SAMPLE MEDIA PROJECT ESSAY #1

South Park: The Anti-Christ, Anti-Jew Solution for All Your Problem Needs

            Imagine trying to teach your child moral values and trying to instill some kind of respect and reverence for a higher power, whether it be Yahweh, Jesus, Buddha, or Mohammed.  Now, imagine coming home one day to see your child watching a seemingly innocent cartoon.  The next thing you know, the cartoon characters are making references to various religious icons and are doing so in jest.  Suddenly, your child no longer takes the spiritual aspect of his or her life as seriously as he or she should.  As a parent, you may be worried for your child’s well being, or it may even make you go so far as to have a great concern for your child’s eternal salvation.  As crazy as this may all sound, this kind of scenario actually happens often when parents realize that their children have been victim’s of the brainwashing that occurs after a child watches the cartoon South Park.  The television show South Park teaches children a disrespect for many major religions and religious figures.  This unhealthy lack of respect can cause tension in other areas as well.  For example, this disrespect for religions can also lead to disrespect for authority figures, other cultures, and violence against humanity.

            After watching several episodes of South Park, traditionally found on the Comedy Central network, I have realized that the most laughed at figure in all of the episodes is probably Jesus Christ.  Christians today are already seen as fundamentalist extremists and this kind of television show only encourages that children laugh at a religion even more when they see Jesus Christ at a football game making a joke about prostitution or gays.  It gives children the wrong idea about what a Christian is and what they really believe.  Similarly, I also witnessed another episode in which  the South Park community became upset because there were Christmas lights all over town.  The community saw this as forcing Christianity upon the community and leaving out the importance of other traditions such as the Jewish celebration of Hannukah.  Upon the airing of this episode came the birth of the song “It’s hard being a Jew on Christmas” in which the characters all sing about how hard it is for Jews when they don’t have Christmas lights and Christmas songs to sing like all of the other children.  I believe that along with this episode also came the creation of the song “Kyle’s mom is a bitch” in which all the children at the South Park school sing about a character’s  (Kyle) mother and how they do not like her.  Here, children have been given two messages.  One is that Christianity and Judaism are funny and the second is that someone’s mother can be a “bitch” and it is okay to sing about it.  Children would think after watching this television show that there is nothing wrong with forming an opinion about someone else’s mother, whether it be disrespectful or not.  South Park not only has taught children how to laugh at religion but also how to laugh at and not respect authority figures such as parents.

            This disrespect of other religions also can cause children to be discriminatory against one another.  For example, when children see this television show and see that Jews, Christians, and Muslims are stereotyped to be one particular way, they are inclined to think that people of these religions are in fact truly like this in real life.  Children may think that all Jews hate that Christians celebrate Christmas and have Christmas lights all over town.  Jews may think that all Christians are insensitive to their needs and only care about celebrating their own holidays.  Of course, we know that this is not the case usually, but the question is, “Can children draw the line between reality and fantasy?”  In another episode I have seen of South Park, the kids adopt a child in Africa and the child actually comes over to America to live with them.  Upon meeting this child, the other children decide to give him the name “Starvin’ Marvin” because of his malnourished body and because they cannot understand what his name is because the only dialect Marvin can speak is a tribal clicking language of some kind.  This kind of episode teaches children that it is funny that people in Africa are starving and that they only speak one kind of language.  What kind of sick message is this show trying to send to children?  South Park has just given children a lesson in stereotyping people of other religions, cultures, and races.

            If you don’t think South Park already promotes enough wholesome entertainment for your child, you are in for a treat.  South Park also promotes violence!  For instance, in every episode of this television show, the character of Kenny dies and often in a very violent manner.  Time and again, I have seen violence on this show from one child to another or from adult to adult.  Sometimes, animals are even involved.  In one episode, a donkey is tied up with explosives and in the end is killed when they all go off.  Someone might be inclined to ask, “Well, what makes the violence on this television show any different from ‘The Tom and Jerry Show’ or the episodes of ‘Looney Tunes’ in which the roadrunner and coyote are after each other or Yosemite Sam hunts a rabbit?”  The answer is that South Park teaches children that violence against other people is okay and that it comes without consequence.  Children may think that they can jab their eyes out with a pencil, like Kenny, and die, but be fine the next day.  South Park is promoting violence and is not giving a fair view to children as to what really happens when violence is played out.

              The television show South Park has many negative qualities to offer a family with children.  Among the greatest is the value it teaches that disrespect of major religions and religious figures is acceptable.  The ongoing observation of this television show can also lead children to be intolerant of other cultures while also showing an acceptance of violence against others for whatever reason.  It may sound to the reader like I have watched a few episodes myself, which is true.  However, as I watched it more and more, I became sickened with the idea that these sort of serious matters I have just discussed are funny in any way.  I feel even worse when I know that there are parents out there that are either knowingly or unknowingly allowing their children applaud stereotyping, racism, and violence all in the comfort of their own living room.  Just because South Park is a cartoon does not mean that we should take it lightly.  Children have been known to jump off buildings in hopes of flying like the Superman they read about in a comic book.  What makes us think that a child will not go out and murder or commit an act of racism against someone else because of what they have witnessed in South Park?  These are my ideas and opinion, which I believe to be quite valid.  However, only you can make the decision as to whether you want to take these matters seriously or if you want to promote the degradation of human kind.