South Park Conservatives

[Stabby]

I saw this and was wondering: Do you think the guy who wrote the article, or the book for that matter, has ever even SEEN South Park?

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/131vxnun.asp

Come On Out to South Park . . .
. . . and meet Brian Anderson and the new breed of young conservatives.

by David Skinner
01/14/2005 12:00:00 AM

I CALLED UP Brian Anderson yesterday to ask him a few questions about his forthcoming book, South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias.

Anderson is a senior editor at City Journal. He's typical of an increasingly influential type of journalist, the full-time, on-staff, journal journalist who, paid by a think tank like the Manhattan Institute or the Ethics and Public Policy Center, has the time and space to work on policy articles for months at a time before having to pull the trigger on a finished piece. The result is a densely fortified style of reporting and argumentation that puts to shame mainstream journalism's call-and-quote product. Anderson's City Journal colleague, Heather Mac Donald, is another fine example of the breed, as are, from the younger set, the writers over at the New Atlantis, a journal of technology edited by STANDARD contributor Eric Cohen.

But it's not for any disquisition on urban policy or essay of political philosophy (a subject in which he has a Ph.D.) that Anderson has lately achieved a modest but growing measure of public known-ness. It is for a very nice bit of trend reporting, his Autumn 2003 article We're Not Losing the Culture Wars Anymore, which introduced a great number of online readers to the phrase South Park Conservative.

A coinage of Andrew Sullivan's, the South Park Conservative is, like the hit Comedy Central show from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, opposed to political correctness and more likely to ridicule than observe the guidelines of the new sensitivity concerning race, ethnicity, minorities, women, the handicapped, obesity, homosexuality, ugliness, religion, childhood, and much, much, much else. The show, according to Anderson's thesis, is typical of how the culture is shifting to a more critical attitude toward liberal media and its firmly held pieties. (City Journalhas just pre-published the final chapter of the book in its latest issue.)

My first, not really serious, question is whether Anderson in his book tries to write Andrew Sullivan out of the movement. (After seeing the especially tame WEEKLY STANDARD cover this week of a gay Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Sullivan had a reaction that can only be described as, well, politically correct.) "Andrew has become increasingly liberal," Anderson allows, but no, he isn't trying to kick him out. He does say that Sullivan, in his usage, "incorporates the notion of social liberalism," while Anderson himself is not only more conservative, but he believes that, at its core, South Park the show is, also, culturally conservative.

The idea for Anderson's article, he says, originated in the offices of City Journal, where editor Myron Magnet and members of the staff were trying to get a read on the meaning of the rise of Fox News, the blog-supported resignation of ultra-liberal New York Times editor Howell Raines, the incredible traffic at Drudge and other websites not particularly friendly to the left-wing hierarchy of the mainstream media. Even before Rathergate, a lot was going on that suggested a major shift away from the "monolithic liberalism of the mainstream media." (And, yes, there was a time before Rathergate: I remember well that sweet predawn era of complete faith in the words of that great, noble, manly, truth-telling newsreader.)

Is South Park conservatism exclusively a young phenomenon? Well, Anderson says, "a lot of the older conservatives just don't get it." But some do. Bill Bennett, says Anderson, called after reading the article. Bennett's kids were South Park fans and had been encouraging him to give it a try. And so he did, finding the show clearly anti-liberal. (No word yet on Bennett's opinion of Team America: World Police.) But, yes, South Park conservatism is especially big among young conservatives, says Anderson, who are more comfortable with the new "more flippant tone" and the new technologies.

Anderson talked with "several dozen" conservative students for his book. "They weren't young George Wills, they weren't young Bill Buckleys." They wore jeans and listened to iPods nonstop, but were intensely pro-life. But less conservative than their older counterparts on gay marriage, where they didn't object to the idea of civil unions for gays. As for the war on terror, they were very pro-Bush.

Is there a downside to the rise of South Park conservatism? I ask. "It can be," as its critics claim Anderson notes, "kind of nihilistic, profane, and vulgar." And, of course, "it will offend a lot of people." But, he says, "the biggest danger is that the activism and the attitude might replace an engagement with ideas."

Anderson continues: "You don't want to see it as a whole ethos of life. . . . If there weren't any respect for higher culture, it wouldn't be conservatism."


David Skinner is an assistant managing editor at The Weekly Standard and runs the blog Galley Slaves.

© Copyright 2005, News Corporation, Weekly Standard, All Rights Reserved.

[CptPlanet]

That's biggest pile of garbage ever. I'm not sure about Matt Stone, but Trey Parker I know is a libertarian. South Park has nothing to do with the liberal vs. conservative bitchfest and everything to do with a) making people laugh (JUMPED THE SHARK LOL shut up) and b) making people laugh by making fun of people who pretend to be offended by stupid crap.

At first I didn't think there could be anything more annoying than people going "ITS JUST FART HUMOR", then I didn't think there could be anything more annoying than people going "IT WAS FUNNIER IN SEASONS 2-4 AND THE LAST HALF OF SEASON FIVE BUT IT SUCKS NOW". Ascribing half-baked political messages to a cartoon show about third graders really does fucking trump them all though. Yeah the show is political and even preachy at times, but a lot of the times it just does it to make fun of people who are excessively political and preachy.

Team America definitely seemed slanted to the right a bit, but I think it was mainly because Trey and Matt hate celebrities, and a lot of people in Hollywood were making half-assed political statements that no one could take seriously regardless of how much they hate the president. THEY JUST LIKE TO MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE.

What the fuck ever happened to people laughing at something because it was funny and not try to dissect it and analyze it and see if it agreed with their political views?

Someone's a faggot.

[scotch-romanian]

Agreed.

[CptPlanet]

Originally posted by scotch-romanian
Agreed.

it's a good thing you have me to type all this shit out for you. you know how lucky you are right?

[Trevor K]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
it's a good thing you have me to type all this shit out for you. you know how lucky you are right?

I am lucky too cuz Im not in the typn mood, jus read and agree cuz im a sheep.

[Mang0]

Cpt could you edit your post and call someone a faggot at the end, you're confusing me.

And I agree with your appraisal.

[ME!!!!]

Since when is hating political correctness a conservitive thing?

I love using ethnics slures and I always listen to my heart bleed.

[Stabby]

It's kinda typical of those types of people. Doctrinaires always feel they have to own anything they like. And they can't like anything for what it is, because if they knew what it was then they would be forced to not like it.

See, it's like now that I know that Trey Parker is a libertarian I like him much less and will transfer that into liking the things he creates much less. But that's my problem, I don't try to convince myself that what he MEANT was that he was actually a limp-wristed democrat who likes hairless little boys and by calling himself a libertarion he is actually mocking libertarians.

They wore jeans and listened to iPods nonstop, but were intensely pro-life.
That episode where stan teaches the lion cubs to perform abortions then so they can abort the anti-christ must have been one of those pro-pro-life episodes.

[ME!!!!]

What I love about the pro-life aurguments, is that they usually work out so that I am commiting genocide by masturbating. I particually enjoy looking at a thousand Auswizches smother all over my belly and wiping them off with a klinex.

[CptPlanet]

I THINK THE BEST PART IS THAT THEY LET ME STEAL BILL HICKS JOKES

[scotch-romanian]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
I THINK THE BEST PART IS THAT THEY LET ME STEAL BILL HICKS JOKES Honestly, dude.... did you really think no one would notice? Who do you think that's a picture of up there... me? (And by "Me" I don't mean you. I mean me.)

[ME!!!!]

So what If I did ???

In all honesty I hadn't heard that one, but I am still willing to accept the imminent ass-pounding as punishment.

[Brain Stew]

I know personally as a liberal, I lost interest in South Park for a while there. It wasn't until they realized how big of an asshat that Bush was, that they eased up off the political stuff. I mean, some of those shows had the political subtext shoved in there with no concern for story just so they could show their take on the the news that week.

[scotch-romanian]

Somebody post some Dave Foley jokes and pass them off as their own.

[ME!!!!]

Acually, now that I think about it, I probably did hear it, forgot about it, remembered it but not it's context, and took it as my own. It's a strange phenomena that explains my lack of creativity.

The mind works in mysterious ways. And I'm still waiting for that ass-pounding, so someone whip it out and give it to me.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by scotch-romanian
Somebody post some Dave Foley jokes and pass them off as their own.
I was born a caesarian section, because my mother enjoyed the haircut.

Honestly, Foley jokes are hard to remember. Bruce had all the good lines.

[ME!!!!]

I think our Great Leader was just some huge ass freak.

[Brain Stew]

Oh yeah, the anal probe sketch.

It's no Eradi-cator or Elvis Was My Landlord, but it's funny.

[ME!!!!]

Originally posted by Brain Stew
Oh yeah, the anal probe sketch.

It's no Eradi-cator or Elvis Was My Landlord, but it's funny.

I didn't even like Bruce as much as most people do, but If Elvis was my Landlord is my favorite sketch.

[Brain Stew]

Did Bruce or Kevin do "If Elvis..." I can't remember :confused:

[ME!!!!]

Bruce played himself. Kevin was elvies

[Gogo]

Some '16' (who was not doubt probably really 12) year old Trey Parker fan IMed me and asked me of what political party I belonged to. I told her I was liberal and she said (approximately), "Hey Trey hates those kind of people....see I'm a republican because Trey is too. That's why he made "That's My Bush" cuz he loves W. Bush. That's why he also made "Team America" cuz he hates liberals like those hollywood people. Fuck all those people who hate Bush!(no offense) I mean he had the right to go to war with Iraq! Those people bombed our bulidings!"

I immediately blocked her.

[ME!!!!]

Originally posted by Gogo
I immediately blocked her.

Ice cold

[Treebeard]

Originally posted by Gogo
Some '16' (who was not doubt probably really 12) year old Trey Parker fan IMed me and asked me of what political party I belonged to. I told her I was liberal and she said (approximately), "Hey Trey hates those kind of people....see I'm a republican because Trey is too. That's why he made "That's My Bush" cuz he loves W. Bush. That's why he also made "Team America" cuz he hates liberals like those hollywood people. Fuck all those people who hate Bush!(no offense) I mean he had the right to go to war with Iraq! Those people bombed our bulidings!"

That didn't happen.

[Stabby]

Originally posted by Gogo
Some '16' (who was not doubt probably really 12) year old Trey Parker fan IMed me and asked me of what political party I belonged to. I told her I was liberal and she said (approximately), "Hey Trey hates those kind of people....see I'm a republican because Trey is too. That's why he made "That's My Bush" cuz he loves W. Bush. That's why he also made "Team America" cuz he hates liberals like those hollywood people. Fuck all those people who hate Bush!(no offense) I mean he had the right to go to war with Iraq! Those people bombed our bulidings!"

I immediately blocked her.

Are you sure that wasn't me?
I'm always amazed when I run accross people like that. You're welcome to believe whatever you want, but people that dense really shouldn't have opinions.

[Trevor K]

Originally posted by Gogo
Some '16' (who was not doubt probably really 12) year old Trey Parker fan IMed me and asked me of what political party I belonged to. I told her I was liberal and she said (approximately), "Hey Trey hates those kind of people....see I'm a republican because Trey is too. That's why he made "That's My Bush" cuz he loves W. Bush. That's why he also made "Team America" cuz he hates liberals like those hollywood people. Fuck all those people who hate Bush!(no offense) I mean he had the right to go to war with Iraq! Those people bombed our bulidings!"

I immediately blocked her.

Someone PLEASE bring back that thread about voting GoGo off the island. I want to change my vote from, "vote her off," to just plain, "off her."

[CptPlanet]

Trey Parker isn't a Republican. He has a sense of humor. Honestly, if you ever see a Republican comic that does jokes other than "BOY I SURE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS DON'T YOU? JOHN KERRY LOOKS MORE LIKE JOHN SCARY HUH FOLKS?" I will take that back. But that will never happen.

Also let's kick Gogo to the curb once and for all!

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
Trey Parker isn't a Republican. He has a sense of humor. Honestly, if you ever see a Republican comic that does jokes other than "BOY I SURE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS DON'T YOU? JOHN KERRY LOOKS MORE LIKE JOHN SCARY HUH FOLKS?" I will take that back. But that will never happen.

Also let's kick Gogo to the curb once and for all!
I'm pretty sure that he sides on the conservative end of things, but the Iraq War caused him to distance himself from the Republican Party in power.

[CptPlanet]

NO HE FUCKING ISN'T. HE WAS NEVER AFFILIATED WITH THE MOTHERFUCKING REPUBLICAN PARTY.

http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/trey-parker.html

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
NO HE FUCKING ISN'T. HE WAS NEVER AFFILIATED WITH THE MOTHERFUCKING REPUBLICAN PARTY.

http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/trey-parker.html
Conservative does not necessarily mean Republican.

Libertarians are conservative as well.

[CptPlanet]

You said "distanced himself from the Republican party". He was never anywhere near the Republican party because they hate civil liberties and want to elect Jesus to be president and love giant labrynthine bureaucracies as much as Democrats. Republicans aren't conservative in any way other than socially, which has nothing to do with Libertarians.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
You said "distanced himself from the Republican party". He was never anywhere near the Republican party because they hate civil liberties and want to elect Jesus to be president and love giant labrynthine bureaucracies as much as Democrats. Republicans aren't conservative in any way other than socially, which has nothing to do with Libertarians.
Up until the Iraq War stuff he was pretty much in tune with the Republican Party from what I saw on the show, which was I'll admit pretty much mostly on social issues. But, they don't tackle fiscal issues often on South Park.

[scotch-romanian]

Originally posted by Brain Stew
Up until the Iraq War stuff he was pretty much in tune with the Republican Party...Will you get me his autograph?!?!

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by scotch-romanian
Will you get me his autograph?!?!
You're right, I don't personally know him. I could only go by the stuff on South Park. What does it matter? We all agree he is conservative, right? Right.

[scotch-romanian]

I honestly just think he hates annoying liberals, political correctness, and the Clinton administration some.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by scotch-romanian
I honestly just think he just hates annoying liberals, political correctness, and the Clinton administration some.
And in the late 90s when South Park premeired, the Republican Party was pretty much definded by it's hatred of Clinton.

Similar to the situation Jon Stewart's in right now. He hates Bush with a passion and is registered indepedent. But since the Democratic party is primarily definded by hatred of Bush, it's hard in one's mind to separate the Democrats and Stewart.

[CptPlanet]

Jon Stewart would win in a fucking landslide if he ran in '08. I'd fucking vote for him.

[Treebeard]

stromfront would have him assassinated first

[Brain Stew]

The last thing we need is a Jew York intjewlectual jewing up the oval office with his lawyerly jew ways.

[tjamick]

what ever Brain Jew!

[Stabby]

I'm torn whether or not I think libertarians are more disgusting than republicans.

Either way though I think South park delt it out rather evenly, when they did try to make social issues. They tend to fall back on poop jokes a little too much for my taste but I think the way they attack hypocrasy and dogmatism regularly would make them far from conservative.

[CptPlanet]

What exactly do you find so terrible about libertarians? Their ideas would never work but I think their hearts are in the right place. Their entire platform is about maximizing individual liberty by getting the gov't to stop bothering people over stupid shit. I think that's admirable, although the country would collapse in a week if libertarians ever got any significant amount of power.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
although the country would collapse in a week if libertarians ever got any significant amount of power.
Exactly. Under a true libertarian platform, we would have to personally pay for police, emergency and medical needs as the market dictated.

[Stabby]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
What exactly do you find so terrible about libertarians? Their ideas would never work but I think their hearts are in the right place. Their entire platform is about maximizing individual liberty by getting the gov't to stop bothering people over stupid shit. I think that's admirable, although the country would collapse in a week if libertarians ever got any significant amount of power.

How much time do you have?

Basically, they are zealots. They are zealots who believe that property is more valubale than people. They think government is evil and propose the abolishment of things like the enviromental protection agency, health and human services and the department of education but they assume that private buisness is infaliable and would do a better job of ruiling over us. They believe that workers should have NO rights, and that the wealthy elite knows whats best for society. They want to eliminate all restrictions on buisness, believing that the "market" will eventually police itself. They are obvioulsy pro-free market and globaliztion. They tend to read too much Ayn Rand.

And I know they attract the young crowd becasue they rabidly promote the leagalization of drugs, but thats just becasue of their belief in a "free" market without governmental restriction and not becasue they 'luv 4:20'.

I can go into detail but its basically the equivelent political belief of a thug. Money, power, property over humanity, society and justice.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by Stabby
I can go into detail but its basically the equivelent political belief of a thug. Money, power, property over humanity, society and justice.
It's just like ODB said :(..."Cash Rules Everything Around Me! CREAM! End the legislation and entact carte blanch capitalism!"

[Gogo]

Originally posted by Treebeard
That didn't happen.

Her AIM screen name is binRockin. See for yourself.

[CptPlanet]

Originally posted by Stabby
How much time do you have?

Basically, they are zealots. They are zealots who believe that property is more valubale than people. They think government is evil and propose the abolishment of things like the enviromental protection agency, health and human services and the department of education but they assume that private buisness is infaliable and would do a better job of ruiling over us. They believe that workers should have NO rights, and that the wealthy elite knows whats best for society. They want to eliminate all restrictions on buisness, believing that the "market" will eventually police itself. They are obvioulsy pro-free market and globaliztion. They tend to read too much Ayn Rand.

And I know they attract the young crowd becasue they rabidly promote the leagalization of drugs, but thats just becasue of their belief in a "free" market without governmental restriction and not becasue they 'luv 4:20'.

I can go into detail but its basically the equivelent political belief of a thug. Money, power, property over humanity, society and justice.

BUT IT LOOKS OKAY ON PAPER. RESPOND TO THAT

[Treebeard]

Originally posted by Stabby
How much time do you have?

Basically, they are zealots. They are zealots who believe that property is more valubale than people. They think government is evil and propose the abolishment of things like the enviromental protection agency, health and human services and the department of education but they assume that private buisness is infaliable and would do a better job of ruiling over us. They believe that workers should have NO rights, and that the wealthy elite knows whats best for society. They want to eliminate all restrictions on buisness, believing that the "market" will eventually police itself. They are obvioulsy pro-free market and globaliztion. They tend to read too much Ayn Rand.

And I know they attract the young crowd becasue they rabidly promote the leagalization of drugs, but thats just becasue of their belief in a "free" market without governmental restriction and not becasue they 'luv 4:20'.

I can go into detail but its basically the equivelent political belief of a thug. Money, power, property over humanity, society and justice.

Way to go, Stabby. You'd probably never guess it, but I'm really into politics and trying to understand different political systems. I think I might be socialist, even.

[CptPlanet]

scandinavians pretty much have it all figured out. norway and all those guys are really aces!

[NaturesOnions]

Originally posted by Brain Stew
It's just like ODB said :(..."Cash Rules Everything Around Me! CREAM! End the legislation and entact carte blanch capitalism!"

"God rest his smutty soul."

[5InchTaint]

Look at me. I don't bother to read. Just a lot of gibberish I post.

[ME!!!!]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
scandinavians pretty much have it all figured out. norway and all those guys are really aces!

Legal drugs and health-care for everyone, that's so unamerican I think I'm going to vomit.

[CptPlanet]

Originally posted by ME!!!!
Legal drugs and health-care for everyone, that's so unamerican I think I'm going to vomit.

also they have women that aren't carved out of ham OR anorexic.

EDIT: BONER ALERT

[TUM TUM]

TREY PARKER IS A REGISTERED REPUBLICAN... I dont think most people know about that... he also directed a film for Dennis Prager, a nationally syndicated conservative republican radio talk show host.

[Brain Stew]

Originally posted by CptPlanet
scandinavians pretty much have it all figured out.
That's true! Ever been to IKEA?

[CptPlanet]

Originally posted by TUM TUM
TREY PARKER IS A REGISTERED REPUBLICAN...

Yeah totally (http://www.theadvocates.org/celebrities/trey-parker.html)