April 09, 2004

The South Park clip that won't be aired. Leaked in-joke och spoof? (Possibly very very offensive. Definately very very not safe for work).
posted by marx 20 years ago
  • *cough* Definitely.
  • Wow. I love South Park with a passion that burns deep in my soul.
  • This amused me quite a bit. Is it genuine? Very funny either way. Also, is it really any more offensive than a usual episode of South Park?
  • dng, are you serious? Their usually over-the-top, and I usually love it. But this, no, this is so very wrong. I'm sure that I have missed whatever their ultimate point was, but I don't care. This goes beyond....well, I'm not even sure. I still love Cartman, he's perfection in a toon, but uh.....well, let's just say, I'm glad they'll (sort of) keep this one to themselves. Except, of course, for the millions who will now view it on the net.
  • From the dialogue: "I don't get it." "Neither do I." Yeah. Me too. South Park is brilliant because it's spot-on topical humor that's willing to be transgressive at times. This is nothing but pure transgression without any real wit. We get it, okay? The sacred cow has been stomped and turned into meat patties. Can this culture get back to producing teh funnay?
  • I am stunned but not quite amused.
  • All I know is that I came back from that clip and noticed that the previous entry is "Squirrel Stuffing For Beginners". See? Coulda been worse. Coulda had squirrels.
  • Not to mod my own thread or anything, but to me the "Tada!" is the climax of this clip. The ugly stuff is just build-up. No?
  • I'm still not really noticing that thats any more appalling than usual, you know. Maybe its just me, then.
  • And marx, I agree.
  • We have to remember, this is the show that depicted someone crawling into a woman's vagina, living there for a time, and being spat back out dead and rotten. This clip is tasteless and disgusting, yes, but isn't that what they are best at? Also, I find it sadly telling that South Park is currently the most intelligent show on television.
  • Oh man that's funny. And to those who don't get it: you were hoping for a punchline, and were hoping that a joke with this much vulgarity would be so clever that it would give you an excuse to repeat the telling and have it pay off with what would have to be the best punch line ever to make it worth all that build up. And then Lucy takes the ball away, and you feel stupid. The joke is on you :) (us)
  • Weezel, do you really think that south park is a more intelligent show than the simpsons? for all that many feel the simpsons has lost its edge, I think they still manage to deliver most of the time. the show is still funny, satirical and occassionally offers some good social commentary. south park, on the other hand, never really offered more than shock value and naughty words. mind you, I find quite a bit to enjoy about south park, but the above clip, while it did not offend me, definitely seemed an excercise in "how far can we go"ism...big deal.
  • Holy crap. Without a doubt, the most disturbing two minutes that I've viewed/heard in recent memory. SpaceCoyote, I think your analysis is correct -- I kept waiting - praying - hoping for something redeeming -- a punchline, a lesson, anything.
  • It really put that Princess thing to shame--thanks (mr)marx. : >
  • There's two sides to it. I found it funny on a totally gross-out level, because to be honest now and again I have told a pretty gross joke or two myself, some of which make this one pale into insignifcance (just don't go there) but on the other hand it is disgusting, sure, and you wonder what the value of the gag is. But it is hypocrisy for anyone in today's society to feign shock at this when real life death and horror are played out on our screens every day. The US tv news broadcast live a guy blowing his head off with a shotgun in close up a few years back, at kid-show time in the afternoon. The US, UK & sundry allies committed a war crime by invading Iraq for trumped up bullshit charges, claiming that Saddam Hussein was a monster that had to be removed, meanwhile AIDs runs rampant in Africa and cannibal torture between warring factions is rife. In the West, Priests fuck little boys up the ass serially and are protected by the church hierarchy. Ad nauseam. And you act like you are offended by a few dirty ideas spoken by a crappily drawn character in a little cartoon? Really, that's bullshit, and you know it. Having said that, from a writer's perspective, there's no point to the joke but to offend, or provoke, and it doesn't take the plot anywhere (but then it's taken out of context, if there was one). Unless this reflected a point in the whole episode, the joke should have been cut merely because it didn't take the episode anywhere. However, the characters clearly react to Cartman in the way that they should, ie, they're grossed out. They don't applaud the joke, they censure it. The clip is not encouraging the offensiveness, but highlighting its stupidity. The punchline is, as ever, Cartman is a jerk, and none of them really understand the memes they're spewing (like in the movie, coming out of the cinema spewing profanity in ever increasing level because their favorite tv stars did so). I'm reminded of some of the jokes Monty Python did back in '69-74 which actually got cut or provoked viewer outrage, if you can believe that. One such cut sketch (never broadcast at the time) involved Cleese as a berieved son visiting Chapman, who played an undertaker. Cleese, it turns out, has his dead mother with him, in a sack. After discussing the options for burial or cremation, which Chapman the undertaker says are "both pretty nasty" he peers into the sack, notes "oh, she's quite young!" and then suggests eating the mother. Cleese feigns shock, but is easily swayed by the concept. The guys never get to give us a punchline (there wasn't one anyway) as the audience then rushes the stage in (faux) revolt and disgust. The BBC cut this sketch (which is actually very funny to watch) and it wasn't broadcast in it's proper place in the episode until the late 80's. No one now would really find this all that offputting, I think. Some of the stuff in their movie "Meaning of Life" went much further, but today is ho-hum (remember the 'every sperm is sacred' section where Terry Jones as a Catholic mother drops a blood-smeared baby from between her legs onto the floor as she does the dishes?) or Mr Creosote projectile-puking vomit all over a posh restaurant until he explodes, showering everyone with gore? At the time some of us were hard-pressed to figure out the point of such jokes, but they were there. What's the difference? Well, apart from the fact that Python were 10 million times funnier than the south park guys, really only current mores and social rules on what is 'acceptable' have changed, and in another 20 years they'll have changed again, to the point where this clip will not provoke anything but a yawn. Is that good, or bad? I don't know either, but it's not something we can fight. Sorry for long post.
  • dude. that's fucked up.
  • Medusa: Allow me to start by pledging my undying allegence (sp?) to the greatness that is the Simpsons. They have had thier ups and downs, but they give us what we want. Now then. Have you seen South Park recently? (Warning: Episode Recap. Skip ahead if you have seen it) The season premire, "Good Times With Weapons," involved the kids playing with ninja weapons they bought. Butters takes a shuriken to the eye, and they spend the episode trying to figure out how to get out of it, including dressing him up as a dog to take him to the vet. Cartman, pretending he is invisible, exposes himself to the assembled town at the same time Butters' plight is revealed. The parents don't even notice the weapons, but are enraged that everyone saw Cartman's penis. As the kids walk away unscathed and weapons in hand, one of them says, "Wow. I guess as long as there is sex to worry about, our parents don't care about violence!" Matt and Trey never miss a beat when it comes to social or political issues. "South Park is Gay," "Red Man's Greed," "Christian Rock Hard," the list goes on and on. The Simpsons are the riotus good times, but I have never seen them take a shot at society (sea-ciety?) the way South Park does. .......sorry about the rant. i feel better now
  • Weezel, it is true that I have neglected south park in recent seasons...you may inspire me to take it up again (now that I have evil cable)! nostrilD: wanna have a shockingly offensive joke contest?? huh? huh? wanna wanna???
  • Painful to watch.
  • Medusa and nostrilD: Yes! Yes! Yes! Bring on the shockingly offensive joke contest! I'll take all you muthafuckas!
  • Not funny. Waaay worse than the actual show. I just watched the new show and THAT was funny. This was just disgusting.
  • Weezel, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what South Park is good for. Nostrildamus, as a proud Monty Python DVD-packin' fan, since I now have children, I have become far more sensitive to offensive material that involves children. That is my ONLY issue. When it comes to South Park, it's better that I watch it stoned. I find myself, at times, unable to watch much of anything on TV these days without getting pissed off by the assaultive idiocy.
  • Weezel - the old Simpson took shots a-plenty at society. I've bveen rewatching them on DVD and it's noticable how just plain nasty they could be while transgressing TV family norms. They've become quite a lot softer since then, on the whole; by way of example, they wimped out on Homer refusing to go to church. That, and I suspect we're not as surprised any more.
  • sounds to me like an exercise for a writer who tried to get every offensive thing he/she could think of into one joke. i laughed at kyle trying to break in all the time. heh.
  • my guess is that this little clip was made by trey & matt for themselves, or for a smaller audience - never intended to be part of an actual show (way too much that would need to get bleeped on TV, not enough left to make it worthwhile from a shock standpoint to be in the show). kind of like, say, the original south park christmas special that started the whole show in the first place (which when i first saw it at spike & mike's sick and twisted animation festival was completely shockingly funny - but after seeing what came next on south park is oddly enough rather tame, except for the unbleeped language). i am glad to see that south park went from "ha ha, they look like peanuts characters but they are foul-mouthed, ha ha" to "holy crap i can't believe they're actually making fun of X as blatantly as they are!". if it had stayed dirty for the sake of being dirty, it wouldn't be in its 8th season. they were smart to make it clever, cynical, AND dirty. (and smart not to air this little clip very widely.)
  • "Dude, just stop." I think Sidedish has hit it on the head. There's a reason it's just talked about, not shown - all the disgusting stuff is just in our heads. But the joke isn't the joke - Kyle trying to break in and the punch line ("I don't get it" "Neither do I") is the joke. That, and the laughter you have out of the sheer uncomfortableness of the story. Or maybe the rightwing parents groups are right, and the internet has turned me into a foul, immoral person who has no standards.
  • This got a lot funnier for me after Ryvar explained the background:
    ...apparently this is an old (decades) joke that old stagehands would tell the newbies behind stage to freak them out. The details change with each telling, but the basic structure and theme is the same, as is the punchline (except in Europe, where it's 'Debonairs' (spelling?) as opposed to 'Aristocrats').
    I basically ignored the whole South Park aspect and just imagined an old stagehand going through the shtick and a young guy's eyes widening in horror, and all the old stagehands cackling in unison at the "punchline." Good times!
  • Just an FYI, this joke wasn't created by Matt Parker or Trey Stone. It is actually a joke that has been around for some time. The details of the family's act change slightly, but the general idea is the same. The only thing new in the South Park version is anything related to 9/11. I was at the taping of Comedy Central Presents, The Friars Club Roast of Hugh Heffner and Gilbert Godfried told this very same joke.
  • I still think that what makes it work is the "Dude. Just stop." I know that throughout my life, there are those moments, and now I know what to say - "Dude. Just stop."
  • jb and Sidedish, Yes, I think that was the joke. I, too, was laughing my ass out every time Kyle tried to interrupt the joke. And, at least for me, that was all the point to it. thanks marx!
  • The best thing of this kind of jokes is that those who don't get it become part of it. And this thread made me laugh a little bit more. Soften your outrage a little. Here, some bananas for you all!
  • I thought it was cute!
  • I was at the taping of Comedy Central Presents, The Friars Club Roast of Hugh Heffner and Gilbert Godfried told this very same joke. Gee, you really are 138!
  • Dude, just stop! MeFi just stomped us. And we deserved it.
  • Hey, I said I liked it.
  • Check out Space Coyote comment for perspective.
  • I'm actually back in this thread because of the MeFi link from Space Coyote and it seemed really, really odd, because a lot of people in this thread liked it. I still say it's disgusting given it's old history or not and if it restores SC's faith in MeFi because there's a bigger audience to really appreciate how vile that is, then bully for SC. I don't see how it's a stomp or how if it is indeed a stomp we deserve it. There are as many varying opinions here as there are there. To sum: Bleh.
  • Kimberly, honestly I'm sorry for my comment. I just felt an air of righteousness the first time I read this thread and I felt sick of it. So much because we (overgeneralization, I know) like to bash MeFi because of things like this (like when they get all pissy and such) when we shouldn't mainly because we tend to do the same. That was what SC was talking about and I agree with him.
  • MetaFilter: The Aristocrats.
  • MonkeyFilter: The Aristocats.
  • Zemat - I'm really surprised that you think that. Mostly, I found our population really mellow. I'm probably the one who transgresses the most, but everyone has been really gentle in taking me down a notch or three. And most everyone seems to be in the "no harm, no blame" quadrant. I haven't seen any serious "f**k you, f**k you" flame wars like the ones on MeFi, and when they seem likely to start, people here tend to divert the discussion to other things. So, what are we doing wrong? If you can articulate that it would be really beneficial to the rest of us, 'cause you're a valued contributor here.
  • Oh boy. I put myself in a position where I can't explain my own poo flinging. It was just an outburst. Nevermind.
  • Nostril; "But it is impossible in today's society to feign shock (at this) when real life death and horror are played out on our screens every day..." I must disagree. I am NOT a prude, but I'm human-- my capacity for "shock and awe" is boundless, and I actively nurture that. To imply you have seen it all with a world-weary 20th-century eye, and then castigate others for not sharing in your jaundiced view, frustrates me. I'm not PollyAnna, but without shock and awe comes resignation of spirit and abdication of intent. I respect most those who try to MAKE THINGS BETTER, not just complain and say "That's Life." That is NOT LIFE. That is despair. Kill it by DOING.
  • MonkeyFilter: I can't explain my own poo flinging.
  • Penn Jillette has just released a film version of the joke. I _SO_ want to see this.
  • Me too forksy. I'm in an Improv Comedy troupe here in Chicago and that film's been the topic of many conversations among the group. To just hear that many comedians deliver this gem will be astounding. That, and the look on the audience's faces, especially those who will undoubtedly leave early. It's cool that this is getting so much buzz due to sundance right now, yet XXfite's got in on the ground floor. Aaaah, media blog elitism, you're my only friend.
  • And WHY exactly did I capitalize improv comedy? No idea. Maybe because you should all bow to it.
  • where are we going?
  • guh?
  • Without ever knowing the way.
  • How can I lead you when you won't get behind?
  • when are we leaving?
  • I call window seat!
  • Wikipedia article about The Aristocrats "Why has The Aristocrats been called the dirtiest movie ever made? The answer’s in this spoiler-rich index." [spoilers, very vulgar and NSFW, NSF-anyone who may have been offended by this thread] The Aristocrats Joke Database
  • How could I miss this plethora of taglines! *covers face in embarrasment Remember, boys and girls, taglines are to be read completely out of context to the original thread and are totally self-referential. MonkeyFilter: *cough* Definitely. MonkeyFilter: Possibly very very offensive. Definitely very very not safe for work MonkeyFilter: This amused me quite a bit. Is it genuine? MonkeyFilter: But this, no, this is so very wrong. MonkeyFilter: The sacred cow has been stomped and turned into meat patties. MonkeyFilter: See? Coulda been worse. Coulda had squirrels. MonkeyFilter: I'm still not really noticing that that's any more appalling than usual, you know. MonkeyFilter: The joke's on you ;) (us) MonkeyFilter: "Dude. Just stop." MonkeyFilter: Without a doubt, the most disturbing two minutes that I've viewed/heard in recent memory. MonkeyFilter: Dude, that's fucked up. MonkeyFilter: Is that good or bad? I don't know either, but it's not something we can fight. MonkeyFilter: ...sorry about the rant. i feel better now. MonkeyFilter: I suspect we're not as surprised any more. MonkeyFilter: Painful to watch. MonkeyFilter: If it had stayed dirty for the sake of being dirty, it wouldn't be in its 8th season. they were smart to make it clever, cynical, AND dirty. MonkeyFilter: The internet has turned me into a foul, immoral person who has no standards. MonkeyFilter: Soften your outrage a little. MonkeyFilter: To sum: Bleh. MonkeyFilter: I just felt an air of righteousness the first time. MonkeyFilter: I'm really surprised that you think that. MonkeyFilter: Maybe because you should all bow to it. MonkeyFilter: That is despair. Kill it by doing. MonkeyFilter: It is impossible in today's society to feign shock (at this) MonkeyFilter: Maybe ... you should all bow to it. MonkeyFilter: So, what are we doing wrong? MonkeyFilter: It was just an outburst. Nevermind. and if I may be allowed a modest contribution... MonkeyFilter: I call window seat!