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[Jebusman]

There are two kinds of jokes in play here:

Joke A: Jews sucks.

Audience A: Haha yeah jews do suck


Joke B: Jews sucks.

Audience B: haha holy shit how can anyone say that with a straight face you're horrible


In Joke A, the target of the joke are the jews. It meant to bring attention to them, and have people laugh at them.

In Joke B, the target of the joke is the joker. It's meant to bring attention to himself, as a horrible person, and make the audience laugh at him.



PDP is Joke A.

South Park is (typically) Joke B.

 

[BigJonsson]

No, because Kyle usually makes Cartman look like a dumbass

 

[MKIL65]

I knew a Jewish kid who never said he was Jewish because he's get relentlessly bullied with South park "jokes." It might not be anti-Semitic, but it has contributed to anti-Semitic bullying.

This is something people don't realize. Not everyone can see the satire, especially kids.

 

[Hasphat'sAnts]

Is The Producers anti Semitic?

 

[LiquidSword]

Have you not seen the videos in question? The clips are literally taken out of context in a clip about taking things out of context.

Please enlighten us to the context. I'm curious as I've never gotten a real answer in what the context was. Note: Offensive thing being funny because it is offensive is not context

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I kind of see the OP's point though. Most of SP's audience probably can't grasp the layers. They have the minds of children.

I'm assuming you haven't watched an episode past season 2.

This is something people don't realize. Not everyone can see the satire, especially kids.

It's not a show for children.

 

[Glix]

Is Blazing Saddles racist?

 

[Oddduck]

Isn't Matt Stone jewish?

 

[Glix]

Isn't Matt Stone jewish?

Doesn't matter. Milo is fucking Jewish.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Is Blazing Saddles racist?

Good point here.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

I don't think South Park is inherently anti-semetic, however I do think that their humor has sort of increased the amount of anti-semetism in the world.

A 12-year-old watching isn't likely to think "The stupid psychopath character is anti-semetic; that's funny." They just hear "Shut up, Jew," laugh, then repeat on XBox Live without even thinking about it. Then they grow up and keep repeating it until it's normal and not really a joke anymore.

It's an unfortunate, unintended side-effect, but it's there.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Do you consider yourself capable of critical thinking?

 

[btrboyev]

No, Cartman the character is.

 

[Not]

I'm assuming you haven't watched an episode past season 2.



It's not a show for children.

Didn't say it was. The show can't control its audience. Teen boys are dumb as hell, and some carry it into adulthood-- along with South Park.

 

[Hades Hotgun]

Cartman is essentially the villain of the series. So this would be akin to calling the Captain America movies anti-Semitic because of its use of Nazis and Nazi imagery.

I think you mean the Captain America comic books.

The movies don't have Nazi anything. Literally not even a single swastika. Hydra is actually more culturally and ethnically diverse than the Avengers in the films.


edit:

Doesn't matter. Milo is fucking Jewish.

No, he is Catholic. He uses a claim of Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandmother as a shield against criticism of his neo-nazi bullshit.

 

[Oddduck]

Doesn't matter. Milo is fucking Jewish.

Alright, but Matt Stone voices Kyle (jewish character). And Kyle is always portrayed as the smart kid. Kyle and Stan are the voices of reason.

While Cartman has always been portrayed as a dumb racist bully.

 

[driggonny]

No.

 

[Onemic]

Southpark doesnt do 4chan like "jokes" unlike PDP(ie jokes with almost no context or setup) and its obvious that characters like Cartman are framed as pieces of shit who youre not supposed to like...So no.

 

[Sheriff_Battlesnake]

South Park does a Nazi joke, the Nazis are the butt of the joke. In the PDP jokes, the jews were.

Sometimes people just have to say it the right way, but this clicked for me.

 

[chaobreaker]

When South Park makes anti-Semitic jokes, it's always at how absurd they are for making them. Cartman, the biggest source of these jokes, never gets his way and is one of the bigger punching bags of the show. South Park sends a clear message that it's not cool.

When PewDiePie makes anti-Semitic jokes, the punchline is almost always just saying the anti-Semitic views and how shocking it is to say them (spoilers: it isn't.) He never does it in a self depreciating way. It's always just the absurdity of saying it.

To put it another way: One way of making edgy jokes lets you continue airing you comedy show for nearly two decades. The other quickly gets you booted from your Disney contract.

 

[Glix]

I don't think South Park is inherently anti-semetic, however I do think that their humor has sort of increased the amount of anti-semetism in the world.

A 12-year-old watching isn't likely to think "The stupid psychopath character is anti-semetic; that's funny." They just hear "Shut up, Jew," laugh, then repeat on XBox Live without even thinking about it. Then they grow up and keep repeating it until it's normal and not really a joke anymore.

It's an unfortunate, unintended side-effect, but it's there.

I think any kid in a home where they are properly taught what is right and wrong would not be affected this way.

I think a kid from a different kind of home is going to take shots at people who are different, regardless if they have seen South Park or not.

But perhaps, they might use lines from the show to do it, if they have seen the show.

 

[Fury451]

No, and I'm not a South Park fan. Context and intent. Their intent is not to promote anti-antisemitism.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Doesn't matter. Milo is fucking Jewish.

Milo is also gay and regularly aligns to anti-LGBT agendas. I'd say he's confounding but we all know it's about the money.

 

[Glix]

No, he is Catholic. He uses a claim of Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandmother as a shield against criticism of his neo-nazi bullshit.

Regardless, the point stands that you can be a Jew and an Anti Semite.

 

[misses bull]

THis is the dumbest gaf op ive ever seen in my life

is always sunny anti semitic?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I take it back. They did have an anti-semitic character in one episode that wasn't very clever:

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Just to be clear, Cartman is the villain of the South Park quartet. At best, he's portrayed as an anti-hero. The few times he is actually right in his crusades (hippies, Bin Laden, Terrence & Philip, PC Principal, the rainforest, Stan's cow), it's shown in a broken clock kinda way. Stan & Kyle disagree with him almost out of principle in most episodes, which often sets the plot in motion. The episode where he becomes an actual Nazi figure is the peak of his villainy (well, unless you count killing Scott's parents, summoning Cthulthu, or summoning the parents with butts for faces), and it's clearly portrayed as such.

Have you not seen the videos in question? The clips are literally taken out of context in a clip about taking things out of context.

No, I have not, which is why I asked for clarification. I've not participated in the lengthy threads on the gaming side.

 

[Revolutionary]

It definitively isn't. So no.

 

[Glix]

Alright, but Matt Stone voices Kyle (jewish character). And Kyle is always portrayed as the smart kid.

While Cartman has always been portrayed as a dumb racist bully.

Oh, I'm on your side here 100percent. I just don't think that him being jewish gives him a shield from accusations of anti semetisim.

What gives them a shield is that the show isn't anti semetic, lol.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Why are people so tilted over the heat that PDP is getting? Christ.

I don't think South Park is inherently anti-semetic, however I do think that their humor has sort of increased the amount of anti-semetism in the world.

A 12-year-old watching isn't likely to think "The stupid psychopath character is anti-semetic; that's funny." They just hear "Shut up, Jew," laugh, then repeat on XBox Live without even thinking about it. Then they grow up and keep repeating it until it's normal and not really a joke anymore.

It's an unfortunate, unintended side-effect, but it's there.

This is how I feel about it.

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

No. South Park creators go out of their way to show the viewer that the one racist in the show is a piece of shit. It's up to the viewer to side with a piece of shit or not.

Not the same as #PewDieTrump

 

[L Thammy]

Because half the stuff on that show is way worse than anything PewDiePie ever did.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Wouldn't that be akin to asking if Spielberg is anti-Semitic because he made Schindler's list?

 

[Glix]

Because half the stuff on that show is way worse than anything PewDiePie ever did.

No, but it is less clear cut.

Archie is cast in a lovable light at times. Cartman is ALWAYS a piece of shit.

 

[LiquidSword]

Because half the stuff on that show is way worse than anything PewDiePie ever did.

Please be a joke... I actually can't tell

 

[Bronx-Man]

I wouldn't say so. The point of those jokes is "Cartman is a dumbass". What was the point of PDP's joke?

I don't think South Park is inherently anti-semetic, however I do think that their humor has sort of increased the amount of anti-semetism in the world.

A 12-year-old watching isn't likely to think "The stupid psychopath character is anti-semetic; that's funny." They just hear "Shut up, Jew," laugh, then repeat on XBox Live without even thinking about it. Then they grow up and keep repeating it until it's normal and not really a joke anymore.

It's an unfortunate, unintended side-effect, but it's there.

This is definitely something I noticed in junior high and high school.

 

[EmiPrime]

You aren't supposed to be laughing with the characters making the anti-semetic remarks

You might not be supposed to but many people do laugh WITH Cartman and not at him and repeat his catchphrases and frankly South Park is not nearly as clever and its satire not nearly as well executed as its defenders seem to think it is. The commentary in SP has all the depth of a paddling pool and is often loaded with fallacies. Anyone who thinks that SP has been a net positive in the fight against anti-semitism in the last 15+ years is not being honest with themselves.

 

[Dangansona]

Did you guys hear about Maher's pedo comments? Or what Elijah Wood set about Hollywood? Milo did nothing wrong!

Can people not be guilty of their own shitty actions without attempting to find someone else who has done the same thing?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I loved SP as a child not sure how anyone can take Cartman for anything but someone to make fun of.

I am fairly anti fat people though but I think that's more fueled by self loathing.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Doesn't matter. Milo is fucking Jewish.

Isn't Milo Greek? He'd be one of the first ever Jewish Greeks I've ever heard of. I was always under the impression that outside converting later, Greeks are all effectively Orthodox. The religious ones anyway.

 

[WhiskeyKnight]

To everyone in here saying that it's different because Cartman is the villain and you're supposed to hate him...

That's nonsense.

He's the main character of the series. He's the most popular character in the series. He's on all the t-shirts, mousepads and other merchandise. You are not supposed to hate Cartman -- you're supposed to buy a mug with his face on it. The writers are leveraging antisemitism for comedic effect, just like PewDiePie was doing. You can argue (as I would) that South Park is more skilled at doing this, but the intent is no different.

 

[L Thammy]

As an aside, I tend to think it's sad when someone has to escape to a new thread because the old thread wasn't going their way, but even worse when you have to jump from gaming side to off-topic.

 

[Tubobutts]

If you're saying that pewdiepie is a racist, anti-semitic, sexist, sociopath, and the audience is meant to think that he is a tremendous piece of shit then this comparison makes sense.

 

[AndrewDean84xX]

I don't think South Park is inherently anti-semetic, however I do think that their humor has sort of increased the amount of anti-semetism in the world.

A 12-year-old watching isn't likely to think "The stupid psychopath character is anti-semetic; that's funny." They just hear "Shut up, Jew," laugh, then repeat on XBox Live without even thinking about it. Then they grow up and keep repeating it until it's normal and not really a joke anymore.

It's an unfortunate, unintended side-effect, but it's there.

Parenting has to be involved somewhere in there. I get that kids are going to watch a show, laugh at stupid one liners and fart jokes and move on. Shit, watching the Simpsons as a child and watching them as an adult, it's like I watched two different shows. Same thing happened with South Park.

God knows, if I heard my daughter talk like that, she'd be in so much fucking trouble, and have to listen to some serious shit.

 

[Prof. Bathtub]

No, and until recent years I thought the joke was that virtually no American kids would be anti-semitic in the present day. Unfortunately, I do feel that it introduces dumber viewers to easily-repeatable anti-Jewish canards.

So yes, what Lionel Mandrake said.

 

[blankempathy]

To everyone in here saying that it's different because Cartman is the villain and you're supposed to hate him...

That's nonsense.

He's the main character of the series. He's the most popular character in the series. He's on all the t-shirts, mousepads and other merchandise. You are not supposed to hate Cartman -- you're supposed to buy a mug with his face on it. The writers are leveraging antisemitism for comedic effect, just like PewDiePie was doing. You can argue (as I would) that South Park is more skilled at doing this, but the intent is no different.

You can enjoy a character and also disagree with what they represent. Cartman does other things aside from preaching hate. As for people believing it's increased the antisemitic things said by kids. No duh. Kids repeat things they see all the time. How many people continue to say "my n#/*er" after watching training day? That's why kids need parental involvement to teach their kids the meanings behind those words and why it's wrong to say them.

 

[Neverfade]

Reading some about this guy PDP, never knew who he was before all this really. One thing I will say, all the comment sections on anything related to him read like a Trump Klan meeting. I'm gonna go ahead and stay away from him.

To be fair, that's every Youtube comment section.

 

[Linkura]

Cartman is supposed to be an immature, childish dumbass, and the show constantly makes that point. The fact that he's anti-semitic should bolster the case that the show isn't anti-semitic.

 

[Audioboxer]

To everyone in here saying that it's different because Cartman is the villain and you're supposed to hate him...

That's nonsense.

He's the main character of the series. He's the most popular character in the series. He's on all the t-shirts, mousepads and other merchandise. You are not supposed to hate Cartman -- you're supposed to buy a mug with his face on it. The writers are leveraging antisemitism for comedic effect, just like PewDiePie was doing. You can argue (as I would) that South Park is more skilled at doing this, but the intent is no different.

It's not that black or white. People can still like a character they hate. Anti-heroes and villains have been liked across many mediums for donkeys years. Heck, there is people out there who will like Ramsay in Game of Thrones just because of how comically evil he is. Or how well written an asshole/villain he is.

We're in the realms of make believe. Suspension of reality is a thing, in fact, it's what is used to have most of us laugh at all sorts of dark humour. Some would say if we can't laugh at times we'd be consumed by all the misery going on in history and still to come. It's a human coping mechanism in some cases, especially around shock. Context is what is usually propped up to enable laughter, as it can be a bit wicked if you just laugh at general suffering with no punchline. It can still happen as an extension of a coping mechanism, without you instantly being a piece of shit. However, as my first post in here said South Park has been criticised since day 1 and humour is not universal.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

The writers are leveraging antisemitism for comedic effect, just like PewDiePie was doing. You can argue (as I would) that South Park is more skilled at doing this, but the intent is no different.

The intent is inherently different if one source is taking more time and care than the other (i.e. no care whatsoever) to land the joke.