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Why I'm not a 'South Park Conservative', by Michelle Malkin
Townhall.com ^ | May 4, 2005 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 05/04/2005 5:59:04 AM PDT by OESY

I'll get to First Lady Laura Bush's bawdy stand-up routine in a minute. But I want to highlight a related new book out about how young conservatives are shaking up the dominant liberal media culture. It's called "South Park Conservatives." My name is listed on the cover along with many other (mostly) right-leaning pundits, websites, and bloggers, but I must confess to having mixed feelings about the honor.

The best-selling book's author, Brian C. Anderson of the Manhattan Institute, writes a fun, breezy survey documenting the rise of talk radio, FOX News, the Internet, conservative publishing, and college Republican activism. Anderson's chapter on the success of conservative talk radio and the abysmal failure of liberal Air America to replicate it is incisive. Another chapter on the blogosphere (alone worth the price of the book) gives readers a useful history of the explosion of news, opinion, and political websites that have smashed the left-wing media monopoly.

But how did such a wide-ranging list of individuals and organizations -- Anderson's book cover includes the names of conservative-leaning Internet pioneer Matt Drudge and center-left journalist Mickey Kaus, the libertarian Tech Central Station, the culturally conservative WorldNetDaily, political upstart Arnold Schwarzenegger and political chameleon Andrew Sullivan, plus Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, and myself, along with a feature blurb from Jonah Goldberg -- all get lumped under the umbrella term "South Park Conservatives"?

Anderson argues that Comedy Central's cartoon series "South Park" embodies the "fiercely anti-liberal comedic spirit" of the "new media" from Kaus to Coulter. The cartoon, he writes, reflects a "post-liberal counterculture" that is "particularly appealing to the young, however much it might offend older conservatives."

Well, I'm 34 and no fan of "South Park." I have many good friends who are indeed huge boosters of the show, but I find that the characters' foul language overwhelms any entertainment I might otherwise derive from the show's occasional, right-leaning iconoclastic themes.

"South Park" may be "politically incorrect." But "politically incorrect" is not always a synonym for "conservative."

My discomfort with "South Park's" increasingly mainstream vulgarity is not a matter of nitpicking. We're not just talking about a stray curse word here or there. As liberal New York Times columnist Frank Rich points out, "South Park" "holds the record for the largest number of bleeped-out repetitions (162) of a single four-letter expletive in a single television half-hour." That's probably about the same number of profanities uttered at John Kerry's infamous New York City celebrity fundraiser last summer, which Republicans rightly condemned for its excessive obscenities.

Rich is wrong about most things, but he's painfully on target in noting the incongruous pandering now taking place by some in the cool-kids clique on the Right. Conservatives criticize Hollywood relentlessly, but as Rich notes, "the embarrassing reality is that they want to be hip, too."

Which brings me to Mrs. Bush. She demonstrated at the celebrity-studded White House Correspondents' Dinner this weekend that you can entertain without being profane. Most of her humor was just right: Edgy but not over the edge. But her off-color stripper and horse jokes crossed the line. Can you blame Howard Stern for feeling peeved and perplexed? And let's face it: If Teresa ("I'm cheeky!") Heinz Kerry had delivered Mrs. Bush's First Lady Gone Mildly Wild routine, social conservative pundits would be up in arms over her bad taste and lack of dignity.

The First Lady resorting to horse masturbation jokes is not much better than Whoopi Goldberg trafficking in dumb puns on the Bush family name. It was wholly unnecessary.

Self-censorship is a conservative value. In a brilliant commencement speech at Hillsdale College last year, Heritage Foundation president Ed Feulner called on his audience to resist the coarsened rhetoric of our time: "If we are to prevail as a free, self-governing people, we must first govern our tongues and our pens. Restoring civility to public discourse is not an option. It is a necessity."

Lighten up, you say? No thanks. I'd rather be a G-rated conservative who can only make my kids giggle than a "South Park"/"Desperate Housewives" conservative whose goal is getting Richard Gere and Jane Fonda to snicker. Giving the Hollyweird Left the last laugh is not my idea of success.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 1anationaldisgrace; 1classymichelle; 1henpeckedgwb; 1laurawhitetrash; 1malkinrocks; 1pickalittle; 1pottymouthlaura; 2peckalittle; 3cheepcheepcheep; 4peckalot; 5pickalittlemore; briananderson; churchladies; comedycentral; conservatives; coulditbesatan; coulterwannabe; hititpearl; isntthatspecial; itsafrickinjoke; iwannabeann; laurabush; lauraisatexan; lightenupalready; malkin; malkinstoptalkin; michellemalkin; nags; needssenseofhumor; pukimomolokai; puritanicalchic; shutupandhousewife; soboring; southpark; stickwithimmigration; stomoralizing; thisisgettingold; turass; uptight
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To: paltz; Palladin
Honestly horse masturbation NEVER ONCE entered my mind until yesterday when Palladin said it on a different thread.

Palladin, thanks for corrupting me. I'll never be the same again.

21 posted on 05/04/2005 6:21:02 AM PDT by RushCrush (Ya big babies!)
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To: OESY

MM's right about South Park (whose wildly supportive following on FR is only a bit less distressing than Howard Stern's).

She makes a good point about Laura Bush's routine; it just didn't strike me that way, and I saw the whole thing. I just don't see it as a "horse masturbation" joke; I saw it as a "W didn't know diddly about farming" joke.

Dan


22 posted on 05/04/2005 6:22:18 AM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: RexBeach
Michele is getting very close to jumping the shark.

She did that a long time ago.


23 posted on 05/04/2005 6:22:24 AM PDT by rdb3 (To the world, you're one person. To one person, you may be the world.)
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To: OESY

Oh and btw, as I showed, it's possible to disagree with MM on that point without having to attack her for having a different view, and trashing all the excellent writing she does every single week.

Dan


24 posted on 05/04/2005 6:23:27 AM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: rdb3

She's entirely to young to be a bitter prude.


25 posted on 05/04/2005 6:23:50 AM PDT by bonfire (dwindler)
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To: bonfire
She's entirely to young to be a bitter prude.

She's a year older than I, but this not too young when you're targeting a specific audience. She never misses her mark in this.


26 posted on 05/04/2005 6:25:05 AM PDT by rdb3 (To the world, you're one person. To one person, you may be the world.)
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To: Dscott_FR
Yes, I agree for the most part, and I don't believe she is attacking Mrs. Bush, just reminding us that there are (or should be) lines of what you say where. To say "Well, it was a group of adults" is to miss the point. Everyone knew it would be broadcast and they knew that the most shocking lines (since most of what passes for comedy in our day must shock for some reason) would be played everywhere. This paragraph is important for people to read and get:

Self-censorship is a conservative value. In a brilliant commencement speech at Hillsdale College last year, Heritage Foundation president Ed Feulner called on his audience to resist the coarsened rhetoric of our time: "If we are to prevail as a free, self-governing people, we must first govern our tongues and our pens. Restoring civility to public discourse is not an option. It is a necessity."

I see so little self censorship anywhere. I am tired of having to listen to truely gutter language any time I go out in public. We have a generation out there now who don't understand much about appropriate behavior in the appropriate place, nor do they understand the difference in a child and an adult. Much as I love them, we have failed to teach them proper behavior.
susie
27 posted on 05/04/2005 6:25:12 AM PDT by brytlea (Yes, there are Republican teachers...)
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To: OESY

This may be the first time I disagree with the wonderful Michelle.

Milking the bull is such an old joke. Laura made it funny again.

I wish the left had humor as "over the top" as Laura.


28 posted on 05/04/2005 6:25:21 AM PDT by FatherofFive (Choose life!)
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To: RushCrush
We're not just talking about a stray curse word here or there. As liberal New York Times columnist Frank Rich points out, "South Park" "holds the record for the largest number of bleeped-out repetitions (162) of a single four-letter expletive in a single television half-hour."

I must not be thinking of the same word - the episode I saw, they WEREN'T bleeped, and they kept a running tally at the bottom of the screen.
29 posted on 05/04/2005 6:25:59 AM PDT by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong...)
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To: OESY

The jokes were funny.

People need to get a grip and lighten up.

Sheesh.


30 posted on 05/04/2005 6:26:06 AM PDT by nuffsenuff
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To: rdb3

Perhaps she's just too young to have gotten the 'milk the bull' joke. Simple as that.


31 posted on 05/04/2005 6:26:21 AM PDT by RushCrush (Ya big babies!)
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To: RushCrush
Just when we start gaining ground some holier-than-thou type tries to divide the group.

A good case can be made that the "holier-than-thou" types are the ones who flaunt their "holier-than-thouness" by pointing out, "Look how much more hip I am in than you are: I said %##& five times in a row. You are such a prudish, Puritanical ninny for not appreciating my South Park Republican-ness."

32 posted on 05/04/2005 6:26:38 AM PDT by Skooz (Jesus Christ Set Me Free of Drug Addiction in 1985. Thank You, Lord.)
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To: rdb3

You are probably quite correct! Michelle is not the center of the political universe.


33 posted on 05/04/2005 6:27:02 AM PDT by RexBeach ("I can see it now. You and the moon. You wear a necktie so I'll know you." -Groucho Marx)
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To: Skooz

Variety is the spice of life. It takes all kinds. There's a lid for every pot. Shall I go on?


34 posted on 05/04/2005 6:27:27 AM PDT by RushCrush (Ya big babies!)
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To: OESY
But her off-color stripper and horse jokes crossed the line...

I"m afraid that I must agree with Michelle on this one. I love Mrs Bush, but she crossed the line and I'm sorry for it.

35 posted on 05/04/2005 6:28:14 AM PDT by W04Man (Bush2004 Grassroots Campaign We Did It! Now on to local issues: http://Allen4President.com)
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To: RushCrush

Whatever floats your boat. Whatever melts your butter...........


36 posted on 05/04/2005 6:29:05 AM PDT by Skooz (Jesus Christ Set Me Free of Drug Addiction in 1985. Thank You, Lord.)
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To: OESY
>> "The First Lady resorting to horse masturbation jokes" <<

Although I tend to agree with Malkin on the South Park review (I too avoid that comedy for the same reason) I am wondering about all this stuff about horse 'masturbation' or horse 'penis' joke (as my son in law put it to me yesterday).

I was not entralled with Laura Bushe's choice of humor, giving any ties between herself and 'desperate housewives' for one thing .. however, in hearing her jokes about her husband not knowing the difference between a cow or a horse and a male horse at that was rather humorous.

It seems the left is hard at work putting out talking points on this new 'humor' of our first lady, and I think my son-in-law must be listening to Howard Sterns or something too much ...

Anyone have the text or soundbite on what dear Mr Sterns' opinion was on Laura's humor? Would love to see the ties between that and my "don't call me liberal' son in law's getting his input from this shock-jock of the airwaves.

37 posted on 05/04/2005 6:29:37 AM PDT by AgThorn (Bush is my president, but he needs to protect our borders. FIRST, before any talk of "Amnesty.")
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To: RexBeach

She seems to believe Mrs. Bush should rise above pandering to the liberals--that the First Lady is too sophisticated and classy to be telling bawdy jokes about horse masturbation to entertain liberals who will never respect her.

I agree--but am willing to give Mrs. Bush this one.


38 posted on 05/04/2005 6:29:52 AM PDT by unsycophant
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To: brytlea

Yikes, everyone now knows I am not an English Teacher!! I do know that don't should be doesn't in my previous post!!! Mea culpa (or something like that!)

BTW can anyone explain to me why the horse being male is funnier than it being a female? And yes, I've actually owned horses, and breed dogs, so I'm not a citified person who doesn't understand anything about critters.

susie


39 posted on 05/04/2005 6:30:22 AM PDT by brytlea (Yes, there are Republican teachers...)
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To: OESY
Well, I'm 34 and no fan of "South Park."

Too bad. We'll have to cancel our date, Michelle.

40 posted on 05/04/2005 6:30:47 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Not Elected Pope Since 4/19/2005.)
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