Jim Lindgren nicely chronicles the foibles at South Park over Isaac Hayes's sudden departure. Hayes, who voices the character "Chef," has left the show because he is a Scientologist and a recent episode mocks that belief system. Matt Parker, one of the South Park creators, responds:
This has nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist and that we recently featured Scientology in an episode of 'South Park.' In ten years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show.
This goes to the heart of the "South Park" problem. I have something of a love/hate relationship with South Park. It is undeniably funny, and it appeals to my third-grade sense of humor. It also is one of the few entertainment industry products that is not afraid to skewer liberal sacred cows along with the conservative holy bovines. Finally, I found out last summer at a family reunion (in Lemmon, SD of all places) that I have a distant cousin who is an animator on the show. Talk about a brush with greatness!
But the problem with South Park is exactly what Parker and other of the show's defenders say is its strength. Whenever I question South Park's vulgarity to students, they defend South Park by saying that South Park is insulting to everyone, as if that makes it better. This is essentially Parker's defense against the charge of religious insensitivity. Hey, we make-fun of all religions. But this is the problem. I like irreverent humor as much as the next guy, maybe even more. But when you are irreverent toward everything you are reverent toward nothing. And some things deserve our reverence. A society full of Matt Parkers and Trey Stones (the other South Park creator) ultimately believes in nothing. We call that nihilism, and that's bad. But it is sometimes really funny.
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