Published by Mason Oldridge, 3 October 2023
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
The subgenre of the adult animated comedy gets a bad rap, stereotyped as defined by toilet humour and childish gags. However, the adult animated comedy actually shines a light on topical content like no other and deals with controversial subjects in a truly unique manner.
A pioneer of the genre, The Simpsons debuted ahead of its time in 1989 and grew to become known for regularly predicting the future, notably 9/11 and Trump’s presidency. Ten years later, Family Guy debuted in 1999 and became a cult classic among young adults, growing to touch upon difficult topics, though it was in 1997 when a show came along that delivered political and social commentary in a truly surreal way: South Park.
South Park’s madcap and daring methods of portraying such commentary has led to the show being shunned as offensive, seeing other media take credit for delicately handling such content in a more mainstream and acceptable manner. South Park focuses on the four schoolboys and the crazy characters in their fictional town of South Park, Colorado, based on the real area of the same name. The show made a name for itself from its gross-out humour and crude vulgarity, though the creators defended its use as a more accurate representation of the rude behaviour of children as opposed to the positive yet unrealistic child role models previously seen on television.
So what is it about South Park that makes its commentary truly special? Well, where most US entertainment is dominated by the liberal media, South Park takes a libertarian approach to its satire. The creators have expressed dislike towards both ends of the political spectrum, resulting in them taking the perspective of an outsider looking in and having a fair crack at both viewpoints of several debates. Critics have placed the show closest to the term ‘libertarianism’, meaning they take a more conservative view on political issues and a more liberal view on social issues.
Controversy arose particularly in Season 4 with the introduction of new character schoolboy Timmy. Timmy is disabled, bound to his electric wheelchair with what seems to be a combination of cerebral palsy and tourettes, randomly shouting out his name. The boys like Timmy and treat him as an equal, though the adults accuse them of laughing at him. The character highlights how the issue is that people treat the disabled differently under the guise of supporting them which is what actually alienates them in the first place.
A fan favourite episode hails from Season 8: ‘Goobacks’. The episode focuses on immigration, but rather than having foreign immigrants, it sees time travellers travelling back from their poverty-stricken future to modern day South Park, where they take up all the jobs by working for minimal wages. The episode balances the argument well; at first, the townspeople are welcoming of the immigrants and sympathetic towards the difficult circumstances they have come from but grow tired of them when they overcrowd the schools and take up all the work. However, the greatest aspect of the episode is the parody of redneck culture which spawned one of the show’s most famous catchphrases. Darryl and his redneck followers organise a rally in protest of the immigrants, ranting about them and proclaiming “They took our jobs!” which is repeated among the crowd in ever-growing Southern accents until only audible groans are heard. The rednecks conclude that the only way to fix the problem is to stop the future from happening; after Darryl angrily dismisses global warming as a ridiculous way of doing so, they claim the only way to do this is to all turn gay and therefore stop future generations from being born.
A particularly notable example of satire in the show is ManBearPig from Season 10. The episode sees former vice president Al Gore warning the residents of South Park about a dangerous creature that is “half man half bear and half pig”, a description of which no-one sees the mathematical error. A metaphor for global warming, none of the townsfolk are worried about the threat and in fact don’t believe in it. The episode pokes fun at Gore, seeing him appear to the kids with a creepy mask and repeatedly getting upset at the lack of attention, proclaiming he is super serious, or “super cereal” as he pronounces it. Ultimately, the episode ends with no proven existence of the being, though proves to be real in later episodes following the creators’ changing attitudes on climate change.
Out of all the episodes, the holy grail of satire is the Season 6 episode ‘Red Hot Catholic Love’. Parodying the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church, the town’s priest Father Maxi attempts to expose the abuse, only to find the clergymen are more concerned about how to keep their illicit affairs quiet. The issue is presented in an exaggerated manner, with the Vatican congregation in uproar at suggestions of changing the holy document of Vatican law to condemn sexual acts with the children and even more so at a substitute of sexual relations with their wives instead. Meanwhile, the townspeople are horrified by the scandal and respond in the most bizarre way possible: converting to Atheism. It is presented that the scandal isn’t representative of the Catholic faith, claiming that the Bible stands to help guide people through life and encourage positive behaviour and it is when people interpret the Bible too literally that scandal emerges. In doing so, the episode has also criticised the narrow-mindedness and naivety of Atheists. Therefore, a seemingly-liberal and anti-religious episode that attacks the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church has actually honoured the Conservative counterpoint that Catholicism originally supports good behaviour and offers guidance and Atheism can support pejorative attitudes. This episode alone singlehandedly elevates South Park on the metaphorical pedestal of satire and anyone who just sees toilet humour is not educated enough to scratch beneath the surface to see the layers of its meaning.
The show may no longer be in its golden age but the recent episodes focusing on areas such as PC culture, Trump’s presidency, internet trolling, school shootings and the coronavirus pandemic proves it can still provide commentary on current topics and shall hopefully continue to do so in the future. As we navigate our way through an ever-growing crazy world, South Park will hopefully always be there to provide a unique satire of whatever is going on.