South Park Conservatives

Southpark There’s a new term you’re probably going to be hearing a lot of (if you haven’t been already): South Park conservatives.

The idea of South Park conservatives is that they’re, well, conservatives who like the vulgar cartoon show South Park, which skewers politically correct nonsense on a regular basis.

The reason you’ll be hearing a lot of the term is that some folks have been arguing that there are an awful lot of South Park conservatives, and since they’re younger (on average) that most voters, they represent the wave of the future.

HEREZA STORY FROM TECH CENTRAL ON SOUTH PARK CONSERVATIVES (CHT: Southern Appeal.)

The saga of South Park conservatives is also the focus of a new book by author Brian C. Anderson. He writes about them in

THIS BOOK ADVERTISEMENT THINLY DISGUISED AS NEWS ANALYSIS.

EXCERPTS:

For decades, with few exceptions, a liberal sensibility dominated American humor. From Lenny Bruce to Norman Lear’s "All in the Family" to today’s "Will & Grace," the laughs came at the expense of fuddy-duddy conservatives and bourgeois conventions.

But new media have allowed a new kind of cutting-edge humor to emerge, one whose primary target is the Left.

The anarchic, vulgar archetype of this anti-liberal spirit, which gives my book its title, is Comedy Central’s brilliant, and wildly popular, cartoon series "South Park," depicting the adventures of four foulmouthed fourth-graders.

"South Park" sometimes shows a socially conservative streak — one episode actually mocks pro-choice extremism, when Cartman’s mother, Liane, decides to abort her son — then in the third grade.

She goes to the "Unplanned Parenthood" clinic. "I want to have an abortion," she tells the receptionist.

"If you don’t feel fit to raise a child, then abortion probably is the answer," the receptionist tells her. "Do you know the actual time of conception?"

Liane: "About—eight years ago."

"I see," the receptionist says, "so the fetus is?"

Eight years old, Liane says, matter-of-factly.

"Ms. Cartman, uh eight years old is a little late to be considering abortion," says the receptionist.

Liane registers surprise, and the receptionist elaborates: "Yes — this is what we would refer to as the ‘fortieth trimester.’ "

"But I just don’t think I’m a fit mother," Liane laments.

"Wuh? But we prefer to abort babies a little earlier on," the receptionist notes. "In fact, there’s a law against abortions after the second trimester."

Later, Liane discovers, to her horror, that the word "abortion" means termination of life — and not the same thing as "adoption," as she had mistakenly thought — she abandons her plans.

GET THE STORY.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

6 thoughts on “South Park Conservatives”

  1. Well, I have there next show.
    Yesterday I was sitting in my cubicle at work doing the exact same thing that I had done for the past countless days. I have taken up the habit of at lunch just having a protean shake because of lack of time. While I was sitting there working yesterday sucking my food through a tube a co-worker was trying to get my attention but I was too focused on what I was doing so I didn’t notice her. She even said that at one time I turned around and smiled at her and then looked away.
    Anyways once she got my attention I realized that I am in a persistent vegetative state.
    They should have an episode of a dude like me who works in a cube and have his wife take away his food because he is in a persistent vegetative state. Have cops take away any food he tries to eat. Tell him that when he smiles that it is a senseless twitch devoid of any emotion… etc.

  2. I don’t think that there are many “South Park Conservatives”, but the end of that article is interesting.

  3. It’s hard for me to believe that these folks could be properly labeled as “conservatives”, simply because they skewer liberals. It seems they skewer everything and everybody at one time or another. Sort of an equal opportunity loathing. It speaks more of a jaundiced view of humanity in general, which means they lack one essential ingredient of true conservatives: optimism.

  4. Actually, my understanding of SPC was that they are conservative generally (in fiscal and social ways) but when it comes to culture (abortion, sex, marriage, homosexuality) they are libertarian. Oh, and they like to swear – A LOT.
    I have many friends in the 28-35 year old group who are GWB voters, but wish the GOP would ‘lighten up’ and let people screw whomever they wish.
    That’s who I think of as South Park Conservatives. But then, I’ve only seen the show once.

  5. This Brian Anderson guy was on Scarborough Country the other night trying to sell this book. He also mentioned the movie ‘Team America: World Police’ as a mostly pro-conservative movie by the creators of SP. Which just goes to show, the subtle slaps against conservatism have completely been ignored by this guy, or his sense of humor is MIA. I wonder what Trey and Matt think?

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