I'm a bit of a late-comer to SOUTH PARK, having been introduced to it a little over two years ago. This season has seen Chef's brainwashing and destruction, massive Family Guy attacks, Oprah Winfrey's most intimate body parts rebelling, the censored image of Mohammed in American cartoons, Al-Queda's cartoon reprisal, direct smacks towards Cartoon Network to "grow some balls", and Bart Simpson violence with a bloody skateboard, amongst other highlights.

Are these guys on a roll or what?

The previous 1/2 season struck me as shrill and laughless and this one towers over it. Last night's story centered episode was an excellent change of pace. Of course, if your going to throw the long ball over and over you are going to miss and the previous week's Al Gore attack whiffed,(global warming doesn't exist?!) but as a lifelong Bay Area resident I found their portrayal of many San Fransiscans to be a bullseye. Matt and Trey gained a foothold with fart jokes and have won a Peabody so you can't say it's impossible for talant and guts to win out in today's big media enviornment.

What guts???

They never take a stand on any issue -- always being careful to present two sides of an argument, even when they have to invent one of the sides, or one of the sides are clearly wrong.

Pollution/global warming is a problem, but on the other hand, people who drive hybrids are smug. Like the two are equal issues? Is rampant smugness a problem? If it was, it is a problem on the same level as the environment? They're just regurgitating the idea of the stereotypical "self-satisfied, well-off liberal" to create a straw man.

Stem cell research could save lives, but on the other hand, it may encourage a black market for aborted fetuses.

And wow, did they ever sock it to James Frey and Oprah!

Devoting an entire episode to making fun of Gore? Are you kidding? What did Gore do, f*ck Trey's sister, and never call her back? It's one thing to pick an easy target, like Oprah or Tom Cruise, but an ex-Vice President, six-years removed, who barely makes a blip on the MSM radar? Is there a shortage of current events for them to deal with?

I enjoy the episodes that revolve around the characters, like "Scott Tenorman Must Die", but when I hear people laude them for having guts, or being outspoken, or whatever, I feel like I'm crapping broken glass.

Well, don't hold back, fellow Mobian. Tell us how you really feel. <_<

This IS a current event. Parker and Stone and commenting on Gore's new movie, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, which details his crusade on Global warming. If you've seen the trailer, which literally, on-screen tells us: "If you love your children, you MUST see this movie", they were commenting on his (arguably)hyberbolic stance on the issue (at least the marketing of it, which does indeed devolve into sensationalistic alarmism.)

I agree Stone and Parker DO have guts. I can't believe anybody could watch their Scientology episode and disagree with that. And I'm not sure I agree with your take that they don't take stands on any issue.

Clearly, they do.

They DID present both sides of the Scientology belief system (albeit back-handedly), but you must admit that they came out in the con column regarding it.

In the Hybrid episode, they aren't necessarily commenting on Global Warming, but rather on PEOPLE that pose as "friends of the environment" for social reasons. I know some, and I appreciated the satire. In this case, their target was a small percentage of "social activists" out there, not the global issue of pollution.

The stem cell research episode (not this season, I don't think) clearly comes out pro-research.


And socking it to Frey and Oprah? Yeah, they did. I actually didn't like that episode, didn't think it was funny, but sure... they stuck it to them.

Their statements/stances aren't always on Global or particularly profound issues/ideas, but who cares? They comment on what they feel like commenting on... issues both big and small. Both equally valid.

South Park is most successful when it concentrates on the characters. When they muck about with "issues", the creators' essential cluelessness comes through.

Why? Because, as was pointed out on another web-board, their whole stance seems to be, "anyone who cares passionately about anything is a poseur and a jerk". In their world, ironic detachment is the only cool stance. So what if the world comes crashing down around them, at least they'll be slouching at just the right angle.

So while I loved this week's Cartman-centric episode, many other recent ones have left me cold.

I'm a big fan. I don't have cable, so am stuck with UPN's reruns, but do try to catch it when I see my folks.

Anyone who can annoy both sides the way these guys can are clearly onto something. I don't agree with every message of theirs either, not by a long shot, but I think they're clearly above just about anyone else when it comes to political/current events satire. They have a genuinely distinctive pov and are not easily pigeonholed.

My only real problem with these two is that they're sometimes so high concept that the idea sounds funnier than the actual show is. If you see what I mean.

doug

I don't think Parker or Stone are "clueless" at all, and I actually like the fact that they try to explore every aspect of an issue in their shows. An example is the episode several seasons back where Big Gay Al is kicked out of being a Boy Scout leader. The episode was clearly on Big Gay Al's side re: him being a positive influence on the kids, but also supported the Boy Scout's stance that as a private organization, they should be able to make their own rules. I personally find it refreshing that they look at all aspects of an issue, and usually in a hilarious way. You can always glean which "side" Parker and Stone come down on, but they actually explore both sides in a very thoughtfull way amongst all the toilet humor, and for that if nothing else, I think they and the show are brilliant.

On another note, anybody else get a kick out of the out-of-left-field movie references that often pop up? On the most recent episode, we had references to b oth THE DARK CRYSTAL and ALTERED STATES, of all films (and let's not forget the shot-for-shot recreation of the THEY LIVE extended fight sequence a few seasons back, this time between Timmy and Jimmy).

Vincent

As a second-generation San Franciscan (my grandparents came here in the 1910s), it was obvious that SOUTH PARK's slam on our liberal residents was spot-on, but I'd also like to say that they are the kind of folks that starting settling here during the Beat and Hippie movements. When I was growing up in the 1970s, native San Franciscans used to make fun of these folks, who generally lived in Berkeley. San Francisco used to be a blue collar town. Not any more. There aren't as many natives as there used to be. It's really sad, and I say this with a heavy heart: Today, we are the enemy. LOL.

Oh yeah, as one of maybe 3 people in the world who hated Altered States when it came out, and thought it was the most boring pretentious crap imaginable, seeing it spoofed on South Park decades later, for no particular reason, was a hoot and a half!