Hours earlier than the season 27 premiere of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s “South Park,” they lastly inked a $1.5 billion cope with Paramount amid the “s*** present” of a merger between the legacy studio and Skydance Media. The brand new contract extends Paramount’s relationship with South Park Studios for 5 years, guaranteeing 50 new episodes of the present for Comedy Central, in addition to acquiring the library of the earlier 26 seasons for Paramount+. To have fun, they launched “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” an episode the place they’re virtually begging the twice-impeached President and indicted felon Donald Trump to sue them, utilizing Jesus Christ himself to touch upon CBS’ lawsuit with Trump and the following cancellation of “The Late Present with Stephen Colbert,” and the abject horror journalists are enduring as their company bosses pressure them to appease Trump out of worry of retribution by turning the “60 Minutes” ticking clock into one which’s fused to a bomb about to go off.
Trump is clearly very sad concerning the episode. Lower than 24 hours earlier, the president took time away from operating the nation to fireside off indignant posts on his TruthSocial account about Pleasure Behar after she claimed on “The View” that he was jealous of former president Barack Obama’s seems, and that was only one passing remark. That is a whole episode stuffed with nude, crude, and hilariously offensive depictions of the commander-in-chief, together with a deepfake with a speaking micropenis (full with its personal web site). To ensure that the Paramount/Skydance merger to happen, the businesses wanted the approval of Trump’s Federal Communications Fee (FCC), and plenty of have speculated (myself included) that acts like paying out the baseless lawsuit towards CBS, firing Colbert, and asserting they have been ending DEI initiatives at Paramount have been all in an try to appease Trump to earn his approval.
The FCC gave its approval for the merger the day after the episode aired, seemingly proving that capitulating to oppressors who want to tighten restrictions on media is the one strategy to get what you need. Or if we wish to take a look at this much more cynically, these establishments are doing precisely what they’ve all the time needed to do and at the moment are utilizing “Trump’s strain” as a scapegoat. Both approach, it is pathetic.
South Park is making satirizing America nice once more
Because the season 27 premiere rightfully factors out when Cartman mourns the very fact “woke is useless” and bigots really feel comfy spouting off their nonsense proudly and brazenly, America is beginning to really feel past satire. Thankfully, “South Park” nonetheless has lots to say so long as People are prepared to hear. The present has been our best cultural Rorschach check for over 25 years, and whereas I am by no means going to simp for the extravagantly rich, the truth that they pulled this transfer instantly after nabbing a $1.5 billion deal is so ungodly hilarious that it feels straight out of a “South Park” episode. “This present hasn’t been related for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired concepts in a determined try for consideration,” learn a press release from the White Home. “President Trump has delivered on extra guarantees in simply six months than another president in our nation’s historical past — and no fourth-rate present can derail President Trump’s scorching streak.” A “fourth-rate” present? I am certain Parker and Stone are going to be crying about that sick burn whereas they signal all of the paperwork and deposit that billion-plus greenback examine. Regardless of the oft-repeated line on social media, satire will not be useless, and “South Park” refusing to drag its punches is proof of that.
To satirize America (and particularly its political leaders) requires confidence, bravery, and the understanding that irrespective of how express you make your comedy, there’ll nonetheless be individuals who woefully misunderstand your message, and also you’re continuously operating the chance of being censored. No matter an individual’s private emotions about “South Park” or Parker and Stone as a inventive duo, what they did by releasing “Sermon on the ‘Mount” was audacious as hell. The emperor has no garments, and so they’re not going to allow us to all be gaslit into pondering in any other case. It is simply ridiculous that nobody else is prepared to swing for the fences the best way they’ve.
What the merger might imply for South Park transferring ahead
Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr has been pushing arduous towards alleged “media bias,” primarily targeted on the information. Nevertheless, it might be silly to consider this “media bias” accusation will begin and cease with information reporting and never prolong into different packages broadcast to the lots. Parker and Stone have been clearly conscious that this episode might mark the top of “South Park,” including in a suicide pact subplot between Butters (Stone) and Cartman (Parker) that serves as a metatextual acknowledgement that if the present goes to die, it’ll be by their hand and nobody else’s.
And certain, there shall be loads of hand-wringing and mouth-frothing about how they selected to lampoon President Trump, and loads of pearl-clutching about how juvenile it was to body-shame the President and examine him to Saddam Hussein as a substitute of criticizing him for his coverage or his opinions. Journalists and political pundits have spent years calling Trump a racist, fascist, legally liable sexual abuser, and it has performed nothing. The person sells merchandise along with his mugshot on it, for crying out loud. You can’t disgrace somebody for one thing that they don’t really feel disgrace about. To skewer him in a approach that truly will get by to him, they needed to converse the language of the oppressor and weaponize his personal poisonous emotions and opinions towards him. However by not taking part in good, there isn’t any telling what the retaliation goes to be. By primarily negging the President and their very own father or mother firm, “South Park” has laid the proper lure, the place punishing them would require the retaliatory celebration to inform on themselves with their actions.
Whether or not you discover what Parker and Stone stated on this episode (or any episode) humorous, applicable, or in good style does not truly matter, as a result of they’re expressing their First Modification rights to free speech. Satirists, comedians, journalists, and lecturers are among the most blatant targets for fascist regimes. As a result of in its strongest and best kind, satire tackles arduous truths, and reality is the enemy of these in energy. As ridiculous because it sounds, the way forward for “South Park” will function a herald for the way forward for us all.
Perhaps then we really shall be past satire.
