money.
That's how real change happens, folks. Tired of the crap peddled on TV? Don't watch it, and encourage your FRiends and neighbors to do the same.
But more importantly, there never was, isn't, and never will be a right to be free from being offended. We're all going to be offended by something, and that is a fact of life. To say one can go through live without ever being offended at some point is incredibly naive.
two=three