Steve Iwrin, I mean.
www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/...index.html
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The cartoon series "South Park" has never been shy of courting controversy, but its latest episode has caused outrage by featuring the recently deceased Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.
Swearing and random death and destruction are staples of the cartoon, which has been broadcast since 1997. Irwin, killed by a stingray's barb while snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in September is the latest celebrity to be lampooned by the show.
The episode, aired in the U.S. earlier this week, shows Satan preparing to host a Halloween fancy dress party. Other guests include Princess Diana, Hitler and rapper Notorious B.I.G. Critics have been appalled by the Irwin character's depiction in a bloodstained shirt and with a stingray still attached to his chest.
John Beyer of UK TV watchdog Mediawatch said: "This is such bad taste and the makers of 'South Park' should review their decision to show it. Steve's family are still grieving.
"To lampoon somebody's death like that is unacceptable and so soon after the event is grossly insensitive.''
"South Park" maker Comedy Central defended the episode. A spokesperson for the company said: "It has offended people in the past and probably will again. Regular watchers would not be shocked."
The show holds the record for the most swearwords spoken in one program, and regularly takes pot-shots at celebrities and makes fun of politics and religion.
Some tamer examples include George Clooney, mocked for his politically-motivated Oscar acceptance speech, and lampooning Tom Cruise and John Travolta for their belief in Scientology. One episode with a depiction of a bleeding Virgin Mary so upset the Catholic Church that it was pulled from repeats of the series.
And it's not like the creators didn't undrstand. South Park Satan even said that it was too soon to have a costume like Steve Iwrin. And I don't think this is mocking him.
The only thing that bothers me about this is the continuity problems. In SP, Irwin died from rotating helicopter blades.
Quote:
The only thing that bothers me about this is the continuity problems.
Oh my god! They killed Kenny!
I watched the episode and it didn't offend me. Probably because they weren't actually making fun of him, otherwise I'd be offended.
Don't like it. Don't watch it. Nuff said.
If you're stupid enough to watch a show that offends you, you deserve to BE offended. :p
~Rico
I actually loved the episode. Really really messed up, but enjoyed it.
And then when Satan finds out it's REALLY Steve Irwin, he's like oh, well, you have no costume, so leave. XD
Granted, Zing and I both went "Awwwe, c'mon", but we laughed, knowing it's South Park. I think Satan helped save the "too soon" joke.
Ohhh, that silly Satan. How we love him so.
. . . wait...
that was pretty funny. about the whole "bleeding virgin mary" thing though, i've actually seen it close to 4 times in rotation. i personally don't believe the catholic church should even get their way on pulling it out of repeats.
i mean really, on the secret stash you can watch the whole movie, uncut. swear words and everything, that obviously doesn't offend enough people to warrant cancellation of showing the movie, so why should bleeding virgin mary?
I'm not going to lie, seeing as i haven't watched television in almost two years, I came into this topic thinking that South Park had made a joke about the metric system SI. Guess I was kinda wrong.
I concur that if it's offensive, then it shouldn't be watched. Now I haven't seen it, but i know it's not the kind of thing that hasn't been done before. Especially on comedy central.
People still protest this show? You'd think they'd kinda just get used to it and not watch it. o.o;
Then again, it's been getting more controversy over more episodes, lately. Like the Scientology one. That whole media storm thing was pathetic. They acted like it's special, when Scientology was like the only religion they'd yet to make fun of. o.o
SX, the difference is people have been making fun of each other religions for decades since before South Park came out. Scientology is relatively new, and is set up in such a fashion that they believe in a "take-no-prisoners" approach to anything opposing them as laid down by their founder L. Ron Hubbard.
As for South Park in particular, Rico couldn't have said my approach to that show more succinctly. I don't like it, I don't watch it, I don't complain.
