Posted on 06/25/2005 8:43:16 PM PDT by neverdem
If you watch a lot of cable news, by now you've probably heard someone refer to a bloc of voters known as '' 'South Park' conservatives.'' The term comes from the title of a new book by Brian C. Anderson, a conservative pundit who adapted it from the writer Andrew Sullivan, and it refers to the notion that Comedy Central's obscene spoof of life in small-town America, with its hilarious skewering of liberal snobbery, is somehow the perfect crucible for understanding a new breed of brash and irreverent Republican voters. In truth, aside from its title, Anderson's book has very little to say about ''South Park'' itself; it's really just a retread of the argument that the mainstream media is losing its grip on world domination, marketed rather cynically to appeal to the same red-state radio hosts and book clubs that make so many right-wing polemics best sellers.
If politicians and pundits are really so desperate to understand the values of conservative America without leaving their living rooms, then they should start setting the TiVo to record another animated sitcom, which Anderson mentions only in passing and which, despite its general policy of eschewing politics, somehow continues to offer the most subtle and complex portrayal of small-town voters on television: ''King of the Hill,'' on Fox. North Carolina's two-term Democratic governor, Mike Easley, is so obsessed with the show that he instructs his pollster to separate the state's voters into those who watch ''King of the Hill'' and those who don't so he can find out whether his arguments on social and economic issues are making sense to the sitcom's fans.
For those who have somehow missed ''King of the Hill'' during its nine-year run, here's a lightning-quick primer: It revolves around a classic American everyman, the earnest Hank...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The way Hank talks about California, he has to be a pubbie.
I love King of the Hill. I can't imagine Hank as a Dem.
Funniest Hank Hill line: "Butane is a bastard gas."
The Times is in hot pursuit of a trend that doesn't exist. Maybe they should put Jayson Blair on the story.
I don't know what the NY Times is smoking.
Hank really praised Reagan in one episode.
"Bobby, if you weren't my son, I could kiss you."
KOTH Democrats?
That's like saying that my George Forman Grill can actually grill a burger. It can cook it, but Grill?
NYSlime is trying to invent a trend where none exists. I've never known a Lib to like KOTH, and I know alot of Libs
This is a reasonably fair-minded cultural piece for the Times (far better than that awful review of "South Park Republicans").
Of course the main reason it's a fair piece is because they talk to a Democratic politician who says libs and Dems should pay heed to the show. So it's supposed to be advice on how to trick small town people into voting for Democrats. In reality, the purpose of this article is to serve as an answer to the plaintive cry "What's The Matter with Kansas?" [i.e. "these dumb bunny voters get fooled by those religious types and don't vote for people who want to raise taxes on everything, so how can we fool them into voting *our* way?"].
As for Mike Judge, anybody who's watched his work, including "Beavis and Butt-head", can tell that he can't stand pious liberals. He's not as blatant about it as Stone/Parker. But you can bet he'll read this piece by some intellectual in the Times and chuckle to himself as, in the end, the author comes close but still doesn't get the point.
Those people don't vote against Democrats because Democrats haven't sold their policies well enough. They vote reflexively against people whose leaders clearly hate their religion and their lifestyle.
Well f'ing said
MSM dilusions that they know how to approach Middle American voters and convince the Hank Hills out there to vote for someone in the party chaired by Howard Dean. HA!
They first tried to have a tie in with "Deadwood" which was so laughable it was embarrassing. Now they're trying "King of the Hill? A Texan with conservative values?
They're going after the wrong cartoon character. They should try Pepe LaPew.
I don't think Hank Hill would agree with this statement. He would the distinction between freely giving his resources to support a cause that he deems worthy, and having his resources taken to support a cause that he may not approve of. The author, like most libs, totally misses this point.
Dang, that's funny.
BOBBY: Can I put a gun rack on my bike?
HANK: Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that?
You're right. That was a great episode. King of the Hill Democrats is a poor ripoff and not to mention a joke.
Hank is constantly mocking lefties
I think one of the shows strengths is that it could easily be portrayed by real actors. It's an intelligent cartoon.
Sheesh, right now the Dems are acting like Nirvana right before Cobain blew his brains out. THAT's where the Times should look for guidance to understand the Dems.
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