My mom did not want me to watch South Park when it first debuted in August of 1997. She felt the potty humor and bad language was not appropriate for a nine-year-old. Of course, I eventually watched South Park without my mother’s consent by the time I reached middle school, and felt that the profane language was hilarious since the main characters were so young and cursing like sailors. I did not fully appreciate or understand South Park until its eighth season in 2004. This is when I finally realized that South Park was about more than just making fun of people, toilet humor and vulgarity. There were lessons to be learned in each episode and they talked about issues that were popular in society at the time.
South Park is a satirical animated series about four fourth-grade boys named Kenny, Stan, Kyle and Cartman who have to grow up in a town where their parents are always caught up in some issue that seems ridiculous in the end of every episode. Now in its eleventh season, the show is not showing any signs of slowing down. It is Comedy Central’s highest rated program and is on ITunes’ top-100 television show download list (Leonard 2). This show proves to be very popular on campus as well since in a survey of 40 Bowling Green State University students regarding the show South Park, 34 students have watched this show before. The reason for this could be the controversial topics it discusses, the celebrities that are mocked, or the fact that it is just funny. Whatever the reason is for its popularity, this show has many viewers. Because of South Park’s power in the media, many people worry about the message this show is sending to its viewers. This is why people often question whether South Park is acceptable television.
Because of the harsh language found in South Park, people find it hard to recognize the deeper meanings in each episode. Instead of promoting positivity, they believe that South Park promotes stereotypes, discredits important figures in our society, uses bad language for an animated series, and ridicules religions. Because of these reasons, some believe South Park is not appropriate for television and should be taken off the air. Despite these reasons of opposition, there are many reasons why South Park should remain on TV. In a survey of 40 BGSU students regarding this TV series, 35 students agree that it should not be taken off the air. South Park is appropriate for television because it actually ridicules stereotypes, discredits bad morals, teaches valuable lessons, and exposes people to different religious beliefs.
The first reason why South Park is acceptable on television is because it ridicules stereotypes in American culture. In our society, stereotypes are classified as taboo topics; so although they do occur on a daily basis, people feel that they should not be acknowledged. This show displays American stereotypes in extreme and satirical examples to show how ridiculous they really are. South Park takes these topics and attacks them head on, so that our society can let them go. Katherine Richardson Bruna, a regular South Park audience member, agrees with my thoughts on South Park’s intentions. She argues, “The creators of the show use the context of the community of South Park to direct attention to the fundamental inconsistencies and hypocrisies of life in the United States” (Bruna 50). What she is saying is that we live in a society where it is okay to say one thing and do another. While people feel it is taboo to talk aloud about stereotypes, they often promote some of them themselves. What South Park does is bring attention to stereotypes, so that we may address them, discuss them, and learn how to get rid of them. However, some may feel that South Park promotes stereotypes, since its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone do not feel it necessary to be politically correct when it comes to proving a point. This method can be offensive to some and in response, viewers simply turn off their televisions before the end of the episode. A recent controversial episode offended many people. This episode titled “With apologies to Jesse Jackson”, the word “nigger” was used forty-two times without being censored. People felt that this episode promoted stereotypes by using this word so many times, especially since there are many places in the United States that are trying to ban this word. What these intolerant viewers do not understand is that if they shut the TV off in the middle of the episode they are bound to be offended, since the whole moral of the story usually comes to a resolution in end. If one were to watch an entire episode, despite their views on the language, they would realize that the show is really just exposing the ludicrousness of stereotypes, and teaching a very important lesson. When it comes down to it, it is nothing but satirical comedy that actually makes the point that stereotypes are wrong. This in return will help people make changes in their everyday life when it comes to their own hypocrisies. Nick Gillespie, a writer for Reason magazine, emphasizes Bruna’s idea of South Park’s context about hypocrisy in American life when it comes to stereotypes. He says,” Simply put, for the last decade, South Park has produced the sharpest satire of American politics and culture” (Gillespie 59). He expands upon the idea that it is not only stereotypes within our culture, but with our politics as well. South Park’s satirical view on stereotypes is what makes its episodes so controversial, but it is also, what makes them important, since they bring up very important topics. This of course is only one reason why it should remain on the air.
Another reason why South Park should remain on the air is because it discreditsbad morals and the people who support them. Since we do live in a society that worships celebrities and people who mimic their actions, South Park shows its viewers that celebrities are people too, and that people should think for himself or herself instead of following pointless fads. Barry Fagin, a liberal movie reviewer, described the South Park movie in a similar way. He discussed, “South Park is loaded with moral content, teaching… that it is good to mock celebrities, ridiculous beliefs, and hypocrisy” (Gardiner 51). Although this is what the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone intend to do with their episodes, some feel that this is not the intention of this show. Some people feel that this showdiscredits important figures in our society. Important figures on the show are often to an exact alikeness except for maybe an exaggerated factor on their body. For example, Barbara Streisand is displayed with a large nose and Hilary Clinton is portrayed with huge hips. It is all about the exaggeration when it comes to South Park. Because of their satirical approach to powerful figures, it has gotten the creators in a lot of trouble. The most recent trouble has to be when the creators make fun of Tom Cruise and his religion Scientology. Cruise did not favor the portrayal of his character or his religion. Although this show does take important characters ranging from movie stars to political figures and displays them in a comical sense, the message they are trying to prove is far more important. What the show is really attacking is society’s view of important figures, and the bad views they may represent. This happens when the issues the celebrities are supporting are not good and showing that important figures should not be glorified. An example of this can be found in the episode titled “Stupid, Spoiled, Whore Video Playset”. In this episode, Paris Hilton opens a store in South Park titled “Stupid, Spoiled, Whore”, which has a lot of inappropriate clothes and toys for young girls that would portray them as prostitutes. By the end of the episode, the lesson learned is that bad celebrities like Paris Hilton should not be glorified and parents should watch whom their children admire. In this instance, the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone very clear with their intentions of the episode by the closing statement. One of the characters say, “Parents, if you don’t teach your children that people like Paris Hilton are supposed to be despised where are they gonna learn it? You have to be the ones to make sure they aren’t looking up to the wrong people” (“Stupid, Spoiled). This proves one good reason why South Park should remain on the air, since it proves that something can be learned by the end of the episode. Katherine Richardson Bruna expands upon Gardiner’s idea of South Park’s intentions on its audience and talks about the effect South Park has on its audience after the show. She compares episodes of South Park to her teaching methods in the classroom. She says, “In effect, I think I place in them the same confidence that the South Park creators place in me. I believe my students will stop, wait, witness, and, when the ‘show’ is over, form an opinion that is ultimately their own but will forever bear a trace of the growth that came trough risking to see when discomfort might otherwise have had turned them away” (Bruna 5). South Park not only helps people form opinions of their own so that they will not have to follow celebrities every move, but also makes people think more deeply about issues the probably would not have thought about on their own.
Another reason why South Park hasvalue on television is because it exposes people to different religious beliefs and lets them decide how they feel about them. If there is anything that causes the most controversy on South Park, it is they way they depict religions. This, like every other aspect of South Park, is demonstrated satirically, but in the end always verbalizes an important message. Mark I. Pinsky, author of the article “Cartoons (Seriously) Can Teach Us About Faith,” discusses what happens when viewers catch a religion-based episode of South Park. He states,” While few viewers are likely to be spiritually transformed by watching these shows, they can be exposed to aspects of faith, and to critical issues of religion they know nothing about, in a non-threatening way. Serious dialogue can grow out of silly situations” (Pinksy 2). What he saying is that although these religions are displayed in a comical sense, they can lead to serious discussions. Having these discussions will help people decide how they feel about these religions, regardless of if they believe them or not. People learn to form their own opinion about different religions. Many people are very intimidated when others try to teach them about a different religion because they feel that the person is trying to convert them. This way, people can learn about different faiths without being intimidated. South Park describes religion in a very informed manner, and throughout all the jokes, lets the audience decide what they believe in after giving them all the facts about the different types. However, some believe that this show instead ridicules religions, instead of showing acceptance of difference. Isaac Hayes, the voice of the character Chef, felt this way when he left the show after the “Coming out of the Closet” episode that depicted his religion of Scientology in a negative light. He definitely disagrees with Pinsky’s views on South Park’s take on religion when he stated that the show exhibited “inappropriate ridicule of religious communities” (Levin 1). People could be misinterpret this message and not respect religions altogether. This in return could teach people bad morals about religion. South Park does manage to show a bias sometimes when it comes to the issues they discuss, but they do explain the issue in a knowledgeable fashion. Nick Gillespie, the author of “South Park Libertarians”, insists that “South Park’s treatment of religion, like its treatment of politics, is never simplistic, stupid, or uninformed” (Gillespie 2). What he is saying hear is that even though the religions are described in a comical sense, the information given about them is factual. Because the creators of South Park make sure to do their research on a topic before dedicating a show to it, each episode proves to be a learning experience. They are always very specific when it comes to the details of a religion. This way, people can learn about a new religion without having to worry about trying to be converted.
The Final reason whySouth Park should remain on television is because itteaches a lesson in every episode. Despite the language, if one can sit through an entire episode until the end, there is something to be learned. Bruna also feels the same way about this topic. She states, “The show, with all of its irreverence and vulgarity (in fact because of its irreverence and vulgarity) causes one to think. The very premise of a community in which the children are always surprised and outraged by the ignorance of their parents is itself a commentary on how U.S. society socializes its members into “unseeing” (50). That is exactly the lesson in every episode. South Park creators want its audience to open their minds outside of the general norms of society. There are so many things in our society today that should not be discussed or even questioned, and what South Park does is expose these norms, and teaches an important lesson in each episode. One episode that depicts a valuable lesson by the end is found in the episode titled “Good Times with Weapons”. In this episode, the boys manage to get their hands on real ninja weapons and play fight with each other, until one of the boys gets a ninja star stuck in his eye; and suddenly playtime is over. By the end of the episode, the parents do find out that their children were playing with weapons but instead of acknowledging the problem of their children’s physical safety, they tended to be more concerned with one of the boys walking across the stage naked. The lesson in this episode was that people are so caught up with indecency, they are forgetting about the physical safety of their children. This message is important and if the show had been cut off in the middle of it, the message would have been missed. Trey Parker, the creator of the show, affirms with Bruna about the lessons that can be learned in every episode when he spoke about the message of the entire show. He states,
The show is saying that there is a middle ground, that most of us actually live in this middle ground, and that all you extremist are the ones who have the microphones because you’re the most interesting to listen to, but actually this group isn’t evil, that group isn’t evil, and there’s something to be worked out here (Gillespie 8).
What Trey is stating that an important lesson in each episode is that everything in life is not either, or. There are some gray areas, and most people know this, but do not acknowledge it.
Of course, many may argue that there is nothing to be learned in each episode and the language is reason enough that this show should not be watched. Since South Park is an animated series,there always comes the question of whether it is appropriate for children. South Park is especially noted for its crude language that introduces even older generations to a new offensive vocabulary. The Christian Childcare Action Project ministry feels this way about the show as well as its movie. This ministry reveals that South Park is, “INCREDIBLY dangerous, an extraordinary vulgar, vile, and repugnant movie that has earned their most unacceptable rating for potential for destructive influence” (Gardiner 51). While it is definitely inappropriate for children, it is very worthwhile for adults. There is even a disclosure at the beginning of each episode that forewarns its viewers. It states, “All characters and events in this show-even those based on real people-are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated…poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to it content it should not be viewed by anyone. The portion of this disclosure that sticks out the most is the portion in the very end that reads that the show is not intended for anyone. The reason why South Park is able to get away with so much is because it talks about everyone and everything. Since it is impossible to please everyone, you might as well displease everyone equally. South Park is very popular so it is definitely making a statement. As far as the language goes, I will admit that it is bad, but there are still plenty of things that can be learned by a more mature individual.
There are many reasons why South Park is worth watching which is why it should remain on the air. Some of the these reasons consist of the fact that it ridicules stereotypes, discredits bad morals, teaches valuable lessons, and exposes people to different religious beliefs. Overall, it is funny. Although South Park makes a debut on the news on an almost weekly basis, that to me feels like it has an impact on people since it causes people to react and make their voices heard about how they feel about the issues in each episode. Maybe all of this controversy is a good thing in our society so that we all know that we are not one huge brain that thinks the exact same way when it comes down to different issues. South Park causes change in a not so perfect society, which is why it has so much value on television.
Works Cited
Bruna, Katherine Richardson. “Addicted to Democracy: South Park and the Salutary Effects of Agitation (Reflections of a Ranting and Raving South Park Junkie).” Reading Online. May 2004: 49-54. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 27 Mar. 2007 .
Gardiner, Judith Kegan. “Why Saddam Is Gay: Masculinity Politics in South Park-Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.” Quarterly Review of Film & Video 22.1 (2005):51-62. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 18 Mar. 2007.
Gillespie, Nick, and Jesse Walker. “South Park Libertarians.” Reason. Dec 2006: 58-69. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 27 Mar. 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
Leonard, Devin. “Gross National Prophets.” Fortune. 30 Oct. 2006: 164-174. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 27 Mar. 2007 .
Levin, Gary. “‘South Park‘ Skewers Chef Hayes.” USA Today. 22 Mar. 2006: 2d. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 27 Mar. 2007
Pinksy, Mark I. “Cartoons (Seriously) Can Teach Us About Faith.” USA Today. 27 Nov. 2006: 21a. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 27 Mar. 2007 .
“Stupid, Spoiled, Whore.” South Park: Season 8. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. DVD. Comedy Central. Paramount pictures, 2006.
Watts, Jasmine. “South Park Questionnaire.” 3-9 Apr. 2007.
