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Aug 6, 2003 Recently I was not feeling well so I decided to do something that would allow me to relax and take a break from the every day stress of life. I wanted to do something that would allow me to reflect on the complexities of life and allow me to partake in some inner soul searching. I thought about what would allow me to do this. Yoga? Too taxing on my anatomy. Meditation in utter silence? Yeah right. Talking with clergy? I tried that once and my clergy ran out of the room crying. No. I decided to download and watch 73 episodes of South Park. When I tell people this the usuall response that I get is: "Are you O.K.?" Really I am fine, mmkay. Here is what I discovered. South Park is a manifestation of all of our fears. The show deals with issues that are scary and that have no real answers. Everything from life after death, religion, terrorism, politics, racism, hate crimes, war, homosexuality, sex education, to simple childhood friendships are tackled. A lot of shows do this. What sets South Park apart is the fact that the main characters in the show are four eight year old boys. They attempt to deal with these abstract issues in a concrete way. They see things in only black and white. For example, when the sex ed. teacher tells them that if they don't wear condoms they will get a disease, they all come to school the next day wearing condoms. When they are told that the South Park flag is bad, they see the flag as being bad only because it shows someone being hanged. The fact that it shows a black man being hanged does not enter into the debate. They are the ultimate in colorblind. South Park works because it plays on the fact that children take everything in the literal sense. It also works so well because it plays on the fact that you can't lie to children. Children are hard to fool. Not because they are untrusting, but instead because they are able to see through smoke and mirrors and see only the literal. One of the best South Park episodes made is a fine example of this. The characters all go to "Crossing Over with John Edward" and instead of buying into his act they immediately see that he is a con. This leads to a confrontation where Stan, the smartest of all the characters, tells Edward that he should "get over himself" and that he uses tricks to "give people false hope". This episode even has a great example of cold reading. All in all, South Park is such a great show for adults because it makes us as adults see how hypocritical we sometimes are. It also makes us see that children take things in the literal sense and that children cannot be fooled. Yes, the show is at times absurd, vulgar, and twisted. Still, for adults the show should be given some attention. I watched 73 episodes in a row and I am fine. Mmmkay? ------------ About the author: Wesley Mills is a full time student and writing instructor at Empire State College in Rochester N.Y. He also does freelance editing and writing and has his own company, "Writng Resources" which helps writers of all genres to write better and also does "book doctoring" and editing of all types. Email Wesley Mills: wmills1@rochester.rr.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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