Imaginationland Satire

An important piece to Parker and Stones art is their ability to use outrage culture, particularly through vulgarity. South Park uses vulgarity as a way to point out facets of reality, one in which many do not wish to acknowledge (Ravenwood, 1999). They use parodies coupled with vulgarity to make the audience uncomfortable, and generate a response. The parodies often reflect a stereotype and allow the audience to connect to the condescension of society. Despite that, the extreme exaggerations and mockery engaged in the show distances the reality South Park throws in the viewers face, allowing for the social phenomena to be taken as a joke. The 1997 Thanksgiving episode, “Starvin’ Marvin” provides a basis for the diffusion of satire by the desensitization

In the “Imaginationland” trilogy the show deconstructs the satire it carefully constructed by berating and juxtaposing children’s television with inappropriate sexual behaviours. The trilogy begins with the satirical review of children’s shows that promote imagination. Throughout the episodes Cartman has attempted unsuccessfully to force Kyle to “suck his balls” a highly inappropriate behaviour to associate with children. As the final episode comes to a close Cartman draws the conclusion from Kyle that “imaginary things are real.” At this point Cartman begins to imagine Kyle engaging in the desired sexual act. Here is where the show losses it credibility, and no longer creates meaningful distortion through satire. The closing scene as recently described forces the motif to undo its self and result in pseudo-satire. Often at the end of South Park episodes one of the four protagonists, Stan delivers a heartfelt monologue, cued with music and the beginning phrase “You know, I’ve learned something today.” This final scene goes against the message of the current episode because it is overly sentimental and exaggerated; the viewer cannot take the episode seriously. Through the cynical ridicule of the morale of the episode the viewer is left to conclude the message was not