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Trey Parker Says South Park Didn't Get Political, But "Politics Became Pop Culture"
(consequence.net)
this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2025
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rofl no
the president is a reality TV star.
South Park has a LONG history of failing at political satire.
not sure what that has to do with my point, which is "politics became pop culture".
Define how politics has become pop culture. Don't just reference Turnip. Define what is now popular and politics, without saying Trump.
You will then have your answer on how this shitshow started, and I'd wager South Park contributed to it.
Easy, social media. Social Media has turned politics into pop culture.
Saying social media doesn't describe how.
Social media has replaced newspapers and broadcasts. Politicians relied on those to get their message out. In the newspapers and tv shows they'd be presented to the audience with other political topics to people specifically looking to be informed. On social media they are competing with the costco guys and podcasters for likes, they need to game an algorithm, and an effective way of doing that pop culture bullshit.
and... you get your political opinions from ... social media?
20% and growing
And you say that as though social media has not directly lead to the overthrowing of multiple governments around the world.
They literally held elections on discord in Nepal after Gen Z toppled the government.
and how's it being used in the US? How does social media make politics pop culture?
Please just get to your point
Politics has been in every form of media. If social media is the new norm of media, politics existing there... isn't new. Politics existing in the popular form of media ... is not new. The popular form of media is not what 'pop culture' is.
oh ok, so let's just eliminate the single biggest driving force in politics for the last 10 years. other than that everything is totally normal.
Such as?
Mr garrison went from rando character to proto gay/trans avatar to trump avatar to just pretty much nothing.
The show has flubbed this shit plenty…
I love that you downvoted me just for asking. Lol
Sorry? You took a position of ignorance while discussing pop culture. It’s not weird
ignorance being the word you should reflect on.
I feel like people really have some rose colored glasses about this show.
Combined with their lack of media literacy, you're right on the money to explain these failures downvoting me.
I don't even dislike the show. I can just recognize they suck at satire.
If these guys wanted to be daring they would do something different, but no they are fine just raking it in every week with another milquetoast take, they have the money to take chances but they're just gonna keep making this show until everyone stops watching it or dislikes it, not end on a high note, such is the way these days I guess.
"butbutbut saying 'Trump is fucking Satan' is taking chances!"
I don't mind too much if the show keeps making dumb jokes, since it's not like they've ever made many poignant statements, but the dickriding is seriously crazy.
I'm surprised more folk didn't grow out of it. It was funny for 2 years, but then pretty meh.
Yet it has this weird cult-like following.
Sometimes their parody is pretty funny and on-point. Like their longer "episodes" during COVID were actually pretty good. Though the insistence on parodying current events/politicians and attempting satire with the laziest parody as the vehicle? Yeahhh that gets old fast.
It doesn't even age well because the farcical parodies seldom stand the test of time. Like Al Gore is just some dork that says, "super cereal" and has a lisp for those that don't know him. Their trans jokes are always terrible and are almost as bad as modern conservative media. Like the episode with Strong Woman's ex becoming trans just to start shit would've just been conservative bigoted drivel without the jealous ex twist, and still kinda' is with how nearly none of the institutions supporting it get any blowback or consequence.
So many jokes are just... the dumbest social commentary, and unless such things are refined into proper satire, they always either fall flat or age horribly.
Like I always like to say, this is a show that started with aliens putting a satellite in Cartman's ass and always killing Kenny. It's weird they even try for more persistent social commentary.
One word = ManBearPig