Dear author of this article sounds like a guy who would post on marchagaisnttrump, r/esist and enoughtrumpspam on his free time...everyday at least 4 posts and 50 comments.
Haaha I can totally laugh at myself because there are dumb things on both sides and im cool and have a sense of humor but FUCK THIS SHOW FOR POKING FUN AT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE AND NOT EXPLICITLY SIDING WITH MY OPINION IN THE END REEEEEEEE
It's kind of shocking how someone can be this lacking in self awareness. How is it possible to be write a retrospective on SouthPark and get this booty blasted about it. You'd think you might notice that you seem to be the exact guy they're making fun of. I mean this guy unironically thinks that it really shows how bad SouthPark is by saying Prius drivers huff their own farts. This is such an inane and relatable theme that I'd think any non-brain damaged human could understand it.
SouthPark would never have been so popular if the kind of people they satirize wouldn't get so defensive about their beliefs.
in the aftermath of Trump/Garrison’s election, those same, vigilant cuck-watchers were back to crowing over how South Park had really stuck it to politically correct types
This is exactly what the article is doing! The author is the liberal equivalent of a cuck-watcher.
he show more or less left it there—portraying Trump/Garrison as a dangerously incompetent buffoon... The duo is, of course, under no obligation to tackle politics... ...That said: Man, what a cop out.
Really obscures the purpose of the piece all together when he admits his hypocrisy, but chooses to unapologetically stand by it.
He manages to miss the obvious angle for any smug culture writer too; "The same way the blemishes on your face can't be blamed on the reflection in your mirror, South Park can't be blamed for creating the blemished reality it has chosen to depict. Would South Park be offensive in an unoffensive world?" - It makes sense at least.
Ironically, he's exhibiting a rare strain of South Park Neutrality there called South Park Denial, named for the response one gets when they ask Parker & Stone why they never make fun of college-libertarian-types.
They actually do make fun of them, too. Die Hippie, Die showcases how the college-know-it-all hippies turn people to their side with "stuff you should read". That being said, I've got some stuff you should read.
they're the ones who, instead of blaming random shit on capitalism, blame it on the fact that we don't have completely unfettered, unchecked free-market capitalism
Please give some examples because I'm really curious.
South Park made not believing in things cool and fuck them for that.
Maybe you're problem is the reverse, that you think blindly believing in some ideology or whatever is cool? Does it offend you that people see extremists as ridiculous and unhinged instead of brave?
The fact that you label anybody who holds any conviction whatsoever as an 'extremist' is exactly a problem. It wasn't that long ago that having beliefs was the done thing, but now people like you are too afraid of being made fun of an downvoted to express themselves.
Yea let's talk about all these people simply holding conviction. Let me do my best r/politics impression and invoke Nazi's who simply had conviction, or communist dictators, or religious extremists etc. Conviction/ideology is the mechanism that allows people to ignore their faults/wrong doings to commit the greatest harms and people should be understandably wary of it.
but now people like you are too afraid of being made fun of and downvoted to express themselves
The fact that you think it is admirable to hold conviction is a problem. It is the easiest thing in the world to have a belief or ideology. Why do cults work? Because people desperately need things to believe in no matter how ridiculous.
It is much harder to question beliefs and to admit your own lack of knowledge than to blindly follow something.
If anybody ever asks me to explain 'extreme centricity' to them in going to show them this comment. It is way too early in the conversation to invoke the Nazis, dude. Deflecting by "invoking r/politics" doesn't distract from Godwin's law.
Centrism or near-centrism is king everyone else is literally sniffing their own farts.
Every subreddit where politics reigns is literally an echo chamber of mentally disabled children and or poo-slinging retard-monkeys. But its fine if you are not a centrist .. You will always be a brainwashed idiot in my books though. You can hold an opinion bit dont smear it in my face thanks.
You read four comments of mine and came to the end of this comment chain to reply. Sorry for 'smearing my beliefs in your face'. Maybe you're a centrist because you don't know enough about the world to form a real opinion but you still want to to feel superior to everybody. I mean I can tell from your comment that I'm at the very least right about that second part.
Yes, you are correct on the second part.
Im not claiming i know much about the world,
But what i do know is that holding a belief, and in 2017 is probabmy not even one of your own isjust shit shoved down your throat that you gullibly swallowed and harbor in your head for safekeeping
The biggest problem with the world atm in my opinion is constantly eating up shit that divides us, the second you start defending stuff out of centrism you are feeding that stupid belief another schmuck ready to sling poo at the other side, my belief is that things need time and people will naturally evolve to the right societal values because education and time so yes i do feel more hoity-toity then you on that aspect. Shouting really hard and alienating 50% of humans because of your opinion just shows that the left and right need to get their head out of their ass and be a shitload more tolerant towards eachother. be humans first calling eachother stupid just shows how absurd it all is.
It was like four posts down mate, wasn't exactly difficult to find. Also your username was a bit of a hint. The only thing worse than what you lot believe is how cowardly you are about it. At least admit to being a piece of shit if you're going to be one.
I feel like you don't know what pedantic means. Also, did you have an argument? I'd go look for it but I wouldn't want to be whatever you think pedantic means.
It wasn't that long ago that having beliefs was considered admirable
Having beliefs is admirable.
Yelling and getting melodramatic that other people don't share yours, however, has never been cool. It's always made actual cool people roll their eyes.
I feel like the one side always thinks the other is yelling. When somebody says something you don't like it grates on you, so you assume it was delivered with as much force as it was received.
I mean both sides in every debate, from Nazi to centre to far left. You hear something you don't like so you automatically assume the other person is the worst version of themselves. People always tell me to "stop being hysterical" on here (which, now that I think about it, might be a right wing tactic to discredit) even though I'm literally typing this in my underwear to pass the time while I'm hungover. Simply stating my opinion is seen as wild and swivel-eyed, no matter how I do it, by the other side. One guy here referred to anybody who holds beliefs as "extremists", for example, just because it ran counter to his point.
If this is how you interact with people just telling you that there's a difference between having beliefs and being melodramatic, self-righteous, and self-aggrandizing about having them, it's no wonder why people call you the things that they do.
Moreover, the problem I have with online political discussions is that people argue their point like their fucking lawyers: no inch given, like it's their job to defend it at all costs. Most often, this includes insisting that there's no way anyone could possibly think [insert other side ideology there].
That insults me as a person with a drop of imagination, insults me as someone who had to employ a decent amount of critical thinking through grad school, and insults me as a person who has actually had to analyze shit for work.
I'm going to guess a lot of the passion that you project that's considering melodramatic or hysterical is- aside from jumping to conclusions in a huff like "OH NOW I KNOW THE TYPE OF PERSON I'M TALKING TO"- that you fail to understand that people can have different perspectives and utilities and actually have differing viewpoints without being stupid or evil.
Also remember that thinking about issues for yourself and seeing the idiocy on both sides is intellectually dishonest and the way to be smart is to parrot my a party's position on every issue.
All of which makes Parker and Stone’s recent declaration to lay off Trump in the coming 21st season a real disappointment at best, cowardice at worst. The duo is, of course, under no obligation to tackle politics—or anything else they don’t want to, for that matter.
'They're free to do whatever they want, but if they don't do what I want, I'm going to shit on them. But I'm not forcing them!'
2011.
No really - that's when it all went to shit. The writers that were cinephiles and music afficianados all left, and in their place they hired cheaper "pop culture commenters." A similar drop in quality among the commenting community soon followed
That would make sense - I think I started using Reddit in 2012, and I think I stopped visiting avc around then.
Part of it is just dumb teenager nostalgia goggles too. Can't believe I used to respect some of these people - have you seen that incredibly cringey piece on Hamilton Todd VanDerWerff did? One of the worst things I've read on the internet.
Oh shit I forgot all about that! Didn't they start their own website that failed in a couple years. I don't think I was ever able to confirm what the dispute was about (raises? Editorial? Hiring practices?) but there obviously was some huge internal politics clash that completely alienated some faction of the office.
That's correct. They formed "The Dissolve", but the page layout to it looked really bad - think 1997 Geocities, but in 2015.
In any case, the AV Club now exists as a near-parody of what we would imagine a "SJW bubble" would be. The staff make the same Trump joke over and over, and the toxic commenting community will ban anyone whose views aren't 100% aligned with extreme radical liberalism.
Seriously, the community is like 10x worse than the paid staff. The icing on the cake is that, in order to win "oppression olympics", nearly every commenter routinely admits to suffering from mental illness (in between discussions on how wicked conservatives are).
It was pretty easy to make fun of Republicans in 2000-2008. Jon Stewart and Colbert were slaying sacred cows and the Republicans were butthurt whenever their leader was criticized mildly.
Rmoney wasn't a bad candidate except for being an out of touch rich dude. But he was going to lose against Obama hard. However, Obama wasn't that bad of a guy yet the media would portray him as the second coming of Jesus (nobel peace prize winner bombing muslims and arming terrorists lol).
So I would imagine around 2012 all the rank and file liberals and working class people got tired of him failing to fix the banks or stop the wars he promised. Maybe just disillusioned.
Anyways I think around that time, all the people who built their careers on shitting on current politics needed something to target. They couldn't back down as their cash flow was desperate. Nobody wanted to associate with loser Republicans in 2012 or identify with the anti-gay marriage party, so they just bottled down harder on the judgemental crap and set up their own sacred cows while most people were ambivalent or tired of their shit.
Jesus if the alt-right had a fraction of the power these people think they do they would already be in a camp. I think it's probably more likely the author thinks anyone who doesn't believe what they do just be alt-right
Pretty much anyone that doesn't have an unnatural hair color, facial piercings, and a significant other with a questionable gender is alt-right to these "people".
I mean one of my roommates last year accused me of being alt-right for saying that I didn't think trump was as bad as Hillary in my eyes. So yeah, it's kind of a "if you support trump at all/don't actively oppose him at every opportunity, and post bussy on r/drama, you're alt-right"
Butthurt SJWs: "Yeah, you show these evil REEEEEEpuglicans!!! They're totes gonna resign now."
South Park: *makes fun of the far-left*
Butthurt SJWs: "B-b-but why would you make fun of us?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PARROT MY BELIEFS NO MATTER HOW ASANINE!!!!!!! RRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCKING MAYOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'd say that South Park came with the assumption that people are rational enough to pick up on the subtle satire of the show. It's the same logic Martin Scorsese gave on the subject of excess and lack of morality of Wolf of Wall Street.
The problem though is that people are fucking stupid morons who always gets scammed by pyramid schemes and cults. They can't even notice sarcasm when it bites them in the genitals.
South Park is fucking hilarious and I know that what Parker and Stones' intentions were. However, the problem though is that half of their audiences are children who are too fucking stupid to notice the show's nuanced satire and takes the show's humour to face value.
For example, the 9/11 Conspiracy episode was made to make fun of Loose Change and post 9/11 conspiracy theory. However, many people came with the conclusion that somehow South Park was pro-Bush propaganda. What?
TLDR: People (especially children) are too stupid for South Park and South Park is too smart for People (especially children).
Imagine typing this out, clicking post, leaning back in your chair and thinking "ahh got 'em"
It's a well known fact that only the highest intellects can fathom the nuanced subtleties of the satire in the show. In no way is it ham-fisted, blatant and obvious.
But that's what the article was saying in the first place, that there's lots of dumb motherfuckers who don't get it - it didn't say SP was too subtle for average people to understand as far as I recall.
I notice they left out their critique of hip-hop too for turning a generation of black kids into gangbangers.
Hip hop emerged out of gangbanger culture - some say it provided an outlet and reduced trouble in those communities.
I've also heard that portions of black communities actually don't have the separation between fantasy and reality with regards to violent media, because crime is already accepted in their subculture - so there might be some truth to that statement, too.
Ask the internet if South Park (or any popular cartoon) has started to suck lately. Then wait for the messages.
I don't know why people get so worked up, but interestingly, both sides of the South Park argument get worked up to shit. If only they'd draw the lessons the show teaches and realize everyone's dumb and it's better to laugh at people commenting on South park.
And to be certain, there are millions of Poe’s law-defying viewers for whom South Park really is just a comedy, one that satisfies the most basic requirement of saying the things you shouldn’t say, in a far more clever way than you could say them.
How does just liking a TV show mean you are defying Poe's Law? Is it just a thinly veiled way of calling the show's fans extremists?
South Park spent its first 10 years shitting on way more conservative things, the pendulum has since swung back the other way in society, so of course liberal things became an easier target.
They're just mad that now their liberal arts degree asses are the ones being mocked.
Also, anyone who formed the basis for political opinions from a fucking cartoon is an idiot.
I don't know, if memory doesn't fail me, they said they wouldn't touch on him much more, because it's hard mocking a monkey when all he does is run into a wall himself.
South Park's whole gimmick is poking fun at sacred cows as crudely as possible and Trump is as close to the opposite of a sacred cow as it's possible to be.
Getting mad at them for saying the joke is dead and moving on is akin to demanding they continue making jokes about Nickelback and airline food. At that point one is just asking for drawn-out, hackish comedy because they really hate the target in question.
this guy has reviewed every episode of the show since like season 12 (And the first 2) from what i found. You'd think he would understand the show pretty damn well based on that, but nope!
frustrating inability of the social justice movement to pick its battles—or its enemies
Meh that's basically all internet movements to be fair. Are you an environmentalist? Windmills are just as bad as coal, they kill birds! Now of course normal, IRL versions of these people recognize ideological purity is not practical, which is why normal people would prefer windmills to choking down coal. Social justice ideological purity just got popular enough online to leak into real life.
“Did South Park accidentally invent the alt-right?” Janan Ganesh asked recently in the Financial Times
Surely most far-right people would despise South Park; it's got some pretty transgressive themes. Anyway, I seriously doubt that South Park 'invented' the alt-right in any way. I guess they just both happen to be on the list of people you don't like.
It's not South park's direct fault. It's that they made it look fun and clever and easy. It's the legions of people who think the final outcome (laughing at all sides of the argument) isn't the end result, it's a shortcut to looking funny and clever just like the show they like.
It's like blaming iCarly for the randumb comedy of children. Don't be mad because they're good at it, be mad because other people suck at it and think it's easy.
But yes, dismissive fake-centrism is bad, and South Park is the most visible example of this in the media.
Dismissive fake centrism is bad, but as long as the biggest, most visible opponents of it continue to be braindead ideologues the South Park centrists are gonna maintain the high ground.
This is all true. But the high ground is at the very least imaginary.
We're all dumb as shit about some things, though, and as long as people remember that while they're parroting "Douche or Turd." or whatever, I'm happy.
133 comments
1 SnapshillBot 2017-07-25
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1 mehforeverybody 2017-07-25
Dear author of this article sounds like a guy who would post on marchagaisnttrump, r/esist and enoughtrumpspam on his free time...everyday at least 4 posts and 50 comments.
1 Morrigan101 2017-07-25
Assuming he doesn't alredy
1 no_frills 2017-07-25
Haaha I can totally laugh at myself because there are dumb things on both sides and im cool and have a sense of humor but FUCK THIS SHOW FOR POKING FUN AT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE AND NOT EXPLICITLY SIDING WITH MY OPINION IN THE END REEEEEEEE
1 Hitlery_Clinton 2017-07-25
...and that's why avclub is buttmad about it
1 Neon_needles 2017-07-25
but but but... I'm... perfect.. le horse shoe theory... heh...
1 Dedalus77 2017-07-25
It's kind of shocking how someone can be this lacking in self awareness. How is it possible to be write a retrospective on SouthPark and get this booty blasted about it. You'd think you might notice that you seem to be the exact guy they're making fun of. I mean this guy unironically thinks that it really shows how bad SouthPark is by saying Prius drivers huff their own farts. This is such an inane and relatable theme that I'd think any non-brain damaged human could understand it.
SouthPark would never have been so popular if the kind of people they satirize wouldn't get so defensive about their beliefs.
1 MakeAmericaSageAgain 2017-07-25
This is exactly what the article is doing! The author is the liberal equivalent of a cuck-watcher.
Really obscures the purpose of the piece all together when he admits his hypocrisy, but chooses to unapologetically stand by it.
He manages to miss the obvious angle for any smug culture writer too; "The same way the blemishes on your face can't be blamed on the reflection in your mirror, South Park can't be blamed for creating the blemished reality it has chosen to depict. Would South Park be offensive in an unoffensive world?" - It makes sense at least.
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
Ironically, he's exhibiting a rare strain of South Park Neutrality there called South Park Denial, named for the response one gets when they ask Parker & Stone why they never make fun of college-libertarian-types.
1 holy_black_on_a_popo 2017-07-25
Low-hanging fruit
1 That_Hobo_in_The_Tub 2017-07-25
South park of all shows avoiding low hanging fruit? I think not.
1 tpgreyknight 2017-07-25
I'm not really au fait with South Park, but I'm guessing the answer is "they do"?
1 _narrows 2017-07-25
The fat gamer in the Warcraft episode just screams “college libertarian” to me
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
exactly! he's one of the few characters who NEVER SAYS A WORD
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
you'd think that
1 wOLFman4987 2017-07-25
They actually do make fun of them, too. Die Hippie, Die showcases how the college-know-it-all hippies turn people to their side with "stuff you should read". That being said, I've got some stuff you should read.
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
all those hippies were proggo lefties though. i'm talking about the quadrant-II guys, the ones with fedoras
1 wOLFman4987 2017-07-25
I don't think I've heard of those guys... Do I even wanna know?
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
they're the ones who, instead of blaming random shit on capitalism, blame it on the fact that we don't have completely unfettered, unchecked free-market capitalism
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Not everybody kowtows to bullying, wrongheaded bullshit. South Park made not believing in things cool and fuck them for that.
1 Dedalus77 2017-07-25
Please give some examples because I'm really curious.
Maybe you're problem is the reverse, that you think blindly believing in some ideology or whatever is cool? Does it offend you that people see extremists as ridiculous and unhinged instead of brave?
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
The fact that you label anybody who holds any conviction whatsoever as an 'extremist' is exactly a problem. It wasn't that long ago that having beliefs was the done thing, but now people like you are too afraid of being made fun of an downvoted to express themselves.
1 JoeFalchetto 2017-07-25
Having beliefs is not admirable per se. Depends on the beliefs.
1 Dedalus77 2017-07-25
Yea let's talk about all these people simply holding conviction. Let me do my best r/politics impression and invoke Nazi's who simply had conviction, or communist dictators, or religious extremists etc. Conviction/ideology is the mechanism that allows people to ignore their faults/wrong doings to commit the greatest harms and people should be understandably wary of it.
The fact that you think it is admirable to hold conviction is a problem. It is the easiest thing in the world to have a belief or ideology. Why do cults work? Because people desperately need things to believe in no matter how ridiculous.
It is much harder to question beliefs and to admit your own lack of knowledge than to blindly follow something.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
If anybody ever asks me to explain 'extreme centricity' to them in going to show them this comment. It is way too early in the conversation to invoke the Nazis, dude. Deflecting by "invoking r/politics" doesn't distract from Godwin's law.
1 Dedalus77 2017-07-25
Fair enough. I'll wait until something really scary like the alt-right or Donald Trump come up before I invoke the nazis next time.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
You're arguing with shadows.
1 RentalHermit 2017-07-25
Centrism or near-centrism is king everyone else is literally sniffing their own farts. Every subreddit where politics reigns is literally an echo chamber of mentally disabled children and or poo-slinging retard-monkeys. But its fine if you are not a centrist .. You will always be a brainwashed idiot in my books though. You can hold an opinion bit dont smear it in my face thanks.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
You read four comments of mine and came to the end of this comment chain to reply. Sorry for 'smearing my beliefs in your face'. Maybe you're a centrist because you don't know enough about the world to form a real opinion but you still want to to feel superior to everybody. I mean I can tell from your comment that I'm at the very least right about that second part.
1 RentalHermit 2017-07-25
Yes, you are correct on the second part. Im not claiming i know much about the world, But what i do know is that holding a belief, and in 2017 is probabmy not even one of your own isjust shit shoved down your throat that you gullibly swallowed and harbor in your head for safekeeping The biggest problem with the world atm in my opinion is constantly eating up shit that divides us, the second you start defending stuff out of centrism you are feeding that stupid belief another schmuck ready to sling poo at the other side, my belief is that things need time and people will naturally evolve to the right societal values because education and time so yes i do feel more hoity-toity then you on that aspect. Shouting really hard and alienating 50% of humans because of your opinion just shows that the left and right need to get their head out of their ass and be a shitload more tolerant towards eachother. be humans first calling eachother stupid just shows how absurd it all is.
1 ftylerr 2017-07-25
Hey, just because s/he lived their life and came to different conclusions doesn't mean they've holed up their entire lives.
1 holy_black_on_a_popo 2017-07-25
I'm watching with my pants down
1 tpgreyknight 2017-07-25
*clicks stopwatch* And we have a new world record, ladies and gentlemen!
1 AltRight_WalterWhite 2017-07-25
Lol pretty sure facebook and twitter fucked that all up, not south park.
Btw exquisite sperg out against "centrism" maybe you can start a movement that condemns nuance while you're at it.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Looks like you do believe in something after all.
1 AltRight_WalterWhite 2017-07-25
Is a tasteless joke an indication of belief in anything other than
foul humorwrongthink?Cuz if you went in my history grasping at that and using it as some sort of "gotcha" you really should have spent more time scouring my posts, bruh.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
It was like four posts down mate, wasn't exactly difficult to find. Also your username was a bit of a hint. The only thing worse than what you lot believe is how cowardly you are about it. At least admit to being a piece of shit if you're going to be one.
1 AltRight_WalterWhite 2017-07-25
No, the one that was literally 4 posts down said "mayocide now" in giant bold letters. Check out how alt-right I am, nigga.
Lol try again, retard.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
This is it. This is the most pedantic post I've ever seen on reddit. Congratulations.
1 AltRight_WalterWhite 2017-07-25
>Goes through someone elses post history because he is too stupid to address the argument
>proceeds to call the other guy pedantic
Keep 'em coming sparky. This isn't getting any less boring for me.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
I feel like you don't know what pedantic means. Also, did you have an argument? I'd go look for it but I wouldn't want to be whatever you think pedantic means.
1 AltRight_WalterWhite 2017-07-25
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Literally the dumbest reply you could have made, and I can tell you worked hard on it too, which makes it extra sad.
1 tpgreyknight 2017-07-25
You must be new to reddit, this wouldn't even make my top ten.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
Having beliefs is admirable.
Yelling and getting melodramatic that other people don't share yours, however, has never been cool. It's always made actual cool people roll their eyes.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
I feel like the one side always thinks the other is yelling. When somebody says something you don't like it grates on you, so you assume it was delivered with as much force as it was received.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
What "other side" though? I can think both neo Nazis and antifa are yelling. Now what? What does that make me?
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
I mean both sides in every debate, from Nazi to centre to far left. You hear something you don't like so you automatically assume the other person is the worst version of themselves. People always tell me to "stop being hysterical" on here (which, now that I think about it, might be a right wing tactic to discredit) even though I'm literally typing this in my underwear to pass the time while I'm hungover. Simply stating my opinion is seen as wild and swivel-eyed, no matter how I do it, by the other side. One guy here referred to anybody who holds beliefs as "extremists", for example, just because it ran counter to his point.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
A right wing tactic? lol
And no, he didn't call anybody who holds beliefs as "extremists" it's right in this comment chain.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Oh okay I just realised what kind of person I'm talking to. My bad.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
A dirty South Park moderate?
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Somebody who lacks the courage of their convictions doesn't understand why everybody isn't as spineless as they are.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
This is probably why people call you melodramatic. We had an interaction consisting of like four posts each.
You sound pretty brave though. Combat experience?
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
You know if you want to wave you dick you can just do it. No point interjecting with irrelevant bullshit.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
I don't need to, that did the trick by itself.
But now take a step back and read the exchange all at once.
If this is how you interact with people just telling you that there's a difference between having beliefs and being melodramatic, self-righteous, and self-aggrandizing about having them, it's no wonder why people call you the things that they do.
Moreover, the problem I have with online political discussions is that people argue their point like their fucking lawyers: no inch given, like it's their job to defend it at all costs. Most often, this includes insisting that there's no way anyone could possibly think [insert other side ideology there].
That insults me as a person with a drop of imagination, insults me as someone who had to employ a decent amount of critical thinking through grad school, and insults me as a person who has actually had to analyze shit for work.
I'm going to guess a lot of the passion that you project that's considering melodramatic or hysterical is- aside from jumping to conclusions in a huff like "OH NOW I KNOW THE TYPE OF PERSON I'M TALKING TO"- that you fail to understand that people can have different perspectives and utilities and actually have differing viewpoints without being stupid or evil.
lmk
1 smokes_degrass 2017-07-25
Please continue, retard.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
I can see you are a man of great wisdom and intellect. Please, show me the right path oh wise one.
1 smokes_degrass 2017-07-25
The correct path is to get buttmad at South Park. You're doing great.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
You're right, I should base my entire political philosophy instead.
1 smokes_degrass 2017-07-25
you accidentally a word or two, senpai
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
Ow, you like anime too? Triple threat.
1 smokes_degrass 2017-07-25
You fool! This isn't even my final form!
1 Fletch71011 2017-07-25
Anyone who bases their political leaning off of a cartoon based on 4th graders is a lost cause any way.
1 Ezra_Pound_in_Italy 2017-07-25
A cartoon that once made fun of Rob Reiner for being fat because campaigns against smoking. These are not smart people.
1 keepittropical 2017-07-25
Rob Reiner is hella fat though. Fair game for sure.
1 HodorTheDoorHolder 2017-07-25
I own a Prius and I know I'm better than you
1 no_frills 2017-07-25
Also remember that thinking about issues for yourself and seeing the idiocy on both sides is intellectually dishonest and the way to be smart is to parrot
mya party's position on every issue.1 Khaelgor 2017-07-25
'They're free to do whatever they want, but if they don't do what I want, I'm going to shit on them. But I'm not forcing them!'
1 no_frills 2017-07-25
The cowards, not aiming for the easiest target of the millenium! I just wanted to watch a show that echoes all of my beliefs!
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
oh no, tepid criticism from a sarcastic liberal
how will the creators of South Park deal with THAT???
1 2th 2017-07-25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muPJc0JOfXI
1 nio151 2017-07-25
Always have to add a sentence like "but that's just my opinion lol XD" to protect yourself from criticism
1 PastaVagioli 2017-07-25
My god, it's full of SRDines.
1 allwordsaredust 2017-07-25
When did the AvClub and its commenters get so incredibly shit? I still visit the place from time to time and always regret it.
1 Lurkolantern 2017-07-25
2011. No really - that's when it all went to shit. The writers that were cinephiles and music afficianados all left, and in their place they hired cheaper "pop culture commenters." A similar drop in quality among the commenting community soon followed
1 allwordsaredust 2017-07-25
That would make sense - I think I started using Reddit in 2012, and I think I stopped visiting avc around then.
Part of it is just dumb teenager nostalgia goggles too. Can't believe I used to respect some of these people - have you seen that incredibly cringey piece on Hamilton Todd VanDerWerff did? One of the worst things I've read on the internet.
1 SineadObama 2017-07-25
Oh shit I forgot all about that! Didn't they start their own website that failed in a couple years. I don't think I was ever able to confirm what the dispute was about (raises? Editorial? Hiring practices?) but there obviously was some huge internal politics clash that completely alienated some faction of the office.
1 Lurkolantern 2017-07-25
That's correct. They formed "The Dissolve", but the page layout to it looked really bad - think 1997 Geocities, but in 2015.
In any case, the AV Club now exists as a near-parody of what we would imagine a "SJW bubble" would be. The staff make the same Trump joke over and over, and the toxic commenting community will ban anyone whose views aren't 100% aligned with extreme radical liberalism.
Seriously, the community is like 10x worse than the paid staff. The icing on the cake is that, in order to win "oppression olympics", nearly every commenter routinely admits to suffering from mental illness (in between discussions on how wicked conservatives are).
1 Forseti5 2017-07-25
If i remeber right 2011-2012 is when cracked started going to shit as well.
1 telandrias 2017-07-25
It was pretty easy to make fun of Republicans in 2000-2008. Jon Stewart and Colbert were slaying sacred cows and the Republicans were butthurt whenever their leader was criticized mildly.
Rmoney wasn't a bad candidate except for being an out of touch rich dude. But he was going to lose against Obama hard. However, Obama wasn't that bad of a guy yet the media would portray him as the second coming of Jesus (nobel peace prize winner bombing muslims and arming terrorists lol).
So I would imagine around 2012 all the rank and file liberals and working class people got tired of him failing to fix the banks or stop the wars he promised. Maybe just disillusioned.
Anyways I think around that time, all the people who built their careers on shitting on current politics needed something to target. They couldn't back down as their cash flow was desperate. Nobody wanted to associate with loser Republicans in 2012 or identify with the anti-gay marriage party, so they just bottled down harder on the judgemental crap and set up their own sacred cows while most people were ambivalent or tired of their shit.
1 boyoyoyoyong 2017-07-25
Jesus if the alt-right had a fraction of the power these people think they do they would already be in a camp. I think it's probably more likely the author thinks anyone who doesn't believe what they do just be alt-right
1 The_DJSeahorse 2017-07-25
Pretty much anyone that doesn't have an unnatural hair color, facial piercings, and a significant other with a questionable gender is alt-right to these "people".
1 disgruntled_lawyer 2017-07-25
And if you are a hetero married coupled with children then you are LITERALLY Hitler.
1 tathrowaway666 2017-07-25
I mean one of my roommates last year accused me of being alt-right for saying that I didn't think trump was as bad as Hillary in my eyes. So yeah, it's kind of a "if you support trump at all/don't actively oppose him at every opportunity, and post bussy on r/drama, you're alt-right"
1 NewStateof 2017-07-25
Implying bussy isn't alt right by default
1 tathrowaway666 2017-07-25
😣 It's not! Bussy is apolitical and good for the soul.
1 NewStateof 2017-07-25
Bussy is the last and the hardest pill to take on the trip to the right
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
He unironically thinks they are unironic.
1 IAintThatGuy 2017-07-25
I bet the same people would love South Park if shown only the episodes where they make fucks of rednecks, gun owners, the KKK, republicans...
1 TheRealTrueDarkLord 2017-07-25
South Park: *makes fun of the far-right*
Butthurt SJWs: "Yeah, you show these evil REEEEEEpuglicans!!! They're totes gonna resign now."
South Park: *makes fun of the far-left*
Butthurt SJWs: "B-b-but why would you make fun of us?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PARROT MY BELIEFS NO MATTER HOW ASANINE!!!!!!! RRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCKING MAYOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
1 HodorTheDoorHolder 2017-07-25
I was trolling weirdos before South Park was a thing
1 Chavril 2017-07-25
Imagine typing this out, clicking post, leaning back in your chair and thinking "ahh got 'em"
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
It's a well known fact that only the highest intellects can fathom the nuanced subtleties of the satire in the show. In no way is it ham-fisted, blatant and obvious.
1 MrUnsmileyMan 2017-07-25
Subtlety
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
Retards are known for missing the blatant and obvious.
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
I bow to your superior lived experience.
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
Christ you really are stupid
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
Please, enlighten me with your infinite wisdom. What the fuck are you talking about?
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
That... there are fucking retards who'd miss the irony in South Park even though it's really obvious?
You dumb motherfucker.
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
Well no shit, it's almost as if I was making the opposite point, in that there is a very, very low bar to cross to appreciate their satire.
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
But that's what the article was saying in the first place, that there's lots of dumb motherfuckers who don't get it - it didn't say SP was too subtle for average people to understand as far as I recall.
1 nanonan 2017-07-25
The article is fucking moronic.
1 syllabic 2017-07-25
I notice they left out their critique of hip-hop too for turning a generation of black kids into gangbangers.
Oh wait, then they might realize they are using the same arguments as they made fun of Tipper Gore for using back in the 1980s.
1 heavenlytoaster 2017-07-25
But what about Elvis and his gyrating hips?
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
Hip hop emerged out of gangbanger culture - some say it provided an outlet and reduced trouble in those communities.
I've also heard that portions of black communities actually don't have the separation between fantasy and reality with regards to violent media, because crime is already accepted in their subculture - so there might be some truth to that statement, too.
1 luxlawliet 2017-07-25
...it's a fucking cartoon.
1 holy_black_on_a_popo 2017-07-25
This is what happens when not enough useless people die.
1 disgruntled_lawyer 2017-07-25
Good thing we have people working hard on starting the next war then
1 _rs 2017-07-25
Jesus Christ maaan....
1 TheRealTrueDarkLord 2017-07-25
Mayocide when?
1 robotronica 2017-07-25
Ask the internet if South Park (or any popular cartoon) has started to suck lately. Then wait for the messages.
I don't know why people get so worked up, but interestingly, both sides of the South Park argument get worked up to shit. If only they'd draw the lessons the show teaches and realize everyone's dumb and it's better to laugh at people commenting on South park.
1 DudeCat 2017-07-25
How does just liking a TV show mean you are defying Poe's Law? Is it just a thinly veiled way of calling the show's fans extremists?
1 opi 2017-07-25
maude_flanders.pcx1 tpgreyknight 2017-07-25
Upvoting solely for the file extension. I haven't seen a .pcx in about twenty years.
1 opi 2017-07-25
Yeah, I've spent some time doing a PCX/BMP conversion on my Amiga to get those sweet 2D waifus from Fidonet.
1 SuperShake66652 2017-07-25
South Park spent its first 10 years shitting on way more conservative things, the pendulum has since swung back the other way in society, so of course liberal things became an easier target.
They're just mad that now their liberal arts degree asses are the ones being mocked.
Also, anyone who formed the basis for political opinions from a fucking cartoon is an idiot.
1 RicardusAlpers 2017-07-25
The article is far more nuanced than the retards on this thread are giving it credit for.
1 grungebot5000 2017-07-25
we all know they aren't actually gonna be able to stay away from Trump
they're probably just gonna have to do it through an allegory besides Mr. Garrison
1 explainerofbutthole 2017-07-25
I don't know, if memory doesn't fail me, they said they wouldn't touch on him much more, because it's hard mocking a monkey when all he does is run into a wall himself.
1 -absolutego- 2017-07-25
South Park's whole gimmick is poking fun at sacred cows as crudely as possible and Trump is as close to the opposite of a sacred cow as it's possible to be.
Getting mad at them for saying the joke is dead and moving on is akin to demanding they continue making jokes about Nickelback and airline food. At that point one is just asking for drawn-out, hackish comedy because they really hate the target in question.
1 Vimesy123 2017-07-25
As the YOU BETTER SHARE MY OPINION pieces by vacuous retards with wifi increase, the more it becomes clear that the internet was a mistake.
1 infinitude 2017-07-25
They mustn't do a damned thing. Go to europe you fuckin free speech haters
1 jawannaplaytf2 2017-07-25
this guy has reviewed every episode of the show since like season 12 (And the first 2) from what i found. You'd think he would understand the show pretty damn well based on that, but nope!
1 bjt23 2017-07-25
You're giving dweebs waaaay too much credit here.
Meh that's basically all internet movements to be fair. Are you an environmentalist? Windmills are just as bad as coal, they kill birds! Now of course normal, IRL versions of these people recognize ideological purity is not practical, which is why normal people would prefer windmills to choking down coal. Social justice ideological purity just got popular enough online to leak into real life.
1 NewStateof 2017-07-25
Blaming gamor gators 😂😂😂😂
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
Seinfeld was already teaching us that feelings were stupid.
1 double-happiness 2017-07-25
Surely most far-right people would despise South Park; it's got some pretty transgressive themes. Anyway, I seriously doubt that South Park 'invented' the alt-right in any way. I guess they just both happen to be on the list of people you don't like.
1 ManhattanTransFur 2017-07-25
Right? Modern skin-color-based racism didn't even exist until the Muslims invented it and European ships brought it to the Americas.
1 TheRealTrueDarkLord 2017-07-25
Pretentious speak, he learned it from Art History/Thesaurus to sound smarter than you.
1 robotronica 2017-07-25
It's not South park's direct fault. It's that they made it look fun and clever and easy. It's the legions of people who think the final outcome (laughing at all sides of the argument) isn't the end result, it's a shortcut to looking funny and clever just like the show they like.
It's like blaming iCarly for the randumb comedy of children. Don't be mad because they're good at it, be mad because other people suck at it and think it's easy.
But yes, dismissive fake-centrism is bad, and South Park is the most visible example of this in the media.
1 ManhattanTransFur 2017-07-25
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100911033737/degrassi/images/d/d5/Pedobear.png
1 bleasehalb 2017-07-25
Dismissive fake centrism is bad, but as long as the biggest, most visible opponents of it continue to be braindead ideologues the South Park centrists are gonna maintain the high ground.
1 robotronica 2017-07-25
This is all true. But the high ground is at the very least imaginary.
We're all dumb as shit about some things, though, and as long as people remember that while they're parroting "Douche or Turd." or whatever, I'm happy.
1 backltrack 2017-07-25
AVClub is The Onion's afterbirth.
1 alarmmightsound 2017-07-25
Faggot