`South Park' Creators Skewer Own Network

AP via Yahoooooooo! ^ | 04-13-06 | DAVID BAUDER

[oldleft]

NEW YORK - Banned by Comedy Central from showing an image of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the creators of "South Park" skewered their own network for hypocrisy in the cartoon's most recent episode.

The comedy — in an episode aired during Holy Week for Christians — instead featured an image of Jesus Christ defecating on President Bush and the American flag.

In an elaborately constructed two-part episode of their Peabody Award-winning cartoon, "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker intended to comment on the controversy created by a Danish newspaper's publishing of caricatures of Muhammad. Muslims consider any physical representation of their prophet to be blasphemous.

[oldleft]

William Donohue needs to STFU IMHO.

[mainepatsfan]

Matt and Trey certainly have generated plenty of free publicity for the show lately.

[Republican Red]

Over at NRO Media Blog Steve Spruiell posts:

http://media.nationalreview.com/

Media Culture
"Cowardly Central"
04/13 03:48 PM
Damian Penny thinks Comedy Central deserves the moniker for its decision to censor the image of Mohammed out of last night's South Park. The AP confirmed the news this afternoon:

Parker and Stone were angered when told by Comedy Central several weeks ago that they could not run an image of Muhammad, according to a person close to the show who didn't want to be identified because of the issue's sensitivity.

The network's decision was made over concerns for public safety, the person said.

Comedy Central said in a statement issued Thursday: "In light of recent world events, we feel we made the right decision." Its executives would not comment further.
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven't commented yet, but I hope they bring it like they did earlier this year when Scientologists got Comedy Central to pull an episode.

In the meantime, Penny has a suggestion they should seriously consider:

When their contract with Comedy Central expires, Matt Stone and Trey Parker should tell Viacom to screw off and release new, completely uncensored South Park episodes online. Under the circumstances, I'm sure many people who download television shows for free would pay for them.
My wife and I are busy people who work irregular hours and can hardly plan our schedules around television, and this is already the approach we take for our favorite shows like Law & Order: SVU. Another of our favorite shows, The Office, is producing a series of ten new Web-only episodes that will go digital this summer while the TV version is in re-runs.

South Park episodes are already available on iTunes for $1.99 apiece, and they are consistently among the most frequently downloaded ("Cartoon Wars, Pt. 1" is currently ranked no. 2). Why not go Web-only?

[dynachrome]

ping

[mnehring]

Donohue lost me a long time ago.. he was so rabid in defending his goddess, even though it was just a statue of his goddess, not the goddess herself...

In the case of this episode, it was a brilliant reflection of the double standard in the media, you can make fun of Christ all you want, but don't dare insult Islam.

[bobjam]

I was disappointed the Family Guy writers turned out to be manatees. I was hoping they were going to be Scientologists.

[oldleft]

I actually appreciate that they managed to insult Jesus, the President and the Flag at the same time, but weren't allowed to show a silly cartoon of mohammed.

[weegee]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans

Viacom and the Mass Media like to rail against Christian conservatives but they cower before Islamic fundamentalists.

[big'ol_freeper]

Stone and Parker are two VERY sick individuals who have a strangely juvenile following.

[big'ol_freeper]

Ping

[AppyPappy]

They didn't insult Jesus. They insulted Comedy Central.

[bobjam]

South Park seems to be the only thing Comedy Central has going for it.

[SFC Chromey]

yea, but their work is pretty d@rned funny!

[monkapotamus]

The treatment of Bart Simpson on this episode was amusing. Cam't repeat the *new* Bart catchphrase here.

[Military family member]

The manitees were scienctoligists

[misterrob]

That's your judgement. They do social commentary through cartoons. The topics are in your face and not for the faint of heart. Most people in their late 40's and above don't care for them.

[jess35]

Amen.

[oldleft]

Actually, they're just doing outrageous satire to make money and to comment on society. People have been doing it for years, they happen to do it very well.

Donohue and his ilk freaked out when they made fun of people worshiping a STATUE of the Virgin Mary. They proved these guys right.

[Borges]

Stone and Parker are two VERY sick individuals who have a strangely juvenile following.

Subsittute Swift for 'Stone and Parker' and you'd have a statement made by various uptights since the 1710s.

[Rummyfan]

In the case of this episode, it was a brilliant reflection of the double standard in the media, you can make fun of Christ all you want, but don't dare insult Islam.

It was exactly, and also a defense of the First Amendment. They even mocked reporters for being the idiots they are too.