"South Park" (the TV show -- not the place) is a powerhouse. Its witty and disgusting humor is appalling to some, hilarious to others, and misunderstood by many. It can be taken offensively or without care, but if received, processed, and expounded upon it can be eye opening. It is an accurate description to describe the show, mostly the writers behind the show as social police. The episodes cover topics ranging from Scientology to alcoholism. The show’s unending ability to captivate audiences around the globe have solidified "South Park" a time slot on Comedy Central for 19 seasons.
The beauty of "South Park" is not its crude humor or its lovable characters, it is the show’s ability to satirize controversial topics in a way that most adept viewers can grasp. For example “Trapped in the Closet,” the show’s 137th episode, is a critique of the Church of Scientology but also a play at the ability of religious institutions to distort what many consider the objective truth. Rather than giving a dull lecture about the importance of critical thought in the face of seemingly absolute authority, the episode follows Stan on a journey of self-discovery wherein he realizes he is not the reincarnation of a past religious visionary. The episode ends with Stan admitting the truth to a crowd of followers -- he is not the chosen one. The followers turn on him, accusing him of nothing less than bigotry. In the end, Stan’s honesty is ignored by self-righteous “visionaries.”
"South Park’s" method of delivering the message is brilliant. The children the show follows are thoughtful, self-aware humans. They read into the issue at hand, analyzing the pros and cons of a decision and often stumble upon hidden meaning through their in-depth analysis. The adults on the other hand are portrayed as irrational, slow-minded sticks in the mud who take things at face value. “Bloody Mary” is the 14th episode in the ninth season of the show. Stan’s dad Randy is ordered to attend A.A. meetings after he gets pulled over drunk driving. He becomes convinced that he is powerless to his alcoholism and begins to drink more. Randy is then cured by way of a miracle and stops drinking. The miracle is later falsified and Randy begins to drink again. At this point, Stan decides to lay some knowledge on his father. He explains that drinking beer can be healthy if done in moderation and that even if Randy were to stop drinking entirely, alcohol would still be controlling his life. A lesson of moderation is passed on by Stan and a lesson in critical self-evaluation is passed down by the writers.
The writer’s ability to satisfy our want for deeper analysis has made "South Park" immensely popular. Unfortunately, this aspect of almost subconscious entertainment is lost in our daily news feeds and local news programming. The growing trend in most media is to provide the customer with the basic facts, figures and themes of a particular issue. Through this dissemination of ideas much nuance is lost. The consumer does not have to connect any dots or process anything more than a list of topics.
