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South Park: Capturing America's Decline
Salon.com ^ | April 20th, 2008 | Heather Havrilesky

Posted on 04/20/2008 11:14:21 AM PDT by The_Republican

In fact, the one good thing about being raised in a downward-spiraling country dominated by aggressive morons is that the comedy just keeps getting better and better. The very best comedies on TV, namely "The Office," "30 Rock" and "South Park," all get their comedy from the fact that you can't swing a clueless loser these days without hitting an ignorant asshole. Even my 12-year-old stepson, when I mentioned that I needed to watch "Big Brother 9," asked, "Is the house full of dumb butts again this year?"

Indeed, in these unique socioeconomic times in American history, there will be dumb butts. Dumb butts galore! And no one captures the creamery dumb-buttery goodness of America better than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of "South Park" (10 p.m. Wednesdays on Comedy Central), which has offered up yet another brilliant season of nastiness that's about to come to a close (the finale is April 23).

Last week's episode, another timeless classic, found the residents of South Park in a state of hysteria over the fact that their Internet connections were down.

Guy No.1: There has to be a way to find out what's going on!

Guy No. 2: We can't! Don't you get it? There's no Internet to find out why there's no Internet!

Guy No. 3: What did we used to do to get the news before the Internet?

All: Television!

News Anchor: Once again, we apologize, but we cannot bring you the news. It appears that we have no Internet here at News 4. We'll be happy to bring you up on current events just as soon as our Internet is back.

Eight days later, Randy decides to leave town. The neighbors ask him about his plans.

Neighbors: Randy, where will you go?

Randy: We're gonna head west. There's a rumor goin' around that there might be some Internet out there. So we're headin' out Californy way.

Neighbor: You don't know if there's any Internet in California?

Randy: Well, there certainly ain't none here! Look, maybe it's time you all faced reality! The Internet here is dried up.

Neighbor: It could come back.

Randy: Yeah, and maybe it won't. In the meantime I got a family that needs Internet right away!

Then there was the excellent episode a week earlier, "Eek! A Penis!" in which Mr. Garrison loudly regrets his sex-change operation, then goes in search of a mouse that can generate a genetic copy of his penis, attached to its body. The mouse with Mr. Garrison's penis attached to him eventually breaks loose, and then all hell breaks loose. Yes, this is the kind of sophisticated humor that highbrow types like myself enjoy to no end.

What's crazy about "South Park" is that even an episode about a mouse with a big, floppy penis on its back still includes plenty of biting commentary on the sorry state of American society, stuffing it all into as hopelessly juvenile and offensive a package as possible. When you think about this show's greatest hits: Chef joining a Scientology-like cult, a Mormon family moving to South Park, Cesar Milan training Cartman to be calm and submissive, it becomes clear that this show may be capturing the unique stupidity of our times better than our finest novelists and our most informed cultural commentators.

Which is nice, since those fine novelists and informed cultural commentators will have to look for work sowing beans and whipping up Boba Tea Smoothies for Chinese expats soon enough, due to the fact that America's global supremacy is dripping away faster than a body shot on the outie bellybutton of a wriggling, drunken sea donkey.

So let's all give a toast to these witty delights while the fruity cocktails are still flowing! Drink to excess, brothers and sisters, for tomorrow we squat in the dust, gnawing on goat kabobs!


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Philosophy; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: culturaldecline; paradisehotel; southpark
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Must Read! Too funny! Some Edits!
1 posted on 04/20/2008 11:14:22 AM PDT by The_Republican
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To: The_Republican

The three candiates for the WH fit the mold perfectly. God help us all.


2 posted on 04/20/2008 11:15:51 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (No mas Juan "Traitor Rat" McAmnesty)
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To: The_Republican
Photobucket
3 posted on 04/20/2008 11:32:21 AM PDT by DogByte6RER ("Loose lips sink ships")
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To: The_Republican

I’d rather have Goat Kabobs than “Fruity Cocktails”


4 posted on 04/20/2008 11:32:26 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: The_Republican

The internet episode was so dead on. I have to admit that I’m a bit like that when I lose my connection.


5 posted on 04/20/2008 11:34:57 AM PDT by VanDeKoik (George Washington 2008)
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To: The_Republican

I saw the internet episode and thought is was brilliant.


6 posted on 04/20/2008 11:36:00 AM PDT by Dr.Zoidberg (Mohammedanism - Bringing you only the best of the 6th century for fourteen hundred years.)
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To: VanDeKoik

Shortwave eases the cravings


7 posted on 04/20/2008 11:36:25 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: The_Republican; Dr. Eckleburg
Big Brother 9 is a joke foisted upon the cable-less clueless public. Catch it late night on HBO, and one can see it for what it is, an even lamer show then the vacuous Fox reality channel Temptation Island that it imitates. The "houseguests" this year all have some "dirty little secret" that they are hiding, one is a gay porn star, one an ex- Penthouse Pet who has never had a real job in her life, others are swingers, hookers and who knows what all.

They are rewarded for "hooking up" with each other, and are even assigned beds together for this purpose. The sex acts are becoming bolder. Big Brother rigs the show to keep the more promiscuous ones on.

Television is fast becoming soft porn in primetime, and hardcore late night. Time to chuck it all out the window.

I liked Big Brother 1 and 2, but time for this charade on primetime to end.

8 posted on 04/20/2008 11:37:15 AM PDT by 1000 silverlings (Everything that deceives also enchants: Plato)
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To: The_Republican
When I see some of the garbage going on in the country (and not just on TV), I start thinking back to mid-September 2001, when Tim Russert said (paraphrasing) that the country would eventually get back to normal by redefining "Normal".

Yeah, I think the country has redefined it. Just not in the way Russert meant. We're way worse than we were in August 2001.

9 posted on 04/20/2008 11:39:06 AM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Liberal when I married her)
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To: EveningStar

FYI


10 posted on 04/20/2008 11:39:49 AM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: Tax-chick
Yes, this is the kind of sophisticated humor that highbrow types like myself enjoy to no end.

Grammar peeve alert.
11 posted on 04/20/2008 11:40:18 AM PDT by Xenalyte (Organize before they rise!)
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To: The_Republican

South Park is awesome.


12 posted on 04/20/2008 11:43:51 AM PDT by mysterio
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To: 1000 silverlings
Interesting that CBS President Les Moonves would hand over this putrid show to his wife, Julie Chen.

I guess after she broke up his marriage this wasn't much of a step down. More like a lateral move.

13 posted on 04/20/2008 11:44:13 AM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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To: The_Republican

Must see “Cannibal, the musical”, SP creators first movie before SP. Not animated, funny as hell, about the crossing of the rockies in the 1800’s.


14 posted on 04/20/2008 11:45:24 AM PDT by eastforker (Get-R-Done and then Bring-Em- Home)
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To: mylife
The problem is that the internet is a much cheaper way to deliver their messages. If you have internet.

I'm guessing that the money the BBC, CBC, etc. save by not powering up the .5MW transmitters goes into salaries, perks, trips, and hookers.

15 posted on 04/20/2008 11:48:17 AM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: Calvin Locke

Heh!


16 posted on 04/20/2008 11:49:39 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Calvin Locke

All I can say is when Internet is down I have the shortwave on.

Usually I have both up


17 posted on 04/20/2008 11:53:15 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: The_Republican; All
You can watch full episodes online here.
18 posted on 04/20/2008 11:54:19 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: Disambiguator

Thanks!!!


19 posted on 04/20/2008 11:59:47 AM PDT by The_Republican (Ovaries of the World Unite! Rush, Laura, Ann, Greta - Time for the Ovulation!)
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To: The_Republican

The Al Gore/Manbearpig episode and the hybrid car episode are sheer greatness. These guys have libs pegged for the insane, bumbling fools they are.


20 posted on 04/20/2008 12:15:30 PM PDT by Tex Pete (Obama for Change: from our pockets, our piggy banks, and our couch cushions!)
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