VILE “SOUTH PARK” EPISODE PULLED (Catholic League Pres. responds)

Catholic League ^ | December 30, 2005 | Bill Donohue

[NYer]

“Several news stories today are reporting on the decision by Comedy Central to pull a scheduled rerun of the ‘Bloody Mary’ episode that was  shown on ‘South Park’ on December 7-10.  The decision reflects what I asked for in our news release of December 8.  Therefore, I commend Comedy Central for finally making the right decision.  That it aired in the first place, however, does not speak well for the bigots responsible for creating it. 

 

“In our December 8 news release, I also said, ‘Remember, they chose to insult Our Blessed Mother on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, and the holy day itself.’  The episode in question featured a statue of the Virgin Mary spraying blood from her vagina.  It was one of the most vile TV shows ever to appear, and that is why I asked Joseph Califano, a practicing Catholic and member of Viacom’s board of directors (Viacom is the parent company of Comedy Central) to issue a public condemnation of the ‘Bloody Mary’ episode; I also asked that he do whatever he could to pull any scheduled reruns of the episode. 

 

“On December 9, the day Califano received our request, he released a statement condemning the episode.  He also said that any further decisions would have to be made by Tom Freston, president and chief executive of the New Viacom.  For the past few weeks, we have been in touch with Freston’s office awaiting his decision.  Yesterday, we received a phone call from Tony Fox, executive vice president for corporate communications at Comedy Central, informing us that there were no plans to rerun ‘Bloody Mary.’

 

“Already, we are being deluged with hate mail that is as obscene as it is viciously anti-Catholic.  All because we exercised our First Amendment right to request that Comedy Central not offend Catholics again!  But we’re used to such things and will not be deterred.”

[RobbyS]

The Irish are moving away from the faith almost as fast as the Quebeckers. Kennedy and Kerry are pretty much representative of the new breed (yes, I know that Kerry is not Irish but he claims to be). And, no what's on the helmuts of those football teams are not religious symbols.

[conservonator]

The producers didn't pull the show, Comedy Central did.

Producers, Comedy central, either or, same reason, financial. They made a business decision, it's done all the time.

As for national security, apples and oranges, we are talking about a TV comedy show.

Yes it is apples and oranges, one is censorship, the other is not, your getting in a twist over the not.

[Central Scrutiniser]

No, you don't want something to be shown, because you were offended.

Tough luck, its a tough world out there, there is all kinds of speech you don't like. But banning it?

LAME

The producers didn't make the decision, Comedy Central did.

So, now all kinds of people will want to see it, which is why it is on every torrent server and being downloaded everywhere.

[Central Scrutiniser]

You know nothing about modern Ireland. Have you ever spent any time there? If you knew that Kerry isn't Irish, why did you bring it up?

Ever been to Quebec (btw, I am also a quarter Arcadian)?

But, honestly, the Catholics see Mary as a symbol of their faith, can't you see that having a Chief or a Brave or a Redskin might be offensive to native americans? Are you standing firm with them?

Helmut is the name of a German male BTW.

[RobbyS]

If you knew that Kerry isn't Irish, why did you bring it up? because the Irish in Massachusetts elected the guy, because he and they think alike. Yes and yes. The differences in religious observance in these two counties circa. 1965 and that today is quite striking. No, indians do not object to the use of these terms on religious grounds and most do not object to them at all. And my Peruvian neighbor down the street is named Helmut. SO?

[Lilllabettt]

The Taliban did not have clout. They had absolute power. Nobody in Afghanistan had a right to stand up and tell them "You're insulting my beliefs, knock it off or else." If you told that to Imam whomever, you'd get your hands chopped off.

But not in this country! We've got the freedom to agitate, organise and threaten the powerful with our collective Almighty Dollar.

My Ma is the Queen of Retail Returns. She says that if its one thing a company will bend over backwards to avoid, it's a grand, public, noisy, stink. Now, South Park is used to uproar and controversy. But something was different this time.

So what was it, care to speculate? Ratings? Money? You say they have all the ratings they need. So what was it? Morality? I don't know! Whatever the reason, they chose freely.

[Antoninus]

great another thread so the FR Holier than thou club can come out and demonize those that enjoy the show.

So if someone stands up and defends their religion against a defamatory, vile, disgusting, and utterly unwarranted attack, such people are being "holier than thou?" Is that how it works?

[Titanites]

The producers didn't make the decision, Comedy Central did.

The producers, editors, directors, CEO, or whoever at Viacom or Comedy Central made the decision. They're the ones who censored.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Yeah, but YOU knew Kerry isn't Irish.

You shouldn't have brought it up, it was not essential to your argument and weakened it considerably. It had zero to do with your argument, and using it was not a good idea.

There is a free spell check on this site.

[nickcarraway]

Yes, I am sure. I will post the link tomorrow. He sais this in article in early 2004. I, and others, have tried to give him the opportunity to deny that is what he meant, but he won't.

[elfman2]

" Maybe I'm dense, but you wouldn't view it as disrespectful toward your mother if someone showed a photo or statue of her in the same situation?"

You’re not dense at all. The problem as I understand it is that the differences between irreverence, disrespect and blasphemy are fine, but this issue is emotional. When someone isn’t respectful toward my wife, I’m in no state to be making fine distinctions objectively.

[Clemenza]

Mary Mary Lord and Master

Just a Statue Made of Plaster!

[elfman2]

"I did not say anything about the level of blasphemy. The epsiode was balsphemous both because of the obscene reference to Virgin Mary, either direct or to her statue, and to the pope. If you don't like Catholic theology, don't become Catholic."

I wasn’t aware that there were different levels of blasphemy like different levels of rape. Virgin Mary statues are not sacred so unless the irreverence showed toward one was condemnation of the actual sacred Virgin Mary, it was not blasphemous.

If you want people to treat your sacred entities with immunity from condemnation, don’t accept a theology that claims a living person is sacred. No one outside your faith will accept that a politically active man is immune from it. We may agree that his treatments here was offensive, base or provocative, but not that all men in his office should be immune from it. Many Popes deserved worse, and I doubt they’ll be the last.

[annalex]

it is your position that blasphemy should be banned?

At this point, all I am arguing is that when freedom of speech and market is used to shut up blasphemy, it is a good thing. But since you are curious, yes, as long as we have a government, it better do something useful and ban blasphemy. As well as pornography. If they ban the television in general, that would be quite good too.

[annalex]

Again, you are the one who brought up the hypothetical levels of blasphemy in your 66, not me.

Statues and icons of saints are sacred. Priests are holy men, and so is the Holy Father the pope. The idiots who think otherwise should educate themselves before they make movies, no educate me what is and what is not sacred according to their own little brains.

As individuals popes and priests have flaws and those can be discussed. If the episode satirized flaws of a particular pope as an individual, that would have been appropriate. Instead, it put a generic pope in an obscene context, and that is not appropriate.

[Duke Wayne]

Go away Satan, you all have had your fun mocking our Holy Mother.

To all of the posters who think it is funny or free speech in supporting this crap cartoon go right ahead and keep it up, you will reap what you plant.

To all who have defended our Mothers dignity, Thank you,
She is pleased with you all.

[MikefromOhio]

they attack EVERYONE.

Don't you get it?

[MikefromOhio]

I can't wait until South Park comes out with the 9th season DVDs so that I can watch this episode OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.

It's done EXACTLY what the creators intended to do.

Except unlike the other groups South Park has made fun of, a certain segment of Catholics, for whatever reason, and Bill Donohue, for his own personal gain, choose to play the victim card like your typical Liberal.

It's been very enlightening to see what a stupid CARTOON can bring out of people.

This debate really isn't worth my time, but since the people defaming South Park don't have clue ONE about the show, I have felt like it's been my chore to show people that this isn't a new thing, isn't a first and DEFINITELY (given the reaction) won't be a last.

But some can't get that notion for whatever the reason. well I have a MUCH BETTER solution for such people:




And don't bother replying. I am finished with this entire stupid NON-story being conjured up by Bill Donohue trying to extend his 15 minutes of fame. BTW, HERE are some more pictures of my proposed solution. Hope you get the hint. OUT.

[68 grunt]

I think Catholics need to get a grip and stop thinking everyones out to get them. ...

I think its a manifestation of their insecurity. In today's highly technical society, where so many complex problems are being studied and solved, that the simple 'faith' can't always compete. As more people turn from beads to keyboards the idoltric foundation of their church is threatened.

South Park rocks!

[68 grunt]

... and a similar offense is now less likely to recur. ...

You're kiddin', right? I gotta nickle that sez they're already scriptin' an episode which skewers BD, the holier-than-thou yehaws and the needlebutts. It'll be brutal and you shouldn't watch.