South Park Mo-toons
There’s a buzz around the internet about the most recent episode of South Park. It’s the number 1 search on Technorati.
Read the Officer’s Club link above to get a summary of this two-part story so far. It ended in a cliffhanger with the narrator asking:
Will the people of America be safe? Will Fox let the Family Guy air? Will they show Mohammed Uncensored? Find out next week to see if Comedy Central pusses out.
Matt Parker and Trey Stone appear to be throwing down the gauntlet to Comedy Central: make a stand for free speech, or cave in to threats from religious fanatics.
Mohammed has already featured in an episode of South Park, Super Best Friends.
It’s probably worth quoting a speech by a citizen of South Park from the recent episode:
Freedom of speech is at stake here, don’t you all see? If anything, we should all make cartoons of Mohammed and show the terrorists and the extremists that we are all united in the belief that every person has a right to say what they want. Look people, it’s been really easy for us to stand up for free speech lately. For the past few decades, we haven’t had to risk anything to defend it. One of those times is right now. And if we aren’t willing to risk what we have now, then we just believe in free speech, but won’t defend it.
UPDATE: The episode is available to download free (upon registration) at South Park Stuff. It is worth it.
I went to the Officers’ Club blog – but could someone tell me how to leave a sodding comment? I’ve tried with that particular blogging thingie before, and it invites you to sign up – but to creating a blog, not merely leaving a comment. I don’t want to creat a blog. Am I missing something?
Blogspot is annoying for that. It defaults to inviting everyone to sign up if they want to post, but they can change the setting to allow anyone to post comments without signing up. I’ve done that on both my blogs there.
I have to admit to hating South Park because of its crap animation (I loved Team America though) but on this issue I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
It’s great can’t wait for the next episode
From the US-based Volokh.com:
>”Did Comedy Central Censor South Park?
Did Comedy Central censor tonight’s episode of South Park? The answer would appear to be YES.
In Wednesday’s episode, part II of “Cartoon Wars,” Kyle (one of the boys of South Park) persuades the President of Fox TV to run a Family Guy episode with a short scene including Mohammed. Kyle lectures the head of FOX about the importance of free speech:
“You can’t do what he wants just because he’s the one threatening you with violence. . . .
Yes, people can get hurt. That’s how terrorism works. But if you give in to that, Doug, you’re allowing terrorism to work. . . .
Do the right thing, Mr. President. . . .
If you don’t show Mohammed, then you’ve made a distinction between what is OK to make fun of and what isn’t. Either it’s all OK or none of it is. Do the right thing.”
At the point in the South Park episode where Mohammed is about to be shown handing a football helmet (with a salmon on top of it) to the Family Guy, the screen shows these words:
“In this shot, Mohammed hands a football helmet to Family Guy.”
The next screen shows these words:
“Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network.”
In the South Park episode, President Bush then sees the image of Mohammed supposedly broadcast on Family Guy (which Comedy Central censored us from seeing) and says,
“Hey, that wasn’t bad at all. They just showed Mohammed standing there, looking normal.”
Al Qaeda retaliates by broadcasting its own cartoon showing Americans, President Bush, and Jesus “crapping” on each other and the American flag.
“Al-Zawahri” then praises his retaliatory cartoon:
“Oh Yeah. Take THAT! We Burned you! That was way funnier than Family Guy.”
Thus, from the South Park episode itself, it appears that tonight: “Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network.” To be certain of this, one would want confirmation from Comedy Central or the South Park creators.
Tonight’s episode is being rebroadcast on Comedy Central at midnight ET Wednesday night and 10pm ET Thursday night.
It should be noted that a 2001 episode of South Park included Mohammed.
UPDATE: As one of the comments below notes, Comedy Central apparently allows South Park to show Jesus defacating on others and being defacated on, but prohibits showing Mohammed “just standing there, looking normal.” Unfortunately, until Comedy Central or Matt Stone and Trey Parker make clear whether South Park was indeed censored, one can’t know for sure. The “play within a play” format renders things a tad uncertain.”
[…] Last week, MWW reported on an episode of South Park in which the end asked wether Comedy Central would dare to show an episode featuring an image of Mohammed. […]