BATTALION ARTICLE
A New Breed of Laughs
'South Park' proves to be more than a comedy of flatulence and cursing
America has a new bunch of antisocial animated icons to look up to -- the youngsters of the TV series "South Park."
They make Bart Simpson look like a boy scout, and Beavis and Butthead look like a couple of small timers when it comes to these juvenile delinquents.
Kenny, Cartman, Kyle and Stan are the stars of "South Park," Comedy Central's new animated series.
The foul-mouthed quartet has worked their way into America's heart, courtesy of the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
The show revolves around the adventures of the aforementioned 8-year-olds while inhabiting the small mountain town of South Park, Colo.
Here Kenny, Stan, Kyle and Cartman deal with a variety of issues, such as aliens, tolerance, euthanasia and celebrity worship, with the vocabulary of a sailor and the sophomoric wisdom of a child.
"South Park"'s animation style looks like a bunch of cardboard cutouts pasted on construction paper.
The simplistic style makes "Beavis and Butthead" look like a restored version of "Fantasia."
With its simple, unexaggerated style, "South Park" offers one of the most compelling and complex shows on television today.
One of the show's strong points is its unflinching look at the vernacular of today's youth.
"Kick ass" is a favorite saying of the show's foursome -- and that is one of the tamer sayings of the lovable scamps.
The show has more censorings than a Springer episode.
Sure the lovable cherubs of "South Park" curse a blue streak, but they do it in a way that illustrates concern for their comrades.
The show's stars each represent a different segment of society.
Kyle is the only Jewish kid in South Park, and he must deal with the pressures coming from religious conflicts.
Stan, the resident genius of the gang, must deal with his romantic feelings for his classmate Wendy.
Every time he gets close to her he throws up.
Then there is muffled mouth Kenny, who speaks as if his mom was Charlie Brown's teacher.
Every episode, Kenny experiences one violent death after another.
In one episode, the Mir space station crashed right on top of the orange-hooded youth.
Cartman is a violent, ill-tempered fat boy, who must deal with a smothering mother and a speech impediment as bad as Kenny's.
These lovable tykes use gentle humor to deal with today's societal conflicts. The issue of tolerance was addressed when Stan found out his dog was homosexual. Not many shows would address the "powderkeg" of homosexual housepets.
There was an episode dealing with the ramifications of genetic engineering. Genetic horrors like evil, mutant clones were shown, but positive aspects like animals with four butts were given a spotlight. Not since The Island of Dr. Moreau, which the episode spoofed nicely, has genetic engineering been handled with such dignity.
When the children have trouble dealing with these problems, like a modern-day Aristotle in an apron, Chef is there to help. Voiced by Isaac Hayes, the crooner of such '70s hits like "Shaft," Chef serves the kids their school lunches, while dispensing advice in the form of songs like "I Wanna Make Sweet Love To You Woman" and "Love Gravy."
There is a host of other characters including a psychotic teacher who speaks through a hand puppet, a duplicitous mayor, Stan's mean, metal-mouthed older sister and even Jesus is on hand with his own cable access show.
This small, fictional town is a microcosm of the world.
It is a great country when a sense of humor that can get someone fired from a job or thrown in jail can also make a million bucks. Credit Matt Stone and Trey Parker for coming up with the best low-brow comedy brainstorm since the phrase "pull my finger."
In the heart-moving words of Eric Cartman, "Follow your dreams. They can come true. I'm living proof of this. Beefcake. BEEEFCAAKE!!"