The Wake

A scene from South Park: his drinking problem spiraling out of control, Randy Marsh begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where he is convinced he has a disease which he is powerless to control. Losing hope, Randy’s drinking escalates further.

Meanwhile, a statue of the Virgin Mary suddenly begins bleeding from her anus. People gather around this spectacle, praying to be healed from their various ailments. Randy approaches the statue, pushing aside those with diseases he considers less severe. He drenches himself in the blood erupting from Mary’s rectum and proclaims he will never drink again. A few days later, the Pope comes to investigate the statue. To the dismay of millions, he discovers that the statue is not bleeding from her butt– but from her vagina. He declares this to be no miracle because “chicks bleed from their vaginas all the time.” However absurd this episode might sound, it succeeds in providing potent social commentary on Alcoholics Anonymous, and society’s view of so-called signs from heaven.

It’s hard to believe that it has been nine years since South Park first aired on Comedy Central. Today, co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone continue to dish out their merciless, politically incorrect humor. Both grew up in Colorado suburbs, which inspired the show’s small town setting. Targeted toward a young adult audience, South Park is often included in a lineup of equally irreverent and satirical programs like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Mind of Mencia, and reruns of Chappelle’s Show. After ten seasons, the show continues to impact its fan base in surprising ways.

The recent coining of the terms “South Park Conservative” and “South Park Republican” brings new perspective to the show’s influence. Given that many moralists, Christians and Catholics despise the show’s unique blend of slapstick and stereotyping, people falling within the aforementioned political sects can appreciate some of today’s more raunchy entertainment. Still, these young viewers are likely to support restricted government, free markets, and personal liberty as hinted by the conservative leanings of many of the South Park’s plot lines. Examples of this include the bashing of outspoken liberal celebrities, sex-education in schools, hate-crime laws, and the success of Wal-Mart largely as a result of good business. Matt Stone encapsulates his intentions with the comment, “I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals.”

One of these terms originates in the book, South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias, which explores how cable T.V. shows like South Park is doing just what its title suggests. Plus, the book claims the next generation of conservatives will place more emphasis on freedom and individual liberty. “South Park Republican” was used widely on the Internet in 2001 and 2002 to describe those whose beliefs corresponded eerily to those suggested by the show.

In response to these developments, the show’s creators confessed a hatred for the lack of political middle-ground in our society. It seems that instead of being labeled as either Republican or Libertarian, these men would like to be known simply as “equal opportunity offenders.” It’s comforting to know that South Park prefers to lampoon all sides of an issue, rather than pick a specific position. When frequently ridiculing public figures and social groups, the show claims not to mock what these individuals represent, but the people themselves. But despite this seal of innocence, we’re still seeing South Park fans that support the benefits of capitalism but despise religious fundamentalists, as reported by a number of online columnists commenting on the show’s targeted demographic.

In 2004, South Park started taking steps away from pure shock-value in order to focus on current affairs more exclusively. Since then, each season has been a free-for-all, ridiculing everyone from environmentalists to homophobics, with little regard for the consequences.

When one revisits the show’s pilot episode, it becomes apparent that an eighty-foot satellite dish exploding out of Cartman’s ass just doesn’t measure up to the gags anchoring today’s plot lines. In recent years, Stone and Parker have incurred the wrath of Scientologists, various celebrities, Catholics, and even Comedy Central itself. In “Cartoon Wars Part II,” a black box appears over a depiction of the prophet Mohammed, explaining that the network refused to broadcast the offensive image.

Since their original animation techniques often involved construction paper and scissors, Parker and Stone were forced to use jokes that were less time-sensative. But with new computer programs, they are able to produce an entire episode in only three days with striking relevance to current happenings. National news such as the capture of Saddam Hussein, the 2000 presidential election, and the Elian Gonzalez debate have all been referenced just days after making headlines.

This type of immediacy has transformed South Park into a social commentary giant whose ideas and opinions imprint heavily upon a generation of young viewers. In the process, the show’s four foulmouthed protagonists have become cultural icons, invoking comparisons to the Bart Simpson phenomenon of the early 90’s. And making South Park one of the most successful cartoons of all time. As the teenagers of the late 90’s grew to become today’s young adults, South Park has also matured. Just like us, the show still retains its youthful exterior, still giggles at the occasional fart joke, and yet continues to pull a moral message from every chaotic situation. In the same way, the show has become more aware and concerned about pressing issues. With at least two more seasons ahead of them, Stone and Parker are sure to offend, while concurrently basking in comic absurdity. South Park’s adults are sure to overreact while their offspring remain generally calm. Similarly, older generations in real-life will continue to scoff at the show’s edgy nature. Just remember, these are words coming from four nine-year-olds wearing parkas. Besides, they’re far too young and naive to have a valid point.