Censoring South Park

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Recommended: Explain the role of censorship in education

Dick Cavett, a famous American talk show host, once said, “Censorship feeds the dirty mind more than the four-letter word itself.” Censorship limits free speech, and it is used constantly today. In South Park’s situation, the writers use logic and evidence to express their opinions on controversial issues, and people think that it should be censored. Just because the show uses morally questionable techniques, does not mean that it is useless. In fact, South Park has taught people a lot; it changes our point of view and encourages us to think deeply about the issues at hand while simultaneously making us laugh. For people unfamiliar with South Park, it is an animated comedy television which airs on Comedy Central. The show revolves around four children living in a small Colorado town and their adventures. South Park has received harsh criticism for its profanity, violence, and offensiveness, but these claims are exaggerated and outweighed by South Park's use of satirical comedy which educates its audience about current events and moral values.

Some viewers of South Park have deemed the show to be vulgar and think that it should not have been made. Critics say that young children are watching the show, and they are developing dirty mouths. The episode, It Hits the Fan, was notably criticized for its use of the word “shit.” South Park kept a tally of how many times the word was used, and the number reached 162. The Parents Television Council, an advocacy group aimed at stopping harmful television programming, is one of the main forces behind censoring South Park. They also criticized South Park for its use of the racial slur, nigger, during the episode With Apologies to Jesse Jackson. Groups like The Parents Television ...

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...ression just because it is not politically correct. Critics of South Park are in denial of what the world is because the world itself is not politically correct. People want to make the world seem like it is not as bad as it is. In the real world, profanity is spoken, violence happens, and racism is committed. South Park shows us what the real world is and how we should deal with it.

Works Cited

"It Hits the Fan." South Park. Comedy Central: 20 Jun 2001. Television. 9 Oct 2011.

"Proper Condom Use." South Park. Comedy Central: 1 Aug 2001. Television. 9 Oct 2011.

"Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants." South Park. Comedy Central: 7 Nov 2001. Television. 9 Oct 2011.

"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson." South Park. Comedy Central: 7 Mar 2007. Television. 9 Oct 2011.

"Trapped in the Closet." South Park. Comedy Central: 16 Nov 2005. Television. 9 Oct 2011.

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