Political Cartoons An Effective Critique

In any government, particularly the democratic ones, it is typical for the citizenry to critique the conduct or performance of their political leaders. Sometimes, it is done straight such as openly criticizing in press conferences, public opinion polls, and commentaries in the newspapers and even online. There are political critiques that are less scathing, and they would poke fun at the subjects they criticize but do so in a light-hearted manner. Some television shows and even movies provide these in a satirical manner ranging from talk shows to situational comedies or sitcoms. One other means of delivering a political critique comes by the way of political cartoons. They can come in the form of an illustration, a comic strip, and even a full-length show which contains a political or social message usually pertaining to relevant socio-political issues or personalities. The impact it makes varies depending on the medium. In this particular situation, the hilarious sitcom South Park tackles controversial political issues occasionally however, its effectiveness as a political critique to the audience remains questionable based on its purpose of entertaining the people.

When one thinks of South Park, what would come into mind are paper cutouts of the characters, and it is one cartoon that is not meant for children given the amount of profanity and the no-holds-barred mature content of the show. The show is satirical in nature which tends to lampoon current issues affecting the United States set in the fictitious town of South Park, Colorado to mirror these circumstances. The delivery is also surreal and makes liberal use of dark humor to drive home the point. Nevertheless, the creators are also able to make it a vehicle for delivering political critique.  It is in this vehicle, however, that the show may prove to be not making quite an impact in generating political awareness.

One of the reasons is the very nature of the show itself. The show is meant to lampoon or make a parody out of the current situation. However, what makes it a very poor vehicle are the use of toilet humor, the use of subject matter that is taboo, the seeming disregard for decency and propriety, and the portrayal of religion for comic effect which have been the main sources of controversy and debate over the course of its run. What makes it even worse is it is said to be accessible to children whom conservatives and moralists fear would corrupt their minds. Hence, even though the show tends to poke fun on certain issues or personalities, the profanity used by the main characters depicted as fourth graders is very appalling and gives the impression that Kenny, Stan, Eric, and Kyle are not good role models or even messengers as they tend to show the ugly side of America (Anderson Weinstock). Although the show is blasted for the liberal use of profanity and lack of decency, the show has surprisingly gotten a huge following of people whose political beliefs are right of center. If there is one thing that makes the show appealing to them, it is the way they tend to attack liberals with regards to their seemingly left-leaning stance on issues and prominent personalities who support them.  Although they claim not to lean towards any ideology, Matt Stone, one of the shows creators, puts it this way, I hate conservatives, but I really f-----g hate liberals. (qtd. in Anderson). South Park, through its characters, attacks the liberals for their desire to instill a sense of political correctness on many issues. It also takes a swipe at the liberal media which tends to be very leftist, and being leftists, they are notorious for being antagonistic towards anything the government says and does. In addition, through the show, liberals are attacked for their sense of entitlement which makes them feel they are above criticism while at the same time taking potshots at conservatives. For instance, in one episode, The Death Camp of Tolerance, Mr. Garrison, the boys teacher who is the object of discrimination for being gay, begins to assert his rights after realizing that if the school fires him (for being gay), he could earn millions by virtue of the anti-discrimination laws he can invoke. Feeling empowered by his rights, he commits an indecent act in class which is intended to provoke the school authorities into firing him. His attempt entails bringing an assistant in the form of Mr. Slave who appears in biker gang garb whom he uses to perform outrageous sexual acts in front of the class. In one instance, the class gets rowdy and Mr. Garrison flogs Mr. Slave in front of everyone. Horrified by this scene, Stan and Kyle complain to their parents but are admonished for being intolerant. Not only that, they even plan to award Mr. Garrison with the Courageous Teacher of the Year Award and to add insult to injury for Mr. Garrison, he is not even sanctioned at all (Anderson Parker, The Death Camp of Tolerance).

Figure  SEQ Figure  ARABIC 1 Mr. Garrison and Mr. Slave in The Death Camp of Tolerance
In another episode, Trapper Keeper, the show serves as a parody to the recently concluded presidential elections characterized by the controversial electoral votes that were disputed and in the end led to the eventual election of George W. Bush as president. In the show, Mr. Garrison, demoted to kindergarten teacher, presides over a class election to determine who will be class president. The outcome results in a tie between Kyles younger brother Ike and his rival Filmore. A swing vote from a classmate results in Ikes victory but elicits protests and demands for a recount which includes the intervention of Filmores aunt, an actress, and talk show host Rosie ODonnell who tell off the class. Mr. Garrison then rebukes her by saying, People like you preach tolerance and open-mindedness all the time, but when it comes to Middle America, you think were all evil and stupid country yokels who need your political enlightenment. Just because youre on TV doesnt mean you know crap about the government (Parker, Trapper Keeper Anderson).  Nonetheless, Parker and Stone downplay the shows leaning towards any particular political affiliation and deny having a political agenda when creating an episode. As a matter of fact, there was even an episode which also pokes fun at the Republicans titled Best Friends Forever (Weinstock).

Going back to the thesis, South Parks ability to deliver a political critique is somewhat questionable, if not doubtful. Considering two of the episodes used as an example, the very nature of character of the show puts into doubt its ability to deliver a decent political critique with the profanity and indecency which is apt to turn off very conservative viewers. Political cartoons rely on caricatures, metaphors, and allusions to deliver their messages. On one hand, they are very simple to understand. They do not require profound understanding or thinking.  The visual metaphors help make it easy for the viewers to get the message, and it is further underscored by their exaggerated movements. The appearance of special guests provides the symbolism in the show as demonstrated by Rosie ODonnell who represents one of the Hollywood liberals conservatives who like to bash. Then of course, there is the allusion as the show, though set in the town of South Park, Colorado, tends to reflect the contemporary issues of the country such as the case of gay rights and discrimination, as demonstrated in Death Camp of Tolerance, and the 2000 presidential elections in Trapper Keeper.

Nevertheless, despite the allusions they make to the social and political issues, what could possible turn people off South Park is the content or the way they present it since it is stereotypical and it appears to be biased (against liberals) and tends to demonize or vilify people and events especially in their no-holds-barred style of making use of subject matters considered taboo. Naturally, one may think that the show leans way too much in favor of conservatives, and liberals decry the show as hitting below the belt. As stated earlier, even though it appears friendly to liberals, moralists would be appalled by the kind of language and behavior used since the main characters are children and having them swear to do acts of indecency would send a wrong message that is cool for youths to behave this way. Besides moralists, even religious leaders are appalled too especially in times when Jesus and even God make guest appearances in the show.

Naturally, the shows creators are quick to defend their positions and make it clear that they take no sides, although they confessed to being right of center and it is unavoidable that their biases would show. The point here is it is realistically impossible to come up with an objective show. Looking at the show again, South Park seems to serve as a riposte by South Park Conservatives towards the unfair bashing made by the liberals who appear to act with impunity in bashing the government and feel their sense of entitlement makes them immune from bashing themselves. The shows creators intended to jolt them to reality using the show.  Still, despite equalizing the playing field between the conservatives and liberals, South Parks obscene and indecent content may turn off even their supposed allies.

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