Head on down to South Park…with your copy of Satire’s Brew?

“South Park is calling out those Americans who profess that free speech is the most important thing in the world but the moment they’re challenged, they bury their heads in the sand.”

Oh, man, I love South Park. I used to watch it all the time when I was younger–not even now– which is weird, right? Who in their right mind would let a ten-year-old watch South Park? Besides the racial stereotypes, vulgarity, indecency towards handicaps, Cartman and, oh, Mr. Slave, it’s really not all that bad…

I really love this show.

I love how it’s a cartoon, one; I love its humor; and, most of all, I love how the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of this show do not care about what they’re putting out. Or so I used to think…

That not-giving-a-crap attitude has been a cover-up all these years. Sure, in some countries half of the stuff they show would be considered taboo; and, sure, some of their material leaves you with that “Oh-I-don’t-mean-to-laugh” front we all put on just so the person next to us won’t feel bad. But, they actually cover some real stuff. I’m talking about everyday issues and not the typical satirical stuff (which is covered as well)– I mean families, friendships, relationships, and growing up (even though these characters have been the same age for more than a decade). They tackle different controversies while actually providing us with controversy.

Are you kidding me? We love controversy! We are a nation that’s built on freedom, the pursuit of happiness and the Kardashians *cringes*. If you don’t believe me, turn to page six of your newspaper just to check out the latest info on why Bruce Jenner borrowed Kim’s clothes without asking.

I could not agree more with what the character (hmm, maybe Brian Dunphy?) in Satire’s Brew is saying. On page 173, he states, “South Park‘s lesson is vices are expected and acceptable as long as there’s a limit to them.” This sort of brings out a more realistic aspect to the show because it touches upon life in general. Also, getting back to the whole controversy theme: This show is known for that. When something happens, take Jersey Shore for example, next week there will be an episode about that. And there is. Remember the Snooki one?

What makes this show so great is that they insult everyone. I mean everyone. As the character says, “No topic or celebrity is safe in the South Park world.” It goes from being liberal to conservative real quick (0-100).

Let me show you two episodes while I’m at it…

“Make Love, Not Warcraft” (Episode 8, Season 10)

http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s10e08-make-love-not-warcraft

“Gentlemen, we are dealing with someone who has absolutely no life.”

I’m so done. This episode is about someone who kills a bunch of “innocent” players on World of Warcraft, hence the title. The boys are upset, and it actually gets to the creators of the game as well. If you really think about it, it’s a dig at the NRA. Guns are legal, and, unfortunately, look at how many people have been killed by people with access to guns. Now with new technology, everybody has become obsessed. People are more focused on the Internet, games, social media, etc.; so much, that they forget the more important stuff in life. This episode pokes fun at both of those topics, I believe. This episode is hilarious, too.

“Eek, a Penis!” (Episode 5, Season 12)

“How do I reach these ‘keeds’?”

http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s12e05-eek-a-penis#source=fba639b0-ae4d-49b0-9d5d-addb27823f4b:25eebeec-ed8e-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30&position=5&sort=!airdate

This episode deals with Mrs. Garrison’s second sex-change operation and Cartman’s temporary teaching position. Mrs. Garrison is distraught over the fact that she can’t become a man again. In short: She contacts a group of scientists asking them if they can genetically create a penis using a mouse. Can you imagine, though? The mouse runs away. So, there’s a mouse with a penis on top if its head running around town.

Within the 22-minutes of this episode, it covers transgenders, abortion, cheating in America, and the educational system.

I can’t get over Cartman’s Mexican accent. For him to teach at an inner-city school, he believes that he “should look the part.” Well, the reason they appoint him as a temporary teacher is because he covered for Mrs. Garrison’s class while she was having a meltdown. Turns out the class received high scores, but it was because they cheated. “Mr. Cartmenez” introduces the class to “The White People Method,” and brings up the whole cheating scandal involving New England Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick.

I feel like they could get away with it because the show is that funny. And the reason it lasted all these years is that they cover every topic, no matter how “touchy” or “sensitive.”