South Parkhas been on the air for over twenty-six seasons. In that time, it has managed to offend nearly every group that could possibly take offense. However, it has staunch fans and refuses to let up. This has aided it in becoming one of the most interesting shows for social commentary on television. It has also created an expansive and rabid fan base.
Initially, the problem with the show was that everyone was getting offended. The public did not seem to understand the inflammatory aspects of the characters and why such over-the-top situations had to be used to make a point. The current problem is that much of the fanbase doesn’t understand the entire point the show is trying to make.
The South Park Creators Don’t Care About Controversy
South Park
You may think you knowSouth Park, but creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have lived it for almost 25 years. The first cartoon they came up with wasThe Spirit of Christmas. This precursor toSouth Parkmade it very clear to the world that these two guys were not messing around. Their idea that these two revered figures, one a holiday favorite and the other a revered religious figure, would battle upset a few people. However, it also got them recognition and their own television show.
South Park: Every Christmas Episode, Ranked
Whether its devil-worshiping woodland critters or singing pieces of poop, South Park has some classic Christmas episodes.
The two creators have since earned enough clout at Comedy Central and Paramount+ that they no longer have to worry about censors. They do not receive notes from the studio and are essentially left to themselves. They have covered everything from alien abductions to religion to transgender rights and, each time, have managed to anger and amuse.
The four main characters are children for a reason. They can express things through child-like voices that adults might not get away with. That being said, as the show has evolved, we’ve seen quite a bit ofcontroversy inSouth Parkfrom the adults as well. But there is one character that people identify with the show above all others: Eric Cartman.
Cartman Is Usually Wrong in South Park
Here’s the thing about Cartman: people love him. Parker and Stone described him on60 Minutes:
We had this character that was a fat kid that was a little bigoted jerk. He got darker and darker and darker and smarter. He’s a super evil genius. He’s pretty evil."
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the show.Cartman has done the worst thingsinSouth Park. He’s the one who does stupid things for stupid reasons and becomes the bane of everyone’s existence. In one case, he even became a literal embodiment of Adolph Hitler in the episode “The Passion of the Jew” when he seesThe Passion of the Christand goes on a holy crusade. It is a perfect example of how Cartman encompasses all the bad parts of society and how weak-minded and ignorant people are often at the center of some of the worst things in the world.
The problem is that some people see Cartman as the show’s hero. He’s the funniest one because he tells it like it is. He’s the guy who talks about how “The only way to fight hate is more hate” and “Life goes pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, and do whatever you want all the time, you could miss it.” It’s an unequivocal position of stupidity that some audiences cannot seem to grasp as parody. They take what they hear from this character and adopt it as their mantras.
South Park: Joining the Panderverse Is Misunderstood
The latest skewering takedown by the show involves Disney. The “panderverse” sees Cartman and the others as alternate versions of themselves and how Disney and Kathleen Kennedy are simply churning out the same stuff in different guises. In this skewering, Cartman plays an alternate version of Kathleen Kennedy, whose catchphrase is “Put a chick in it and make her lame and gay.” The phrase has become a calling card for theSouth Parkfans who still don’t get the point. They’ve been meming the phrase, spouting in on Reddit, and generally making fools of themselves.
South Park: 25 Movie References That You May Have Missed
If you’re a die-hard South Park fan, but aren’t big on movies, you may be surprised how many movie references flew right over your head.
In the case of the Panderverse, the show is not saying that this is their big takedown ofDisney’s woke culture. In fact, what they are saying, and what the entire term “panderverse” means, is that Disney itself believes that by pandering to audiences, they are creating great content when, in fact, they are just recycling ideas. Also, whenever they decide to make a character a woman or gay, these same toxic fans go crazy and hate it because it’s new. The Disney/Marvel audiences are being spoon-fed recycled content, screaming about wanting something different, and freaking out when it is different.
Cartman doesn’t get it, and neither do his hardcore defenders. This is just another case of a character built for a purpose and misunderstood. South Park makes many great points through Cartman, but the message is often lost. This is hardly the fault ofParker and Stone. But they cannot help the fact that many of their fans have picked up the wrong message.
The Panderverse saga is another satire that many fans either don’t understand or choose to ignore. When it comes toSouth Park, there may be no other TV series that can push boundaries quite as far while still making an excellent point about pop culture.
