No show has its finger on the culture’s pulse quite like “South Park.”
The long-running series skewers the Left, the Right and everyone in between. Get in the show’s crosshairs and you better duck.
Just ask Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
So when 99.9 percent of Comedy, Inc. declared Prince Harry and Meghan Markle off limits, the show’s brain trust acted, and fast.
“South Park” just uncorked “The Worldwide Privacy Tour,” an episode mocking the couple for its glaring hypocrisy. They keep demanding we respect their privacy while sharing every molecule of their lives with us.
- Books
- Documentaries
- Tell-all interviews
It’s a comedic slam dunk, and “South Park” took no prisoners.
The episode generated copious press coverage, and for good reason. So why aren’t we talking about the show’s other, equally ripe target?
Victim status.
The episode’s subplot finds Kyle attempting to rebrand himself to fit in better at school. Butters recommends a consulting firm that specializes in branding (the company’s name is too vulgar to share here).
Kyle’s consultant shares a series of possible brands for his consideration. He could be a vegan, for example, or a rugged outdoors type.
Each option featured one consistent persona: victim.
The episode’s brilliance is how it let audiences process the word and its usage. No lectures or attempts to describe why victimhood status is so vital in today’s culture.
We all know, whether we admit it to ourselves or not. And juxtaposing the commentary with the royal couple hammers home the point without saying a word.
The couple wallows in victimhood, despite their beauty, wealth, fame and privilege. And they’re far from alone. The quest for victim status spreads across the culture.
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— MJPopculture (@MjPopculture) February 8, 2023
“South Park” thrives because it doesn’t allow itself to be trapped in an ideological bubble. It’s not beholden to the Left or Right, so it can pummel juicy targets as needed.
Prime example?
The show targeted the woke revolution before many realized its insidious nature. “PC Principal Final Justice” debuted in 2015, showcasing a social justice warrior running amok. The episode’s dude-bro principal ruled South Park Elementary with a woke fist. [Warning: Adult Language]
The word “woke” wasn’t in vogue eight years ago, but PC Principal’s aggressive tactics proved eerily prescient.
Words are violence! Punch a Nazi (and everyone we hate is a Nazi)!
Society didn’t heed the show’s warning, alas.
Targeting our lust for victimhood status is pure “South Park,” another sign that the show hasn’t jumped the shark quite yet.
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