Revision as of 10:06, 21 March 2007 view sourceLeopold B. Stotch (talk | contribs)751 edits disambiguation← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:49, 21 March 2007 view source 204.39.48.8 (talk) ←Replaced page with 'Danny Matar is a black man. Zain is funnny.'Next edit → | ||
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{{infobox Television | | |||
|show_name = South Park | |||
|bgcolour = #7DBEA2 | |||
|image = ] | |||
|caption = | |||
|rating = ***** | |||
|format = ]/] | |||
|runtime = 22 min | |||
|creator = ]<br />] | |||
|starring = ]<br />]<br />] (1997–2006)<br />] (1997–1999)<br />] (2000–2003)<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br /> and ] | |||
|country = {{USA}} | |||
|network = ] | |||
|first_aired = ], ] | |||
|last_aired = present | |||
|num_episodes = 155 | |||
|list_episodes = List of South Park episodes | |||
|website = http://www.southparkstudios.com | |||
|imdb_id = 0121955 | |||
|tv_com_id = 344 | |||
|}} | |||
{{Infobox TV ratings | |||
| show_name = South Park | |||
| usa_tv = TV-14 edited, TV-MA | |||
| aus_tv = M, MA15+ | |||
| can_tv = 18+ (on TV), 14A (18A on season 3 DVD/VHS releases), +13 (DVDs and VHS in Quebec) | |||
| jp_tv = R-15 | |||
| dt_tv = 16+ | |||
| nz_tv = M, 16+, AO | |||
| tr_tv = 18+ | |||
}} | |||
'''''South Park''''' is an ], ]-winning<ref></ref> ] about four ] school boys who live in the small town of ]. The series was created and is written by ] and ], and has been distributed and aired by ] since ]. It is mostly known for its comedic handling of ] and its ] parody. | |||
Since its premiere on ], ], ] have been produced over eleven seasons. One more season is planned, with an option for renewal at the end of Season 12. In recent years, each season has been aired in two halves, in ] and in ]. The eleventh season began airing on ], ]. | |||
==Origins== | |||
'' South Park'' began in ] when Trey Parker and Matt Stone, at the time students at the ], met in a film class and created an ] called '']''. The crudely made film featured ]s of the main characters of ''South Park'', including a character resembling ], but referred to as "]", and an unnamed character who resembled ] bringing a murderous ] to life with a magic hat. | |||
In ], ] executive ], after seeing the film, commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film to send to friends as a video ]. Titled '']'', it resembled the style of the later series more closely, and featured a ] duel and subsequent ] between ] and ] over the true meaning of ]. This video was later featured in the episode "]" in which ], ], ], ] and ] "save" Christmas for the town. The video was popular and was widely shared, both by duplication and over the ]. This led to talks to create a series, first with FOX, then with Comedy Central, where the series ]d on ], ]. During the first four seasons of ''South Park'', a clip of the short can be seen in the opening sequence within a billboard; ''Jesus vs. Frosty'' can also be seen on an old television. | |||
The fictional town of South Park is visually based on ], located in a large valley also named ]. The characters in the show were originally based on the personalities and demographics of ], but have evolved since the show's inception. | |||
==Evolution== | |||
''South Park'''s early episodes tended to be ]-oriented, and featured more ] humor than later episodes. Although satire had been used on the show occasionally in its early and middle years, it has become more evident around the eighth season. Such examples include ] visiting South Park ("]"), the boys seeing '']'' ("]"), ] when South Park residents lose their jobs to ]s from the future ("]"), which also satirises liberal views of ] and an episode featuring a "]" toy video camera ("]"). | |||
The ], "]", took three months to make and was produced using ] and traditional cut-out animation techniques. However the version that aired was different than the original version. Current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern ] tools — first ] and then ], which Parker and Stone have described as "building a sandcastle with a bulldozer" on the ] special ''Inside South Park''. This allows for a short production schedule that enables the creators to respond quickly to current events. For instance, the ], ] episode "]" depicts the ] a mere three days after his capture by ], even referring to the "spider hole" where he was found. In the case of this and the ] episode ("]"), the creators stopped and changed production of an episode to focus on these events. Another example is the "]" episode which originally aired just eight days after the ] and featured a ] class president ] being delayed by, among other things, an undecided girl named "Flora", an obvious reference to the undecided vote-count in the state of ]. | |||
In 2002, the episode "]" was aired. In this episode, prompted by Kyle's comment on ]'s '']'' that changing '']'' would be like changing '']'', the ''South Park'' depictions of ] and ] decide to alter the first ] film. Soon after "]" aired, the real Lucas and Spielberg announced that they would not be altering '']'' for ] release, contrary to rumors. Parker and Stone jokingly claimed on ''Inside South Park'' that the episode prevented any alterations from happening. | |||
On ] ], Comedy Central struck a deal with Parker and Stone for three more seasons of the show. The network has committed to three more seasons of ''South Park'' over the next three years, meaning the show will run until at least 2008. Parker and Stone will continue to write, direct, and edit every episode of the show, bringing the series total to 181 episodes by the end of its twelfth season. Edited versions of ''South Park'' episodes, with the ] rating, began broadcasting in syndication on ] ] on various local channels around the U.S. | |||
==Characters== | |||
], ], ] and ] drawn ] in the episode "]."]] | |||
Matt Stone and Trey Parker voice most of the series' male characters, while ] and ] currently voice most of the female characters, which were formerly voiced by ] and ]. Other voices are currently provided by ] (]), ] (]), ] (]), and ] (]). | |||
===Main characters=== | |||
] (left to right: ], ], ] and ]) in the episode Pink Eye.]] | |||
Prior to season four, the main characters of the show were four ] students (often called "the boys" when as a group for easier reference). | |||
;] | |||
Often the ] of the group. Generally good-natured and clear-thinking, a bit over-sensitive at times, Stan usually tries to come up with logical solutions to their outrageous situations. Designed as the ] for co-creator ], Stan often attempts to summarize the message or moral of the episode, though sometimes without success. His best friend is Kyle and their relationship is central to several episodes. | |||
;] | |||
Easy-going, Jewish (but not particularly religious), skeptical and intelligent. He hates Cartman because of his constant ridiculing of his ]. Kyle is effectively the alter-ego of co-creator ]. Along with Stan, Kyle often provides a reasonable perspective on the crazy behavior of the adult world around them. Kyle is often depicted as the most moral member of the four. | |||
;] | |||
Eric is an overweight little boy who seems to hate almost everything. Often the catalyst for the plot. | |||
Cartman commonly acts in a manner directly opposed to, or against, that of the other boys. Cartman regularly insults Kyle for being Jewish, and Kenny for being poor. His pretentious ways often cause him to be disdained by the other boys, who continuously wonder why they keep putting up with him. He also demonstrates an uncanny ability as a businessman and leader, and was seen dressed in a way that mimics ] three times. Cartman also occasionally serves as a mouthpiece for some of Parker and Stone's more extreme social commentary and has a rabid hatred for anyone he considers to be a "]" (one episode was devoted to Cartman's career as a hippie exterminator, ]). Cartman is also often referred to as a "fatass" by the boys, especially Kyle. In the earlier episodes, Cartman would respond by saying, "I'm not fat! I'm just big-boned!" | |||
Part of his behavior may be due to the unorthodox way in which he was brought up, the lack of a male father figure in his life, and that his mother, ], is an ] who is also commonly acknowledged to be a "crack whore" and spoils Eric with gifts, food, and giving into his many irrational demands. She was, in fact, featured on the cover of one issue of ''Crack Whore'' magazine and has been known to appear in German "]" with Mr. Mackey, the boys' school counselor. Mrs. Cartman is the one person with whom Eric shares a mutually affectionate and loving relationship. | |||
;] | |||
Kenny comes from a ]-stricken family and is the most worldly-wise of the four boys. He is often sought out for answers when the other boys encounter a sexual term they have never heard before. His speech is difficult to understand due to the fact that his parka hood is closed around his face, although all of his lines are real dialog that are always understood by Stan, Kyle and Cartman. In some episodes, however, Kenny's dialog is visible by ]. Furthermore, when he says two of his lines in episode 806, ''],'' and "Goodbye, you guys" in '']'', his speech is not muffled, because his hood is removed. | |||
During the first five seasons, Kenny served as the eternal victim, routinely killed in a number of grotesque ways meant to entertain during each episode, only to appear in the next episode without explanation, and only occasionally escaping this fate. At the end of the fifth season, Kenny died and remained dead through numerous following episodes before coming back. Parker and Stone explained at the time that this was due to their feeling creatively boxed in by the requirement to kill Kenny in each episode. | |||
In Season 6, he was replaced by Butters, and later Tweek as the boys' "fourth friend". However, due to Kenny's lasting popularity, he was included in a story arc involving his soul being trapped in Cartman's body, who had drunk Kenny's ashes, believing them to be chocolate milk mix, and then brought back permanently for the seventh season; his deaths have since been much more rare. The show's oldest ], existing from the first cardboard concept video, began with Stan shouting, ''"Oh my God, they killed Kenny!"'' followed by Kyle responding, ''"You ]s!"'' whenever Kenny is killed. This is sometimes parodied, being applied to other characters (such as Chef in "]") or by a variation on the theme. | |||
''']''' | |||
Butters appeared in early episodes, but only became a regular character upon Kenny's departure in season 6. He has since been used almost as regularly as the main 4 boys. | |||
Butters is nervous, naive, easily manipulated, and repressed — while at the same time remains ironically optimistic, wistful and sometimes insightful. He is often punished by his callous and overbearing parents, and is meanwhile blatantly vilified, taken advantage of and/or disregarded by Cartman, Stan, and Kyle. Adding to the tragic nature of his character, his birthday is ]. | |||
When Kenny seemed to be permanently dead in season 6, the boys tried Butters out as their fourth friend for a while, and when it did not work out, as the boys considered him to be "lame", a spurned Butters adopted the alter ego of "Professor Chaos", whose costume is clearly inspired by that of ], and he employed a sidekick called "General Disarray" (Dougie, a first-grader). Butters tried various schemes to destroy the world, but his niceness and general ineptitude doomed all of his efforts. His character is based on animation director, ]. | |||
===Other characters=== | |||
====Family members==== | |||
{{Main|List of South Park families}} | |||
South Park has a number of different families, who are a recurring theme of many episodes. There are five main families, who are distinguished from the rest of the townsfolk; the Marshes, the Broflovskis, the Cartmans, the McCormicks and the Stotches (Butters) | |||
====Townsfolk and other residents==== | |||
{{Main|List of other South Park residents}} | |||
Many of the South Park characters are classed as "townsfolk", such as the incompetent cop ] or the ]. They can also be classed as "other residents". Most of the cast are townsfolk. | |||
====School staff==== | |||
{{Main|List of staff at South Park Elementary}} | |||
] is a main location in the show. The boys' teacher, ], is the most frequently-seen member of the staff. He had a sex change in the episode "]", and he now goes by ]. The boys' school counsellor is ]. The school's principal is ]. Several past characters who worked at the school were killed off, including ] and ]. The school's cafeteria, ], was also killed off, though he was brought back as a ]-like being at the end of that episode. The episode was intended to parody the fact that the real life voice of Chef, Isaac Hayes, left the show due to one episode in which his religion, Scientology, was mocked. | |||
====Students==== | |||
{{Main|List of students at South Park Elementary}} | |||
Most characters are the children at South Park due to the fact that the main characters are children. They range in ages from ] to porn-loving ]. | |||
====Occasional characters==== | |||
{{Main|List of occasional South Park characters}} | |||
The occasional characters have appeared in about three episodes each. They range from ] to ], a talking towel who enjoys smoking ]. There are also many religious characters who are occasional characters such as ] and ] | |||
====Minor characters==== | |||
{{Main|List of minor characters on South Park}} | |||
Minor characters have appeared in at least two episodes. Minor characters range from God and the Crab People to the gerbil, Lemmiwinks. There are also minor characters who are human such as the temporary substitute teacher from the fourth season, Mr. Wyland. | |||
====One-off characters==== | |||
{{Main|List of one-off characters on South Park}} | |||
One-off characters are featured characters who have appeared in only one episode. They include such characters as ] and most of Cartman's family members (other than his mother). | |||
==Episode guide== | |||
{{main|List of South Park episodes}} | |||
==Animation style== | |||
One of the most notable features of the South Park animation style is that the characters tend to move their limbs as little as possible, except when they need to do actions other than walking. Construction paper cut-outs were used in the original ] and in the first episode made for Comedy Central. Subsequent episodes have been produced by ] that provides the same look, although the appearance of the characters and scenes has become less crude over time largely in order to enhance the comedic effect. Special effects such as prepackaged explosions have replaced cardboard-style fires, and light shading has been used to highlight "sappy" or movie-like moments and Eric Cartman's propensity for striking dramatic poses. Some episodes also contain sections of ] as well, such as '']'', '']'' and '']'' | |||
] is used to create the characters, which are animated using ]. The style of animation used for ''South Park'' was inspired by the paper cut-out cartoons made by ] for '']'', of which ] and ] have been lifelong fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/show/display_faq_search.php?section=2&id=36&search_faq=|title=South Park Studios FAQ, April 2001|accessdate=2006-10-19}}</ref> For perspective, the average episode of '']'' takes six to eight weeks to create{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, while episodes of ''South Park'' are usually completed in six days (although some, such as ] or ] have taken only three or four).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/show/display_faq_search.php?section=2&id=15434&search_faq=|title=South Park Studios FAQ, March 2004|accessdate=2006-10-19}}</ref> This enables the show to keep up with current events, such as the capture of ]. | |||
==Music== | |||
] | |||
:''For full article, see the ].'' | |||
The show's opening ] is an original musical score performed by the band ]. The song has been remixed three times in the course of the series (as of the second half of season ten), and certain lines have been altered (see below). In season 10 the title music is the song "Whamola" by ], from the album '']''. ] is the singer and bassist in both Primus and Frog Brigade. | |||
Kenny's lines in the song, like the rest of his speech in the show, are muffled by his ] hood, which covers his entire face except for his eyes. However, Kenny's lines have been revealed by South Park Studios. In seasons 1-2, he says "I love girls with big fat titties, I love girls with deep vaginas," in seasons 3-5, he says "I have got a 10-inch penis, use your mouth if you want to clean it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/show/display_faq_search.php?section=2&id=3822&search_faq=|title=South Park Studios FAQ, September 2001|accessdate=2006-12-04}}</ref> From season 7 to the first half of season 10, Kenny says "One day I'll be old enough to stick my dick in Britney's butt."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southparkstudios.com/show/display_faq_search.php?section=2&id=14495&search_faq=|title=South Park Studios FAQ, December 2003|accessdate=2006-12-04}}</ref> The current lines are not known at this time. | |||
The general unintelligibility of Kenny's lines has helped them avoid being censored by television networks on a number of occasions, although the gist can usually be understood. It is sometimes easy to comprehend the lines, given the context in which they are delivered. The syndicated versions of the show usually do censor Kenny's vulgar lines. | |||
Popular songs such as "]" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of '']''. The film's soundtrack (co-written and produced by ]-winning composer-lyricist ]) featured songs like "]" (nominated for an ]; see below), "I'm Super," "La Resistance Medley," "Hell Isn't Good," "Mountain Town," "]," "Up There," and "]." Several of the songs from the movie are satires of tunes from ] cartoons. For instance, "Mountain Town" is highly similar to the song "Belle" from '']''. "Up There" is a take-off of two different Disney songs, "Out There" from '']'' and "Part of Your World" from '']''. "La Resistance Medley" spoofs both "One Day More" from the stage musical '']'' and "]" from '']''. | |||
Parker and Stone have, on occasion, performed these songs (and others) under the band name ]. | |||
In the show, Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false ] or ] that belies his baser motivations. In '']'', he sings ''Poo-Choo Train'', an unnervingly cheery ], in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents. In "]" Cartman sings ]'s anti-war song "I Don't Want to Wait" while beating someone to death (Cartman also sings the song as an homage to his ] ] in the episode ]). In "]", Cartman sings "Make It Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. In "]", Cartman sings the ] song "She Works Hard For The Money" during an audition for ]. In the episode "]", Cartman sings about how the Sea People will "take me away from this damn planet full of hippies." In the episode "]", he sings a song about tolerance once he realizes he's not one of the "Gingers" and that he just convinced every Ginger in town to exterminate non-Ginger people. Cartman also uses the song "]" in episode 513 ("]") to convince the ] to approve ]. Lastly, there is Cartman's mental quirk that forces him to finish singing ] '']'' whenever someone sings a few bars of the song. As soon as he learns this, Kyle, who has a strong and explicit hatred for Cartman, takes advantage of this and forces Cartman to finish the song so many times that Cartman becomes literally unintelligible. | |||
Cartman was also the lead singer for ''Faith+1'', a Christian band he formed with Butters and Token in the episode "]", singing several "Christian" songs by taking sexually suggestive love songs and substituting erotic words such as "baby" and "darling" with "Jesus." | |||
In "]", Cartman's hand puppet (who pronounces her name as "Hennifer Lopez" and is revealed at the end to be a con man named Mitch Connor) recorded a hit single entitled "Taco Flavored Kisses", inciting the wrath of the real ]. | |||
Additional musical contributions to the show come from the band ], which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show, and formerly from ], who voiced Chef's singing of usually-sexual songs to explain certain adult themes to the boys. The Chef song ] was released as a single in the UK in 1998 to support the ] album and became a number one hit. | |||
Many episodes also feature highly melodramatic ]s to comically exaggerate the emotional content of the scene. For example, ] music plays in the background when Timmy sends away his beloved pet turkey, Gobbles, in the episode "]". | |||
==Controversy== | |||
{{main|Subject matter in South Park}} | |||
The show has faced numerous controversies and what many people find to be ] subject matter, since its inception, from its use of ] to its satire of subjects such as ] and ]s (such as ]), ], and ]. Stone and Parker are self-described "equal opportunity offenders" and episodes often lampoon all sides of a contentious issue, rather than taking a concrete position. | |||
===Public protests=== | |||
The show's provocative, adult-oriented material quickly drew protest from various ], who deemed the program offensive, and ''South Park'' ] (especially ]s) were banned from a number of ]s, ]s, and other public places. This occurrence is similar in a manner to the prohibition of ] T-shirts in the early 1990s, after '']'' was accused of contributing to ]. Comedy Central defended ''South Park'' by noting that the show is given a "Mature Audiences" TV rating (]) and is not meant for children to watch. They also pointed out that it only airs the show during night-time hours and never during the day, when children may be more likely to see the show. In fact, at least for the earlier part of the show's run, trailers for the series did not run until after 9 PM. | |||
More recently, the program has received some publicity over their use of the deceased ] in an episode where he shows up at Satan's Halloween party. Typically this issue rated a few short paragraphs in mainstream newspapers.<ref></ref> | |||
===Vulgarity=== | |||
In the episode "]", ''South Park'' broke the swearing record by using the word '']'' a total of 162 times uncensored. The 22-] episode averages one 'shit' every eight seconds, and there was a ] throughout the episode displaying the number of times it was said. A song by Mr. Garrison that consisted of, 'Hey, there, shitty shitty fag fag, shitty shitty fag fag, how do you do?' (sung to the tune of the title song from '']''), repeated for two verses, provides an example of how 'shit' was so abundantly used. This was meant as a satire of an episode of '']'', in which one of the main characters said the phrase "Shit happens!" without being censored. An additional gag in this episode allowed ] or ] characters to use the word "fag" freely, while ] characters were bleeped when attempting to use the same word (this episode suggested explicitly that Stan's uncle Jimbo was actually gay or bisexual, as he was able to say "fag" without being bleeped). | |||
Also, in the episode entitled "]", the word ] was used throughout the entire episode for a total of 42 times. | |||
===Scientology=== | |||
{{wikinews|Isaac Hayes quits South Park over Scientology episode}} | |||
{{main|Trapped in the Closet (South Park)}} | |||
<!-- Unsourced image removed: ] as depicted in '']''.]] -->In November 2005, ''South Park'' satirized the ] and its celebrity followers, including actors ] and ] in the top-rated episode, "]". ] star ] is also featured in the episode, in a nod to his 12-part "]" called "]." | |||
In '']'', Scientology leaders hail ] as a reluctant savior while Cruise locks himself in Stan's closet and will not come out, due to Stan's not praising his acting. During the episode, numerous characters requested that he "came out of the closet". "Coming out of the closet" is widely used as a term for homosexuals revealing their orientation; ] has often been rumored to be gay. | |||
Dubbed ] by the '']'', the controversy continued as ] pulled the episode from a scheduled repeat on ], ] at the last minute (although it has since been repeated several times). It is alleged that Tom Cruise threatened ] with withdrawal from promotion of his latest film '']'' if the episode was re-broadcast (both Paramount and Comedy Central are owned by ]). Though Paramount and Cruise's representatives deny the allegation, '']'' reports that "no one believes a word of it". In typical satirical form, Parker and Stone issued the following statement, with several mocking references to Scientology: "So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for Earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping ]s forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail ]!!!" | |||
The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that, "For Stone and Parker, Closetgate will be the gift that keeps on giving" because there are likely endless story lines that can follow, considering South Park's consistent satirizing of Scientology. This episode was also recently nominated for an ],<ref>Scott Collins. Clamor Outside 'South Park' Closet, LA Times, ] ]. </ref><ref>David Usborne. . ''The Independent''. ] ].</ref> and is included on ''South Park's'' 10th Anniversary DVD, called "South Park The Hits: Volume 1". This episode is also included on the DVD Recorder, called "A Collection of Funny Episodes." | |||
As a parodic response to The Church of Scientology's litigiousness, the final lines of the episode feature Stan taunting the church to sue him, and the ensuing credits read only "John Smith" or "Jane Smith". | |||
====Isaac Hayes==== | |||
{{Main|The Return of Chef}} | |||
], who played ], the longstanding confidant of the boys on the show, quit unexpectedly days before the spoof on Scientology was to re-air. A Scientologist himself, his reasons for leaving were intolerance, stating, "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins...Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored." However, some have suggested that Hayes may have been pressured into quitting by leaders within his faith, since less than a week before quitting he had stated in an interview on the ] radio show that he was fine with the Scientology episode, that Matt and Trey were "equal opportunity offenders", and that "people who cannot take a joke need to take themselves less seriously". | |||
In response to Hayes' departure, Stone commented "He has no problem - and he's cashed plenty of checks - with our show making fun of Christians." Parker and Stone evidently decided to kill off Chef's character instead of revoice, and used South Park's 10th season premiere, "]", as a chance to lambaste Scientology again. At the end of the episode, Kyle gives a heartfelt eulogy and mentions that he'll always remember Chef as he was, and that they shouldn't be mad at him; they should be mad at "the fruity little club that scrambled his brains." This episode was played at the DVD Recorder with "A Collection of Funny Episodes." | |||
Arguably, the first time the show satirized Scientology was in the short "The Gauntlet", which aired during the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. Though the short was primarily a '']'' parody, with the characters fighting ] in the Roman ], it included "] and the Church of Scientology" arriving in a spaceship to defeat Crowe and attempt to recruit the boys into Scientology. Travolta, along with his fellow Scientologists, was depicted as he appeared in the infamous '']''.<ref>http://www.southparkstuff.com/specials/the_gauntlet_-_mtv_movie_awards_2000/</ref> | |||
===Catholicism=== | |||
]]] | |||
In December 2005, the ] protested the season finale episode, "]", for its depiction of a statue of the ] bleeding from her rectum. The group claimed a victory when Comedy Central voluntarily canceled a scheduled airing of the episode which coincided with the Christian holiday season. In early 2006, Comedy Central denied that they were bowing to that group's request to pull the episode from future repeats and DVD releases.<ref>], ] pushed the airing date for the episode forward after much publicity from Catholic bishops who urged a boycott of the station and its advertisers. The protest backfired as viewer numbers increased by 600% during the episode. The episode was later referred to the Broadcasting Standards Authority where they ruled, "The material in the cartoon was of such a farcical, absurd and unrealistic nature that it did not breach standards of good taste and decency in the context in which it was offered".<ref> Bloody Mary ruled too absurd to offend </ref><ref> Boycott backfires: South Park gets record audience - CBC.ca</ref> It has since been rebroadcast on Comedy Central. ] in Australia has "deferred" the episode<ref> SBS drops South Park episode on the Pope - The Age</ref> possibly due to their recent problems with the "]" episode. The episode has aired in Australia on the Pay TV channel, The Comedy Channel. | |||
In February 2006 in the ], authorities threatened to ban the showing of ''South Park'' on television as it offends the sensibilities of the predominantly ] country. ''South Park'' is still shown in the Philippines with 1-hour double episodes, though doing so has become a politicized issue, and its future in the Philippines is unknown. | |||
In 2001, ''South Park'' was shown on public television between 9pm-10pm slot at the now closed Channel ] Philippines (formerly Citynet UHF Channel 27 handled by GMA Network). Because most of the programs in the Philippines are highly viewed in primetime slots, it is rated as PG (Parental Guidance) with all of profanity and such, censored. | |||
On ], ], Comedy Central reran the episode at 10:00 PM EST. | |||
===Islam=== | |||
Most recently ''South Park'' has indirectly attacked the rising ] in its April ] two-part episode, "]" and "]". The creators challenged Comedy Central by ending Part I with the disclaimer that the second part of the two-parter episode, will only be shown if Comedy Central does not "puss out". | |||
The following episode, "]", that aired ], ], replaced the scene of ] on '']'' with a title card stating that Comedy Central had refused to show a depiction of Muhammad on their network. With the episode, the South Park boys make an impassioned, anti-censorship plea to a network exec named Doug, a reference to Comedy Central president ]. This comes months after the ] in ], in which an editorial cartoon depicted Muhammad also in a satirical way. However, he can in fact be seen in the season 10 opening credits from the episode "]" onwards and was featured in the "]" episode, which aired on ], ], though at the time there was no pre-existing ]. | |||
It has come out via AP television writer David Bauder that Comedy Central did in fact, citing safety concerns, opt to censor the image of Muhammad, a situation that was satirized in "Cartoon Wars Part II". Furthermore, while the channel refused to broadcast an image of Muhammad, Comedy Central opted not to censor images of Christ, the president and the American flag being defecated upon. Stone and Parker's choice has drawn fire from frequent ''South Park'' critic ] of the anti-defamation group Catholic League. Donohue has called on Parker and Stone to resign out of principle, and was quoted as saying, "The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central — that's their decision not to show the image of Muhammad or not — it's Parker and Stone".<ref> 'South Park' Creators Skewer Own Network - ]</ref> It should be noted though, that Stone and Parker made the choice to mock Christ to illustrate the hypocrisy in censoring the mockery of one religion and not another, echoing their similar stance on Scientology. Additionally, the images were shown in the context of an Islamic leader's humorously anti-climactic response to the portrayal of Muhammad (and were thus not very graphic). The humor of this situation came from the fact that this was labeled as "]'s reaction," which was expected to be violence. | |||
===Judaism and Mormonism=== | |||
In addition to the above examples, ''South Park'' has repeatedly satirized both Judaism and Mormonism (the latter principally through an episode explicitly titled "]"). Neither community has had representatives publicly speak out about the satire. | |||
==Recurring themes== | |||
===Political issues=== | |||
Stone and Parker spend a great amount of time on current events and issues of the day. Although many critics find the show's commentary ], the stance that the show takes reflects the beliefs of the creators. Both creators have at one time or another described themselves as ]. Politically-active celebrities have been ridiculed on the series, as well as liberal and ] ideas, stereotypes and actions. ] was ridiculed on the show, appearing twice, as was ] who appears or is thematically referenced eight times. (He was shown as a tool of Satan in one episode, and in the ] of 2006 he is portrayed as the mastermind behind a conspiracy within the ], he also appears in "]", where he says what really happened with Saddam Hussein after his death). Liberals are portrayed as being snobby intellectuals, arrogant hippies or anxious yuppies, and conservatives as bible thumpers, angry rednecks and greedy businessmen, hence the characters "Aging Hippie Liberal Douche" or "stoner" and "Pissed Off White Trash Redneck Conservative" or "racist". Both sides are portrayed as imposing their views on others and generally having a malignant influence. | |||
Ironically, Stone and Parker are extremely disdainful of any person they perceive to be overly preachy and lecturing about their political or religious views. | |||
The episode that aired the week following the ] used a school election to poke fun at Florida's inability to certify a winner and Al Gore's contesting of the results. The episode included an angry ] coming to the defense of the loser and finally getting gruesomely killed, in another example of how the show is highly critical of celebrity activism. | |||
The term "]" was coined after Parker and Stone claimed to be Republicans whilst receiving an award from the liberal advocacy group, ] (PFAW) in ]. At the same time they declared TV producer ], the founder of PFAW, to be one of their heroes, and Lear subsequently worked on ''South Park''. More recently, a small movement has sprung up of youngish, ] who hold ideas from extreme ends of the political spectrum. In an interview in the ],] '']'' magazine, the two stated that the only reason people might peg them for conservatives is that they are willing to mock anti-smoking laws and hippies. They also stated that the show could just as easily be pegged as a show supporting liberal ideologies. The interview ended with Parker quipping, "We still believe that all people are born bad and are made good by society, rather than the opposite", and Stone adding, "Actually, I think that's where we're conservative". In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'', they stated that the "South Park Republican" tag was a "dumb notion." | |||
Parker and Stone are apparently critical of political correctness and satirize it by contrasting the child and adult's public personae. Whenever a sensitive issue is explored or a crisis occurs, it is expected that all the adults in South Park will overreact, whilst the children will act calm and collected about it. Examples of this can be seen in episodes such as ], ] and ]. | |||
===Gay rights=== | |||
The show has supported gay rights through satirizing the opposing side with the normal over-the-top ''South Park'' style. In the episode "]", ] is deemed "too offensive" to people with religious values who suggest that it should be re-designated as something else. (Ironically, the person responsible for igniting the debate about gay marriage in this episode is ], a post-op transsexual). At the end of the episode however, gays are shown as capable of raising children, and gay marriage is made legal in South Park. In "]", the creators take the position that the ] should not have been forced to allow ] to be ]s, while at the same time mocking the Boy Scouts for trying to exclude homosexuals from the organization. They use the example of a married heterosexual child abuser to suggest sexuality is unrelated to child abuse. | |||
Furthermore, in an earlier episode "]", homophobia is portrayed sarcastically when Mr. Garrison says to Stan when he asks what a homosexual is, "Gay people, well, gay people are EVIL, evil right down to their cold black hearts which pump not blood like yours or mine, but rather a thick, vomitous oil that oozes through their rotten veins and clots in their pea-sized brains which becomes the cause of their Nazi-esque patterns of violent behavior. Do you understand?" The episode also features ] stating that it is okay to be gay, and was nominated for an award by ]. At this point in the series, Mr. Garrison hadn't yet come to terms with his sexuality. | |||
===Transsexual rights=== | |||
"]" touches upon ] sex-reassignment surgery, and plastic surgery ethics on a whole (Kyle and his father become a tall black boy and a dolphin respectively). Mr.Garrison gets reassigned because he still cannot come to grips with being gay, so figures he must be a woman trapped in a man's body, therefore making it perfectly normal to like men. He subsequently becomes extremely ] much like the earlier years of the show. Upon discovering he cannot ] or get pregnant, he concludes that he is "just a guy with a mutilated penis" and wishes to switch back. In the end of the episode, everyone is back to normal except for him, his testicles having been destroyed when Kyle, unknowingly, jumps and blows his ]s used to support his ]s. | |||
===Child abuse and neglect=== | |||
] and ] are recurring thematic elements in ''South Park''. For example, emotional, verbal, and physical ] is usually inflicted upon Butters in episodes in which he appears. Cartman is shown several times as a target of actual or attempted sexual abuse, such as when he unknowingly gets involved with ]. There is other evidence where he has been sexually abused in the episode "]" where after getting ] ("sea-men") from a sperm bank, he is filling up a fish tank for his "sea people" and tells his friends that he got the rest of the semen from a guy in an alley who told him to close his eyes and suck it out of a hose. This scene is partially censored on some local networks. In the episode "]" Cartman cries "No, uncle Jesse! No!" while sleeping, but this is most likely a reference to a popular character on either '']'' or '']''. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are very good friends with ], the actor that played Uncle Jesse on ''Full House'', further supporting this being a reference to the character on the former show. The episode ] depicts a sexual encounter between ] and Cartman. In "]" various depictions of Catholic priests with naked young boys on leashes reference the ongoing controversies of priests abusing altar boys. In fact this subject had been referenced in "]" and is not a stranger to the ''South Park'' world. | |||
The treatment of this theme ranges from realistic to cartoonish. For example, the character ] clearly has some psychological issues as a result of the treatment he suffers at the hands of his parents; he is ] (in "]", Cartman has to put a suppository in his rectum), has low self-esteem, and wrings his hands (although, strangely, Butters is also an unfailingly optimistic character and is one of the few genuinely nice people in the whole town, which often makes him a constant target for ridicule and abuse). However, his parents' emotional manipulation of him is shown as extreme. At one point, ]. Butters reveals that he has received ] from his uncle when detectives are questioning the children whether Chef has molested them, and in "]" his mother tries to kill him when she goes temporarily insane after learning of her husband's gay bathhouse proclivities. Butters, of course, survived with no knowledge of what was going on, until his parents publicly admitted what had happened (thus, yet again, crushing Butters' hopes for a functional family). | |||
While Cartman and Butters have more overt personal experiences with their families, to the point of farce at times, Kenny, Stan and Kyle have also been shown to be neglected on a more subtle level. | |||
Kenny comes from a poor family and, as a result, he and his siblings are shown to be malnourished due to his family's poverty. His father is an unemployed, barely functioning drunk who, while not abusive towards Kenny, is usually shown verbally arguing with his wife or being berated by her. | |||
Stan suffers from a subtler type of neglect. His father, Randy Marsh, often goes to extremes as the result of whatever instigating incident or conflict is seen in a given episode. In one episode, after he and Sharon separate, he ends up at a party for much younger people at Cartman's "clubhouse". In another, he decides, when told that alcoholism is a disease that he has no control over, that he should abandon all responsibility with the substance because it's not his fault. Often getting swept up in whatever is happening, Randy often puts common sense second - sending Stan out into the world alone to avoid abducting him, forcing the family to convert to atheism or Mormonism, leading the pack on global warming hysteria, et cetera. Stan's 12-year-old older sister Shelley regularly physically and verbally abuses Stan and considers him to be subhuman. His relationship with his mom is less strained and Sharon seems typical, despite rare outbursts between herself and Randy, though in one episode admits that she considers Stan's happiness secondary to her own. She and Randy are completely blind to Shelley's abuse of Stan. | |||
Kyle suffers at the hand of Cartman's continual anti-Semitic slurs. Kyle's mother is over-protecting, attempting to censor the world that her son and the rest of the children experience, but in the process bulldozing Kyle - often dismissing his opinions, thoughts and feelings, and destroying his reputation and general wellbeing. Her belief in her own moral compass and hatred of the toilet humor of ] has led her, in the episode "]", to lead South Park residents to New York to commit mass suicide to force "Cartoon Central" to cancel the animated "Terrance and Phillip" show. In '']'', she convinces the American government to start a war with Canada over the ] movie, '']''. | |||
===Religion=== | |||
Multiple episodes have tackled the shaky logical foundations of ]s, religious leaders who exploit worshipers for money, and the general problems with following religion too literally. Perhaps most indicative of what the writers perceive to be a blasé notion towards over-fervent worship, the show's depiction of ] in physical form is a strange hybrid of many animals. Further deepening the satire is God's claim to be a ]. The show suggested at one point, in a joking matter, that ] is full of Mormons who spend eternity cheerfully singing songs and making craft projects (explicitly stating that this is because that is the one "correct" religion). The ] indicated that Heaven, or at least Kenny's vision of it, was filled with beautiful naked women. However, in the episode "]" the show implies that ] is a complete hoax made up by ] Other episodes discuss ] and Jewish jokes. The family of Jewish character ] exhibits common ]ish stereotypes, like his strict demanding mother is a conservative activist and his father is a lawyer dressed in ]ish garb. | |||
In addition ] has been shown multiple times, living in South Park and hosting a public access call-in talk show (Jesus and Pals). In one episode he fights Satan in a boxing match and is depicted as being hopelessly outclassed. (Within the world of South Park, Jesus died in 2002, saving Santa Claus from Iraqis; Santa said that, from now on, Christmas should be a celebration of Jesus). In a third season episode, "]", at a Jew Scouts camp, ] appears in the form of the ] from Tron and tells the assembled children in an ominous voice, "I desire... macaroni pictures". He also appears this way in "]" and with VCR capabilities to boot. | |||
The criticism of anti-religion is also apparent in ''South Park''. In "]" Stan ridicules the Mormons for believing a story that offers no proof. However, at the very end, a Mormon named Gary whom Stan had been hanging out with for most of the episode delivers his side of the story: | |||
* '''Gary''': "All I ever did was try to be your friend, Stan, but you're so high and mighty you couldn't look past my religion and just be my friend back. You've got a lot of growing up to do, buddy. Suck my balls." (Gary walks off, leaving Stan and his friends stunned) | |||
* '''Cartman''': (after a pause) "Damn, that kid is cool, huh?" | |||
''South Park'' often hints that religious people may be illogical and that antitheists can be overly arrogant. In "]", Stone and Parker depict the recently converted antitheist townsfolk as literally spewing crap from their mouths, coughing out actual feces as they discuss their dislike for religion and how exposure to religion could harm their kids (Cartman had recently found a way to eat by shoving food up the rectum and defecating out the mouth). | |||
Similarly non-religious ] which cross over into a religious-like structure are caricatured, such as the episode where a cult of "Blaintologists" (named for charismatic ] ]) forms, and progresses to ritualistic mass ] unless they obtain their ] status. According to the show's creators, it is a reference to Scientology. | |||
The show has come under fire from conservative religious groups for its portrayal of ], who appears occasionally. After his first appearance, Satan's depiction changed to that of a generally nice, easygoing guy, though plagued by ]. He hosts ]s in Hell, and is also presented as a ], shown in committed relationships with some of Hell's denizens, including a now-defunct one with ], who was abusive and dominant in the relationship, leading to the relationship's demise. Satan's follow-up relationship with sensitive '90s guy ] ended when he realized (after visiting Heaven and asking advice from God) that Chris is "a pussy" to whom he was not sexually attracted. "]" featured Satan throwing a Halloween party that everyone wants to be a part of and many of the Christian clergy have little boys wearing nothing but leashes. | |||
In the tenth season episode "]", Ms. Garrison begins to date famous biologist ] after he convinces her that there is no god. They make a plan to convert the whole world to atheism, and eventually do. This is shown when Cartman freezes himself because he "can't wait for ] ]" and is awoken 500 years in the future where the whole world is atheistic. Ironically, this all-atheist world is home to several warring atheist factions in a dispute over what name to use for their organization, parodying an atheist notion that there would be no more war in the world if religion was done away with. | |||
In the episode criticizing ] ("]"), ''South Park'' is adamant in assuring viewers of the factual content in their description of its beliefs by flashing the phrase "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE". Similarly, it asserted the accuracy of its descriptions of Mormon beliefs in "All About Mormons." However, in the episode "]", ''South Park'' misrepresents Catholics as opposed to ], by showing a Catholic father removing his daughter from school in protest, despite the ] first declaring its ] and remaining generally supportive of the theory, with ] accepting the principle as a scientific fact in 1996.<ref>]; 1997; Why People Believe Weird Things; Page 133.</ref> | |||
===Environment=== | |||
<!--]'' satirized ]'s global warming views]]--> | |||
''South Park'' has produced several episodes critical of the ] movement. | |||
In the 1999 episode "]" an environmental activist, voiced by ], makes a harrowing trip to the rain forest of ] with the children, an experience that leads her to conclude that the rain forest "sucks ass", which may be directed as a criticism of the lack of in-depth knowledge some activists have about the causes they support, and the way in which they appear to "jump on a bandwagon". | |||
The 2001 episode "]" is about the South Park ] "Brainwashing Festival" where a group of conservationists staging Earth Day in South Park try to brainwash the crowd into caring about the environment. They eventually start mutilating Kenny as punishment for the boys not keeping their promise of Terrence and Philip appearing at the festival. | |||
The 2005 episode "]" mocks the connections between ] and ]. The title and several plot elements are a play on the film '']''. | |||
The 2006 episode "]" mocked the self-satisfaction and "smugness" of some who drive ]s (which causes a suffocating form of pollution called "smug" instead of "smog") and featured George Clooney's Academy award acceptance speech as a major contributor to the dangers of "smug". The importance of hybrid cars and the underlying good that they do for the environment is highlighted at the end of the episode, indicating that it is the self-righteousness of some who drive them who are being satirized rather than the cars. Another 2006 episode, "]" mocked Al Gore's outspokenness about the danger of global warming, ending with Al Gore going on to "...make a movie... a movie starring me!..." in what is presumably a jab at the film '']''. | |||
===Racism=== | |||
The 2007 episode "]" was inspired by the ] ]. It was also likely influenced by a recent ] Council resolution, which symbolically banned the word ]. They say the word more than 30 times in the episode. In this South Park episode Cartman makes fun of a midget and eventually fights him. | |||
==Awards== | |||
* ''South Park'' has been nominated for the ] for Outstanding Animated Program six times (], ], ], ], ], and ]). So far the show has only won once, for the 2005 episode '']''. | |||
* On ], ], it was announced that the show had won a ]. This is the third Comedy Central show to win, following two awarded to '']'' for its ] and ] coverage and one given to '']'' in 1994. | |||
* ''South Park'' was nominated for important awards such as the ] ] for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program. It was also nominated for the ] ] for Outstanding TV - Individual Episode for '']''. It also received an ] nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Isaac Hayes) in ]. | |||
* ''South Park'' was nominated for a ] for "Best Animated Show", but was defeated by the show '']''. | |||
* ''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Music, Original Song" for the song "Blame Canada". They lost to Phil Collins and made fun of him in two consecutive episodes in season 4 (Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 200 & Timmy 2000). They were fully expecting to lose, just not to him. It was performed by ] during the ], which was the first to carry a ] parental advisory, in part because of the performance of that song, which contains some adult language. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
* '']'' | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | |||
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==External links== | |||
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* http://www.answers.com/topic/south-park | |||
* http://www.beliefnet.com/story/152/story_15268_1.html | |||
* http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/south_park_still_sick_still_wrong/page/1 | |||
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Revision as of 15:49, 21 March 2007
Danny Matar is a black man. Zain is funnny.