Ramblings on Social Commentary

South Park is probably one of the most crass, offensive, and, in some cases, disgusting shows currently running on television.  However, the fact of the matter is that a good portion of its material is real and that's what makes it so wrongly hilarious.  In my personal opinion, its creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are two of the greatest social commentators of our time.  Many of the series' best episodes pertain to real life issues and current events albeit exaggerated.  I find it funny when people point figures at Parker and Stone and pass judgement on their character.  The "disgusting" aspects of South Park are not purely of their own mind but firmly based in human nature.

Interestingly enough, I just watched an episode that ties back to social media and privacy issues, which we have been discussing in 213.  The episode, while hilarious, had a deeper meaning than just comedy and laughs.  In this particular episode, the students of South Park Elementary get caught up on a gossip website that is harvesting private information and posting it for the whole school to see.  This causes relationship issues, panic, and, in some cases, suicide.  Again, some people would find this distasteful, but the problem is it's true.  Similar events are really happening.  People are posting information and gossip about others with no real regard for the outcome.

South Park is one of those shows that takes our own culture and forces us to watch it through a different lens.  So instead of being disgusted with the creators of the show, I think more people need to be disgusted with our society.  I think this episode is actually meant to be somewhat cautionary.  Watch what you say - You never know who is listening.  Think twice before laughing at someone's personal problems - You never know how it will affect them.