South Park

South Park

South Park, although it was removed from Netflix, is one of my all-time favorite shows. Based in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado, the series primarily focuses on the escapades of Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick. South Park has become wildly popular and is famous for its basic animation, crude dialogue, and over-the-top social criticism.

My favorite part about South Park is its unpredictability. One episode, the boys could be sniffing their own farts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and the next they could be battling the anti-Christ. Time after time, however, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are able to pump out fresh, socially relevant material under the guise of goofy, if not outright obscene, plotlines. In one particularly outrageous episode, Cartman is appointed temporary instructor of his class at South Park Elementary. Cartman abuses his power and helps his class cheat on a standardized test, leading to unusually high scores. Cartman is then sent to teach a group of inner-city students in hopes that his methods will generate similar success for the under-privileged high schoolers. In order to gain more respect from his students, Cartman changes his name to Mr. Cartmenez and impersonates a middle-aged Hispanic man. Initially, the students do not accept Cartman and he constantly wonders aloud, “How do I reach these keeeds?” With time, the students accept Cartman’s secret to academic success: Cheating. In the end, Cartman’s students make perfect scores and celebrate the newfound strategy. Although the episode may seem random, it has deeper contextual meaning. It serves as a scathing criticism of modern public education in America. The episode infers that the education system focuses more on memorization and standardized testing than individual learning and achievement, and I cannot say that I disagree. Many people condemn South Park for its crude humor, but I think that its obscenity is merely a façade designed to mask more significant social criticisms. 

In the end, South Park will always have its advocates and detractors. While it may not be the best show to watch with mom, it never fails to entertain and provide a good laugh. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are geniuses, and one can only hope that they are able to continue writing South Park for years to come.