South Park Scandal

[Diocletian]

Story

Short story: South Park thought it would be funny to depict Muhammad in a bear suit and Comedy Central censored it.


Let me get this out of the way, I hate South Park. I think it tries way too hard to be edgy and funny and it falls flat on its face. I believe that Comedy Central did what was best for the company in terms of attracting people and as a business. They managed to get controversy and attention out of a scandal like this.

I personally find people on the internet to be retarded. They're complaining about "censorship" but they don't understand that Muslims are some crazy people. Terrorist could very well assasinate the creators of South Park like they did with Theo van Gogh. I know I would rather censor myself than get decapitated.

[GameGeeks]

Your last comment was kinda racist. Most Muslims don't do that. That'd be like saying all Christian priests are pedophiles. And personally I'm surprised they censored it. They showed other things people demanded not be shown. What makes this so special?

[Diocletian]

I'm aware it's racist. I know not all Muslim people are like that, but I'm of the opinion that most Muslim Middle Eastern based people tend to be very one sided when it comes to religion. I've sat down with three Muslim people and two of them have come out themselves and said that their religion has some very heavy values that end up getting mixed up as it gets passed down. The other guy flat out said his values are right and mine are wrong. You gotta love Santa Cruz, man.

[-Batman-]

Fun fact.

Turns out it was never muhammed in a bear suit.
It was actually santa clause.

[GameGeeks]

Nope, they edited in the santa in a bear suite to cover up the Muhammad in a bear suite.

[Diocletian]

They still showed Muhammad didn't they? I've only seen select clips (about 10 minutes) of the episode and didn't really see the entire episode. I saw that Santa Clause ending and didn't get it.

http://www.justpressplay.net/images/...k-muhammad.jpg

[GameGeeks]

Probably just did it for when he was in a bear suit then. The whole episode is probably ruined because of the censoring. I'll admit, I like South Park but only the older episodes for the reason you stated.

[Gjallarhorn]

They still showed Muhammad didn't they? I've only seen select clips (about 10 minutes) of the episode and didn't really see the entire episode. I saw that Santa Clause ending and didn't get it.

http://www.justpressplay.net/images/...k-muhammad.jpg

That was from an older episode, in 2008. It was censored on TV, though.


South Park did show Muhammad once without censoring him, in the episode Super Best Friends, along with many other religious figures as a part of a Super Friends parody. At that time no one really cared.

This only really became an issue when the death threats came from Revolution Muslim, though I suspect Parker and Stone were well aware of what would happen.

In the first of the two-part recent episode, all of the celebrities that South Park has ever made fun of return to get revenge on the town, specifically Tom Cruise, who wants to obtain Muhammad's ability to never be made fun of (when he does he appears under a black censor bar, as Muhammad did throughout the episodes...this was intentionally self-censored by Stone and Parker). The point was that every other religion gets made fun of, and sure people are offended, but they take it in good humor (the other religious figures of the Super Best Friends are seen in whacky nonsense humor throughout the two episodes), but no one ever shows, describes, or makes fun of Muhammad or Islam in any way out of fear of retribution. Of course, Stone and Parker do, and they get death threats, which really just proved their point.

In the second of the two episodes, Santa is in the bear suit and not Muhammad...Stone and Parker being the trolls they are. This was not censorship by Comedy Central, as a conversation then occurs between Santa, Stan, and Kyle. Muhammad is in fact "shown" in this episode, though again behind a black censor bar (intentionally self-censored). The issue of censorship came up in this episode in two main cases: 1) Any mention of Muhammad was censored by Comedy Central, and 2) Kyle's entire moral speech at the end was censored out (about 2 minutes of "beeeeeeeep"), even though it made no mention of Muhammad, and was apparently about fear, intimidation, and not giving into them, according to Parker and Stone.


I'm absolutely sure Stone and Parker knew what they were getting into when they did these episodes. I disagree with Comedy Central's decision to censor them; even if just to let Stone and Parker take responsibility for their actions, as I'm sure they intended to. That being said, I understand why they did it; to protect Stone and Parker, and themselves. That being said, Comedy Central only managed to prove Stone and Parker's point in the two episodes; that of fear, intimidation, and why giving into them means you lose.


After all of this took place, Comedy Central removed the Super Best Friends episode from the official South Park streaming website, SouthParkStudios; the episode had been up on the site since the beginning, without problems.

[Condey]

Story

Short story: South Park thought it would be funny to depict Muhammad in a bear suit and Comedy Central censored it.


Let me get this out of the way, I hate South Park. I think it tries way too hard to be edgy and funny and it falls flat on its face. I believe that Comedy Central did what was best for the company in terms of attracting people and as a business. They managed to get controversy and attention out of a scandal like this.

I personally find people on the internet to be retarded. They're complaining about "censorship" but they don't understand that Muslims are some crazy people. Terrorist could very well assasinate the creators of South Park like they did with Theo van Gogh. I know I would rather censor myself than get decapitated.

Sounds like giving into terrorism to me. You're allowing yourself to be coerced by threats of violence.

This is about free speech. We here in North America have been making fun of religious figures for years, we have mocked Buddha, Jesus, Vishnu; you name your idol, we've made fun of it somehow. Why should muslims be exempt just because they threaten violence?

And I don't like a lot of the new South Park episodes that much either. I feel the series has gone down hill, but I'll still defend their right to poke fun at Muhammad if thats what they feel like doing.

[sa5m]

Why should muslims be exempt just because they threaten violence?

You answered your own question right there. .__. It's 'cuz they're outright scary with all that terrorism stuff.

[Condey]

You answered your own question right there. .__. It's 'cuz they're outright scary with all that terrorism stuff.

Well I refuse to live in fear. Enjoy life under the foot of fanatics.

Hey guize, I herd muhammad was dumb, kekekeke. If anyone deems it justifiable to kill me over that remark, I'll die with my coolface on laughing at their childish and unevolved mentality.

[Gjallarhorn]

You answered your own question right there. .__. It's 'cuz they're outright scary with all that terrorism stuff.

Terrorism is the use of fear tactics to achieve ones goals. Giving into the fear means they win.

[Wio]

Frankly, I don't see why this gets any attention at all. Neither of the South Park creators have died or anything like that, so what's with all the hype? I'm tired of South Park publicity.

[Condey]

Terrorism is the use of fear tactics to achieve ones goals. Giving into the fear means they win.

Can I get a high five for freedom, bro?

[International 4-8818]

Really, i thought the two episodes were brilliant. For south park fans, it was awesome to see them bring back all the characters that they have made fun of. But the thing with Muhammad was just plain funny because they were making fun of the fact that muslims will be pissed if they see Muhammad uncensored. I was fine with the them censoring Muhammad, but I hated how they had to censor the word Muhammad and then censoring the very end segment where kyle and stan speak. I thought they went over board with the censorship but oh well.

[Ramona Flowers]

lol yeah I heard about this on the daily show earlier, I lawled. If you havent seen this episode you should check it out, really, at least for that one part. -not a huge daily show fan-

[3pleT]

TV and Islam seem to be the only things allowed to violate the first amendment. And here we have the combination of the two. Nothing unexpected.

[-GAZKUL-]

as a HUGE South Park fan i think that what they did was perfectly okay. its simply a case of free speach. they've shown jesus in episodes before and they didn't get death treats from the church, i think that the muslims are taking it waaay to seriously. It's JUST A CARTOON for gods sake

[AnswerBAK]

as a HUGE South Park fan i think that what they did was perfectly okay. its simply a case of free speach. they've shown jesus in episodes before and they didn't get death treats from the church, i think that the muslims are taking it waaay to seriously. It's JUST A CARTOON for gods sake

No its not what you say about Muhammed depicting him in image is against Muslims beliefs and they only ask we don't do it. What the folks at South Park did was known to have backlash. Its not just a 'toon though is it? Its their god.

[Zedekiah]

I know I would rather censor myself than get decapitated.

This was all I needed to read.

Glad to hear you're a terrorist's wet dream.

[-GAZKUL-]

No its not what you say about Muhammed depicting him in image is against Muslims beliefs and they only ask we don't do it. What the folks at South Park did was known to have backlash. Its not just a 'toon though is it? Its their god.

its still free speach

[poshyterra]

South Park makes fun of the rest of the world, why does this get attention? Hasn't Jesus appeared in South Park before? Isn't that the equivalent of Muhammed? Why the media attention?

It's South Park. It's stupid.

[GameGeeks]

Yeah he has countless times. In fact, he has his own talk show.

[Memento Mori]

I don't really see the fairness of allowing a whole episode making fun of the entire Scientologist religion while one picture of Muhammad is allowed to be censored.

Even if you don't agree with the Scientologist religion, it still has the same rights and privileges as the Islamic faith.

(First Amendment failure)

Zedekiah is right, if you give into the fear (in this case, by censorship), you are every terrorist's (wet) dream.

[The Wing Man]

I have been a huge fan since the early days, I think this was pretty much one of the only directions they could go, just push the show to the limits all the way.

I hate whenever anything is censored that I dig, but comedy central did what they had to, I still think they could have gotten Team America to handle the situation.