The only warnings of explicit material on South park is put on the screen for no more than ten seconds. Basically it is easy for kids to view this program on a regular basis. The senders of this program obviously feel that it is okay for to corrupt the minds of millions of young viewers. The message the show is sending is that it is perfectly fine for people to do things like make racial remarks, use explicit language, make humor of poverty and homosexuals and so on.
The media is a wonderful and reliable system in most cases; however, at times i can be negative and "South Park" is a prime example of that. Parents and guardians should know what their children are viewing on a regular basis. They should also know what kinda of message the gatekeepers are allowing to enter the traffic flow of the media. The media has shown numerous cases that it can produce violence, e en murder in the cases of "The Jerry Springer Show" and "Jenny Jones." Who is to say "South Park" is not next?
On personal note, I have watched "South Park" before and i did find some parts comical and other parts repulsive. I was not influenced by the show because i was seventeen, but i do feel that a child watching the show would get a negative influence. Based on the Skyscraper theory, "South Park" is a low culture program, but the ratings are high which means more money for advertisements during the show. The show will continue its negative influence for as long as the ratings stay high.
Posted by Jared Manley
Posted by Jared Manley
1 comment:
The Human environment and the means in which we use to communicate and spread information between each other is night and day then that of even 100 years ago. In the course of one century we have come from the fastest means of transportation being our horses hooves, to the Industrial Revolution and the massed produced automobile, to the micro processor and high powered jet aircraft. None of this would be possible without huge developments and study into the art of communication and high speed media channels.
Some early forms of media needed to be spoken or written down and then transported over vast distances by wagon or the pony express, which took time and energy and ultimately lost some of the effectiveness of the original message. The messages expressed usually could be more culturally relevant because in many cases it did not leave the immediate cultural surrounding. Todays media is full of instantaneous digital communication in which the linear model of sender to receiver is not always relevant. This is an age of on the go gratification in which every culture of diverse ages and ethnicity's of the world is waiting and watching for the next outlet of public entertainment. This is why now more then ever media organizations much watch what they air or what the print in order to make sure that no one is offended or ostracized in the process. It is a tightrope of a business and how you walk it could effect millions.
South Park is one such show that walks the tightrope of public opinion by its bootstraps. The hit television program features four boys that deal with odd happenings in there small town of South Park, Colorado. It has been praised for its ingenious use of political and social satire, as well as good old comedy. The show has also come under fierce criticism for many of its sexual, racial and religious comments that leave may feeling targeted and humiliated. One other concern is that the shows presentation is that of a saturday morning cartoon and could easily be mistaken for something appropriate for children.
South Park is a great form of entertainment for mature adults that realize the importance of being able to laugh, even if that humor comes from ones self. Taken with a grain of salt I believe that the show does a great job of facing up to the political and social issues that plague our society today. The show in many cases gives you a starting point to start thinking about key issues you otherwise would have ignored, and contrary to popular belief, rarely does it tell you what to think as much as what to think about. That being said, the show tends to be extremely offensive at times to all groups of society and leaves no stone unturned when it comes it public blunders or humiliations. South Park must be seen for what it is, which is a satirical animated comedy forged with the principle of “laughter is the best medicine” even on issues deemed to sensitive to discuss.
As a society we need to learn that it is the responsibility of the people to decide what is and what is not acceptable to air on television or other media outlets. We do not need a congressman or senator to decide this for us. If you find something on television offensive simply do not watch and if as a society we choose not to accept a certain type of material, simple economics will make sure that it no longer exists. South Park is not exempt from this principle, as far as racial, sexual, political, and very personal attacks, it takes the cake. But let us not forget that it is up to us to decide how much weight that message carries.
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