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South Park Republican is a term that was circulated in a few articles and weblogs on the Internet circa 2001 and 2002, to describe what was claimed by the authors as a "new wave" of young adults and teenagers who hold conservative and libertarian political beliefs. The phrase was coined in 2001 by commentator Andrew Sullivan [1] (http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2001_12_09_dish_archive.html) in response to the two principal creators of South Park declaring themselves to be Republicans. It should be noted Parker is a registered member of the United States Libertarian Party, while Andrew Sullivan has since become very critical of the Republican Party and endorsed John Kerry in the 2004 United States Presidential election.
South Park is a popular and controversial cartoon created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Though the show may seem anti-conservative to some because of its often overt sexual, scatological, and profane themes and humor, much of South Park's humor also comes in the form of political satire, with some of it mocking elements of the so-called "liberal establishment" in American society. For example, some celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell, Rob Reiner, Michael Moore, Sally Struthers, and Barbra Streisand - all targets of the show's humor - are seen as being mocked for being self-righteous and smug. From the libertarian perspective South Park is likewise often critical of traditional establishments of authority, such as organized religion and the local government, which are portrayed as corrupt and hypocritical. On the other hand, many episodes also parody stereotypes of right-wing supporters, such as the trigger-happy redneck. Ayn Rand and her followers, homeschooling, and gun owners have also been targets of the show's satire, which would suggest that the show's political message, if there is one at all, isn't as libertarian as the promoters of the "South Park Republican" concept would wish.
Much of the show's satire centers around the antics of the show's four eight-year-old main characters, Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman, and Kyle Broslofski. The boys (with the exception of Cartman) are generally portrayed as intelligent, honest, and well-meaning, yet are routinely confronted with absurdities created by the adults in their life. South Park's teachers and parents routinely censor and shelter the boys from important issues concerning their lives. The boys in turn usually attempt to solve their problems on their own, with their independent, "outsider" views of adult situations being patronizingly derided as naive and ignorant by leading authority figures. In the end however, the boys' views usually end up being right, and the conventional wisdom of adult authority figures is exposed as being based on flawed logic. The only exception to the absurdity of the adults is Chef, who most often offers common sense advice but has his flaws as well.
The program's parody of U.S. President George W. Bush has been relatively muted, compared to that of his predecessor Bill Clinton. Parker and Stone were also the producers of another show called That's My Bush!, which originally aired during the early days of his presidency. Originally intended to be about Al Gore (who was initally favored to win the 2000 US Presidential Election), the show did not last long due to the enormous budget (for Comedy Central) of $1 million per episode. (Timothy Bottoms, who played Bush on the series, would go on to portray the President again in a more serious role for Showtime's "DC 9/11").
The term "South Park Republican" has thus become popular among a handful of pundits to describe young Americans who interpet the show's values as being parallel to their cause. They see themselves as being much less puritanical than many other conservative groups (e.g. the religious right), and less concerned with "moral" issues.
See also
External links
- "South Park Republicans" (http://www.techcentralstation.com/100702A.html) By Stephen W. Stanton, Tech Central Station, October 7, 2002
- "South Park Republicans Redux" (http://www.jayreding.com/archives/2003/10/27/south-park-republicans-redux) By Jay Reding, Discusion of the developing trend, October 27, 2003
- "South Park Republicanism (http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2003_10_26_dish_archive.html#106727359457680686) By Andrew Sullivan, Review, October 27, 2003
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