If you’re in touch with that side of society, you’re probably aware that South Park is coming back. Exciting, right? But the most notable thing about everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed fourth graders coming back is the addition of US President Donald Trump as a character. (This actually isn’t the first time the show has mocked Trump, as during his first term, the kid’s teacher, Mr. Garrison was used to symbolize Trump. Also, prior to his political career, he can be spotted in the season five episode “The Entity.”)
It’s actually a pretty bold parody that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have chosen to go with– this new, direct Trump seems to be directly based on South Parks’ old, classic caricature of former president of Iraq Saddam Hussein– essentially calling Trump a dictator and portraying him as literally “in bed with Satan,” much like his Iraqi predecessor.
The new episode utilizes what made the classic seasons of South Park great: childish, schoolyard-esque insults against powerful people, left-of-center commentary on politics, and general “sticking it to the man”-ness. The series premiere also features a reference to the recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, and the implication is pretty obvious: the show is being cancelled because of Stephen Colbert’s anti-Trump stances, and South Park could be next.
I had only seen bits and pieces referring to it until I heard my parents discussing it and expressing what could only be described as disgust. They’re Trump fans, and they’re always complaining about some perceived “attack” on Trump. They used to be fairly leftist– my dad used to attend Bernie Sanders rallies– until around Covid, then they took a pretty big 180. They just kept talking about how “disappointed” they were. And all I could think was… why?
My parents are essentially walking caricatures of the Gen X stereotype, so they’re obviously pretty big fans of the show. So, they should know that South Park is unique in that it makes fun of everyone. It doesn’t really matter what Trey and Matt think in real life because everyone and everything is fair game in South Park. Why would it be okay for every other president to be ridiculed, but as soon as it’s “your” candidate that you like, it’s a problem? Why would Trump get special protections?
They’re spouting similar sentiments with King of the Hill now. Obviously, the new season isn’t out, but we’ve been rewatching together in preparation. King of the Hill is, more or less, a satirical commentary on conservative America and life in Texas as a whole. (If this irritates you, KOTH creator Mike Judge also made a liberal counterpart called The Goode Family, though it didn’t find nearly the level of success KOTH did.)
While it’s less obvious in the later seasons, it’s pretty clear in the beginning that it’s spoofing the conservative obsession with “traditional family values.” One episode that I think makes this particularly clear is season one’s “Square Peg.” It focuses on the topic of ****** education in schools, with the catalyst of the episode’s events being Bobby coming home with a permission slip from his school that would allow him to take the school’s sex ed class, much to Hank’s vehement disapproval. While Hank and Peggy say that it’s a parent’s job and not the schools’ to give their children the birds and the bees talk, both Hill parents are either unwilling or ill-equipped to actually do so for Bobby and various scenes lampoon the ****** repression of the older generations. The message, to me, seems obvious– if YOU can’t teach the kid, who will? Because it’s probably better they learn it at school than from the Internet.
My parents made sure to voice how much they agreed with Hank (who was the most vocally disapproving in the episode.) They made sure to rehash how it’s up to the parents. And I honestly had to resist rolling my eyes– because they didn’t teach me any of it. Everything I learned as a tween that came with “the birds and the bees” came from TV, music, and the Internet. But then they’d complain about “protecting the kids,” right? I just find it kind of strange that they agreed so wholeheartedly with something that was actually kind of supposed to mock them.
But I guess satire is difficult to understand for some people. Take Fight For Your Right by the Beastie Boys. The song– and, by extension, the entirety of their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was supposed to serve as a parody of the frat bro/party boy lifestyle… only for it to become an unironic anthem for those people. Or Song 2 by Blur, which was created to make fun of the grunge and American alternative rock music that had been so popular at the time… only to become synonymous with that scene and arguably Blur’s most popular song.
I guess, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I just wish people got satire…
Category: Politics - in Blogs
If you’re in touch with that side of society, you’re probably aware that South Park is coming back. Exciting, right? But the most notable thing about everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed fourth graders coming back is the addition of US President Donald Trump as a character. (This actually isn’t the first time the show has mocked Trump, as during his first term, the kid’s teacher, Mr. Garrison was used to symbolize Trump. Also, prior to his political career, he can be spotted in the season five episode “The Entity.”) <br />
<br />
It’s actually a pretty bold parody that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have chosen to go with– this new, direct Trump seems to be directly based on South Parks’ old, classic caricature of former president of Iraq Saddam Hussein– essentially calling Trump a dictator and portraying him as literally “in bed with Satan,” much like his Iraqi predecessor. <br />
<br />
The new episode utilizes what made the classic seasons of South Park great: childish, schoolyard-esque insults against powerful people, left-of-center commentary on politics, and general “sticking it to the man”-ness. The series premiere also features a reference to the recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, and the implication is pretty obvious: the show is being cancelled because of Stephen Colbert’s anti-Trump stances, and South Park could be next.<br />
<br />
I had only seen bits and pieces referring to it until I heard my parents discussing it and expressing what could only be described as disgust. They’re Trump fans, and they’re always complaining about some perceived “attack” on Trump. They used to be fairly leftist– my dad used to attend Bernie Sanders rallies– until around Covid, then they took a pretty big 180. They just kept talking about how “disappointed” they were. And all I could think was… why? <br />
<br />
My parents are essentially walking caricatures of the Gen X stereotype, so they’re obviously pretty big fans of the show. So, they should know that South Park is unique in that it makes fun of everyone. It doesn’t really matter what Trey and Matt think in real life because everyone and everything is fair game in South Park. Why would it be okay for every other president to be ridiculed, but as soon as it’s “your” candidate that you like, it’s a problem? Why would Trump get special protections?<br />
<br />
They’re spouting similar sentiments with King of the Hill now. Obviously, the new season isn’t out, but we’ve been rewatching together in preparation. King of the Hill is, more or less, a satirical commentary on conservative America and life in Texas as a whole. (If this irritates you, KOTH creator Mike Judge also made a liberal counterpart called The Goode Family, though it didn’t find nearly the level of success KOTH did.)<br />
<br />
While it’s less obvious in the later seasons, it’s pretty clear in the beginning that it’s spoofing the conservative obsession with “traditional family values.” One episode that I think makes this particularly clear is season one’s “Square Peg.” It focuses on the topic of ****** education in schools, with the catalyst of the episode’s events being Bobby coming home with a permission slip from his school that would allow him to take the school’s sex ed class, much to Hank’s vehement disapproval. While Hank and Peggy say that it’s a parent’s job and not the schools’ to give their children the birds and the bees talk, both Hill parents are either unwilling or ill-equipped to actually do so for Bobby and various scenes lampoon the ****** repression of the older generations. The message, to me, seems obvious– if YOU can’t teach the kid, who will? Because it’s probably better they learn it at school than from the Internet. <br />
<br />
My parents made sure to voice how much they agreed with Hank (who was the most vocally disapproving in the episode.) They made sure to rehash how it’s up to the parents. And I honestly had to resist rolling my eyes– because they didn’t teach me any of it. Everything I learned as a tween that came with “the birds and the bees” came from TV, music, and the Internet. But then they’d complain about “protecting the kids,” right? I just find it kind of strange that they agreed so wholeheartedly with something that was actually kind of supposed to mock them.<br />
<br />
But I guess satire is difficult to understand for some people. Take Fight For Your Right by the Beastie Boys. The song– and, by extension, the entirety of their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was supposed to serve as a parody of the frat bro/party boy lifestyle… only for it to become an unironic anthem for those people. Or Song 2 by Blur, which was created to make fun of the grunge and American alternative rock music that had been so popular at the time… only to become synonymous with that scene and arguably Blur’s most popular song.<br />
<br />
I guess, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I just wish people got satire…<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style='display:none' class='DO NOT REMOVE - THIS CATEGORY CODE WILL BE HIDDEN - IT IS NEEDED TO BE FOUND BY CATEGORY AND ONE-CLICK SEARCH'>Category: Politics - in Blogs</span>
Read more 
