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South Park: Libertarian TV: A truly unique (if foul-mouthed) voice on national television.
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | Wednesday, April 16, 2003 | By Eli Lehrer

Posted on 04/15/2003 10:19:57 PM PDT by JohnHuang2

South Park: Libertarian TV
By Eli Lehrer
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 16, 2003


It’s a television show almost too gross for words: The adventures of four potty-mouthed elementary school students in South Park Colorado. South Park, which broadcast its 100th episode last week is the first (and currently the only) regularly scheduled network television show that’s always rated TV-MA. The first episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" involved the show’s lead character, the selfish fat boy Eric Cartman, getting the titular procedure from a group of stick-figure space aliens.

Like much of what’s on T.V. much of South Park is often devoid of serious meaning. It’s heavy on racist, sexist, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic humor but so egalitarian in its offensiveness that only a handful of complainers—mostly right-leaning cultural scolds—bother to complain about it any more. Most comedy intended for mass consumption, however, follows this "offend everyone" formula but South Park pushes it very far. It skewers just about all of the Left’s sacred cows. While few shows dare to make fun of homosexuals in any way, South Park features the cheerfully stereotypical and flamboyant Big Gay Al. While most television shows feature a token African-American characters South Park takes this a bit further by naming its only black regular Token. (Token, of course, never gets any good lines.) Sacred cows of the Right come under attack at least as frequently: Jesus appears frequently on South Park as a ne’er do well public access television show host. And traditional religious believers get really upset by the show’s sympathetic portrayal of Satan. And some parts of South Park just offend everyone: one character, mealy-mouthed welfare recipient Kenny, dies (often in gruesome ways) in nearly every episode only to reappear unharmed in the next one. But pushing the envelope on offensiveness doesn’t really make South Park unique; plenty of other cultural products have done so before.

Instead, the show’s persistently libertarian politics make it stand out in a television world that’s mostly liberal (everything from Law & Order to West Wing), occasionally neo-conish (24), and once-in-a-while religious conservative (Touched by an Angel). But true libertarianism is pretty rare. Creator Trey Parker and Matt Stone have both described themselves as libertarians in interviews and Parker is a registered member of the Libertarian Party. A Libertarian candidate for California Governor even ripped off the show for a rather funny pro-drug legalization campaign commercial.

Most of the shows episodes revolve around the exploits—usually rather ill-tempered—of Eric Cartman. He’s hugely fat, unbelievably rude, and lives by the motto "Whatever! I do what I want." Perhaps the most emblematic of his behavior is the fifth season episode "Cartmanland." Cartman inherits a million dollars and uses it to buy an amusement park. In concert with his selfish nature, he decides to close the amusement park so that only he can ride the rides. Kyle Broflovski, the show’s smart kid (and the most moral of the bunch) breaks out in a life threatening hemorrhoid because he can not stand Cartman being so lucky. But Cartman needs to raise money to run the park and, as a result, he allows others in. The park becomes a huge financial success and Cartman gets his comeuppance when he gives it back to the original owner only after it has been an enormous success. Here the show argues that capitalism—and life in general—may produce unfair benefits but the end results in a capitalist system are most often fair. What’s significant about the show is that Cartman’s schemes almost always fail. Because he’s immoral, indeed, he often falls prey to con artists himself, once paying $16.92 for a rock stars’ pubic hair. Other episodes hew close to Libertarian positions. When Big Gay Al tries to become a scout leader, he learns a lesson about free association. When Harbucks coffee opens up in South Park, citizens skeptical of big business learn about how competition benefits the masses.

In fact, the show’s political positions almost always tend to favor Libertarian outcomes: it attacks hate crime laws as hypocritical, shows trial lawyers as parasitic scum, and derides over-active sexual harassment laws and sensitivity counseling. The show’s single most wicked satire is that of school counselor Mr. Mackey.

South Park is so gross and so disgusting at times that hardly anyone is going to avoid an occasional moment of revulsion. But between the fart jokes and offensive stereotypes, some pretty insightful political commentary can leak out.



TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: humor; libertarians; southpark
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To: tophat9000
I don't remember that one. :)

I wouldn't call South Park perfectly conservative. They've taken some shots at home schooling and gun ownership, but overall I think they're much less left wing than the Simpsons.
61 posted on 04/17/2003 6:18:27 AM PDT by Liberal Classic (Quemadmoeum gladis nemeinum occidit, occidentis telum est.)
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To: E Rocc
clears throat

Great adventure is waiting for you ahead Hurry onward Lemmiwinks or you will soon be dead The journey before you may be long and filled with woe But you must escape the gay mans a$$ so your story can be told!

Lemminks! Lemmiwinks! Lemmiwinks! etc.

Lemmiwinks journeyed a distance far and fast To find his way out of, a gay mans a$$ The road ahead, is full of danger and fright But push onward Lemmiwinks with all of your might

"Lemmiwinks, you are coming to the entrance of the small intestines. There you must seek out the sparrow prince!"

The Sparrow Prince lies somewhere way up ahead Don't look back Lemmiwinks or you will soon be dead Lemmiwinks, Lemmiwinks, the time is growing late Slow down now and seal your fate

"I am the Sparrow Prince, long has my spirit been trapped within this place. Before you lies the maze of the small intestines, one path leads to the stomach, the other to doom. Take with you this helmut and torch, let them be your guide."

Take the magic helmut torch to help you light the way! There's still a lot of ground to cross inside the man so gay Ahead of you lies adventure, and your strength still lies within Freedom from the ass of doom is the treasure you will win!

Lemmiwinks has made it out, his tail is nearly through

"Great job Lemmiwinks!" "Thanks to you we are all free." "But your adventures are just beginning, for you are no ordinary gerbil, Lemmiwinks. You are, the Gerbil King!" "All hail the Gerbil King!"

Now that you're the Gerbil King there's more adventures to go on Fly away to far away lands into the setting sun There's still so many enemies and battles yet to fight For Lemmiwinks the Gerbil King Could be told a thousand nights

Lem, Lem, Lemmiwinks, Lemmiwinks etc.

Nefertiti@-->---

Mmmm I think posting this will completely sink all of my prior claims to being a proper lady....Oh well, I probably lost that status the sec I announced myself as a South Park fan, might as well go all the way...*smiles*

62 posted on 04/17/2003 7:29:54 AM PDT by Nefertiti ("Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood." ----Oscar Wilde)
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To: Nefertiti
Mmmm I think posting this will completely sink all of my prior claims to being a proper lady....Oh well, I probably lost that status the sec I announced myself as a South Park fan, might as well go all the way...*smiles*
That may be the best episode and the most brutal towards the "PC Nazis". I'm sure many "diversity training" programs have been renamed "Tolerance Camp" now. >:)

-Eric

63 posted on 04/17/2003 9:42:58 AM PDT by E Rocc (I'm sorry Mr. Garrison, but it's obvious you aren't tolerant of your own behavior.)
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To: dts32041
But Mom, I have to go help kill the succubus.

I'm not fat! I'm just big boned!

64 posted on 04/17/2003 9:51:30 AM PDT by Terry Mross
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To: Terry Mross

Democrats Piss Me Off!

-Eric

65 posted on 04/17/2003 12:20:26 PM PDT by E Rocc (After all that, it was Cartman's filthy f****** mouth that saved us all!)
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To: *libertarians
ping
66 posted on 04/21/2003 3:18:59 PM PDT by jmc813 (The average citizen in Baghdad,right now, has more firearm rights than anyone in our country.)
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Comment #67 Removed by Moderator

To: E Rocc
Eric Cartman. The last American to speak his mind. No PC nonsense for him, when he goes to a Third World country the first thing he has to say is "This place smells like ass!"

Did I mention that South Park is the ONLY TV show that I watch on a regular basis?
68 posted on 04/21/2003 3:28:32 PM PDT by Billy_bob_bob ("He who will not reason is a bigot;He who cannot is a fool;He who dares not is a slave." W. Drummond)
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To: Billy_bob_bob
South Park bump
69 posted on 05/29/2003 6:17:58 PM PDT by gcruse (Vice is nice, but virtue can hurt you. --Bill Bennett)
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