Pajamas Media

The Daring Satire of South Park

The animated South Park boldly goes where more PC flesh-and-blood comedians fear to tread, mocking the whole ideological spectrum from the Catholic Church to Scientology to Sean Penn to (gasp!) Al Gore.

April 28, 2008 - by Christian Toto

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Comedian Bill Maher thinks its politically incorrect to call the Pope a Nazi. The merry minds behind Comedy Central’s South Park know it’s far more outrageous to attack Hollywood’s Holiness — former vice president Al Gore.

South Park cast Gore as a wannabe superhero, complete with an ill-fitting cape, during a three-part story arc dubbed “Imaginationland” which was recently packaged as a DVD release.

It’s just the latest example of how cutting edge South Park remains, despite being on the air for more than a decade. Shouldn’t any show broadcast that long be running on fumes by now?

The show’s creators — professional nuisances Trey Parker and Matt Stone — are on to something few of their comic peers often consider. They mock the whole ideological spectrum, both politically and culturally, while everyone else getting a paycheck in La La Land focuses most of their fire on the “right” targets.

The competition for the public’s entertainment dollar today is fierce, and too many comedy writers do themselves a disservice by hitting only one side of the culture wars with their best shots.

South Park really stepped up its social criticism with, ironically, a project that had nothing to do with Kenny, Kyle or Cartman.

Parker and Stone’s 2004 comedy Team America: World Police used the only medium sillier than crude, cutout-style animation — marionettes — to mock both jingoistic country crooners and blowhard celebrities. In the film, a squadron of Hollywood elites, including Sean Penn and Michael Moore, teamed up with North Korean’s Kim Jong Il to protest American imperialism. Penn wasn’t pleased - he even fired off an angry letter about his inclusion much to the duo’s delight.

That film’s success, and subsequent news headlines, only emboldened South Park’s creative team. In recent years, their show has ambushed environmentalism (a “smug” cloud develops over the town of South Park when too many self-righteous drivers opt for hybrid vehicles), the homeless, race hustlers and tolerance gone wild. The latter showcased what might happen when all cultural boundaries collapse, and it wasn’t pretty.

The homeless episode, which aired last year, employed the same zombie template director George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) has been using for decades to advance his progressive concerns. Instead, South Park used zombies to illustrate the wastefulness of buying the homeless off with spare change as well as the cultural pomposity that refuses to let them take part in our capitalistic system.

Try imagining Jon Stewart offering similar platitudes from the cozy confines of his Daily Show desk.

Arguably the boldest stance taken by the show came with 2006’s two-part Cartoon Wars storyline which was supposed to feature a cartoon representation of the prophet Muhammad. Comedy Central decided not to show that actual image, but the show carried on with its sharp commentary about the foolishness of such censorship.

South Park’s list of targets is nearly too long to list. Suffice to say it’s take-no-prisoners approach has tormented the Catholic Church, Scientology, Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, the latter with such cruel abandon even the staunchest show supporter likely blushed. The show’s characters even uttered the N-word repeatedly last year during an episode inspired by Don Imus’s racially charged insults aimed at the Rutgers women’s basketball team. That installment, titled “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson,” took chances most other programs wouldn’t even try during a table read.

When South Park isn’t stomping down on hot-button issues it takes on more conventional targets with withering results. Michael Jackson has withstood just about every joke conceivable up until now, but it’s hard to think of him sitting through South Park’s takedown of his parental methods from several seasons back.

Just last week, South Park imagined a world without the Internet, delivering a clever smackdown of how reliant we’ve become on the Web. Naturally, plenty of Internet porn jokes peppered the episode - Parker and Stone can’t resist stuffing every other scene with some sort of vulgarity. The breadth of their profane streak will turn off some audiences, no matter how savvy the commentaries on display. But if that’s what it takes to keep these man-children interested in their South Park project, so be it.

Perhaps the show’s greatest weapon is the seeming innocence of its medium. Aw, it’s just cartoon characters, like Scooby Doo or Donald Duck. Hardly. But Parker and Stone leverage those assumptions with wicked results.

But let’s get back to Gore. Why haven’t more comedians riffed on his “Inconvenient” mission to save us from global warming? Even the best intentioned politicians deserve some ribbing now and then, and Gore’s hypocritical power consumption at his Tennessee home opened him to ridicule.

So why did it take a bunch of animated grade schoolers to chop Gore down to size?

Will South Park jump the proverbial shark, or will its creators exit, stage left, when they sense their creative well runneth dry? Hard to say, but with all the inspiration flooding their way via our two-party political system, a beauty-obsessed culture and a news cycle churning out daily updates on the likes of Lindsay Lohan, it’s possible South Park will keep us laughing, and thinking, indefinitely.

Christian Toto is a freelance writer and film critic for The Washington Times. His work has appeared in People magazine, MovieMaker Magazine, The Denver Post, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Scripps Howard News Service. He also contributes movie radio commentary to three stations as well as the nationally syndicated “Dennis Miller Show” and runs the blog What Would Toto Watch?

37 Comments

christopher rivers:

I have often thought South Park is virtually the only example of the true essence of classic satire; mocking the human condition, instead of the usual politically safe targets. I didn’t know Penn threw a hissy fit about his portrayal, but I am not surprised in the slightest.

Apr 28, 2008 - 4:17 am Boris:

“But let’s get back to Gore. Why haven’t more comedians riffed on his “Inconvenient” mission to save us from global warming? Even the best intentioned politicians deserve some ribbing now and then, and Gore’s hypocritical power consumption at his Tennessee home opened him to ridicule.

So why did it take a bunch of animated grade schoolers to chop Gore down to size?”

The whole “hypocritical power consumption” was a right wing fantasy, considering Gore buys green power. Not that Gore isn’t worthy of an occasional barb, but if you do so, you look like a global warming denialist, so I guess people don’t want to look stupid?

Others don’t seem to have that problem…

Apr 28, 2008 - 5:08 am uburoi:

This season of South Park is as good as any they have made so far; I think the writing keeps getting better with each year. As irreverent comedy goes, South Park is the funniest show on the air, and has been for quite a while. No one is better at hitting the right targets, and doing so with such gusto. If anyone can save us from the Hollywood leftists, Cartman can.

Apr 28, 2008 - 6:23 am RettenTilSelvforsvar:

The South Park team are among a very few group of people who are not afraid of making comedy where it actually might cost something.I especially love the Gore episode, where they clearly display him as the hypocritical child he is, seeing ghosts where there are none and demanding constant attention.

Most comedians stick to USA-bashing and similar free “comedy”. I love South Park exactly for not doing that, in spite of the fact that I often disagree with their moral conclusions.

Apr 28, 2008 - 7:04 am Bill Perron:

South Park should be watched by every one of our citizens, it should be mandatory, then all who object to the show should be deported immediately because they can’t handle the truth.

Apr 28, 2008 - 8:02 am Christian Toto:

Boris: My point about the show taking on Al Gore is that everyone should be open to some ribbing — the good, the bad, the in-between. At the end of the day Gore’s intentions may be very noble, but it’s very American to tweak everyone and anyone — I’m sure some people even tease George Clooney, a man who has virtually everything (fame, money, good looks, talent, etc). Doesn’t mean he gets a pass … and I bet he’d laugh right along if the jokes are funny.

Apr 28, 2008 - 8:54 am Rubicon:

Poor Al, now the South Park kids are jabbing him, when he after all buys his carbon credits for what he consumes!! Well, actually, he buys them from his own company & the credits actual positive effects have yet to be documented.
Wonder if Al will ever agree to a real debate with actual scientists who can disprove his CO2 makes the temperatures go up theory?
We plan billions, if not trillions, to “fix” mother natures plans for the planet. Few seem to understand we would be better off planning how to make any warming that does take place, to our advantage! Rather than make it do us some good, the “chicken littles’ want us to panic submit to draconian laws, regulations & rules, horrific taxes, & seriously reducing our living standards to that of the third world, by giving “those blessed with total perfect foresight,” absolute control of our very daily lives!
Did no one notice the Renaissance happened when the world was much warmer than it is now or than it is predicted to get this time around as nature takes its course?
Does no one notice Al & company plan to personally profit from all the schemes he & his buddies are pushing on all of us through laws they want enacted?
As a kid, we were taught a number of things. One was, its not nice to fool with mother nature. The other was, mankind cannot control mother nature & those fool’s who have tried have always ended up proven wrong.
Check out the dikes along the Mississippi. The City of New Orleans, built in a bowl lower than the water level, cannot survive w/o the levee’s. Yet the levee’s cannot survive & there will always be the one storm that overwhelms them. Why not just move NO upriver to Baton Rouge where all NO functions as a port could easily be handled & better?
The drunks can still go there to party. But, then we stand to lose less when the inevitable happens again!

Apr 28, 2008 - 9:13 am Dark Helmet:

Your minds are being controled by the right wing nuts who dictate your slavery through the TV cable box. Cartman must die.

Out of the mouths of babes….

The very success of South Park proves that the American public is not the fools that the msm think we are. If given a chance, even in a cartoon, we will say what we really think. We vote that way too…hear that mr 1/2 & 1/2? It’s God Bless America.

Apr 28, 2008 - 9:26 am jvon:

“Green power”? I live in Seattle and most of my power is hydroelectric. Just to clarify: can I use all the power I want? Is that okay with you? Or would it just be OK if Al Gore lived here?

Apr 28, 2008 - 10:46 am abu al-fin:

The best idea for making the most of Al Gore and his fellow “energy obstructionists” is to use them as feedstock for biomass to liquids (BTL) energy production. South Park should do an episode on that idea–a takeoff on the “Soylent Green” theme. “Energy is people”, corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and lawyers, to be specific.

Apr 28, 2008 - 11:28 am Boris:

jvon,

All the hoopla was over Gore’s bill, which was, what “twenty times” the average Americans? Take into account that Gore’s bill was in Tennessee, which uses a lot more power than the average state, that he paid more for green power in Tennessee’s Green Power Switch program (which uses profits to make more green power available), and that his home also contained his office, can’t you see that this is just a right wing gotcha?

People get irrational when Gore is around. Look at Rubicon, who has somehow convinced himself that Gore’s company sells carbon credits and thinks that scientists disagree with Gore–when every scientific body that studies the Earth agrees that global warming is human caused.

That’s the behavior that should be mocked, IMO.

Apr 28, 2008 - 12:07 pm Dark Helmet:

uh uh Boris, TN is a moderate temperature state. To use 20 times requires a huge amount of keeping it 72 when it’s 68 outside and 68 when it’s 72 outside. Privately Al is a great guy, politics ruins people. But at a $101 million dollars increase in personal wealth since leaving office, he’s not doing too bad.

Apr 28, 2008 - 12:25 pm Steve:

Now, Dark Helmet, don’t go confusing Boris with inconvenient facts. He lives in a world where slogans and mantras rule. You know, a world where if you say “… every scientific body that studies the Earth agrees that global warming is human caused” over and over again, it will somehow become the truth.

Apr 28, 2008 - 12:41 pm John the Libertarian:

Boris wrote: when every scientific body that studies the Earth agrees that global warming is human caused.

Bwahahaha. Out to lunch. Ja voll, mein fuhrer, ve shall lockstep.

Open your eyes, you’ve been taken in by another apocalypse cult, they’ve been seducing the uninformed for thousands of years. I’ve got more sober articles that counters the human-caused argument than you can shake a stick at.

Go ManBearPig!

Apr 28, 2008 - 1:24 pm gcblues:

hold it, this ain’t right? Al Gore is a REAL future seeing superman. like for real man. mortal men cannot predict the weather next week, he like sees far into the future man. he has the Nobel Piece o dung prize to prove it too@!! all bow to Al Gore the scam master.

Apr 28, 2008 - 1:38 pm Bobnormal:

Muhamed IS featured in all his(sic)glory,in the Blaintology episode,as one of the SuperBestFriends he has the power of Fire!
Marklar

Apr 28, 2008 - 1:39 pm Anon E. Mouse:

RettenTilSelvforsvar: “The South Park team are among a very few group of people who are not afraid of making comedy where it actually might cost something.”

Hmmm, I love the South Park kiddos, but they dropped the ball when it came to poking at the Muslim community. They felt, obviously, that Muslims might cost them something.

Apr 28, 2008 - 1:51 pm Carlo:

ManBearPig IS real!

Apr 28, 2008 - 2:06 pm Steve:

Anon Mouse — have you even watched the show?

Apr 28, 2008 - 2:31 pm John the Libertarian:

Anon E. Mouse said: Hmmm, I love the South Park kiddos, but they dropped the ball when it came to poking at the Muslim community. They felt, obviously, that Muslims might cost them something.

Huh?! Are we watching the same show? They totally skewered Islam in the Osama bin Laden send-up, and again in the two-parter about the Mohammed cartoons (which Comedy Central balked on). Then, of course, the masterful ripping they did of jihadists in Team America…

Apr 28, 2008 - 2:39 pm Dark Helmet:

Don’t forget the Super Friends episode, it included mohamed, Sea Man too.

Apr 28, 2008 - 4:18 pm yagmurunsesi:

Thanks

http://www.renovationdoctors.com

Apr 29, 2008 - 1:01 am Boris:

Dark Helmet,

Um, I live in Tennessee, and I have no idea what you mean by “moderate weather.” The winters are cold–not NE US cold, but this ain’t Florida. And have you ever been to TN in the summer? Last year, we had 11 days above 100 in August. The fact is, Tennesseans use double the average energy. Look it up.

Steve,

“You know, a world where if you say “… every scientific body that studies the Earth agrees that global warming is human caused” over and over again, it will somehow become the truth.”

Well, what do you know? It did become the truth! (Follow the links to the position statements):

http://illconsidered.blogspot.com/2006/02/there-is-no-consensus.html

So, now you and John the libertarian will apologize to me, right? hello? HELLO?

Apr 29, 2008 - 6:18 am John the Libertarian:

Boris,

Yawn. Yet another website, yet another claim to consensus. I’m telling you to open your eyes. Just for the sake of fun, pretend you’ve been bamboozled, then do a search on global warming skeptics. Actually read their studies.

See, this is what journalists are supposed to do. And good debaters. Take the other side.

Apr 29, 2008 - 8:31 am Boris:

John,

The fact that you think groups like the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society are part of some sort of conspiracy puts you in the company of 911 truthers as far as logic goes. Good luck with that.

Of course, if you can find a scientific organization that opposes the consensus position, then feel free to do so. Until then, you are spouting unsupported BS.

Apr 29, 2008 - 11:34 am John F Not Kerry:

Step One: Get Moose and Squirrel

Step Three: Make profit

Boris, what’s Step Two?

Apr 29, 2008 - 11:58 am John F Not Kerry:

When I get to see it (I don’t have cable or satellite), I love South Park. I am an evangelical Christian who is conservative on everything, and I can certainly take the ribbing they dish out (Faith+1). I also have a son with autism, yet Timmy is my favorite character, just ahead of Butters.

Chill out Boris (no pun intended).

Apr 29, 2008 - 12:02 pm Ratatosk, Squirrel of Discord:

I think, based on my personal research and reading of many, many reports, statements etc about Global Warming that it basically appears to come down to this:

Most, but not all scientists researching this issue have seen enough data to be convinced that SOMETHING IS HAPPENING. Most, but not all of those people have decided that it is either entirely or mostly anthropogenic (caused by us).

Some, but not all scientists that disagree with the above, have been hired by Oil companies. Some others, have actual problems with the methodologies and conclusions of the people that believe in anthropogenic causes.

So, most scientists seem to agree that something is going on, many scientists think it is caused bu humans. Some scientists question the testing and conclusions, some other scientists CLAIM that there is nothing going on and those scientists, in general, tend to work for corporations that are heavily invested in fossil fuels.

In short, we have irresponsible activity going on at both fronts… and lots of random people that simply choose whichever view best aligns with their favorite political hack (yes, I’m looking at many of you). Anyone who thinks that there are a lot of legitimate arguments against anything going on are idiots. Anyone who thinks that its crystal clear that humans are responsible are also idiots.

Anyone who thinks this is a conspiracy by the Democrats, Al Gore, Hippies, Green peas etc… well, they’re victims of paranoia.

That’s the short of it… if you don’t like being called an idiot or paranoid, then stop acting that way.

Apr 29, 2008 - 12:22 pm John:

What I got out of Ratatosk, Squirrel of Discord’s post:

blablabla

Green peas

blablabla

Apr 29, 2008 - 12:49 pm Dark Helmet:

Borris,

TN is a moderate state. Florida is not. You had 1 stretch that was way above AVERAGE last summer. You had an extreamly moderate winter this year, like most, and the number of days below freezing are few and very far inbetween. Regardless, al gore is a hypocrite who got caught with his pants down when it came to his own home. You do not use double the average utility nor do you live in a state that has ever had to be accountable to the people. Your govenors bunker for example. Thanks for playing

Apr 29, 2008 - 4:01 pm Boris:

Dark,

Do you actually think you know more about the weather in TN than someone who lives here? Give it up.

Apr 29, 2008 - 5:51 pm Dark Helmet:

I think you’re just as full of hot air as your buddy al. Get a clue.

Apr 29, 2008 - 7:28 pm Steve:

Wow, Boris… you have me… illconsidered.blogspot.com… obvious, a bastion of scientific truth. I love their first analysis… “If they say there is no consensus, just say “Is to! Is to!”".

It’s funny how, when there are no facts to support the case, they fall to “consensus”. Science doesn’t need consensus… people with a world view need concensus. Science is supposed to be about facts.

Take John’s advice… it’s very good… do some research. Pretend for 10 minutes that you don’t know it all, and that maybe… just maybe… you might want to look at the other side. I don’t think you will… it’s too painful when your world view is being challenged… but try.

Apr 29, 2008 - 8:04 pm Boris:

Steve,

If you would click on the links you would see the position statements of the various scientific bodies. I know that’s a difficult process.

Of course, you could just link to one scientific body that has issued a statement that questions global warming. Just one and you would be correct. Since you can’t and you can’t be bothered to actually look at the evidence, you are still spewing unsupported BS.

And yes, I have read the skeptical arguments. They are misleading junk, not that you would have the knowledge to examine them critically. Careful what you swallow.

Apr 30, 2008 - 10:21 am Tropic of Saturn:

South Park Rocks. Kudos for the Man Bear Pig Episodes. Also Kudos for the Family Guy/Islam/Dutch Cartoonist episodes those were great. And one more Kudo for Something Wal-Mart this way comes.

Apr 30, 2008 - 10:13 pm Don Jaksa:

Screw you guys, Im going home

May 5, 2008 - 3:27 pm