Posted on 04/15/2003 10:19:57 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
Its a television show almost too gross for words: The adventures of four potty-mouthed elementary school students in South Park Colorado. South Park, which broadcast its 100th episode last week is the first (and currently the only) regularly scheduled network television show thats always rated TV-MA. The first episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" involved the shows lead character, the selfish fat boy Eric Cartman, getting the titular procedure from a group of stick-figure space aliens.
Like much of whats on T.V. much of South Park is often devoid of serious meaning. Its heavy on racist, sexist, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic humor but so egalitarian in its offensiveness that only a handful of complainersmostly right-leaning cultural scoldsbother to complain about it any more. Most comedy intended for mass consumption, however, follows this "offend everyone" formula but South Park pushes it very far. It skewers just about all of the Lefts sacred cows. While few shows dare to make fun of homosexuals in any way, South Park features the cheerfully stereotypical and flamboyant Big Gay Al. While most television shows feature a token African-American characters South Park takes this a bit further by naming its only black regular Token. (Token, of course, never gets any good lines.) Sacred cows of the Right come under attack at least as frequently: Jesus appears frequently on South Park as a neer do well public access television show host. And traditional religious believers get really upset by the shows sympathetic portrayal of Satan. And some parts of South Park just offend everyone: one character, mealy-mouthed welfare recipient Kenny, dies (often in gruesome ways) in nearly every episode only to reappear unharmed in the next one. But pushing the envelope on offensiveness doesnt really make South Park unique; plenty of other cultural products have done so before.
Instead, the shows persistently libertarian politics make it stand out in a television world thats mostly liberal (everything from Law & Order to West Wing), occasionally neo-conish (24), and once-in-a-while religious conservative (Touched by an Angel). But true libertarianism is pretty rare. Creator Trey Parker and Matt Stone have both described themselves as libertarians in interviews and Parker is a registered member of the Libertarian Party. A Libertarian candidate for California Governor even ripped off the show for a rather funny pro-drug legalization campaign commercial.
Most of the shows episodes revolve around the exploitsusually rather ill-temperedof Eric Cartman. Hes hugely fat, unbelievably rude, and lives by the motto "Whatever! I do what I want." Perhaps the most emblematic of his behavior is the fifth season episode "Cartmanland." Cartman inherits a million dollars and uses it to buy an amusement park. In concert with his selfish nature, he decides to close the amusement park so that only he can ride the rides. Kyle Broflovski, the shows smart kid (and the most moral of the bunch) breaks out in a life threatening hemorrhoid because he can not stand Cartman being so lucky. But Cartman needs to raise money to run the park and, as a result, he allows others in. The park becomes a huge financial success and Cartman gets his comeuppance when he gives it back to the original owner only after it has been an enormous success. Here the show argues that capitalismand life in generalmay produce unfair benefits but the end results in a capitalist system are most often fair. Whats significant about the show is that Cartmans schemes almost always fail. Because hes immoral, indeed, he often falls prey to con artists himself, once paying $16.92 for a rock stars pubic hair. Other episodes hew close to Libertarian positions. When Big Gay Al tries to become a scout leader, he learns a lesson about free association. When Harbucks coffee opens up in South Park, citizens skeptical of big business learn about how competition benefits the masses.
In fact, the shows political positions almost always tend to favor Libertarian outcomes: it attacks hate crime laws as hypocritical, shows trial lawyers as parasitic scum, and derides over-active sexual harassment laws and sensitivity counseling. The shows single most wicked satire is that of school counselor Mr. Mackey.
South Park is so gross and so disgusting at times that hardly anyone is going to avoid an occasional moment of revulsion. But between the fart jokes and offensive stereotypes, some pretty insightful political commentary can leak out.
Great adventure is waiting for you ahead Hurry onward Lemmiwinks or you will soon be dead The journey before you may be long and filled with woe But you must escape the gay mans a$$ so your story can be told!
Lemminks! Lemmiwinks! Lemmiwinks! etc.
Lemmiwinks journeyed a distance far and fast To find his way out of, a gay mans a$$ The road ahead, is full of danger and fright But push onward Lemmiwinks with all of your might
"Lemmiwinks, you are coming to the entrance of the small intestines. There you must seek out the sparrow prince!"
The Sparrow Prince lies somewhere way up ahead Don't look back Lemmiwinks or you will soon be dead Lemmiwinks, Lemmiwinks, the time is growing late Slow down now and seal your fate
"I am the Sparrow Prince, long has my spirit been trapped within this place. Before you lies the maze of the small intestines, one path leads to the stomach, the other to doom. Take with you this helmut and torch, let them be your guide."
Take the magic helmut torch to help you light the way! There's still a lot of ground to cross inside the man so gay Ahead of you lies adventure, and your strength still lies within Freedom from the ass of doom is the treasure you will win!
Lemmiwinks has made it out, his tail is nearly through
"Great job Lemmiwinks!" "Thanks to you we are all free." "But your adventures are just beginning, for you are no ordinary gerbil, Lemmiwinks. You are, the Gerbil King!" "All hail the Gerbil King!"
Now that you're the Gerbil King there's more adventures to go on Fly away to far away lands into the setting sun There's still so many enemies and battles yet to fight For Lemmiwinks the Gerbil King Could be told a thousand nights
Lem, Lem, Lemmiwinks, Lemmiwinks etc.
Nefertiti@-->---
Mmmm I think posting this will completely sink all of my prior claims to being a proper lady....Oh well, I probably lost that status the sec I announced myself as a South Park fan, might as well go all the way...*smiles*
Mmmm I think posting this will completely sink all of my prior claims to being a proper lady....Oh well, I probably lost that status the sec I announced myself as a South Park fan, might as well go all the way...*smiles*That may be the best episode and the most brutal towards the "PC Nazis". I'm sure many "diversity training" programs have been renamed "Tolerance Camp" now. >:)
-Eric
I'm not fat! I'm just big boned!
-Eric
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