Antihero Cartman: Symbol of Modern Narcissism

South Park, which debuted in 1997, has always been known for mixing controversy, adult humor, violence and political commentary in almost every episode. Often the messages would touch on personal responsibility and freedom of speech as opposed to watchdog groups. A deeper message however is that of paying attention to one's children and what they are being taught.

An example would be episode six, titled "Death" (1997) where the parents in the town of South Park all went into a moral panic and demanded that a show their kids liked be canceled due to its 'toilet humor' and foul language. In the process, they even began committing suicide, when all they needed to do was not allow their children to watch that particular show, rather than using the television to substitute as a parent. The movie, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" (1999) was also noted for its commentary on the tendency of these watchdog groups to blame the consequences of their laziness and lack of responsibility on others when they had the power to monitor what their children were watching. In this movie, they declared war on Canada over an obscene movie that was produced in that country due to a child dying after trying to imitate a stunt he saw in that film.

That said, in this article we will be looking at the character Eric Cartman. He is a popular character, one that many love to hate, and is known for his spoiled, self-serving attitude. Many hints are given as to why he is that way, including his mother nearly always giving in to his demands and rarely, if ever, giving Cartman any discipline in episodes such as "Tsst" (2006). As a result of this, Cartman believes the world revolves around him. In one episode, "Cartmanland" (2001), he buys an amusement park with an inheritance in order to have a park to himself, and in another, "Breast Cancer Show Ever" (2008), he tries to get away with making fun of a classmate's breast cancer report. In a recently-aired episode, "The Coon" (2009), he even tries to be a vigilante hero in order to get attention and be admired for doing nothing or even hurting people he mistakes for criminals, while forcing a truely good, well-meaning boy to reveal his identity and let himself be arrested.

Eric Cartman may well be a somewhat exaggerated version of your average spoiled child, being given everything he wants, and as a result having no real friends. In these recent years, there has been an alarming trend of parental indulgence and the hands-off approach to parenting - giving children more of what they wanted and not having them work for it. This article from the BabyCenter Momformation shows how children are overindulged through too many toys and privileges, not allowing the child to do things for himself, and allowing the child to set himself up as 'the boss' of the family. In my opinion, the correct way to raise a child is to early on show him that he is not in charge, but that he is part of this world and should treat people with respect. From personal experience with many relatives who were raised by overindulgent and neglectful parents, I know that allowing a child to develop a false sense of entitlement leads to disappointment and often a life of crime for the children, and sorrow for the parents.

Disciplining a child is often similar to disciplining a puppy or any other pet, in that you have to discourage certain behaviors even though they may seem 'cute' and you have to resist the urge to give in to whining and crying. There are numerous articles on how to raise parrots(especially cockatoos) that do not depend on being held and cuddled, and on bottle-raising and properly socializing baby llamas to prevent them from growing dangerous when they begin to mature. In one example, this article on BirdChannel.com, parrot behavioral consultant Pamela Clark addresses the issue of owners over-cuddling their hand-raised moluccan cockatoos, stating that it can confuse the bird and teach it to expect this cuddling and demand more. In this article on ABS by John Mallon, which I had mentioned in a previous article about the chimp mauling which may also tie into this issue, he mentioned discouraging aggressive behavior in llamas such as nibbling and blocking the owner's way.

Similarly, with a child a parent must make it clear who the boss is, and not give in to the child's whims. This LoveToKnow article shows the trend of 'hands-off parenting' that started in the 1950's and has through the decades grown into a major problem as more parents are trying to make life better for their children by giving them more things that they did not have in their own childhoods.

It is my opinion that, far from being a show with only violence, foul language and toilet humor, South Park is a vehicle for commentary on social and political attitudes as well as the need for responsible parents. Whether it was intentional or not, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have created an example of the consequences of permissive parenting, even showing episodes where other characters have shown their dislike for Cartman, such as "Breast Cancer Show Ever"(2008) where after the fight, the other children told the boy their opinion "couldn't sink any lower" and "The Coon" (2009) where a Hilton Hotel employee admitted to having a low opinion of Cartman(who had previously rented rooms for other ventures) and even called him a name which likely cannot be printed in this article. Eric Cartman seems to be, intended or otherwise, a stern warning for parents to wake up and start disciplining their children rather than trying to be their buddies.

Jamie Lee, "Do Your Kids a Favor - Skip the Overindulgence." BabyCenter: MOMformation.
Pamela Clark, BirdChannel, "Moluccan Cockatoo Birds." BirdChannel.com
John Mallon, "Aberrant Behavior Syndrome." John Mallon - Gentling & Training Llamas & Alpacas.
Susie1506, "Permissive Parenting." LoveToKnow.com.

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