Philosophy of Feces

Who would you help in a fight, Jesus or Santa Claus? - asks character Stan Marsh in South Park's very first episode. "South has a simple formula...there's Christianity...there's Christmas commercialism...[then there's] four boy's in the middle [saying]. 'Dude, chill out'...and then there's something to be worked out here," says creator Trey Parker in a recent interview with Reason Magazine. But to television viewers, there is very little middle ground. The show polarizes audiences with its intelligent yet offensive brand of social commentary, religious criticism, gratuitous violence and poop humor.

Mention South Park to any American, and you will get one of two responces - they either love it or they hate it. Football player Thad Quist is definitely enamored with the cartoons: "I'm a big South Park fan. I like the political satire of it - they're pretty unbiased. They show the reality of things and [do a] good job getting their point across." Even those who are repulsed by it, such as student Cindy Bowen, have come around: "My first reaction to the show when I first watched it? I thought it was stupid - and now I'm addicted."

Not long ago, a show like South Park would have been tossed into the reject pile by TV execs., but the birth of Bart and Homer Simpson in 1989 made way for more direct and irreverent obscenity. South Park pushes the envelope further, holding no respect for any sort of political body, religion, or philosophy.

The idea was born in 1992 as an animated short called Jesus vs. Frosty. Eventually, after being posted on the internet, this short film made its way to Comedy Central and was picked up as a TV series in 1997.

South Park takes absolutely no sides. It butchers both conservative and liberal thought all at once. South Park's approach is a distinct philosophical ideal known as libertarianism, the philosophy of freedom. Disgusting body functions are the staples of the show's sense of humor. Comedy's very nature is offensive, and the show is simply putting into practice a tradition set forth by great minds like Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, Voltaire and Jonathon Swift. "They don't have any social or ethical filter - they are allowed to say things that we are not able to." - Sharon Smith (Nursing)

A good parallel and example of vulgarity found in ancient times is Aristophane's The Clouds, which uses low comedy, like fart imagery: "First think of the tiny farts that your intestines make. Then consider the heavens: their infinite farting is thunder."

It's rich in crude comedy and high philosophical content. So it is not much different from South Park's unique take on modern day issues.

So what is the validity of a show that chooses to make Jesus a talk show host or have Satan a lover of Saddam Hussein or make a turd a Christmas icon? If you watcht he show critically for one night, the show may prove thought provoking. In fact, no other television show so consistently and relentlessly pursues a philosophical agenda week after week.

More goes no in one episode than the simple transgressions against "good taste". Libertarian philosophy lives here and takes hold, criticizing all in the name of freedom.