Make an Argument
Why Comedy Central made a huge mistake when it self-censored South Park
By Eric Hughes
April 29, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, celebrates 200 episodes on April 14th with the first half of a two-part special that brings back nearly every celebrity that has been ridiculed and/or satirized on the late-night laffer.
In the episode, a pack of 200 public figures – led by Tom Cruise – promises a class action lawsuit against South Park, unless the town produces the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Muhammad is never shown on-screen. Instead, he is either censored by a large black box or hidden from view in a U-Haul truck or a giant bear outfit.
After the April 14th episode, US-based website RevolutionMuslim.com warns the creators of South Park that they could end up like Theo Van Gogh, a filmmaker who was murdered by an Islamic militant six years ago over a movie he produced accusing Islam of condoning violence against women.
On April 21st, Comedy Central airs the second half of the two-part special. Muhammad is obscured from view and all mentions of his name are censored. Additionally, long monologues by multiple characters at the end of the episode are censored. A Comedy Central spokesperson confirms the network censored Muhammad’s name.
On April 22nd, Parker and Stone release this statement: “In the 14 years we've been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode. It wasn't some meta-joke on our part. Comedy Central added the bleeps. In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear. It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too. We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it.”
Neither episode – 200 nor 201 – can be streamed on South Park’s official website, SouthParkStudios.com. Additionally, Comedy Central has yet to re-air 201. Usually, the network airs repeats of new episodes during the week they premiere.
Despite the fact that Comedy Central probably censored 201 to protect its employees, the cable network made a huge mistake. Here’s why:
The network’s decision is hypocritical and infringes free speech
In 2001, an image of Muhammad was shown in the fifth season episode, Super Best Friends. On South Park, the Super Best Friends is a group of major religious figures who defend the world against evil. Members include Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Krishna, Lao Tzu and Muhammad, among other members.
Granted, the episode aired in July 2001 – two months before 9/11. But, I think that does very little to excuse the fact that a depiction of Muhammad appeared on the network during an episode of South Park. Today, Muhammad’s image, voice and even name gets censored by Comedy Central.
May I refer you to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…”
A series like South Park is, of course, protected under the First Amendment. Even better, it’s protected from being liable for defaming individuals, businesses, groups, the government and the like because it is both a parody and a cartoon. That’s the reason South Park’s satirical storylines carry such bite. The series is lawsuit-proof.
Sure, the humor in South Park can be sophomoric at times. But the series wouldn’t have been nominated for an Outstanding Animated Program Emmy eight times (winning four) if its showrunners didn’t place a critical eye on themes and ideas lifted from current events and pop culture.
To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time that Comedy Central self-censored material on South Park, save for vulgar language and a depiction of Muhammad that was similarly banned from the show in the April 2006 episode, Cartoon Wars Part II.
I’d love to hear the reasoning behind airing a series like South Park on cable at 10 p.m. if the show is unable to take advantage of the freedoms afforded by the primetime timeslot. By removing all visual and verbal depictions of Muhammad – so much so that the parody, and more importantly, the message, is erased – Comedy Central may as well air the show on weekends at noon to capture an even larger audience than the one that typically tunes in on Wednesday nights.
Censoring Muhammad’s name sets a dangerous precedent
Casual Comedy Central viewers who tuned in for South Park’s April 21st episode, 201, probably had little to no idea what the episode was even about. With Muhammad’s image, voice and name – and lengthy concluding monologues having nothing to do with Muhammad – censored by Comedy Central, the lead storyline was rendered completely incomprehensible. Because the network did this on its own accord – and not, as is usually the case, due to pressures from the Federal Communications Commission* – the act of self-censorship sets a dangerous precedent.
The reason? Self-censorship symbolically demonstrates “favoritism” on what the network feels is appropriate for cable and what isn’t. For example, in March 2007 Comedy Central aired 43 uncensored uses of the “n” word in South Park’s season 11 premiere, With Apologies to Jesse Jackson. This says that the suits at Comedy Central pardon a racially charged ethnic slur – a word, really, that some people feel should be abolished – while prohibiting visual representations of a figure who Americans probably care little about. (Cartman actually references this supposed truth in 201 when he states that audiences will be more concerned with who his real father is – the episode’s B story – over a depiction of Muhammad).
What’s surprising about With Apologies to Jesse Jackson is that Kovon and Jill Flowers, co-founders of an organization linked to the NAACP that aims to abolish the “n” word, praised both the episode and, indirectly, Comedy Central’s decision to air the “n” word uncensored. They said: “This show, in its own comedic way, is helping to educate people about the power of this word, and how it feels to have hate language directed at you.”
Because Comedy Central decided to prohibit depictions of Muhammad on South Park, we don’t know whether similar critical praise would be had. But, it’s something worth thinking about.
*If this was the case, then it was widely unreported by the mainstream media.
Nothing is sacred on South Park. So, where’s the line?
With Apologies to Jesse Jackson only scrapes the surface of what Parker and Stone have covered through 14 years of South Park. Here’s a short list of other “offenses” – all of which aired censor-free on Comedy Central:
200/201: Buddha does lines of coke in the presence of anyone who cares to watch.
Trapped in the Closet: Scientology is dubbed a “big fat global scam,” and secret church information, which is usually revealed to members who make sizable contributions to the Church of Scientology, is leaked. The episode also parodies rumors of Tom Cruise’s sexual orientation.
Krazy Kripples: Christopher Reeves cracks open fetuses and sucks out their juices.
Le Petit Tourette: Cartman fakes having Tourette’s syndrome so he can say whatever he wants.
Bloody Mary: A statue of the Virgin Mary bleeds from its vagina.
Tonsil Trouble: Cartman is accidentally infected with HIV and intentionally infects Kyle with it.
The China Probrem: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg rape Indiana Jones/Harrison Ford.
Cripple Fight: Timmy, who is mentally handicapped and uses a motorized wheelchair, and Jimmy, who requires crutches to walk, get in a fight that lasts about five minutes.
Hell on Earth 2006: The late Steve Irwin shows up to a party with a stingray barb protruding from his chest.
Scott Tenorman Must Die: Cartman feeds the titular character chili made from his parent’s remains.
It Hits the Fan: The word “shit” is said 162 times.
South Park put Comedy Central on the map
Perhaps Comedy Central is forgetting one very important detail: South Park brought Comedy Central into the mainstream.
Prior to the show’s premiere in 1997, Comedy Central was probably best known for developing Politically Incorrect, a talk show hosted by Bill Maher that later shifted to ABC. Other than that, the network mostly aired comedy movies, sitcom reruns, stand-up clip shows and cult hit Mystery Science Theater 3000.
South Park, the first major cable show with a TV-MA rating, scored record ratings for the cable channel. By the seventh episode of the series’ debut season, South Park hit viewership levels that were 633% higher than the network’s primetime average. Commercial prices jumped, too. South Park commanded ad fees that were four times greater than the network’s highest-priced commercial six months before
the show’s debut.
One could make a strong argument championing the fact that profits from South Park begot Chappelle’s Show, Reno 911!, any program, really, that premiered after South Park. Without question, the series pumped serious money into the network’s development pool, enabling Comedy Central to become a major player on cable.
If any series should be guaranteed a free pass by Comedy Central – a luxury, of course, that all of its programming should be assured, especially if it’s satire – it’s South Park.
Fortunately for Parker and Stone, waves of support have filtered in from everything from programs on Comedy Central (The Daily Show) to shows on other networks (The Simpsons). On April 22nd, Daily Show host Jon Stewart satirized Comedy Central’s decision to ban Muhammad during a 10-minute analysis, complete with a compilation of Daily Show clips that mocked various religions without censorship. Similarly, in the opening sequence to the April 25th episode of The Simpsons, Bart wrote “South Park – We’d Stand Beside You If We Weren’t So Scared” on the school chalkboard.
The first half of South Park’s 14th season concluded Wednesday night in Crippled Summer, an episode that revolved around two handicapped characters, Jimmy and Timmy, who embark on a trip to summer camp. The season’s second half will likely return in October. The question is: Will Parker and Stone address their grievances with Comedy Central in that batch of episodes (a la 30 Rock’s constant jabs at NBC) or soldier on without incident?