South Park Republican
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South Park Republican (SPR) is a name that is used to describe fans of the animated series South Park who are seen as a "new wave" of young adults and teenagers who hold conservative and libertarian political beliefs. The phrase was coined in 2001 by commentator Andrew Sullivan http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2001_12_09_dish_archive.html in response to the two principal creators of the show declaring themselves to be Republicans. South Park is a popular and controversial cartoon created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Though the show may seem anti-conservative to some because of its often overt sexual, scatological, and profane themes and humor, much of South Park's humor also comes in the form of political satire, with much of it mocking elements of the so-called "liberal establishment" in American society. For example, left-wing celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Moore, Sally Struthers, and Barbra Streisand - all targets of the show's humor - are seen as being mocked for being self-righteous and smug. Gays, feminists and environmentalists and other traditionally Democrat-friendly groups are often portrayed as stereotypes. From the libertarian perpesective South Park is likewise often critical of traditional establishments of authority, such as organized religion and the local government, which are portrayed as corrupt and hypocritical. Many episodes also parody stereotypes of right-wing supporters, such as trigger-happy rednecks.
Much of the show's satire centers around the antics of the show's four eight-year-old main characters, Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman, and Kyle Broslofski. The boys (with the exception of Cartman) are generally portrayed as intelligent, honest, and well-meaning, yet are routinely confronted with absurdities created by the adults in their life. South Park's teachers and parents are obsessed with political correctness and as a result routinely censor and shelter the boys from important issues concerning their lives. The boys in turn usually attempt to solve their problems on their own, with their independent, "outsider" views of adult situations being patronizingly derided as naive and ignorant by leading authority figures. In the end however, the boys' views usually end up being right, and the conventional wisdom of adult authority figures is exposed as being based on flawed logic. The program's parody of U.S. President George W. Bush has been relatively muted, compared to that of his predecessor Bill Clinton. Parker and Stone were also the producers of another show called That's My Bush!, which originally aired during the early days of his presidency. Originally intended to be about Al Gore (who was initally favored to win the 2000 US Presidential Election) the show did not last long and Parker and Stone were said to have quickly "lost interest" in the project.
The term "South Park Republican" has thus become popular among pundits to describe young Americans who interpet the show's values as being parallel to their cause. They see themselves as being much less puritanical than many other conservative groups (e.g. the religious right), and less concerned with "moral" and social issues.
A Brief Survey of the Politics of South Park
The following is a list of South Park episodes in which politics is referenced in order to provide an understanding of the new coinage "South Park Republican," since the politics of the show and its creators is somewhat disputed (perhaps because it is unconventional and crosses party lines.) This list aims to enable people to make their own decision:
Volcano (episode 102) - Refers to the danger of guns in the wrong hands. Depicts a pair of stereotypical gun-toting, trigger-happy 'red-necks.'
Death (106) - Argues that euthanasia is wrong, censorship is hypocritical, parody of the relevance of Jesus.
Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo (109) - Against the complete removal of religion from state institutions. Argues that a lack of tradition leads to emptiness.
Damien (110) - Refers to hypocrisy in the Catholic Church.
Mecha-Streisand (112) - Parody of arch-liberal Barbra Streisand as an evil monster.
Not without My Anus (201) - Mocks postmodernism. Quote: "Terrance: 'We're looking for treasure!' Scott: 'Is that some kind of metaphor for a a kind of search that can't be described?!' Phillip: 'Nnno, we're searching for treasure'."
Cartman Finds out the Identity of his Father (202) - Mocks the rhetoric of pro-choice groups. When Mrs. Cartman is informed that '40th trimester abortions' are illegal she responds "I think you need to keep your laws off of my body." Mocks incumbent president Bill Clinton for his sexual indiscretion. Mocks the idea of unlimited equal opportunities by portraying a nurse with no arms trying to cope in an emergency situation.
Ike's Wee Wee (204) - The dangers of drugs should not be exaggerated. Male circumcision debate.
Conjoined Foetus Lady (205) - The disabled should be treated normally, not gingerly.
Summer Sucks (208) - Against the overprotection of children.
Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls (209) - Mocks the Sundance film festival. Most independent film is low quality. Quote: "...even though a few independent films are great, most of them suck-ass".
Chickenpox (210) - Parents should never deceive children. Mocks food advertising aimed at children.
Clubhouses (212) - Divorce is bad for children, and belies promises from parents that the children are the most important thing to them. Over-protection of children can be counter-productive - Stan is told to build a treehouse, but isn't allowed to use any nails. Quotes: "When you and mom got married you became family. . . you should't be able to leave her any more than I can leave my sister." "You have to understand how divorce works. When I say 'you're the most important thing to me' what I mean is 'you're the most important thing after me and my happiness and my new romances."
Chef Aid (214) - The music industry is too litigious. Trial lawyers have too much importance.
Spooky Fish (215) - Another episode ridiculing arch-liberal Barbra Streisand.
Gnomes (217) - Small town America should not be romanticised. Big businesses start small and grow because they are so good, e.g. 'Starbucks.' Small high street stores are often poor service providers. Argues that people manipulate children for their own political ends. Quote: "It's time to stop large corporations. Prop. 10 is about children. Vote Yes on Prop. 10, or else, you hate children. . . Remember, keep American business small, or else. Paid for by Citizens for a Fair and Equal way to get Harbucks Coffee kicked out of town forever".
ADD is exaggerated to account for a plethora of problems that people have, without substantive evidence. Argues that big business provides gainful employment to many people.
Quotes: "Big corporations are good. Even 'Harbucks' coffee started off as a small little business, but because it made such great coffee, and because they ran their business so well, they managed to grow and grow until it became the corporate powerhouse it is today". This episode also attacks well known liberal celebrities: "..we're as low and despicable as Rob Reiner".
Rainforest Shmainforest (301) - Against (or perhaps merely an antidote to) what is seen as environmentalist propaganda. Quote (song): "There's a place called the rainforest that truly sucks ass; let's knock it all down and get rid of it fast. You say 'save the rainforest' but what do you know; you've never been to the rainforest before. 'Getting Gay With Kids' is here; to tell you things you might not like to hear. You only fight these causes 'cos caring sells; all you activists can go fuck yourselves".
Spontaneous combustion (302) - Pokes fun at leftist celebrities and their knee-jerk antipathy towards Republicans, personified in Whoopi Goldberg and her sycophantic celebrity audience who repeatedly laugh at her inane comments: "Republicans are so stupid" and "I hate Republicans".
Sexual Harassment Panda (306) - Sexual harassment laws infringe on civil liberties, are prudish, censorious, counter-productive and lead to frivolous litigation. Argues that frivolous litigation is a definite social ill in the USA. Quote: "Gerald Broflowski: '. . .Democrats make sexual harassment laws, these laws tell us what we can and can't say in the workplace, and what we can and can't do in the workplace.' Kyle: 'Isn't that Fascism?' Gerald: 'No, because we don't call it Fascism'".
Chinpokomon (311) - Against manipulative advertising and merchandising aimed at children. A discussion of the limits of individualism, and the dangers of a group mentality.
Starvin' Marvin in Space (312) - A critique of missionary activity in the third world, and the mercenary and hypocritical nature of tele-evangelism. Mocks Sally Struthers and Pat Robertson.
Hooked on Monkey-Phonics (313) - Against over-protection and home education of children. Quote: "Public schools may be a bit lacking in education, but its the main place where children learn social skills. You can't teach a child social skills, they have to learn them themselves".
Mr Hankey's Christmas Classics (315) - Deceased liberal icons such as JFK are seen to be residing in hell.
Are You There God, it's Me Jesus (316) - Parents should teach kids about the facts of life.
Worldwide Recorder Concert (317) - Parodies the proliferation of sexual abuse allegations through the absurdist situation whereby someone feels unloved and unworthy because they were not abused. Ridicules liberal icon Yoko Ono.
Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000 (401) - Ridicules hate crime legislation, describing it as a "savage hypocracy". Quote from judge: "If you want to hurt another human being you better make damn sure they are the same color as you are." Quote: "All crimes are hate crimes. If a man kills another man because he was sleeping with his wife, is that not a hate crime? ... the motivation for a crime should't effect the sentencing. All hate crime laws do is support the idea that blacks are different from whites".
Timmy 2000 (402) - Against the prescription of drugs such as Ritalin to cure ADD which is presented as a phoney condition. Kids with attentional difficulties need discipline not drugs. Mocks MTV as the stooges of the major record companies. Quote: "You are watching MTV, the cool brainwashing 12 year old and younger station that hides behind a slick image. We're so cool that we decide whats cool".
Quintuplets (403) - Mocks Janet Reno over the handling of the Elian Gonzalez affair.
Cartman Joins NAMBLA (406) - Tolerance must have limits, NAMBLA is beyond the pale. The easy availability of morning after abortion pills is derided, they are branded "Foetus Flusher" and "Baby-B-Gone".
Cherokee Hair Tampons (407) - Argues that holistic medicine is worse than useless, it lacks any empirical evidence and is no less mercenary than western medicine. Quote from 'Miss Information' - a holistic medecine practitioner: ". . . of course the doctor told you that, he wants to make money. Holistic medicine is about nature - that'll be $233 please".
Chef Goes Nanners (408) - Against political correctness, and against racism.
Do the Handicapped go to Hell? (410) - Mocks the Catholic concepts of hell, confession, and communion. Mocks sexual hypocrisy within the church but comments on the fundamental good of religion and how the underlying message is what's important, not all the pomp and ritual surronding it.
Probably (411) - Mocks TV-evangelism. Mocks the fickleness of the feminised 1990s man.
Trapper Keeper (412) - Parodies the USA 2000 election dispute. Liberals (represented by Rosie O'Donnell), come in for particular criticism for what is perceived as their cultural arrogance. Quote: "Half the kids in the class didn't vote for your nephew. You don't give a crap about them because they're not on your side. People like you preach tolerance and open mindedness all the time, but when it comes to Middle America you think we are all evil and stupid country yokels who need your political alignment." This was released on November 15 2000, while the legal disputes continued. Interestingly, the candidate in the parody that was supported by Rosie O'Donnell chose to concede 'for the good of the class'.
It Hits the Fan (502) - Against censorship on TV, tempered with a caution that "making a few words taboo just adds to the fun of English".
Cripple Fight (503) - Against the stereotyping of homosexuals as potential child abusers, against exclusion on grounds of sexual preference, but supports the right of private institutions (e.g. Boy Scouts of America) to enact their own rules. This is in response to the court judgement a few months previously (Boy Scouts of America et al v. Dale) that came to the same conclusion. Quote: "I'm proud to be gay and I'm proud to be in a country where I'm free to express myself, but freedom is a two-way street - if I'm free to express myself, then the Scouts have to be free to express themselves too".
Terrence and Garfunkel (505) - Withering attack on the environmentalist lobby and their planned "Earth Day Brainwashing Festival." Environmentalists are portrayed as irrational and vindictive, indeed killers who believe that nothing, even human life, "matters more than saving the planet from Republicans." The view of many scientists that there is no evidence for global warming is dismissed by the environmentalists with 'brainwashing' tecniques.
Proper Condom Use (507) - Against sexual education for children in schools. Argues that parents are responsible for sexual education. Against scaring children away from sexuality through the exaggeration of the dangers of STDs.
Towelie (508) - Against the use of marijuana. Mocks merchandising directed at children by introducing a character tailor made for conversion into a consumer product.
Osama Bin Laden has Farty Pants (509) - Mocks third world claims of american imperialism. Quote: "Afgani boy: 'Over a third of the world hates America!' Stan: 'But why? Why does a third of the world hate us?' Afgani: 'Because, you don't realize that a third of the world hates you.'"
Concludes a gung-ho episode of killing America's enemies with Stan Marsh saying: "America may have some problems, but it's our home - our team. If you don't want to root for your team then you should get the hell out of the stadium . . . Go America!"
The Entity (511) - A polemic against airline companies, who accept government subsidies but fail to improve their service because the public have no alternatives and have to take what they are given.
Here Comes the Neighborhood (512) - Perhaps argues that people are conservative by nature, always fear what is different to them. A reversal of the Monty Python sketch in which residents react to an influx of black immigrants by saying "there goes the neighborhood." Kenny Dies (513) - Mocks the casual nature of abortion, discusses Stem cell research.
Butters' Very Own Episode (514) - Accuses Gary Condit of knowing more than he admits to about the Chandra Levy affair.
Freak Strike (601) - Quote from Eric Cartman trying to show how he is the most 'out of control kid' on a parody of the Maury Povich show: "Wha'eva! I ran for Congress and won. Then I had sex with an intern, killed her and hid her body! Wha'eva! I'll do what I want!"
Fun With Veal (605) - Against wanton animal cruelty, specifically the rearing of cattle for veal, but argues against vegetarianism saying that not eating any meat makes people become "giant pussies."
Red Hot Catholic Love (608) - A critique of the way the Catholic Church dealt/deals with allegations of sexual abuse. At the same time a metaphorical device is used to imply that when people completely remove spirituality from their life they "start spewing a whole lot of crap out of their mouths."
Child Abduction is Not Funny (611) - A critique of parents being irrationally over-protective of their children.
A Ladder to Heaven (612) - A critique of excess public emotional display, and those who attempt to usurp it for personal gain.
The Death Camp of Tolerance (614) - Mocks moral relativism insofar as it argues that all points of view and behaviors should be accepted by all as valid. Mirrors the relativist fallacy with the portrayal of a society, (and a death camp) where all is tolerated except intolerance. Quote: "Just because you have to tolerate something doesn't mean you have to approve of it... Tolerate means you are just putting up with it. You tolerate a crying child sitting next to you on the airplane. It can still p*** you off."
Biggest Douche in the Universe (615) - Attacks anti-empiricism in the form of dubious TV spiritualist John Edward.
My Future Self and Me (616) - Suggests parents should be frank with children about the dangers of narcotics, and not exaggerate the risks involved.
I'm a Little Bit Country (701) - Posits that right and left may argue about war, but ultimately both have a role to play, the right to protect America from external threats, and the left to keep them in check. Also mocks liberalism within the teaching profession, and the use of children in political campaigning. Quote: "You people who are for the war, you need the protesters because they make the country look like it is made of sane caring individuals. And you people who are anti-war, you need these flag wavers. Because if our whole country was made up of nothing but soft pussy protesters, we'd get taken down in a second. That's why the Founding Fathers decided we should have both. It's called having your cake, and eating it, too."
Lil' Crime Stoppers (706) - Mocks the feminist movement describing it's leaders as ". . .a bunch of fat, old skanks on their periods."
South Park is Gay (708) - Attacks the expansion of gay programming on TV such as Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Will and Grace, etc., and the metrosexualisation and feminisation of men.
Christian Hard Rock (709) - Mocks the major record companies for cracking down on peer to peer networks.
Grey Dawn (710) - Questions whether the elderly should be allowed to drive.
All About Mormons (712) - Ridicules the theological foundations of the Mormon faith, but concludes that Mormons themselves are essentially nice people.
Butt Out (713) - Blistering attack on the anti-tobacco lobby. Argues that programs designed to keep children from smoking have the reverse effect. Extensive ad hominem attacks on prominent liberal producer Rob Reiner. Argues against blaming tobacco companies for people smoking and for personal responsibility. Portrays anti-tobacco groups as mendacious, vindictive and intolerant. In contrast it portrays the tobacco companies as honest, cheerful, industrious and of great benefit to society. Argues that research that shows that second-hand smoke is dangerous is flawed.
Raisins (714) - Critique of nihilism, personified in 'Goth culture.'
Good Times With Weapons (801) - Critique of censoriousness that prefers violence to sexual references.
The Passion of the Jew (803) - Attack on the Mel Gibson film, arguing the Passion Play has scant scriptural basis and that it was devised and performed in the Middle Ages to stir up anti-semitism.
The Jeffersons (806) - Mocks the idea that police officers try to pin false charges on wealthy African Americans.
Goobacks (807) - Argues that immigration has benefits but must have some limits. If everyone is allowed in then the problems migrate with the immigrants. Mocks environmentalism: Environmentalism is "even gayer than a pile of naked men having sex."
Douche and Turd (808) - Argues that there is no shame in people who have no knowledge or interest in voting not voting. Criticizes those who claim to want to increase the numbers of people voting but actually only want them to vote for their partisan candidate. Attacks the moral relativism of PETA, for their equivilency of the value of human rights and animal rights. Admits that, most of the time, your only choices will be a "Giant Douche" and a "Turd Sandwich."
Something Wal-Mart Comes This Way (809) - Argues that Wal-Mart succeeds because people want it. It can only be stopped by personal responsibility and collective societal self-control. The rise of the mega-store and the demise of the small town High Street are attributable to consumer demand, hence self-control is the only remedy. To criticize mega-stores in a free-market for their success is absurd since it is the desires of the public that made them great, and sustain them.
Quest for Ratings (811) - Posits that though African Americans and other minorities have been welcomed into news broadcasting, their accented English tones have not been.
Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset (812) - Attacks the apparently trendy, pseudo-feminist notion that female sexual decadence is empowering to young women. Argues that parents accept the trend out of indiference and confused ideology, while men go along with the development since it panders to their sexual drives. Ridicules the feminist idea that there are no differences between men and women. This trend is blamed on role models and parents. Paris Hilton is presented as the exemplar of this phenomenon, but "Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tara Reid are all stupid spoiled whores." Quote: "Being whorish is supposed to be a bad thing . . . Parents, if you don't teach your children that people like Paris Hilton are supposed to be despised, where are they going to learn it?"
Cartman's Incredible Gift (813) - Asserts that people who beleive in parapsychological phenomena are ignorant. Quote: ". . .nobody is psychic. There is a logical explaination for every psychic story you've ever heard."
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - A critique of censorship that allows extreme violence but not the use of expletives. Quote: "Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words."
General Trend in all episodes - Wanton disregard for all principles of political correctness. Parodies tokenism for blacks - i.e. the black character named 'Token Williams'.
See also
External links
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