Racy Cartoons Make Bart Simpson Look Like a, Um, Saint

Medill Reports ^ | June 7, 2007 | Phillip Turner

[EveningStar]

When cartoons lampooning religion can make even Bart Simpson look like a saint, you know you’re dealing with some racy material.

Tune into Comedy Central's "South Park" and you'll find Jesus boxing Satan, while over on Fox's "Family Guy," you'll find God as a white-robed, bearded creator setting off the world's big bang by passing gas.

Writers for Fox's "The Simpsons" long ago tapped into religion as a source of gentle jokes and story lines. In doing so, the show opened the way for hip, animated comedies like "South Park" and "Family Guy" to up the ante in joking about religion, often to the point of mockery...

[EveningStar]

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List of Ping Lists

[The Blitherer]

Actually, South Park mocks hypocrisy in religious institutions.

[Larry Lucido]

Exactly.

And get ready for the inevitable “Yeah, but they won’t take on the muzzies” comment.

[brownsfan]

“Actually, South Park mocks hypocrisy in religious institutions.”

Actually South Park mocks everything.
I have no problem with South Park. It’s not meant for kids, if your kids watch it, you have issues.
Most of the time I get the humor. They had one particularly offensive episode with a “blood orgy” for Christmas. That was past my threshold, so what did I do? Hmmmm, I could have:
Made a web page.
Made a blog entry.
Wrote letters.
Organized protests.
Organized boycotts.
Posted on FR.

Or,
Turn the channel.

I turned the channel.

[subterfuge]

Slow news day?

[EveningStar]

And get ready for the inevitable “Yeah, but they won’t take on the muzzies” comment.

I wonder how long it will take?

[EveningStar]

No. Why?

[Sir Clean Plate Club]

I gotta say if I were Jesus I would not be offended by my representations on South Park.

Of course, that is kinda his job. (A little SP humor, here.)

There is always an underlying respect seldom afforded other characters.

[Old Professer]

Oh, it’s meant for kids alright; just the ones who are still avoiding potty-training all the way to the grave.

[kromike]

Of course, one's religion deserves a bit of respect. But any religion that isn't strong enough to stand up to mockery, ridicule and even blasphemy isn't a true religion.

Catholics & Protestants have suffered for thousands of years with this. It makes them unhappy, it makes them miserable, it makes them indignant & angry, but the one thing it doesn't make them is homicidal.

Thus, the not-so-surprising irony: Christianity is an enduring religion and because it's core nature is a respect for Life, it's a target primarily because of some hypocrites who unfortunately claim to be representative.

And yet, Islam is unconditionally off-limits so much to the effect that if you even think something naughty, by golly, it's your a$$.

[subterfuge]

No. Why?

I was directing that at the author. It just seems like they ("journalists") trot out the "SP is over the top!" garbage whenever they have nothing else to write about. but you're right. It is NOT a slow news day! Thanks for the ping.

[Waverunner]

I liked the Easter Bunny episode wher Kyle the jewish kind has to kill Jesus so he can be reborn and save the world.
Kyle agrees to do it, but only if Jesus won’t tell Cartman ( the little nazi wannabe). The humor is about as subtle as an A Bomb, and has the same precision craftmanship an A bomb requires.

[CholeraJoe]

Don’t anti-Christian cartoons give us the right to rampage through the streets burning Lexuses and torching mosques?

[EveningStar]

Ok. s :)

[justt bloomin]

Say what you like, but South Park is up there with Stephen Colbert and Sacha Baron Cohen for the Jonathan Swift-esque of our time.

The same can't be said about Family Guy, although it's 100% politically incorrect and offensive to everybody. That's why I like it.

[Mr. Blonde]

I think the author is right that South Park is all for spirituality, but very much against organized religion.

If there is a motto that SP lives by I would say it is this quote by George Carlin, "I love and treasure individuals as I meet them, I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to."

[I'm ALL Right!]

11.

[BJClinton]

You forgot the Muslim Option: rioting, death threats and beheadings.

[Sonny M]

And get ready for the inevitable “Yeah, but they won’t take on the muzzies” comment.

To south parks credit, they tried and got shot down, and were not to happy about it.