Is South Park getting weird...er?

[Zontar]

especially of the creators terrible views, like climate change denial

They've never pushed that message in the show, so why should that be relevant? It's not as though people in the entertainment industry having controversial opinions is abnormal.

 

[BreakfastMan]

especially of the creators terrible views, like climate change denial

They've never pushed that message in the show, so why should that be relevant? It's not as though people in the entertainment industry having controversial opinions is abnormal.

Are you serious? There have been multiple episodes about how climate change isn't real and groups that want to stop it are bad. What do you think ManBearPig was about? Or the episode where Terrence and Phillip re-unite, where the town is basically enslaved by Greenpeace or a similar organization?

And I don't care about controversial opinions creators have, I am a Burzum fan for Christ's sake, you can't get more "controversial" than Varg Vikernes. But I don't have to enjoy it when they put it in their work and make it really fucking preachy. :\

 

[Evonisia]

I like P.C. Principal because he's unlikeable. The only part I don't like about him is the microphone which I don't think notes how obnoxious he is. I'd kinda like to see where Victoria's gone after getting the sack, though.

I think South Park has gotten weirder and weirder with each season, albeit with some spikes like the Human CENTiPAD and the Pee episode.

 

[Zontar]

especially of the creators terrible views, like climate change denial

They've never pushed that message in the show, so why should that be relevant? It's not as though people in the entertainment industry having controversial opinions is abnormal.

No they've pushed it in the show a couple of times. Manbearpig is them equating global warming to a mythical beast.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was a joke making fun of Al Gore.

Are you serious? There have been multiple episodes about how climate change isn't real and groups that want to stop it are bad. What do you think ManBearPig was about? Or the episode where Terrence and Phillip re-unite, where the town is basically enslaved by Greenpeace or a similar organization?

Again with the ManBearPig, I seriously have no idea how anyone connects that to global warming outside of the fact that Al Gore is the one being made fun of, and obviously that's what they're making fun of (even though one could just as easily argue it's making fun of the internet).

I'd also like to point out that the "not-Greenpeace" people where pretty hilarious, and when it comes to Greenpeace, it is an organization worth ridiculing. They're anti-nuclear power (despite it being the cleanest form of power and their own founder denouncing them for it), they're anti-GMO because they don't understand science, and they think blocking the Keystone pipeline was actually good for the environment because they don't understand economics or the simple fact that trains pollute more then a pipeline.

Greenpeace and many of its contemporaries are dominated by people who don't even have a basic understanding about the environment, so I think knocking them is something even those who completely agree with their causes should have no problem with. They're pretty much opposed to everyone: those they disagree with for obvious reasons, and those they agree with because they're actively working against their own stated goals. Given the "nothing's off the table" mentality Trey and Park have it's only natural that environmental activists would eventually be made fun of. I actually can't think of a group which hasn't.

 

[Zontar]

I think South Park has gotten weirder and weirder with each season, albeit with some spikes like the Human CENTiPAD and the Pee episode.

I disagree, I feel as though it's becoming more and more grounded in reality as time goes on. I mean when was the last time a demon from hell or an alien showed up, or the last time a giant monster and/or robot threatened to destroy the town?

 

[Evonisia]

I think South Park has gotten weirder and weirder with each season, albeit with some spikes like the Human CENTiPAD and the Pee episode.

I disagree, I feel as though it's becoming more and more grounded in reality as time goes on. I mean when was the last time a demon from hell or an alien showed up, or the last time a giant monster and/or robot threatened to destroy the town?

I think a few instances of that happened between Season 13-16(ish, without checking) with stuff like the Coon trilogy, the ending of the episode about poor children, plants that convert goths into emos[footnote]Until the ending of that episode, of course.[/footnote], Princess Kenny, and of course the episode where the Barbara Streisand robot came back but I'm pretty sure that shouldn't count.

Later seasons (10 onwards let's say) seemed to drop the weird characters like Mr. Hankey, and just focused on weird stuff like the aforementioned Human CENTiPAD.

 

[Megalodon]

Eh. I actually think the recent stuff suffers for its continuity. It makes the ends somewhat unsatisfying and lacking 'bite'. They do all this work to set up the episode, then bungle it and the last hurdle. Worst 2 for this are the 1st episode, where the brawl between pedo-Jared, the PC-bros, the pregnant Mexicans and the Syrian refugees just kinda stops because Kyle finally caves to his abuse, and the one where they're trying to get a Whole Foods, and a perfectly ruinous street brawl between the town the the child labourers just goes nowhere and they get the store like nothing happened.

Not sure if these were part of the 'message' the show was going for, but they didn't make me laugh.

What do you think ManBearPig was about?

Al Gore being mental? It doesn't seem to be a controversial opinion now that he massively exaggerated the 'Global Warming Threat' in his documentary. South Park generally seems to go after people being stupid with their ideas, rather than the ideas themselves. Best example off the top of my head is the Smug episode, with the 'message' Hybrid Cars are fine, maybe even important but don't be a self righteous prick about it.

 

[Josh123914]

I like pc principal, but I hate everything else.

It's not really south park anymore. They've tripled the size of the town, and now it feels like a city of hipsters. It's just too big. Part of the draw was having the ludicrous small town humor. I've enjoyed the self depricating humor, but I'm a little disappointed with the rest of the season. I hope it goes back to normal soon.

I think that's the point of this season though.

It's essentially a hick town that is trying really hard to be this tolerant, cosmopolitan and trendy place (particularly with SoDoSoPa, the Whole Foods, and the ethnic minorities), but will ultimately fail because the heart of the town hasn't been given the time to grow naturally into that type of mindset.

Also I predict PC Principal will commit suicide or something when he finds out he has taken a smart single woman's job.

 

[Groxnax]

Man, I just went on the South Park Wiki and some people there just hope that P.C. Principal meets a horrible end.

Yikes.

 

[Zontar]

No not really, the satire is quite obviously about global warming there.

Evidently not given how half the people in this thread talking about it seem to link it back to it making fun of Gore himself and not the topics he touched upon. Plus no mention was made at all of climate change in that episode, just Gore trying to get people to take him seriously.

Seems it's more you reading into something that isn't there then everyone else not reading into it, especially given this is a series known for not being subtle.

 

[Zontar]

I don't really know how you can think that it's being read too much into, especially as Gore is known for talking about global warming and South Park does satire.

Gore is known for more then just climate activism, it's like saying the 2008 election episode was making fun of the fact Obama is black and McCain is old, sure that's something that people know about them but it certainly wasn't what they made fun or nor where the jokes hinting that that was what was being made fun of.

Gore is know for making bold statements about pretty much everything and exaggerating things, and that was probably what was being made fun of given the delivery. Hell, the man probably did more harm then good with his inconvenient truth documentary given its doom-gloom nature and the fact a lot of the predictions haven't panned out since he used outlying studies to paint the state of the environment in the worst possible light.

For example, when did they make fun of climate change deniers?

They've made fun of Alex Jones multiple times, and he's probably the face of american climate denial back when people talked still about him.

 

[vallorn]

You know, this is starting to make me want to do a marathon of South park and give each episode a "weirdness" ranking so that we can objectively track the amount of LSD in the water fountains that Matt and Trey drink from.

 

[chadachada123]

Gore is known for more then just climate activism, it's like saying the 2008 election episode was making fun of the fact Obama is black and McCain is old, sure that's something that people know about them but it certainly wasn't what they made fun or nor where the jokes hinting that that was what was being made fun of.

Gore is know for making bold statements about pretty much everything and exaggerating things, and that was probably what was being made fun of given the delivery. Hell, the man probably did more harm then good with his inconvenient truth documentary given its doom-gloom nature and the fact a lot of the predictions haven't panned out since he used outlying studies to paint the state of the environment in the worst possible light.

And the analogy of Manbearpig is a clear satire of global warming. Equating what Gore is talking about to a mythical beast.

They've made fun of Alex Jones multiple times, and he's probably the face of american climate denial back when people talked still about him.

Googling "Alex Jones South Park" is turning up nothing.

It seems for their "nothing is off the table" attitude, there's a lot of things that are very off the table for South Park.

Even if it's granted that the episode was some how making fun of global warming rather than Gore's hyperbolic presentation, that is still but one example of something that is "off the table" for South Park. Beyond this, just because one "side" WAS made fun of at some point doesn't mean that the other side is receiving special treatment. It just might not have gotten an episode because there hasn't been a good episode idea for it. Even if they never cover the other "side", South Park isn't a political show that has any sort of obligation to "cover all sides fairly." Humor comes first and biting commentary comes next.

I think, if anything, the episode Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow is more arguably an "anti-"global warming episode, but even then, it's more just making fun of it than making any claims about it.

 

[Charli]

South Park has consistantly 'gotten weirder' every few seasons. You need only go through a marathon since season one to realize where these jumps in style and humor alter and expand upon the show premise.

Luckily, I love each and every iteration of the show and this season is no exception.